July 2022
ISSUE #022
Hello Potters
I hope you got to visit the Samford and Surrounds Art Trail held throughout June – it had loads of creative people and studios to see and was well worth the effort.
Einbunpin Festival is on at the end of this month, so if you want to be a part of the fun, let the committee know asap. We also need volunteers to run the stall. If you can put your hand up to help for a couple of hours – it will be greatly appreciated.
It’s also getting closer to the 4017 Bayside Open Studios and Expressions 2022 exhibition, so get creative. It will be here before you know it. Less than 4 months away.
There are also some more useful pottery tips from the ‘Creative Wisdom’ newsletter further down that may make your creative 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.
Ed Trost - newsletter editor
club email: shorncliffepotteryclubinc@hotmail.com
Hi Everyone and welcome to our July 2022 edition.
Can you believe that we are now halfway through the year, how quickly did that go? But on a positive note we have some exciting months coming up:
31 July - Einbunpin Festival : See the write up below on how to sell your pieces this year. We’re also super excited to show off our new marquee and stall set-up! So make sure you come along on the day to check us out!
30 September - 2 October - Expressions : We have the dates and location locked in. Keep an eye out for a news flash later this month to provide advice on how to enter this year for the judged and non-judged sections. Also, a big thank you to the members who are volunteering their time to assist with organising this year’s exhibition.
8 October - Annual General Meeting : Date to be confirmed.
15, 16, 22 and 23 October - 4017 Bayside Open Studios : see the update further below on our involvement this year.
Also over the last six month of the year we hope to hold more beginner’s hand building and wheel courses, and hopefully another workshop to extend member’s skills. See the review below of the Decorative Techniques on Clay workshop held at the start of June.
Cheers and happy potting!
Tamara Vitale – President, SPC Inc.
Tuesday + Thursday + Saturday Mornings
9:00am—1:00pm
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
For my final hurrah I would like to emphasise the need to fully fill out the firing request forms with the below information so Linda and the kiln team can get firing done with no stressful events.
1: Clay name
2: Clay firing temperature range
3: Glaze brand and name, also if it is club glaze
4: Glaze temperature range.
Please leave some room at the bottom of your item as a buffer against running when glazing. Waxing gives a nice uniform line buffer. Make some good sacrificial bowls.
There has and will continue to be difficulty in getting clay due to the supply not being out there. Dark clay’s are particularly difficult to get as the pits are still flooded from earlier this year.
Be gentle in the use of the club glazes, some raw materials have more than doubled in price with the events of the last two years effecting supply. Gabriel and Catharine will continue making glazes but there may be some reduction in the range in response to raw material availability.
On a personal note the last 18months since we have become Shorncliffe pottery club incorporated I have thoroughly enjoyed being a part of the working committee and the team running the day to day activities. I am moving to greener pastures but will still be on the committee until the end of September and still coming in when possible to play with clay.
Take care all, Gus
Gus, Linda, Catharine and Gabriel
*Just in from the Kiln room: Kiln 2 just over-fired. It was a mid-fire so the people whose work was in the kiln can expect their items to be darker than anticipated. It was still too hot to see anything prior to the newsletter going to distribution.
Goodbye and Thanks Gus
Well as you probably know by now, our beloved supervisor and kiln maestro Gus has sold his local house and bought out in the vast open plains at Laidley. So sadly we have to say farewell to him and wish him good luck on the next adventure in his life. We will miss him terribly - particularly his quirky sense of humour and his eclectic Spotify playlists. No really, we will miss his tireless input into the club and especially his involvement in managing the kiln room. So all the best Gus and we hope you can decide quickly which shed will be your designated pottery shed on the new property.
