March 2022
ISSUE #018
Hello Potters
The Six Week Wheel Workshop has been completed and from all accounts everyone learnt a great deal and had a fantastic time. Well done Clare H.! The next Workshop on Hand Building is about to commence so we look forward to seeing and hearing all about it soon.
Surprise! Covid is still here – although with the easing of the Qld government restrictions on Friday 4 March we have updated club attendance rules. See below for more details.
Plus there are some useful pottery tips further down that may make your creative pottery life much easier – so read on.
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 our social media.
Ed Trost - newsletter editor
club email: shorncliffepotteryclubinc@hotmail.com
Hi Everyone and welcome to our March 2022 edition.
Flooding at the shed
Like a lot of people in Brisbane (and SEQ) our Club’s shed didn’t go unscathed during the rain event over the weekend of 26 and 27 February. We remained shut on the Saturday morning due to flooding of the carpark and the carpark entrance, and unfortunately, during the heaviest of the rain on the Sunday we suffered a bit of flooding within the shed (as did PCYC in their bottom hall). At the time of writing this report power has been cut off to the PCYC and our shed as we await electricians to do inspections and give us the all clear to return, when we will commence the clean up. We will send advice to members via email and on our social pages as soon as we are able to reopen. We hope everyone has stayed safe and dry over this time.
Now, on to happier topics :) …
March is Maker’s Month!
Gabriel’s hand building course starts on Saturday 5th March with a group of mostly new-to-pottery members and we are excited to see what is produced over the next 6 weeks! Keep an eye on our social pages and our next newsletter for the masterpieces.
We’re also excited to encourage our members to get busy creating and finishing pieces this month as there are upcoming opportunities for entering exhibitions and / or selling pieces through our stalls at local festivals (stalls will only go ahead if we have enough interest):
SAS Easter Art Show : 14 - 16 April - the annual SAS Easter Art Show is back again over the Easter long weekend, being held in the Callan Centre, at St Patrick’s College, Shorncliffe. The online entry form is now live and it is the preferred way to enter, as it is easier for the organiser’s labeling needs. Entrants are also requested to send images of their piece/s as SAS will once again be doing a slide presentation during the exhibition. The organisers are happy for entrants to send multiple images of their piece/s, and are asked to please mark these files with the name of the artwork and number 1, 2, etc. For further information see the entry form, the SASArt Facebook page or the initial Art Show flyer below.
Bluewater Festival - 15 April - please let us know ASAP by email (shorncliffepotteryclubinc@hotmail.com) if you are interested in selling some of your pieces at a stall, and can volunteer an hour or so of your day to help run the stall. We will only move forward with booking a site if we have enough interest.
mid-May Noosa hinterland exhibition opportunity - we have been offered a 4 week spot for an exhibition of members pieces in a gallery in the Noosa hinterland region and we now need to know if any members are interested in this opportunity before we lock it in. If you would like to be part of this exhibition, and expand your audience reach, then please email (shorncliffepotteryclubinc@hotmail.com) the committee and let us know ASAP.
Cheers and happy reading!
Tamara Vitale – President, SPC Inc.
Tuesday + Wednesday + Thursday
+ Saturday Mornings
9:00am—1:00pm
Thursday Evenings
6:00pm—9:00pm
SESSION FEE — $7.00 per visit, payable either in person using your debit or credit card or by EFT to the club’s bank account.
Account name: Shorncliffe Pottery Club Inc.
Bank details: BSB 064124
Account number: 10518225
Please let us know via email if you are intending to come to the club so we can maintain COVID-19 regulations on numbers within the studio.
From the Kiln Corner
Both kilns seem to firing well. Thanks to Gus. I have learned how to replace kiln fibre as I watched him replacing the flooring fibre.
Mid-fire load is in and cooling down. We will put a bisque load in on Sunday for our ninth load of the year. Hopefully we can drive rather than swim over to the shed.
If putting bisque on shelf for firing please let it dry on your shelf first, so there is room for pieces that are ready to go. We are considering putting a drying shelf out back which might help the overcrowding.
It is still difficult to get clay at times and the Clay Shed is finding some substitutes when our original requests aren’t available. So go ahead and experiment with some of the new clays. You might find you like them.
The back room has made progress and we now have electricity out back and a motion activated security light outside which is nice as it can be pretty dark going to and from the car park.
