Beginning our 17th year

woven coil pottery demonstrated by Pat

Our January meeting was held at Lisa's home in Neptune Beach.

It was a good way to start off 2010!

We had Marcia's “Photo Cube” set up for members to take some nice photos of their pottery. If you didn't take advantage of it this time, we will have the opportunity again when we meet at Christie's place in March. Once you have your pictures on a disc please send it to Marcia. She will make sure that Randy gets your work displayed on the “gallery” pages of our under-construction web site.

The Clay Network board has allotted funds from our treasury for donation to Jo Nell's church, in her memory. We had loads of goodies for everyone from Jo Nell's studio. Everyone selected items they can use, and in exchange we added our personal donations to increase the monies we will send to a favorite ministry of Jo Nell's.

We will pursue some group sales for the spring. Art & About in Orange Park sounds like a good event. The St Augustine Spring Art and Craft Festival is another one for which we will be organizing a group booth. If you want to be a part of either of these, please jump in. Whether you are a beginner, or a more seasoned potter, we will have a great time together as we share the space, the work load, and spend happy times together. Clay Network handles the tax collections for you. We have the tent and shelves. We split the entry fees, take care of applications, and we help each other. This is an easy way to get involved in art festivals.

We have been talking about a saggar firing workshop and we are going forward with that. We will have more information when we meet next time about preparing pots for that. We plan to fire in saggars this spring.

A raku workshop is in the planning stages as well.

The most important item of business was our yearly election.

Our officers for 2010:

President - Marcia Scheeter

Vice President - Christie Rogers

Secretary - Mary Ellen Davidson

Treasurer - Jane Langford

and in appointed positions:

Librarian – Pat Robey

Historian – Carole Malcolm

Hospitality – vacant at this time

We thank all of them for stepping up to lead us as we begin our 17^th year.

We are always welcoming new members. Come and join us in our Clay Network.

We would love to have you with us.

Please remember our dues are now due for the new year. Please send your check to Jane.

We have Clay Network T-shirts available for $20.

Program
Pat demonstrated her technique for making woven coil pottery.
She uses extruded coils of very soft stoneware clay. She starts with slightly flattened coils around the rim. A coil then crosses over the center, and another is placed perpendicular to the first, making a cross over the hump. She used a hump mold to shape the piece over, but you could also create this weaving inside a bowl type form. Coils are added and the under and over pattern is created. She lifts a coil over, and pokes the clay under using a gentle touch. She warned us not to cut the coils too short as some of the length is taken up as you weave. Pat smooths the coils to the rim making a good join. Then she adds a flattened coil over it to make a solid, strong rim. The form must be allowed to stiffen, then it is flipped over and the rim is refined. Perfect for bread! Nice for fruit too.

We finished up with our traditional potluck meal, which was enjoyed by all.

November Meeting Notes

at the St. Augustine Fall Festival
Wow!
There has been the St. Augustine Art & Craft Festival, Empty Bowls, the sale at the Arboretum, new shirts, banners, and more.

Here's what happened at our November meeting
We met at Marcia's house on Sunday November 15th.
We finalized our plans for the Empty Bowls Luncheon.
We talked about the St. Augustine Art & Craft Festival.
We made a decision to donate $350.00, in remembrance of our friend and former President Jo Nell. Her church, Christ Episcopal Church in Ponte Vedra Beach, will receive our gift.

We got our new Clay Network T-shirts! They look great! There are some extras, so if you would like to have one they are $20.00. The Clay Network banners are ready to display at our upcoming events and they are bold and beautiful.

Jennelle, sent us information about “Art & About” in Orange Park on April 24th. Submit your application by Jan. 24th.
Mary Ellen requested donations for Habitat for Humanity.
More information about these events has been posted on the side under “Opportunities”.

Don't forget that Dues are due in January. For 2010, they will be $25, or $40 for a couple.

