The Canton Clay Works Instructor Bios

MEET OUR TALENTED INSTRUCTORS

Jim Gorman
Jim earned his BFA in Crafts/Ceramics from the University of Illinois in 1974 and then went on to get his MFA in Ceramics from Indiana University in 1976. His extensive teaching experience includes college as well as high school level. He has just recently retired after teaching ceramics for many years at Canton High School in Canton, CT.

Jim's extensive artistic skills cover not only ceramics but also photography, painting and printmaking.

A professional artist who has exhibited his work extensively in the United States over the past 30 years, Jim presently works at his studio in Bloomfield, CT. His work is in private collections and was part of the Smithsonian exhibition, "American Porcelain: New Expressions in an Ancient Art" that traveled extensively in the U.S. and overseas.

View Work: Image 1

Steve Johnson
A Connecticut native, Steve learned to throw pots while living in Washington, D.C. He is drawn to the work of potters influenced by Shoji Hamada and Bernard Leach. Steve explores a philosophy that focuses on the use of locally-collected materials in his own body of work.

Steve is an experienced technician in firing the Naboragama wood kiln at CCW and has been the driving force behind experimenting and developing wood ash glazes there. He is known for his wheel-thrown altered forms and is an articulate and detail-oriented instructor.

His experience includes the following:

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Sarah Machowski
Sarah Machowski is an English teacher at Northwestern Regional High School in Winsted. A graduate of St. Joseph College, she attained a BA in English in 1991 and an MST in English from the University of New Hampshire in 1999. In the mid-nineties she began throwing pots in her basement and while on maternity leave in 2001 became a student at Canton Clay Works. She enjoys throwing functional ware and exploring primitive firing techniques for decorative pieces and has exhibited both types of work in several shows. She joined the faculty of CCW in the fall of 2005. A native of northwestern Connecticut, Sarah enjoys outdoor activities such as gardening, hiking, camping, and fishing.

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Ken Perks
A pediatrician practicing locally at Avon Pediatrics, Ken received his B.A. from Hamilton College in Biology with a minor in Art in 1989. He received his medical degree from New York Medical College in Valhalla, NY and completed his residency in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1996.

Three years ago, after ignoring his artistic calling for more than a decade, Ken began taking pottery classes for the first time at Canton Clay Works. After setting up a small studio in his basement, he has honed his craft with the many varied classes offered at Canton Clay Works. He enjoys throwing functional wares, exploring high fire glazes and wood firings. He has participated in many firings with the Naboragama kiln, and his work has been exhibited in several shows.

Ken is a resident of Canton with his wife, Susan and their three children - Owen, Sydney, and Charles. His interests include gardening, cooking, and spending time with his family.

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Diane Pierce
Diane Pierce graduated with a BA in Studio Art from Messiah College, Grantham, PA in 2007. In addition to working in clay, Diane has studied various forms of visual art including textiles, printmaking, collage, and box construction. She has worked conceptually as well as functionally by combining found materials with thrown forms. Upon graduation, Diane completed an honors thesis entitled the Sacredness of the Vessel and an exhibit exploring the complexity of containment.

Originally from Buffalo, NY, Diane has relocated to CT to work at Canton Clay Works as a 2007-2008 intern and instructor.

View work: Tea Bowl, shino glaze and oxides on porcelain | Tea Set, bone ash glazed porcelain with oxides | Fragility, porcelain and found crate | Storage, porcelain and found wood

Gay E. Schempp
Gay has worked as a studio potter for 20 years, producing functional and sculptural stoneware. In that career she exhibited nationally and coordinated and led craft and mythology tours to Japan and Greece. She also led workshops nationally and founded the Connecticut Clay Artists Association.

For the last 20 years, she has been drawing, painting, sculpting and teaching art at New Canaan High School. Gay was awarded ÒTeacher of the YearÓ by the CT Art Education Association and is a National Board Certified Teacher, presenting professional development programs at national conferences.

For the last 9 years, Gay has been co-leading Art and Yoga retreats in Madison, CT., and Tuscany, Italy. Last year she retired from high school teaching and established a painting studio in Winsted, CT. She is currently working in watercolor, collage and oil painting.

Tim Scull
Canton Clay Works Owner and Master Potter
Born, raised, and educated in Connecticut, Tim Scull has actively pursued the ceramic arts for the last 20 years. In 2000, he opened CANTON CLAY WORKS one of New England's premier ceramic facilities. As the owner of his new pottery studio, Tim offers classes for all ages in throwing on the potters wheel, as well as sculpture and handbuilding. His primary interest is in alternative firings which include wood/vapor firing, primitive (raku, saggar, pit) as well as crystalline.

Tim's personal body of work concentrates on ceramic forms fired in a variety of alternative and primitive firing techniques who's origins emerge from tribes and cultures throughout mans history. Tim's work has become quite diversified over the last several years including a multitude of firing techniques as in Raku, Pit firing, Sawdust firing, Saggar firing, Fuming techniques, Crystalline, Wood firings, and Salt/soda firings.

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