December 2022
ISSUE #027
Is this email not displaying correctly?
View it in your browser
Hello Potters
Only 3 and a bit weeks to Christmas, OMG! so if you want to give pottery gifts or are thinking of hand made ornaments, don’t walk – RUN VERY FAST.
The club will be closed for a few weeks over the holiday period to give everyone a break particularly the kiln team. See below for details.
There are also some more useful pottery tips from the ‘Creative Wisdom’ newsletters further down that may make your pottery life much easier. Plus we have popped all the tips, hacks and techniques onto a ‘Tips’ page on our club website so that you can refer to them easily.
We really want to see our talented members’ work, so upload your pics to our instagram or facebook page, or email them for inclusion on social media.
club email: shorncliffepotteryclubinc@hotmail.com
Have a safe and very merry Christmas!
Ed Trost - newsletter editor
Hi Everyone and welcome to our December 2022 edition!
Annual General Meeting - Saturday 3 December - 12pm
We’re now only days away from our next Annual General Meeting and I’m looking forward to catching up with members for the social aspect, as well as the business that needs to take place. Are you coming along to:
meet other members of the club who attend on different days? (have some nibbles, perhaps a drink and get to know other potters.)
volunteer or nominate for a committee position, like Secretary or a general member?
share your thoughts on the club?
vote on decisions that need to be made?
suggest ideas for the year ahead? (Is there a particular technique you’d like to learn through a workshop or course? Suggest it!), or
hear what the next steps of the club are?
If you said yes to any of those questions, you should come along! We need at least 15 members in attendance for the meeting to go ahead. Please RSVP via email: shorncliffepotteryclubinc@hotmail.com so we know how many to cater for.
Christmas / New Year Closure
Exact dates will be confirmed at the AGM, and posted on our social media pages, but it is likely to be from mid-December to mid-January. This closure will allow our volunteer supervisors and kiln team, who ensure the club runs smoothly, to have some down time from club responsibilities to relax and recharge. So, keep an eye on our Facebook page in particular, if you’d like to know when we’ll be open and closed over the holiday period.
Thank you for the last two years
Finally, I’d like to say Thank you to all the members who have supported me over the last two years while I have served as President. I have thorough enjoyed my time in the role and the achievements the committee has made, but I will be stepping down at the AGM. I look forward to supporting the new president when they are elected on Saturday, and to having a little more time to get my hands on clay.
Cheers and happy potting!
Tamara Vitale – President, SPC Inc.
Tuesday + Thursday + Saturday Mornings
9:00am—1:00pm
Wednesday Mornings
10:00am—2:00pm
Thursday Evenings
6:00pm—9:00pm
SESSION FEE
$7.00 per visit, payable at the time by debit or credit card at the shed.
From the Kiln Corner
Well it is time to say “HAPPY HOLIDAYS. Hard to believe the year has gone by. The kiln will have done 95 firings as we approach the end of the year.
The New year is going to start out with an enlarged firing crew. Doug, Lynne and Katrina have joined Jean and I and the team is working smoothly. Not quite the same without Gus who thankfully remains on call.
A working thermocouple was installed, and I have ordered a brand new one for future use. Now, I just have to remember how to put it in when needed. But as of now both kilns firing well.
Keep on potting and we will keep on firing.
Linda, Jean, Gus, Doug, Lynne, Katrina, Catharine and Gabriel
Annual General Meeting
>
Annual General Meeting >
Annual General Meeting
All current members are urged to attend this
important club meeting.
Committee selections will take place,
as well as other important topics that will
shape the coming year.
So to have your say in the running of the club,
don’t forget to attend.
It is YOUR CLUB after all.
This Saturday
3 December 2022
Time: 12.00pm
Location: The Shed
Annual General Meeting
>
Annual General Meeting >
Do you know anyone that shows an interest in your pottery?
If you do, why not invite them to come and try pottery for themselves. The first session is free and you know that once you have made something with clay… you’re hooked!