Marcia showed her “photo cube”.
She uses 60w daylight florescent bulbs, and rip stop nylon, to make the light diffusing side panels and top. Foam core is cut to make the frame. She has some high quality paper for the backdrop. Please let Marcia know if you want to make your own, she will be glad to advise you. She would like to sell her extra backdrop paper.

You are invited to bring your clay art and camera to the next meeting to make high quality photos after the meeting.

Mary Ellen asked about the seaweed sagger firing. Margaret will collect seaweed to dry.

There was discussion regarding next year's officers. Mary Ellen will lead the nominating committee.
Please let her know if you are interested in a board position, or if you would like to nominate someone.

Our Program featured Randy our web Master. He showed us the “under construction” web site he is preparing for us. The new Clay Network web site will give us space to display our Member's Gallery pictures, and other content, with the newsletter incorporated (linked) as an important part of that site. We won't have two separate sites when this is done. It will be one. One address to access everything. This Malleable Times Newsletter will be accessed by clicking the Newsletter button on the menu.
If you have ideas for the structure of the site, or photos of your work for the Member's Gallery, please contact Marcia. She will pass along the CDs or other information to Randy.

Some members took the opportunity to photograph their work with Marcia's Photo Cube.
We all enjoyed a delicious pot luck meal, and good conversation.

A big "THANK YOU" to Wild Ginger Studios for donating clay for our demonstrations at the art festival!

More photos from the St. Augustine Fall Art & Craft Festival

September Meeting Summary

Pat's pottery using slip transfer method

On Sunday, September 20th, 2009,Clay Network was happy to meet at Wild Ginger Studios in lovely Green Cove Springs.Thank you to AJ and Karen for welcoming us to their clean and very well equipped clay facilities.

Our Clay Network banner will be printed soon. We will add .com to our name on the banner.

Christie spoke about Clay Network doing the St Augustine Fall Festival as a group. It is a perfect opportunity for those just getting started, who aren't ready to do a solo show. It is also good for those who don't do shows anymore but like to do something occasionally. She encouraged everyone to participate, if not in this event, then to prepare to join in the next.We will be dividing the fees of $225 and we will pay a small (10%) commission to our Clay Network on our sales.Clay Network will provide the tent, shelves, and we have the “tax number” to handle sales properly.We will have our booth at the end of a row this time. That will give us plenty of room for our demonstrations and for the crowds that love to watch us make the clay dance.

Clay Network is happy to participate in the 25th Annual Empty Bowls Luncheon benefiting the Second Harvest Food Bank of North Florida on Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2009, from noon – 1 p.m., at the Prime Osborn Convention Center. We will have our own table, with our Clay Network banner displayed. Our bowls will be sold to raise funds to support the food bank. We will also have a wheel to demonstrate throwing. All members are encouraged to donate for this worthy cause. Last year more than 1,200 people attended and the event raised over $75,000 for the Food Bank. We hope folks see the Clay Network name and get used to associating our group with fine clay works. There will also be a silent auction held, if you would like, you may donate a piece for that too.Pat and Marilyn are coordinating our participation in this event. Details and contact information has been emailed to members and friends.

Margaret will be collecting seaweed, as there is a good deal washing up at the beach behind her home now. Many members expressed interest in planning a sagger or pit firing workshop using seaweed, salt, copper, steel wool, cotton and various other ingredients to fire burnished low fired pots.

Marcia has made a “photo cube” from foam board. She will provide the opportunity for us to use her set up. We can all have nice pictures for our gallery pages on the up coming Clay Network web site.

The Clay Network will participate in the 2009 Jacksonville Arboretum & Gardens First Anniversary Celebration. The event will be held Saturday November 14^th from 10am-4pm. We will be selling our garden art and pottery. Set up will begin at 8:30am and we will begin packing up at 4pm. You can visit http://www.jacksonvillearboretum.org/ for more information about the park. The celebration is covered under “things to do”. To participate in the sale, with the Clay Network, please contact Marcia.

