It is hard to believe it is September already! This year is flying by. We need to start thinking about end of year projects and finishing!
I've reached out to Donna Jones to teach a hand building class for beginners but I want to reach out to you members in case anyone has interest in taking on some newbies who want to learn to hand build?? Tag team maybe? Teach a one-off type class? Think Liz Blalock's kid classes for adults. (hint hint Liz...) These classes can be a weekly class for 4-8 weeks, can meet every other week, or can be a class in making one project for total beginners and up over either a week or two in the evening or a weekend workshop format. If you know out of town potters we can host, please get us all in touch with each other so we can start getting back to a full class schedule again. And as always, if there is something clay or not that you teach, we welcome new ideas! I have reached out to Ness Kent (remember Ness?? So fun and energetic) for both a clay class of some sort and for their woodcarving- spoons and spatulas anyone?? I hope we can get those on the schedule as well as Susan Bergman who is days away from a big show but I have reached out to her to see if she can make the journey from Kentucky to teach us something fabulous before too much longer. I am working out the schedule for Conner to teach again this January in the same format. The class will presumably meet every third week with homework and this time the focus is going to be on all things cylinder! Waiting for details and dates etc for that class but if you can pull a cylinder, it's the class for you! I think everyone who took his bowl class last year can say it was a big boost to get you throwing a lot and everyone improved a crazy amount. Plus it was fun and what else do you have going on in January?
I have between 15 and 20 adult students who are a part of the Co-Lin group who have come several times to take clay classes with us coming Monday September 23rd and extra hands are welcomed please! Let me know if you are available that evening to help out. I haven't set the class plan yet but it will be something very basic for them. This group is a first generation college students group and they get out and do a lot of interesting things on field trips and they are a lot of fun and a very nice group to work with.
I know you are all way ahead of things with making for Empty Bowls haha! The event is in March it isn't too early to start making bowls. Patricia will be in charge again and though the school is not officially hosting the event any more, we do fully support it and our members making for it. There should be plenty of reclaimed clay in the tub for empty bowls. If you make something you know will be for empty bowls, please feel free to mark the bottom. I don't recommend dating the bowls as sometimes they get held over from year to year. The last several years there were some interesting interpretations of "bowls" and this year it is time to get back to the basics of a bowl and Patricia has asked that it be a vessel that can actually hold soup. That means no berry bowls, no platters, no leaf plate/bowls, please. We will start a box for donations so you can wrap things up and add them to that as they're ready.
Fall firing schedules are not ever set in stone but those who need gifts completed before the holidays, please start thinking ahead. The last official bisque firing will be December 11th, followed by the last glaze firing a week later on December 18th. The kiln will be unloaded by the morning of the 20th. Please keep this in mind if you have things to be mailed out and do your best to have things finished well before that last load.
Please save the date December 17th for our holiday dinner and pottery exchange. It would mean a lot to me personally if everyone were to be there so if you already know you have a conflict, please let me know and we can search for another date. As always, spouses, friends, partners, and kids are welcome to join us for this potluck and if you bring a piece for the exchange you'll go home with a piece! If you're unable to have anything for the exchange, don't let that stop you from joining us. I know evenings are hard for some of you but let's see if we can have a full house with all our members for this year! We will have another member dinner this fall, date TBA, but let's make this holiday exchange dinner one we can all make.
Clay has been hard to come by. We are moving from B Mix because the cost is just not feasible. I'm working with Alligator Clay to get us set up with clay soon. I appreciate your patience with the shortage. Glaze raw materials are still buried in my garage. There is some room now however so I plan to get us caught up with glazes that need to be refreshed sooner than later. Remember, we are retiring Goodrich Cranberry when it runs out. Cascade is retired. Op Egg is a full bucket but will be retired when it runs out. Seafoam will stay in the rotation for now. Anyone who is interested in learning more about glazing, please let me know when you want to do that. I want everyone to be comfortable with the glazes!
We need more "cookies" so if you are working with slabs, maybe roll out your extra clay to a nice thin slab and put it on the shelf for the stash. If you have any doubt about your glaze dripping, please use a cookie under your piece.
I have noticed that often the newspapers have either clay or glaze on them. We have a regular supply coming in so when you use newspaper, go ahead and throw it out or save it on your shelf to reuse, not put it back in the tub.
Don't forget to check for what chores you are signed up for and stay on top of those. It is time to shopvac the main studio and bathroom so if there is anyone who can help me with that, please let me know. Floor mats are overdue for a hosing down as well. Your contribution to keeping the clay studio healthy is huge for me and I appreciate it!
Yes, this was a book but if you got to the end still awake, you get a gold star!! Thanks for everything!
Sarah
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