Gus, Linda, Catharine and Gabriel
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!
REMINDER
Remember you need to be a member of our club to use the facilities and have first access to join the workshops.
Membership Renewals
Being a member allows you to continue to enjoy the use of the club facilities, buy clay at discount prices, have access to club glazes and firing, and attend a variety of our workshops. This year the club has grown in membership and this strengthens our support base. We have plans to keep offering new and exciting things in the coming year.
To renew please fill in the online form on our website:
www.shorncliffepotteryclubinc.com.au/membership
Select your payment method on the form (via direct deposit into the Club’s bank account, or via Square when you are next at the Club’s shed) and hit ‘Send’. The form will then be automatically emailed to the membership secretary.
Alternatively, we have a PDF form we can email to you, which you can complete and email back. Please make a request for the form to:
shorncliffepotteryclubincmembership@hotmail.com
Ann Gillespie – Membership Secretary
Newest members?
Shed entry advice from
Saturday 5th March - no mask required!
We’re sure, like us, you’re all looking forward to this… with the easing of restrictions due at 6pm on Friday 4 March, you can forget your mask when coming to the shed from our 9am session on Saturday 5th March!
Please just ensure you continue to follow our shed rules:
Closed-in shoes must be worn when inside the shed
Sanitise your hands on entry
Sign In and Sign Out via our Attendance Register
Do not attend the shed if you feel unwell or have COVID symptoms.
We look forward to seeing all your smiling faces at the shed soon!
Workshop updates
The six week wheel throwing workshop lead by Clare has received very positive feedback and there is interest already for another one in the same format to be held in the near future. The hand building workshops lead by Gabriel will be following a similar format and are due to commence this coming Saturday the 5th March.
The committee is currently finalising another one day workshop which we propose to happen in May. This will focus on decorative techniques and will suit wheel throwers and hand builders. More will be announced on this workshop in the next newsletter.
Wheel Throwing Workshop Level 1
With Clare
The Level One wheel throwing workshop finished last Wednesday and by all accounts it was an excellent workshop.
It ran for six weeks on Wednesday nights. There were five participants who learned to prepare clay and to throw pots more evenly. It covered centering, pulling up the walls, making cylinders and bowls, trimming bases and applying handles. The participants made many items. One evening one of the participants made a total of seven pots.
The workshop was rated well by participants in the feedback survey. These are some of the comments:
What they liked about the workshop:
“Clear directions, plenty of one-on-one tutoring.”
“The Instructor, small class, plenty of time to ask questions.”
“Hands-on assistance and guidance.”
Is there anything else you would like to share about the workshop?
“Great – would do it again to improve!”
“Clare was very generous with her knowledge, worked with me to improve techniques.”
“Thank you, loved it.”
Hand Building Workshop
With Gabriel
Again the club is very fortunate to be able to offer skill building workshops to our members. Gabriel, one of our experienced hand building members is offering to lead a six week hand building course. This will have a similar format to the wheel workshops run by Clare. These classes will run in a block of 6 weeks with a minimum of 5 participants 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.
About Gabriel :
Gabriel turns to art to help unwind after spending 8+ hours a day in front of a computer. A principal theme of her work is the natural world which she explores in different mediums, including pottery, oil and acrylic painting, and photography.
After completing a ceramics course at the Brisbane Institute of Art, Gabriel joined the Shorncliffe Pottery Club, where she continues to ‘play with clay’. She is best known at the club for mixing Stoneware and Mid-Fire glazes, and loves to explore surface decoration techniques such as sgraffito and carving.
A regular exhibitor at Shorncliffe Pottery Club Inc’s ‘Expressions’, Gabriel has also exhibited photography at the RNA, winning several awards. You can find her art in numerous private collections.
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, recycling clay, glaze application. The first 5 weeks will be held continuously, and then there will be a one week break to allow participants to finish off pieces and have them bisque fired. The last week will be on glazing techniques using the club glazes.
Start date is Saturday 5th March, 2022.
Time 11.30am to 2.30pm, (3 hour’s duration).
The cost will be $230 for 18 hours tuition in a 6 week block, payable in advance. This represents excellent value for money at $12.70 per hour for tuition. The usual $7 entry fee is included in the price. Firing of pieces will be at the usual club rates.
