By Caitlin Bieganski, Assistant Photo Editor

On April 28, retired Cambridge art teacher Fred Corle demonstrated ceramic techniques in Ms. Dani Hewston’s and Mrs. Heather Papinchak’s art classes. Students in art 1 – 4 were welcome attend, and the experience gave them some expert insight before they tried their own hands at the wheel.

Now that he is retired, Corle now spends much of his free time exploring his talents at a local studio. He also occasionally places his pieces at art shows. Being such an experienced potter and teacher, Corle almost effortlessly showed the art students the basic process of creating a small bowl or pot; from centering a crude ball of clay onto the wheel, to shaping the lump into a cylinder or a bowl. During the demonstration, he broke down the surprisingly complex process and explained the techniques he uses to steady his hands and gradually morph the clay into a piece of art, even slicing the finished product in half to show its thickness.
Emily Morris, a current art 3 student, said, “Mr. Corle seemed to be very passionate about his work, and he explained it in a way was both interesting and easy to follow.”  Overall, the students were both impressed with his skills and thoroughly enlightened about the process of ceramics.