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STUDENTS
Throwing week
During the shooting week with Cindy I learned a lot. I had already tried something on the turntable for this, but didn't really know what I was doing when I came to Cindy. Cindy taught me many different techniques and after this week I can also start spinning independently. With her endless patience and very nice way of explaining, you can quickly take steps during this week. The program is as intensive as you want to make it yourself, because there is plenty of room to take a longer break or to get back to work in the studio immediately after the delicious lunch. The practicality of spinning and the relaxation that it brings brought me completely into the holiday atmosphere. It really is a present for yourself to be able to spend a week with Cindy! Annemarie Dentjens.
June 2021
June 2021
A HOLIDAY feeling
The shooting week with Cindy was my first clay experience on the turntable.
What a great week I had, it felt like a little holiday close to home. The environment, playing with the clay, eating and being with nice people made this week unique. Cindy taught me the basics of spinning in her calm way. Because we alternated the shooting with a walk with Joep, Rakustoken and eating moments, the days were very varied and relaxed. I immediately signed up for my next vacation with Cindy. Liselore.
What a great week I had, it felt like a little holiday close to home. The environment, playing with the clay, eating and being with nice people made this week unique. Cindy taught me the basics of spinning in her calm way. Because we alternated the shooting with a walk with Joep, Rakustoken and eating moments, the days were very varied and relaxed. I immediately signed up for my next vacation with Cindy. Liselore.
Workshop week
After a long run, we were in a certain state of excitement when we arrived in Cindy's yard.
At a long table, in an attractive natural environment, for a first acquaintance, we received a gift.
A coffee/tea cup, with our own name.
Turned, baked and provided with her own beautiful glaze by Cindy. Seen and known, that's how it felt. It set the tone.
It soon became apparent during the inventory that we would only make something of it that week with peace and patience, that we would learn from her experience and calm walk.
The excitement turned into a calm consciousness.
We sat there with seven women, on a sunny Monday morning in September.
We know each other well, our spontaneously grown company, with our own identical aprons and individual skills.
A group of women, completely different in terms of ceramic arts, with their own wishes and dreams.
It would be an intensive week.
There was room for that, Cindy took a good look, knew what kind of person we were and responded to our questions, she gave relaxed lessons about clays, materials to work with, and looked sharp with an experienced eye at each of us .
Audrey, Cindy's sister, did the catering. As creative and knowledgeable as Cindy is with clay, so is her sister with food. A culinary surprise, prepared with care and attention, also for vegetarians and raw food goers. Every day was a moment to look forward to.
Two ladies mastered the turning trade. Cindy gave the stamp: "there is potential in it. Practice and practice again". She transforms the mound of clay sadly off the record into usable clay again in her press, and nothing was too crazy for her, if we let another product shoot from our hands from the turntable with an ashamed head.
The other five women have made works of art and useful objects from large to small.
We learned to use the clay roller and the press on the wall for the formation of round clay pipes. So that we can work with it ourselves in our studio.
As a group we did a pitfire one evening. The fire was cared for and kept burning by her husband. Very exciting to unpack the results after a night of smoldering…..
Raku firing was another part, the glazed bird houses came out completely different, we continue with this technique in our own kiln.
Unfortunately everything comes to an end, as different as we are, that's how we left.
Everyone in their own phase of our ceramic development, this week was a strong stimulus.
Worth repeating.
Workshop week September 2020
At a long table, in an attractive natural environment, for a first acquaintance, we received a gift.
A coffee/tea cup, with our own name.
Turned, baked and provided with her own beautiful glaze by Cindy. Seen and known, that's how it felt. It set the tone.
It soon became apparent during the inventory that we would only make something of it that week with peace and patience, that we would learn from her experience and calm walk.
The excitement turned into a calm consciousness.
We sat there with seven women, on a sunny Monday morning in September.
We know each other well, our spontaneously grown company, with our own identical aprons and individual skills.
A group of women, completely different in terms of ceramic arts, with their own wishes and dreams.
It would be an intensive week.
There was room for that, Cindy took a good look, knew what kind of person we were and responded to our questions, she gave relaxed lessons about clays, materials to work with, and looked sharp with an experienced eye at each of us .
Audrey, Cindy's sister, did the catering. As creative and knowledgeable as Cindy is with clay, so is her sister with food. A culinary surprise, prepared with care and attention, also for vegetarians and raw food goers. Every day was a moment to look forward to.
Two ladies mastered the turning trade. Cindy gave the stamp: "there is potential in it. Practice and practice again". She transforms the mound of clay sadly off the record into usable clay again in her press, and nothing was too crazy for her, if we let another product shoot from our hands from the turntable with an ashamed head.
The other five women have made works of art and useful objects from large to small.
We learned to use the clay roller and the press on the wall for the formation of round clay pipes. So that we can work with it ourselves in our studio.
As a group we did a pitfire one evening. The fire was cared for and kept burning by her husband. Very exciting to unpack the results after a night of smoldering…..
Raku firing was another part, the glazed bird houses came out completely different, we continue with this technique in our own kiln.
Unfortunately everything comes to an end, as different as we are, that's how we left.
Everyone in their own phase of our ceramic development, this week was a strong stimulus.
Worth repeating.
Workshop week September 2020
"Working with CLAY gives me back me a feeling of home"
I am happy when I work with clay. I am from Syria. I have been working with clay since I was 18. In Syria I had two exhibitions of my work and there was a lot of interest. My language coach in Roermond introduced me to Cindy and she invited me to come and make something out of ceramics. Now I can work with her and that makes me very happy! rana.
Internship
My name is Marta Kovalska and I'm a student of sculpture and intermedia faculty in Academy of fine arts in Gdansk. This summer I spent in ceramic studio Cindy Heldens. It was my first time internship abroad, so I was really excited of what was going to wait for me there. My experience turned out much better than what I could have ever anticipated. Thanks to Cindy I felt comfortable and inspired. She gave me a lot of theoretical knowledge and also she was ready to help me all the time I was working with ceramic. She told me about techniques she used in her artwork, taught me wheel throwing and I was so happy to master this new to me thing. There was also enough time scheduled for my own experiments. This internship was a good combination of professional skills and a friendly relationships. I think it was a wonderful start into art of ceramics for me. Now I am trying to continue a ceramic practice and I'm happy that I always can count on Cindy's advice.
Internship - 2019
Internship - 2019
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