To whom this may concern,

My name is Angela and I know Cass from Richard Tomaino Ceramics studio when I was a member there. This letter is going to roughly showcase my experience and why I believe it will be a huge benefit for Cass to be supported to be able to have such an experience. 

In April 2023, I decided to sign up for Kwak Kyungtae’s 10 days wheelthrowing workshop. I have been following him on instagram and his workshop dates lined up perfectly to my schedule. Initially, I thought the price was already pretty steep but decided that this would be a once in a lifetime experience so I decided to sign up and paid my deposit, only to find out later the price advertised was actually in USD and it was going to be a greater steep when I converted it  to AUD. However, to this very day and by the end of the workshop, I believe every single dollar was worth it. 

This was an all inclusive workshop where they provided accommodation and meals and a structured day so once I arrived they fully looked after the group and I can 100% focus on pottery. Kwak offered wheel throwing or onggi workshops and I wished I had the funds or opportunity to do both. However, during my wheel throwing workshop there were a small group of 10 like minded people from all over the world. We were all passionate about pottery and hence we all instantly clicked. In terms of the teaching and language barrier was no problem. Kwak’s apprentice  Marco can speak Korean and English fluently and was able to translate. Kwak’s studio is located in a pottery village called Icheon Pottery Village, where many of Korea's well known potters live in with their ceramic studio. The group of ten had all different pottery experiences ranging from 1-10 years of pottery experience and Kwak is able to identify who needs help in what and nurture us appropriately based on our needs. This experience can only  be experienced in Korea as the technique and history taught is very Korean based. I used to throw anti clockwise, based on the teaching method taught in western culture, but since the workshop I now only throw clockwise and there is logic behind it. Throughout Korean history of ceramic production, they value efficiency and speed when making bulk products. Hence, they throw on a hump and spend most of the process during the throwing stage to get the piece as perfect as possible and then would spend minimal time in trimming, which would overall minimise clay waste and save time.

 This letter is just a small snippet of what I learnt and experienced but I have to say I most definitely still practice what I learn back in Melbourne. I am probably the only clockwise thrower I know in my circle back in Melbourne. I am inspired to be better as I have seen the quality of potters in Korea, and they are all so skilled and very humbled about it. 

I also have built life long friendships where I still keep in contact with. Last year Kwak and Marco came to Melbourne as part of their quick Australian demo tour. They reached out to me to see if I knew any studio owners who were happy to host their demo tour. That’s where I was able to connect Kwak and a studio owner with the opportunity to share a wealth of knowledge. That’s where I convinced Cass to attend to watch Kwak, a master in his craft, showcase what he does best. Kwak has demonstrated wheelthrowing and his onggi skills. In Korea, the amount of onggi potter has decreased and Kwak is one of few who still practice onggi skills, demonstrate and teach it. He’s able to build 1.5m tall onggi in a few hours.  Although, onggi may seem like an advanced skill, Kwak is able to break it down and no matter what stage you are in your own pottery journey he is able to help, nurture and teach the skill. 

At first, I had no idea what onggi was, but after knowing Kwak I wished I had signed up for his onggi workshop. It is a one of a kind workshop and skill set. Every potter wants to be able to make bigger pieces and wheel throwing can be quite limited to do so. Onggi techniques aim to produce large works and I believe can be adapted to make other shapes which I believe many people would be interested in learning. I believe if Cass learns from a master like Kwak to learn onggi technique and after some time with practice and discipline she will be able to produce large pieces in Melbourne. Hopefully, someday she will be able to showcase and bring an overseas skill to Melbourne. I would love to learn onggi technique to make bigger pieces but I don’t have the time or funds to do another overseas trip like that again. However, if it was back in Melbourne I believe a lot of local people would be interested and are able to have a snippet of the experience and knowledge that can only be achieved in Korea currently. 

Kind Regards,

Angela