Gene Kennedy and Viewpoint Photographic Art Center (workshops@viewpointgallery.org) run a workshop twice a year at Gladding McBean in Lincoln, California. The workshop is without any doubt worth the tuition and effort to be there.
The factory is huge and the participants have the freedom to roam and photograph just about everything there is on the grounds. You rarely find yourself in the company of other photographers. Two days in the building gives one enough time to work without getting in anyone’s way.
The facility produces everything from small clay tiles to 48inch diameter sewer pipe. Massive brick kilns cure the clay. Some of the kilns are so old that they are no longer used. It takes about two weeks for a kiln to cool enough to open and retrieve the product.
McBean has an artisan section that has been making decorative architectural pieces for many, many years. The whole facility is a step back in time. They still produce material the old fashioned way. Simply amazing!
Most of the facility is under roof. Light filters in through large skylights in the roof and windows in the upper floors of the building. Part of the building is three stories high. Darkness and dust are the norm and practicing ones reciprocity factors is a must.