Join the Club
It’s Membership Renewal time. Don’t forget to renew your membership or risk losing your shelf space (as it is becoming scarcer and scarcer). Only $52 per year which equates to $1 per week. Even cheaper if you have a concession or student card.
Use this link to renew your membership and pay by Credit or Debit Card or EFT from your Bank Account or by Square at the Shed.
www.shorncliffepotteryclubinc.com.au/membership
Don’t forget to let the Membership Officer know that you paid using your Bank Account by emailing to this address:
Christmas / New Year Closure
Exact dates will be confirmed at the AGM, and posted on our social media pages, but it is likely to be from mid-December to mid-January. This closure will allow our volunteer supervisors and kiln team, who ensure the club runs smoothly, to have some down time from club responsibilities to relax and recharge. So, keep an eye on our Facebook page in particular, to know when we’ll be open and closed over the holiday period.
Gift Certificates Available
The SPCI Gift Certificate is now available for purchase from the Membership Officer. If you would like to purchase this wonderful gift contact Ann G. here at: shorncliffepotteryclubincmembership@hotmail.com
Club Clay Options and Details
These are the current clay bodies that we generally have in our store. If you have another clay that you prefer, speak to Linda R. to see if she can get it in.
Being Respectful, Feeling Safe
The club’s Code of Conduct was written to guide the safety and respect of members. Developing friendships, being co-operative, sharing ideas and skills as well as being respectful to each other in words and actions is something in which the club takes great pride. When members are working in the studio or interacting with other members via electronic means, everyone has a right to feel safe and not harassed.
The Code of Conduct can be found in your membership document or you can request a copy from the Membership Officer here or you can read it here.
Shorncliffe Pottery Club Inc. has signed up with Containers for Change - a simple recycling system for cans and bottles. It’s easy to do. Take your recyclables to a Containers for Change site and use our unique Scheme ID number for the money from the recycling to go directly into the Shorncliffe Pottery Club Inc. bank account.
Club’s Scheme ID Number: C10465553
If the Scheme ID isn't working (argh technology!) and you get cash instead from the recycling machine, just pop the money in the tea jar in the club’s kitchenette.
amount recycled to date:
$184.90
thank you!
Keep an eye out in the coming months for an exciting new challenge for all members, that will test your design and creative abilities to the max.
Details will be coming in the following newsletters or look out for a poster in the shed soon. Make sure you read all of the newsletters so that you don’t miss any further details.
Club Tuition for Members
by Members
Tuition could be in wheel throwing, handbuilding or glaze making. The rate is $35 per session for up to 3 hours, but could be less dependent upon session length. From this, the club will take 20% commission. All payments must go via the club.
The club entry fee of $7 will apply for the learner member, but the tutor will be admitted as a volunteer for that session.
If this is something that you would like as a tutor or a learner please contact the committee using the club email :
Jingle All The Bay
This Saturday
December 3, 2022
3:00pm to 9:00pm
Don’t miss all of the Xmas festivities at this iconic local event. There are market stalls, entertainment, music and a fantastic street parade. Bring the whole family and join in the festive cheer. Location – Main St. Sandgate and all around the Einbunpin lagoon.
Bendable Ceramics
We know ceramics as being hard and breakable like glass - soft and gooey mud vitrified in the kiln. But there's a lot more to ceramics. Car manufacturers for years have been using ceramic coatings to lower fuel consumption (owing to higher operating temperatures being achievable, higher thermal efficiency, and lighter weight) -- and some sports cars, such as Lamborghini's Aventador, sport carbon-ceramic brakes.
But a revolutionary new ceramic created by Chinese scientists takes things to a whole new level! They have created a ceramic that can bend like metal ... and owing to its qualities is being touted as the material of the future for use in prosthetics etc.
This development could improve artificial joints and engine performance. Before this discovery, it was commonly believed that a ceramic's flexibility and strength were opposites and that either would worsen if the other improved.
The new ceramic uses nanotechnology to make it flexible
The scientists created nanopillars with two different crystal formations using silicon nitride. When an outside force is put on one crystal structure, it can change into another type. This lets the material bend before going back to its original shape.
