Clay & Glass Festival features local artists Clay & Glass Festival features local artists (July 09, 2003)

By Jane Knoerle
Almanac Staff Writer

Two Portola Valley artists, Jan Schachter and Lee Middleman, will be among the 185 California clay and glass artists taking part in the 11th annual Palo Alto Clay & Glass Festival on Saturday and Sunday, July 12 and 13, at the Palo Alto Art Center, 1313 Newell Road. Admission is free.

The show will feature everything from ceramic espresso sets to colorful hand-blown glass vases, including a selection of ceramic dinnerware for children.

Jan Schachter

A past president of the Association of Clay and Glass Artists of California, Ms. Schachter moved to Portola Valley 10 years ago with her husband, Vic. Her Westridge home, built around a courtyard garden, includes a studio that she opens to the public each spring and fall.

Growing up back East, Ms. Schachter became interested in working with clay as a child. After graduating from the University of Massachusetts, she enrolled in ceramic workshops in New York City.

Moving to California in 1978, Ms. Schachter decided, "I can really do this (pottery) full time." Today she specializes in "any kind of tableware: service plates, platters, bowls, vases. I will custom-design a size or shape for a customer," she says. The pieces can be made in five different glazes and are dishwasher-safe.

Ms. Schachter works with a custom-mix clay, which she orders by the ton. The clay comes in 25-pound bags and one ton lasts about a year.

Lee Middleman

Five years ago, Mr. Middleman left a 25-year career as a high-tech engineering manager and vice president to become a ceramic artist. "I couldn't be happier," says Mr. Middleman, who also holds a doctorate in physics from Stanford University.

"I had always been interested in art as a kid. When I took my first class in ceramics (at Palo Alto Art Center) I immediately fell in love with the medium; its hands-on, three-dimensional qualities captured me," says Mr. Middleman.

Today he is president of the Association of Clay and Glass Artists of California, a 500-member guild sponsoring the July 12 and 13 festival. He has also garnered international honors and been invited to the International Ceramic Competition at the Second World Ceramic Biennale in Korea this fall. His work is one of 215 ceramic pieces chosen from more than 2,500 worldwide entries.

He plans to spend six weeks this summer visiting and studying in Japan and Korea with potters he met last year at the Aomori Wood Fire Festival in Japan.

Here at home, the artist recently hosted the five fifth-grade classes from Corte Madera School in Portola Valley. The children were reading "A Single Shard" by Linda Sue Park, a story about a young Korean orphan in the 12th century who wants to become a potter. Mr. Middleman demonstrated pottery-making and throwing techniques.

INFORMATION

Hours for the Palo Alto Clay & Glass Festival are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, July 12 and 13, at the Palo Alto Art Center, 1313 Newell Road. New this year will be "Clay for Kids," a free workshop where children can learn to build pots. Adults may also attend clay throwing and technique demonstrations, as well as ikebana flower-arranging workshops. Several local restaurants will serve lunch and light refreshments, and there will be live jazz music. For more information, call 329-2366.