Expressions 2022
and 4017 Open Studios
It is that time again for Expressions and the second 4017 Bayside Open Studios. It is time to get some spectacular pieces ready for both events. The Shorncliffe Pottery Club will be hosting the Expressions Exhibition to be held in the Callan Centre at St Patricks College commencing with opening night on Friday 30th September. The exhibition will run until Sunday 2nd October. This is a major event for the club and places us squarely in the arts community of 4017. Please let one of the committee know if you are able to help in any way. Some ways in which you can help include set up to pull down, manning the members’ sale table, the registration desk, the food servery on open night. Before the event night though there is much to do in promoting, receiving the registrations, gaining donations….and so much more. Any help is much appreciated.
The club is also registered to be part of the 4017 Bayside Open Studios. Last year was the first time the 4017 postcode participated in this event and it was a great success. The dates for this year are the weekends 15/16 October and 22/23 October. Members will be able to be part of the event by sharing the Pottery shed to display works for sale. More will be coming about this as we get closer.
For more information on the Open Studios see www.4017baysideopenstudios.com
What a Mess!
Supervisors are having to do a lot of extra work cleaning up after some of our members have left their work areas in a mess, as can be seen in these recent photos above. Can ALL members be more considerate in regards to leaving your work area as clean, if not cleaner, than when you started? Pay particular attention to around the wheel that you have been using. It doesn’t take a lot of effort to clean thoroughly and it shouldn’t rely on the supervisors to have to clean up at the end of the session.
If in doubt as to how to clean an area, just ask your friendly supervisor.
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!
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 Gus or Linda to see if they can get it in for you.
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 harrassed.
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.
$143.90
thank you!
Wheel Workshop Update
The six week wheel workshop #2 lead by Clare H. has finished and went extremely well judging from the feedback. We can’t wait to see all of the new skills these potters have developed over the course of the workshop.
Decorative Techniques on Clay Workshop Review
On a beautiful sunny Sunday at the start of June we had the ‘Decorative techniques on clay’ workshop with Helen Davey and 8 members eager to learn some new techniques. See some photos of the day above.
This was a full day workshop with Helen starting the day by providing explanations and demonstrations on the techniques we were going to learn. Helen also brought along a table full of pottery pieces as examples of the results you can get using these techniques, some of these pieces are included in the reel above - absolutely stunning.
Our first project for the day was to create a glaze grid using four glazes of our choice and manganese wax to create the grid lines. It was an interesting to see how the manganese wax kept the glaze within the grid squares… and hopefully we’ll have some nice new glaze combinations to try! After lunch we got started on our second project, which was to let our imaginations run wild and use the techniques we had learnt from earlier in the day - resist techniques using wax and latex, glaze on glaze, underglaze, slip trailing glaze, oxides and combing and scratching through surfaces.
Everyone had a great time and learnt a lot of new techniques to decorate their work. We look forward to seeing these techniques applied in future work when it comes in to be fired. Also, a big Thank You to Helen for coming out to the Club’s shed and imparting her knowledge with us.
More Hand Building With Gabriel
Coming soon with dates to be finalised, the club is offering skill building workshops to our members. Gabriel, one of our experienced hand building members will be offering a six week hand building course. These classes will run in a block of 6 weeks with a minimum of 5 participants for the class to proceed. The class size will be limited to a maximum of 8.
These will be conducted on a Saturday afternoon, so that participants and tutor have the shed to themselves, and will be able to spread out.
A summary of the curriculum includes: clay safety, clay preparation, building small 3D forms, pinchpot method, making slip, using coils for a 3D form, slab mug and box, and recycling clay.
So that each participant has access to tools and clay the club has decided that there will be a cost increase for this coming course, as we will be including a block of clay and a set of basic tools.
Please notify the club if you wish to be held on our list of potential participants for this workshop on this email shorncliffepotteryclubincmembership@hotmail.com
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 : shorncliffepotteryclubinc@hotmail.com
Since 1992, the Einbunpin Festival is a celebration by and for the community about those things that make the Sandgate district special – the village atmosphere, the environment and the diverse talents and cultures that make up the community.
The Einbunpin Festival continues to provide an opportunity for the community to come together and show-off the vibrancy and artistic talents found in the district. It’s a great chance to learn about our local community, and catch up with friends.