Please notify the club of your intention to be part of this workshop series on this email shorncliffepotteryclubincmembership@hotmail.com. Payment instructions and confirmation will be emailed to you.
Gallery of Gabriel’s work
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.
Each month in the newsletter we will update the amount generated from the recycling. So don’t throw out those cans and bottles – recycle them for the benefit of the club and watch the dollars grow.
$126.21
thank you!
Club Tuition for Members
by Members
Tuition could be in wheel throwing, handbuilding and 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
2022 Biennial North Queensland Ceramic Awards
ENTRIES CLOSE : 5pm, Friday 15 April 2022
EXHIBITION: 22 JULY – 25 SEPTEMBER 2022
The biennial North Queensland Ceramic Awards has long aimed to increase public exposure to a high standard of pottery from around the nation. A showcase for both well-known and emerging artists, this competition displays the diversity of ceramic art currently being produced in Australia.
The City of Townsville Art Collection Award of $10,000 continues to provide both opportunity for artists to become a part of one of the nation’s most significant ceramic collections, as well as ensuring the continued growth of this important subsection of the City of Townsville Art Collection.
Ceramic Artist: Mahala Hill, Armoured Mist Frog, winner 2020
4000 Year Old Pottery Kiln Found
Archaeologists in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region have found a prehistoric pottery kiln at a ruins site dating back around 4,000 years. The regional institute of cultural relics and archaeology said it has cooperated with the cultural authorities in Ningcheng County to carry out an excavation of the ruins site, with over 40 houses, 33 pits and ash pits, six tombs and one pottery kiln unearthed. "Judging from the clay, the pottery making tools and the pottery kiln, we think there was a whole pottery making operation at the site," said Lian Jilin. More than 750 specimens of pottery, stone tools, bronzes and other artefacts, as well as many animal bones have also been unearthed at the site.
Thanks to Ken B. for the story.
(c) 2022 Xinhua Net.
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:
Rosalind Azizi, Jessica Latter, Max Page, Linda Rosenthal, Jean Smith,
Nolane Vandoren
If we have missed anybody, our sincere apologies – drop us an email so that we can include you next time!
The BGS Art Committee is excited to announce the date of the 53rd Annual BGS Art Show. The premier ticketed Gala Night will be held on Friday 6 May, with the exhibition continuing through into the BGS Open Day on Saturday 7 May 2022.
Connect and celebrate with the BGS community at the Gala Night exhibition for the opportunity to experience and purchase works from our outstanding curated collection of emerging and established artists.
Artists & Crafters New Exhibition
POSTPONED – TBA
Brisbane Showgrounds
Unfortunately due to the covid-19 situation we have reluctantly decided to postpone the exhibition again, with a new date yet to be decided.
Join the newsletter to stay informed at artisanexhibitions.com
Non-Stick Lids
A problem with firing pots sometimes is that their lids can get stuck on from the glaze or firing process. To avoid this happening use Vaseline to line the rims of the pot and lid. Best done after applying your glaze and as you are preparing to fire, turn the lid upside down and smear Vaseline around both rims of the lid and the pot.
If your glaze reacts to Vaseline, you can also use other viscous materials including: Glue, Petroleum Jelly or Wax.
tip by www.spinningpots.com edit Ed T.
A Few Tricks & Tips
• Glue a button on to a cork to make a stamp.
• Use a cotton bud to remove glaze from creases.
• Use a foam brush to wax bottoms of pieces, wax will not drip from a foam brush.
• Use wet carpet to remove glaze from pottery bottoms instead of waxing.
• Use old kitchen scrubbing pad as a soft sander for greenware.
• Put a mirror on the wheel table to be able to see the back of the pot.
• Wrap clay in plastic wrap to keep the extruder inside clean when extruding clay.
• Spray WD40 as a release for molds and stamps as the clay doesn’t stick to it.
• Use a laptop or iPad ‘bean bag’ stand to hold your pot when sanding or decorating.
• When joining clay parts together they should be equal in wetness.
• Use vinegar to join clay pieces as the acidity of vinegar acts like a glue.
• Always wear a mask when sanding pots as the dust particles are carcinogenic.
• Do not rub your greenware with a wet sponge as this will remove fine clay surface particles and make it rougher.
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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