Inside look at vzw De Sperwer
"How decisive is your studio for you? With this question, we approached several participants of Atelier in beeld for our magazine Kunstletters.
Wendy, Katrien, Inneke, Jorick, Giovanni, and Jasmien work daily in the clay, painting, and drawing studio of vzw De Sperwer, an organization for adults with disabilities and artistic talent. The studio is located in Lokeren.
What material do you prefer to work with?
Wendy De Mol: I prefer working in my large sketchbook, a wallpaper book. That serves as my diary and life story. I draw things that are important to me.
Inneke De Haene: I can't choose. I love variety and use different materials together: acrylic paint, chalk, paper, ink, wallpaper glue...
Giovanni Vercauteren: Clay never gets boring. We occasionally visit the company Colpaert in Nevele to get clay and glaze. Sometimes we buy or receive old hard clay there. We recover it in large black bins underwater, and using a hammer, we break the clay into small pieces. This way, we have bins of red clay, white clay, porcelain, terra nigra... On plasterboards, we make this clay usable for our work.
What does your dream studio look like?
Inneke De Haene: Soon we are moving to a new drawing and painting studio in the building. That's a dream studio: a workspace with lots of light and enjoyable music in the background.
Katrien Van Driessche: A large and spacious studio. Sometimes I would like to work outside, but working with clay in the sun is challenging. Jasmien de Meersman: My dream studio has plenty of clay, lots of space, and good music playing in the background so I can sing along unlimitedly. The perfect song for throwing pots? "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" by The Tokens!
I often sing loudly while throwing pots. I have my favorite songs that make throwing better.
Do you have a fixed method in your studio?
Sevim Köroglu: I always start with charcoal, both on canvas and paper. I finish with acrylic paint because I don't like change much. So, I consistently work with the same materials.
Katrien Van Driessche: First, I throw large clay sausages and stack them to smooth them out. This builds a tall tower, from which I sculpt a figure. My inspiration? When I travel, I take photos of inspiring places. I base my sculptures on these: sled dogs from Lapland, a cannon from Greece... After the sculpture is fired in the kiln, I apply glaze. I choose a color from the many bowls hanging on the wall in the studio. Glaze requires two to three coats. Then it goes back into the kiln, and the sculpture is ready.
Jorick Van Den Broeck: I make clay balls and press them into the mold. Every Wednesday, I create one bowl. I smooth the clay with blue and red tools until all the lines are gone. The bowl is removed from the mold the next day and can be fired. I like to use red and green glazes on my bowls.
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