The Festival Committee consists of locals who volunteer to make it a success. The Festival is situated in the heart of Sandgate and held around the lagoon and parkland in Brighton Rd, Sandgate (bordered by Keogh St, Lagoon St and Bowser Parade).
Einbunpin Festival Stall
To participate at the SPCI Festival Stall click on the button below and fill in the form with your Name, Artist ID (your initials and an item number for each piece of work entered eg ET1, ET2, ET3 etc.), the Item description and Price of your artwork and submit it to the club, or print it out and give it to the supervisor at the club.
On the day deliver your artwork at 9am to the Festival at Brighton Rd, Sandgate and pick up what hasn’t sold at 4pm. Stall set up and sales help is needed so please let us know if you can volunteer some of your time.
Don’t forget to add a sticky label to each piece you are selling with your Artist ID and most importantly, include the sale price.
The Club will retain 10% of the sales to help pay for the stall and for use of the Square to process the sale.
Entry Form Due: 25th of July
Questions?
shorncliffepotteryclubinc@hotmail.com
attention Linda
Bribie Potters 2022 Soup Night!
Friday 29th July 2022, 6 pm, at the Bribie Island Community Arts Centre.
There will be a couple of management committee members and general members of the club attending. So, if you are interested in going along there will be some SPC Inc members there.
For more information on Bribie Potters and how to contact them if you have questions -
Website: Pottery | bicac (bribieartscentre.com.au)
Facebook: Bribie Potters | Facebook (with an 'event' page for the soup night)
If you are interested in attending, you can contact SPC Inc member Margaret Pettit on 0497 280 008 and she will help to arrange the purchase of a ticket.
Notice Anything Odd
About This Photo?
Apart from the fact that it is last year’s Einbunpin festival marquee, the main problem with this image is that there are No Volunteers. We urgently require volunteers on the 31st of this month to help run the stall at Einbunpin Festival. The festival is only on for one day and volunteering for a couple of hours will be fun, and will really help the club maintain its prominent presence in the arts community for this area.
So contact the club committee to volunteer some time to help, asap.
And if you would like to display some of your work for sale at the festival, fill in the form above and send it to the committee at: shorncliffepotteryclubinc@hotmail.com
Paper Raku Clay Review (update)
Well I certainly put this paper clay to the test. When transporting the greenware pot above to be fired - I broke off all three legs. Not one, but all three - unbelievable. So here was the perfect opportunity to test whether the paper clay would cope with joining dry pieces to dry (as being a paper clay I was led to believe it could). As the pot was dry and ready to be bisque fired, I sprayed the pot and the legs with water a few times, scored the softened areas and applied a slurry of the clay to each join, then re-attached the legs. Simple.
The clay handled the variation in moisture levels well and didn’t crack. The joins had no obvious change in shrinkage rates between them and the rest of the pot. All was looking good until – uh oh the legs didn’t stay fastened to the body with enough strength to make it into the kiln and they fell off in the kiln packing stage. It was far from a success. I think I have a lot to learn in regards to using paper clay and the ‘dry to dry’ joining process. After some further research, I will try again with more education in paper clay techniques.
So if you want to use a clay that has a smooth plasticity, yet is quite robust due to the grog, and is very forgiving with repair possibilities even when completely dry (not counting my attempt), then I would recommend this product - White Paper Raku. Just ask Gus or Linda if we have some in store.
Further reading on paper clay and joining dry to dry: www.grahamhay.com.au
Ed T.
Woven Pattern Decoration
Thanks to Ken B. one of our members who sent in this interesting technique you might like to try.
Have some fun experimenting with patterns made by weaving strips of paper painted with coloured slips or underglazes then placing them onto a wet slab.
The slab can be rolled to embed the strips, or pressed hard over a hump mould. As the paper dries a little – peel it away to reveal the woven pattern.
Cover with a clear glaze or fire as is.
courtesy chris.hall.keramik
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:
Marsha Dektereva-Plant, Sian McKenzie.
