Guest Tutorials
Anna Lambert and Micaela Schoop
Here is a summery of the guest tutorials I had with Anna Lambert and Micaela Schoop in July 2026. They were both very helpful, as they provided different view points on my work and suggested some ways to refine my work further. With both of their industry experience, I found their suggestions to be incredibly useful and made me redirect my way of thinking and evaluate my practice further.
Micaela Schoop- (16/07/26)
Current Piece I was working on-
When I had my tutorial with Micaela, I was currently working on this piece. It’s fragmented pieces of textured slab, pieced together, to create an informal style vessel.
When discussing this piece with Micaela, she suggested to add more texture on the slabs that were plain, especially round the back. It was also evident where the base was connected so she said bring the texture right down to the bottom so help blend it to the piece.
The most helpful piece of advice though, was the make a small angled undercut on the base of the piece, so it looks slightly raised off the board and creates a small shadow.
These small suggestions really helped me realise that I can still work on the finishing of my pieces, I just wasn’t sure how. Since applying the undercut, I’ve been doing it to all my pieces since. It completes the final forms and it does add a significant difference to the overall visual of the piece. These small considerations, add up and create a huge impact.
Furthermore, Micaela suggested creating a series of small maquettes so I can explore how glazes sit on a vertical surface (As at this point, I was struggling getting some glazes right) - It also allows room for exploration around form, without the pressure of committing to something larger. Therefore, after this tutorial, I made around 6 maquettes from the Craft Crank clay, all designed for glaze exploration. I was also looking at colour combinations so by applying coloured glaze with a natural colour, allowed me to see that comparison before applying it to larger pieces. You can see these glaze tests on here.
Anna Lambert- (23/07/26)
Ken Eastman’s work- (If not now, when, 2023)
Anna suggested I look into Ken Eastman’s work a bit more- She mentioned she worked alongside him , or he did a guest workshop at her university at some point.
Mainly, because Anna was interested about my forms and if I was to slice them and re-assemble them in some way, similar to the way Ken Eastman works.
I had considered this thought before, but never really explored it. It is something I’d like to definitely try out coming into the 2nd year of course. I think it would help direct my work in terms of form, instead of creating completely different forms every time. It was give my practice a sense of consistency, through repeating a similar process to making.
Furthermore, Anna said I should play around with the thickness of my slabs by trying out thicker and thinner slabs. She then suggested once in slab form, trying standing them up, balancing them and see what shapes they make. Allow them to go leather hard and then slice and re-assemble them. This is an exciting idea I’d also love to try. I think this semester, I’ve been trying to be too representational to my sketches, where as this method eradicates precision.
I was discussing my larger piece with Anna in regards to slip application (As that’s her speciality) and she said she layers her slips more than five times to create a real depth of colour. She also recommended adding potash feldspar to slip after bisque firing if I’ve struggled to reach all areas of the sculpture, such as the inside. The feldspar then flux’s the slip during the second firing, oppose to it cracking away. (Add around 10% PF)
Lastly, Anna complimented my ‘Free Solo’ sculpture, saying that there’s something about it which stands out amongst the rest. The hole in the middle was also a successful choice.
REFLECTION-
Overall, both of these guest tutorials were incredibly helpful. I was provided with valuable knowledge that’s shifted the angle on my practice. It’s always great to gain new opinions and insight on your work also. I’ve taken the advice from both tutorials and tried to develop upon that. On my fine art degree, we’d get a new guest lecturer in each week and we could sign up for a 1:1 tutorial with them. I did this a few times and every time, they always provided a new insight on my work. This felt similar to that. It’s taken me some time to digest the information, but approaching 2nd year, I’d like to try out some of these suggestions.