Jane invited members to join her at the Unity Church on Race Track Rd. for a crafts sale Saturday, October 24^th, from 10am-4pm. An outdoor space of 12 x 12 is $25, an indoor space of 10 x 10 is $35. 15% commission on sales will be donated to the church. Please contact Jane if you would like to participate with her.

The Women's center of Jacksonville, and the St. Augustine Art Association also have a few upcoming events that they want us to know about. (Those items, and information about a workshop, have been posted under “opportunities in our area”. Please check the right side bar.)

Our next meeting will be held at 2pm on Sunday, November 15th at Marcia's home in the Arlington area of Jacksonville.

Program

AJ and Pat demonstrated a creative slip application method.

AJ began by brushing colored slip on newspaper, then carefully laying the paper, slip side down, on a prepared slab. She rubbed with her hand, and rolled the back of the paper with a “pony roller”. Then, carefully peeling back the newspaper, an irregular layer of colored slip was left on the clay. We learned that the slip she uses is colored with 20, 30, or up to 40% Mason Stains. She advised us to use another piece of newspaper to “blot” between applications. Next She added texture with a piece of netting. Then AJ trailed slip on a newspaper and waved it to dry “just until the shine goes off it”. She applied this to the slab as before. The layers of color and texture were built up a step at a time.

Pat showed us how to use a paintbrush handle to “write”on the backside of the slip coated paper. She uses stencils too. She noted that the stencils should be rolled into the clay well, so that the clay is pushing up through the openings. If slip is then applied with the paper, you get a “light effect” if you brush colored slip directly on the clay, you can get a darker, or more pronounced effect.

The “flinging” technique can be used to stretch the slab. The applied patterns will stretch too. Texture can be added with stamps, texture “sheets”, rollers, and stencils from craft stores, and with all types of “found” items. As she demonstrated, Pat's slab became rich in colors, textures and designs. So many possibilities!

What a wonderful demonstration! We all came away with great ideas to incorporate in our art.

Thank you AJ and Pat. You explained every step very well, and the beautiful pieces on display were quite inspirational.

A bountiful potluck meal was enjoyed by all as we chatted with our new members and friends.

If you have questions about any of the events, and do not know where to call, Lisa will be happy to put you in touch. (stixandstonz@hotmail.com).

Next Meeting September 20th

Tim Bullard at the Riverside Arts Market

The St. Augustine Art Association seeks "Touchable Art"

The St. Augustine Art Association invites artists to submit "touchable" works of art into the 8th Annual Tactile Art Show, held Oct. 4 through 28. Artwork will be received on Wednesday and Thursday, Sept. 30 and Oct. 1, from noon to 7p.m. in the Main Gallery at 22 Marine Street. Entry fee is $15 per piece for StAAA members and $35 per piece for non-members. Artists may enter up to three works in any medium or subject matter.

The exhibit is part of the International Art Beyond Sight Awareness Month celebrated at such venues at the Louvre in Paris and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Students from the Florida School for the Deaf and Blind will prepare Braille labels for each entry.

Monetary prize awards, including the "Nancy Crisp-Ellert Memorial for Best Fiber Art," will be presented at the Opening Reception on Sunday, Oct. 4th from 2 to 5 p.m. A preview of the show will be open to the public during the First Friday Art Walk, Oct. 2. For information, call the St. Augustine Art Association at (940) 824-2310.

CONTACT: Elyse Brady

St. Augustine Art Association

22 Marine Street

St. Augustine, FL 32084

(904) 824-2310

staart@bellsouth.net

We are preparing for the next Clay Network meeting.

Please join us at Wild Ginger Studios in Green Cove Springs, on Sunday the 20th of September. We will begin our business meeting at 2pm.