If we have missed anybody, our sincere apologies – drop us an email so that we can include you next time!
The Australian Ceramics Triennale
Apmere Mparntwe, The 16th Australian Ceramics Triennale will be held on Arrernte Country from 19–23 July, 2022.
Come to the heart of the country and spend time with artists, writers, curators, educators, collectors, passionate thinkers and makers from around the country to obsess about contemporary ceramic practice.
Come a few days earlier, stay a few days later and make the most of your time in the centre. Take the opportunity to spend time in the township of Alice Springs and explore all it has to offer. Visit nearby communities - Hermannsburg, Yuendumu, Wallace Rockhole, Keringke – all a day trip away.
Join in a masterclass or an artist camp. Walk the amazing Macdonell Rangers stretching West and East from the town centre, stop in at waterholes and ochre pits. Visit iconic Uluru, Kata Tjuta, Watarrka. Be humbled.
For more information: Australian Ceramics Triennale website
CAQ Annual Members’ Exhibition
The Elemental Exhibition is an annual event which showcases the work of members from Ceramic Arts Queensland. The exhibition will be held at the Metcalfe Gallery, Brisbane Institute of Art, from 19 August – 30 August, 2022. The gallery is open 9:30–4pm, Monday to Saturday (closed Sundays).
Art work will be available for sale.
Opening night will be held on Friday, 19 August at 6pm. All welcome!
Inclusion in this exhibition is open to all members of Ceramic Arts Queensland and is free to enter. Applications for the exhibition must be lodged by Monday 1 August, 4pm. The application form is available here.
4017 Bayside Open Studios
15 – 16 & 22 – 23 October 2022
Shorncliffe Pottery Club Inc. will again be open to the public with demonstrations and items for sale, for both weekends. If you wish to participate in this fantastic opportunity to show your wares through the club contact the committee using the link below, to let them know of your interest.
4017 BAYSIDE OPEN STUDIO INCLUSION
Also, keep in mind that we will be calling for volunteers to demonstrate and manage the studio for the weekends, closer to the date.
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.
MARCH 1980 – Decoration
Try children's crayons (even the new synthetic kind) for decorative wax resist. They require no heating and the resulting mottled glaze effect can be quite attractive.
An expired plastic credit card makes an excellent throwing rib or slab cutter. For additional versatility, one edge of the card can be notched to make a texture and sgraffito tool.
Use a steel drill bit for drilling holes in leather-hard or bone dry clay. These bits come in a variety of sizes, and their keen cutting action will not damage fragile ware.
MARCH 1982 – Decoration
Oiled stamps: When you require intricate, impressed decoration from metal, wood or plastic stamps, coat these with vegetable oil and they will easily release, with no clay stuck in the stamp's fine detail.
Stamping decoration: A plastic dry-cleaning bag [or cling wrap] may be placed on top of a clay object prior to impressing with a bisque stamp to produce a smooth edged decoration and prevent clay build up on the stamp. Using the plastic, even nonporous objects such as tin cans, bottle tops, cake cutters, and forks can be impressed; deeply textured surfaces provide the best decoration.
Smooth foot rims: After trimming the foot of a heavily grogged piece, brush the surface with matching fine slip to provide a smooth finish and afford protection for tabletops and other contact surfaces.
Restoring leather hardness: An easy way to make ware softer again without fear of cracking is to line the pot inside and out with wet newspaper, leave it this way for a day and then it is ready for trimming.
Driftwood tools: Find driftwood on the beach and convert it into modelling tools for making pots. The wood is especially hard, smooth and holds sharp edges well. It allows the forming at no expense, of any tool needed, either by picking up a suitable shape or sanding it to fit specifications.
Pottery Tips Have Been Collated Onto a Page on the SPCI Website
By popular demand we have collated all of the tips, hacks and techniques, that have been published to date in the Newsletters, onto a page on the Club’s website. So now they are easily accessible to all members. Here’s the link or go to the website and click Tips from the top menu.
Pottery Tips website page
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
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