Mark Issenberg Workshop
Intro to Ash Glazing

Join Mark Issenberg at MudFire for a hands-on introduction to ash glazing. We'll be spraying pots, grilling snacks, and learning about ash glazes all day. Participants will learn how to prepare and mix wood ash into a glaze, see examples of how the glazes are used, and then spray two pieces with Mark's glazes for firing that night. Work may be picked up at MudFire the following week. Participants will arrive in waves and stay for several hours.

The cost to participate is $28 for materials, firing, picnic lunch, and instruction from Mark. Please bring two bisque-fired pieces made from clay compatible with Cone 10 firing.If you will not have your own work, bisque vases and bowls are available for purchase with 2 weeks advance notice. Please bring a dustmask for use while spraying.

Each piece should measure no more than 400 cubic inches and be no more than 10 inches in any dimension. Hint: to derive the cubic inches... measure width, depth, and height and multiply all three together. Call in advance if you have questions...we won't be able to make exceptions the day of the event.

Mark teaching at an earlier workshop at his studio

About Mark Issenberg

Mark Issenberg began making pottery in 1965, and several years later met Charles Counts, a nationally known potter and author of several classic pottery books. Counts recruited Issenberg out of high school for his summer apprenticeship program. Issenberg went on to earn a BFA in Ceramics from the University of South Florida, and returned as an intern production potter working alongside Counts. Mark then returned to Florida where he continued his clay work, became a firefighter, and started raising exotic plants. He began using ash glazes in 1992 after Hurricane Andrew, using ash from trees that fell during the storm.

He melted many pots to kiln shelves as he developed his technique and glaze recipes. Mark recently returned to the north Georgia mountains, to built a home and studio next door to where he studied with Counts in his youth.

Today his level of control over the drips and runs of the ash glaze is unparalleled. He attains absolutely magnificent finishes, lush with texture, shimmer, and variation. In addition to making pottery, Mark volunteers at both the Tennessee Acquarium in Chattanooga and Cloudlands Canyon State Park in Georgia. He also serves as an office within the Georgia Clay Council, a regional artist guild based in Cherokee County, Georgia.