Hot topics we will discuss include the Fall St. Augustine Art and Craft Festival. Clay Network will be there, November 28th and 29th, selling and demonstrating.
Margaret is already at work organizing for this show. Please contact her by September 20th to be included in the sale.
(Contact Lisa at stixandstonz@hotmail.com if you don't have Margaret's phone number or email address.)
Empty Bowls, the Riverside Arts Market, and some new opportunities will also be on the meeting's agenda.
Your participation and ideas are important to keep the Clay Network strong and growing.

After the business, we will enjoy a program "Techniques with Colored Slip".

AJ and Pat will demonstrate various techniques using colored slips. One of these is a transfer method with newspaper. An extension of this uses stamps and texture materials.
Come and learn something new that can be used to decorate and embellish your hand built or wheel thrown creations.

We will then enjoy a potluck meal and socializing with our clay friends.

I hope you can come we would all love to see YOU.

Clay Network has a clay art exhibit now on display at the Mandarin Regional Library. Please take a look if you are in the area. It will be there for the month of September.


A Note From Marcia

As most of you already know, former CN President Jonell Thatcher passed away July 29. Never one to accept defeat in any manner, Jonell’s long term battle with cancer never conquered her spirit, her laughter or determination. A simple look at the whimsical pottery she created tells her story and will continue to do so for all those fortunate enough to remember the person and the artist. She will be deeply missed.

Work progresses on the website. All that remains to complete the project are digital images from our membership. A number of members gathered for a photography session a short while back so we are well on our way to reaching that goal. As a reminder, the member’s on-line gallery will provide an outlet for each member to display their work, provide a contact link (if you desire), artist statement, or link your images to a personal website. This online gallery is open to all members from students to professionals and hobbyists to full time potters. Please contact me if you need additional information, have questions or need guidance photographing your work.

The Jacksonville Arboretum and Gardens will host a First Anniversary Event on Saturday, November 14th from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the arboretum. Last year's Grand Opening event was attended by approximately 600 people and attendance is expected to be greater this year. The event will feature great food, live music; guided nature walks with local biologists and naturalists, kids' activities, plant vendors, storytellers and craft booths. This event is free to the public. The coordinator of the craft event is looking for artist vendors who work within the “garden” nature theme. Each booth space costs $50, and each vendor is responsible for their own set-up. ClayNetwork will need to limit the number of members to no more than six and the vendor booth fee will be divided by the number of artists involved. Again, the tent, tables and shelves will be made available at no cost. So, if your work includes garden oriented work, consider taking part in this one day event….Christmas is around the corner! Contact me immediately if you have an interest.

Until the next time…

Marcia
Scheeterjm@aol.com

July Meeting Summary

Photography workshop

The Clay Network's July meeting was held on Sunday the 19^th.

If you could not be there... here's what you missed.

The Clay Network library exhibits for May, and July, have been well received.Those members who have not yet participated can join the next exhibit at the Mandarin Branch Library for September. Please contact Christie.

Our members will donate to the Empty Bowls fund raiser to be held November 17^th at the Prime Osborn Center. Marilyn and Pat will co-chair this endeavor. This will be the 25^th anniversary of the empty Bowls event. We may want to try to reference this milestone in the design of our donated bowls. We will also demonstrate during the fund raiser. Everyone likes to see us working with the clay, almost as much as we enjoy doing it!

We will have a booth at the St. Augustine Fall Art and Craft festival, November 28^th, and 29th.We will be selling as well as demonstrating. The cost of the booth, and the duties, will be divided by the members who wish to participate. Please contact Margaret by September 15^th if you want to be a part of the fun. Clay Network has purchased large, sturdy, display shelves, as well as the tent.

Whether you have lots to sell, or just a few pots, this is a great way to get your work out there without a large individual investment.

What a great benefit for our members!

Our web site design is coming along. Everyone is encouraged to participate in the members gallery. Up to 12 photos will be displayed per person, as well as links to your own web sites and any other contact information you may wish to include.

Our next meeting will be held Sunday, September 20^th. The business meeting was followed by a very special program.