Chen Kexin, a materials scientist who led the research, says that the new material is the first time scientists have made both stronger and lighter at the same time. It has the hardness of ceramic and the flexibility of metal. “This ceramic can bring technological revolutions to many industries,” said Chen, a professor at the National Natural Science Foundation of China.
On October 27, Chen and associates from Tsinghua University published their findings in the journal Science.
Thanks to Ken B. for the story
To all our valued members who are having a birthday this month, we hope you have an exciting day and are spoilt rotten by your loved ones:
Teleah Andrews, Robin Brown, Shirley King, Cheryl Lever, Blake Menere, Diane O’Brien, Ella Seccombe, Ben Woods
If we have missed anybody, our sincere apologies – drop us an email so that we can include you next time!
Clay Dynasty
If you are in Sydney over the Christmas holiday season why not go and have a look at ‘Clay Dynasty’ at the Powerhouse Museum as it provides insights and inspiration into the world of Australian ceramics. Its large-scale display invites the viewer to spend extended time contemplating a wide range of ceramic styles, techniques and preoccupations. Showcasing the work of 160 artists from the 1960s until the present day, the exhibition features over 400 works from the museum’s collection, including 70 commissions.
‘Clay Dynasty’ is on display at the Powerhouse Museum, Sydney,
until 29 January 2023
Potter Carl McConnell by John Rigby 1962. Photo: Carl Warner. MoB.
Brisbane artist John Rigby (1922-2012) made an immense contribution to Australia's visual arts over his 70-year career. His painting of Carl McConnell, one of Queensland’s most lauded potters based in Brisbane from 1948-1983 was a Finalist in the Archibald Prize 1962. On display at the Museum of Brisbane.
Carl McConnell (1926–2003) was the most important potter in the post-World War Two generation in Queensland, introducing stoneware and porcelain firing to the state. His superb craftsmanship has been showcased in numerous exhibitions, which established his nationwide profile. Phillip McConnell (b.1947), Carl's eldest son, followed in his father's footsteps and established a career of equal significance. Carl and Phillip McConnell are regarded as superb ceramic technicians — both experimented with traditional Chinese and Japanese methods to produce a remarkably diverse and sophisticated body of works.
Courtesy GOMA
To view larger images click on any image
50 Years of Handy Hints
We are fortunate to have received a very useful book titled “Collected Wisdom – 50 years of handy hints” from the Ceramic Study Group, Australia supplied to us by Clare H. from her trip to Gulgong. It is a collection of tips and techniques gathered and published in their newsletters since the 1960’s. Each month we will delve into this vast archive of information regarding all things ceramics and bring to you snippets of their collected wisdom.
AUGUST 2000
Teapot spouts
When you are ready to apply a spout to a leatherhard teapot body, cut through the spout base at an angle similar to the teapot body, position the spout against the teapot, mark the placement and whilst still held there insert a kabob stick or skewer into the body of the pot. This is marking the position and angle of the first hole.
Put the spout aside and pierce the remaining holes at the same angle, which will give a flow path and result in good pouring. Remember that the area cut out for these holes should be at least equal to the area of the spout opening.
Handles and other appendages
Often give trouble by drying too fast (and consequently crack) can have the drying process slowed down. Simply paint over the joints - or fine fiddly bits - with wax emulsion. This will retard drying and be burnt off in the bisque firing.
Tips page on SPCI website
Don’t worry if you can’t remember which newsletter had which tip as we have now popped all the tips, hacks and techniques onto a ‘Tips’ page on our club website so that you can refer to them easily in one place.
President: Tamara Vitale
Vice President: Ken Bull
Secretary: Caroline Schleimer
Acting Treasurer: Tamara Vitale
Committee Members: Gus Saunders, Linda Rosenthal,
Clare Houston & Ann Gillespie
Newsletter Editor: Ed Trost
email: shorncliffepotteryclubinc@hotmail.com
and follow us on
