European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - March 16, 2007, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Friday March 16 2007 an advertising supplement stripes Okinawa 13 my plaque is almost Complete All that is left to do is to add Welcome to the top and to poke stars into the sky Jorge Itokazu demonstrates How to add whiskers to the dragons head Leigh Ann Robinson concentrates on adding Teeth to her dragons Mouth during the second class toes japanese dragons Only three chinese legend has it that these dragons Only existed in Asia because if they tried to travel fur ther away they would lose All their toes and therefore he unable to Fly the symbolism of dragons and their role in Eastern lore is complicated luckily making dragons out of Clay is much Sim Pler in our first dragon plaque session Leigh Ann and i formed the bodies of our dragons and the Clouds on our plaques Jorge also made a plaque and demonstrated each step on his dragon before allowing us to proceed on every shape of Clay we were required to make was compared to food our classes were Over lunchtime which probably had something to do with before Long Leigh Ann and i were shaping Clay meatballs carrots peas and even Capers these shapes were flattened and attached to our bases to become parts of the dragons or the Clouds Jorge also taught us shortcuts for exam ple the dragons bodies were formed out of Long snakes of Clay the Scales and pointed ridges that look like intricate additions to the dragons backs were actually carved from the Clay after it had already been attached to the plaque base we finished the bodies of our dragons during our first class our second class was spent working almost exclusively on our dragons Heads eyes fangs whiskers and brows were added piece by piece finish ing touches included the rolling Waves of the Ocean and the stars in the sky we chose to write the japanese word for Wel come in Kanji at the top of our plaques Jorge punched holes in the Corners so we could hang them at Home unfortunately our plaques were not ready to go Home with us Jorge explained that they must be allowed to dry completely once the plaques Are dry they will be fired at a Low temperature in a Kiln Jorge will then apply manganese oxide to them this Glaze will Settle dark color into the details of our dragons and give the finished pieces a Matte finish then the dragon plaques go into the Kiln again this time at a much higher temperature i am proud of the dragon plaque i made and excited to see my finished piece it has inspired me to try More of Jorges classes at the arts and crafts Center he hinted about a new class he will be offering later this Spring another two session class on Mak ing a dragon Teapot so it seems that i will be Able to take Home a dragon Teapot after much More valuable than the one i saw in the shop because i will have made it myself Kadenas Crafty things hosts Many japanese Art classes in addition to the dragon classes there Are also opportunities to make Shishi masks and statues if ceramics Are not your thing try your hand at Obi making origami or Ikebana prices for the classes vary and in most cases sup plies Are extra Stop by the shop for a cur rent schedule or Call 6341666 for information on upcoming classes and events