Program

How To Photograph Your Work- presented by guest artist Vina Schemer.

Some important tips from Vina:

Everyone should get to know their camera by reading the owner's manual.

She taught us how to use a fabric or paper backdrop, and how to make a simple hanger for the backdrop.

Vina recommends a resolution of at least 300 dpi for your pictures.

Using natural light outdoors is fine, but direct sun is not. Look for a shaded spot.

Tripods can be used to hold lights. The lights with the clamp work well.

A “spatter screen" can soften the light.

A poster board or foil can be used as a reflector to "bounce light”.

Vina advised us to view our pictures on the computer before dismantling the set.

Sometimes a vertical shot is preferable for publications.

Photoshop or other software can be used to lighten or darken your images.

Iprintfromhome.com can make slides for you if you need them.

With Vina's help, members were able to take some beautiful photos of their pottery.

It was a wonderful, educational presentation. Thank you Vina!

Refreshments were enjoyed as we finished the gathering.

Thank you Karen, for inviting us to your home.

April meeting summary

What happened at the Clay Network meeting on Sunday, April 26?

We have been very busy since our last meeting in January. There was a lot to discuss.

No more homeless pets has contacted the Clay Network.
They are looking for donations of animal-themed or inspired art to auction off. This is a juried show, and cash prizes will be awarded to the top pieces. Look for details at their web site www.jaxartunleashed.com

We have some new DVDs for loan from our library.
The spring SPVCA sale is canceled. We will instead focus on other opportunities.
We will consider participating in the fall St. Augustine Arts Festival, to sell, as well as exhibit.
We have scheduled 3 library displays. The first is May 1-31 at the Beaches Regional Library in Neptune Beach.

Christie is pursuing ideas for the Empty Bowls fund raiser.
Marcia is working on ideas for a sale and exhibit at the Women's Center.
We are considering participating in the new Riverside Arts Market.

We all got to see the new rack cards and logo design.
A web site, in addition to this Malleable Times Newsletter blog, is under construction.
Marcia will try to develop a photography workshop in order to have some great pictures for a gallery page of our members' work. She recommends everyone take a look at this web site http://www.zapplication.org/images.phtml. This link is also listed under "Some Favorite Sites".

We now have a tent to be used for the Clay Network group shows. It can be rented, for just $35 for 3 days, by our members.
We are working on buying or building shelves too.

Marcia is excited about her new video recorder. She is going to make recordings of her class lessons and make them available for loan to Clay Network members through our library.

We voted to meet more often.

Wow! Clay Network is full of ideas and happenings!

Program
After the business meeting we were ready for the clay fun. Margaret led our hands-on program, Coloring White Clay. We mixed various colorants with the clay and made small test disks which Margaret will fire to cone 6. We will see the results at our next meeting. Some of us took home the extra colored clay to make beads or other small items.
We also made magic water.
As we kneaded our clay, we were entertained by Tim's daughter, Emily, who played her violin for us. A fiddler on the roof!

A potluck meal followed the program and was enjoyed by all.

We all enjoyed seeing each other, and Margaret's beautiful beachfront home. Thank you for hosting us Margaret, and thank you for a fun program too.












Meetings
The next meeting will be July 19th, at the home of Karen M, in Mandarin.
September 20th we will meet at Wild Ginger Studios, in Green Cove Springs.
November 15th will be at Marcia's in the Arlington area of Jacksonville.
We are planning to meet January 17th, 2010 at Lisa's, in Neptune Beach.
March 21st will be hosted by Christie in St Augustine.
The May 16th meeting will be at Karen J.A.'s home in Jacksonville.


Our meetings are open to everyone.
If you are not a Clay Network Member, but would like to attend a meeting, and need directions or other information, please contact Lisa at : StixandStonz@hotmail.com .

If you would like to join or renew your membership, dues are only $20.
Please send your check to Margaret. (Contact Lisa for Margaret's address.)