New Classes: Photography and Pottery

Introduction to Photography

Jack Retterer – Instructor
Wednesdays from 1:30 pm – 4 pm
January 26 – March 2, 2022

This 6-week class will show you how to consistently create photos you will be proud to share with others.  For those new to photography, we will show you step by step how to master the art of photography …  from the basics to advanced skills.  For experienced photographers … especially self-taught photographers … we will help you fill in the gaps of your photography knowledge and help you acquire more advanced skills.  This is a hands-on learning experience with weekly practice assignments and personalized feedback on your work.  

Topics covered include: 

  • Key Concepts and Best Practices of Digital Photography
  • The Exposure Triangle: How and when to adjust Shutter Speed, Aperture and ISO
  • Advanced Composition and Basic Editing
  • Selecting and Using Lenses
  • Sharpe Focusing and Correct Color Balance
  • Basic  Flash and Lighting Techniques

YOUR INSTRUCTOR

Jack Retterer is a local Fine Art Photographer with over 50 years of photography experience.  He has taught photography at Benedictine University in Naperville Illinois and currently teaches Fine Art Photography at the University of Tennessee.  He is a juried member of The Art Market Gallery in Knoxville.  He is also very active in the East Tennessee art and photography community thru board positions and memberships in the professional Photographers of East Tennessee, The Professional Photographers of America, the Knoxville Culture and Arts Alliance and the Tennessee Artists Association.

Course cost: $184 for members and $199 for non-members.  Sign up by emailing fcacinfo@gmail.com or calling 865-357-2787.

Introduction to Pottery: Handbuilding

Linda Braddock, Instructor
Tuesdays 9:30 am – 11:30 am
January 25 – March 15, 2022


The oldest known pottery artifact was handbuilt.  The same ancient skills used to create the earliest pottery can be used today to make functional tableware, vessels, and sculptural forms.  Only a few simple tools are needed to produce works of art in the clay medium through the development of manual, technical, and conceptual skills. 
 
This class will offer an opportunity to learn the different handbuilding techniques of pinching, coiling, and slab rolling.  The possibilities for creativity are endless once these skills have been introduced and practiced.  Individual creativity and self-expression will be encouraged throughout the process of designing and producing pottery pieces.
 
Handbuilding Techniques
 
Pinching
Pinch pots are a direct method of working with clay and help to familiarize the student with the characteristics of clay as a medium.   Cups, bowls, and closed vessels with fitted lids will be demonstrated.
 
Coiling
Coiled pots are created by rolling out long individual coils of clay and joining them together to create a vessel. Coiled pots can take on any number of forms, and the size can range from small to large. Pinching and coiling techniques can be combined to produce larger, more substantial shapes. 
 
Slab Pots
A slab pot is formed by joining flat slabs of clay together after they have been uniformly flattened by means of a rolling pin or processed through a slab roller.  Students will use a variety of molds to produce plates, platters, bowls, or other creative shapes.  Through the use of “slump molds” or concave, and “hump molds” or convex, students will be able to design and create a variety of pottery vessels. 
 
Decoration: Slips and Glazes
Pottery pieces will be fired twice, once to the bisque stage, then glazed and completed in the second firing.  Pottery pieces will be decorated with colored slips, underglazes, and glazes for firing in the kiln.

Course cost: $175 for members and $190 for non-members.  Sign up by emailing fcacinfo@gmail.com or calling 865-357-2787.

It’s Open Show Time!!!
 
January 28 – March 16, 2022
 

Dates and Requirements 
 

  • Entries will be accepted from 10 am – 12pm Saturday, January 22 and 10am – 3pm Tuesday, January 25, 2022 at Fountain City Art Center, 213 Hotel Ave, Knoxville, TN 37918. fcacinfo@gmail.com  
  • Entries must be originals and must not have been shown at the Art Center.
  • Up to two entries will be accepted per person. The entry fee is $15 for each piece.
  • All media – including oils, acrylics, watercolors, pastels, drawings, sculpture in any medium, jewelry, collage, printmaking, photography and digital media—will be considered.
  • 2-D entries must be wired to hang. Hanging methods other than wiring cannot be used.
  • The maximum allowed size of image (framed) is 48” x 48”.  Please, no ornate frames; simple, lightweight frames with Plexiglas are preferred.
  • Reception will be from 6:30pm – 8:00pm (masks required) and awards will be announced on Friday, January 28th at at 7:00pm.
  • Work exhibited in the Open Show must remain in the show through March 16th.
  • Artists will pick up their work Thursday, March 17th between 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM. After 30 days, the artwork becomes the property of the Fountain City Art Center if not picked up.

Awards: 
– Best of Show
– 1st Place
– 2nd Place
– 3rd Place
– Honorable Mention
– Honorable Mention
– Honorable Mention
*Cash awards will be offered! 
 Awards are as designated by the jurors, whose decisions are final.

Exhibit Entry Form: https://fountaincityartcenter.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Exhibit-Entry-Form-2.pdf

About Us 

The Fountain City Art Center is dedicated to providing a variety of visual arts experiences and opportunities for the public in an inviting and educational environment. The Fountain City Art Center is a venue for area artists, art groups, performing artists and students of all ages to exhibit their work, attend meetings, classes, workshops, lectures and demonstrations, and to find inspiration from one another.