Tuesday, October 8, 2013

September meeting and upcoming events

Tuesday, October 8, 2013


Our September meeting was held at Belinda's home in Fleming Island.

 The Clay Network is planning to participate in a couple area sales festivals in October and November.
We have made some new purchases for our member's library. A DVD by Steven Hill, a video from Tom Turner "Understanding Porcelain", and another from Tom Turner that covers a 2 day workshop.
We will have a display of member's pottery at the Mandarin Branch Library for the month of October. Your pottery will be returned at the next meeting, and library displays will resume after the holidays.
Please bring your donations for "Empty Bowls " to the next meeting. All donations are welcome, it does not have to be a bowl.

We enjoyed the program which followed the business portion of the meeting.  
Belinda gave us a demonstration of handbuilding techniques.

As always we finished up with a potluck meal and social time. It's wonderful to talk with long time friends and get to know new members and guests.

Our next meeting will be in Neptune Beach. Please mark your calendar and plan to attend. Sunday, November 10th at 2pm.

Our program will be about photographing your pottery. We will have a "Photo Box" set up and you can bring a piece of your work, and your camera, to try it out.

Join the fun interesting people of Clay Network.

Together we can do more.
Meet other clay artists, and build friendships, participate in group sales, exhibits, workshops, and teach and learn through our free programs at each meeting.

We help and support each other, to take your art where you want it to go.

Thursday, December 6, 2012

November 2012 Blog


Holiday Show:The "Clay Network Christmas-Holiday Show" will be held Dec 8, 2012 from 10am-5pm located at the Sydney McKenna Gallery 5 Inlet Pl St. Augustine Fl

Directions: Specific directions are available at www.sydneymckenna.com


Meeting was held at Marie’s home.
Library Displays: The Mandarin Library Display was a success. Thank you to Christie, Vina and Lisa P. Library displays for 2013 are in process of being finalized. The tentative list for 2013 is as follows:

 2013 – Volunteers for Coordinators are still needed at some venues:
February: Fleming Island-Mary M.
April: Regency – ? Marsha with help from Lisa W.
June: Beaches – Lisa W. – Lisa will confirm with the library.
August: Ponte Vedra – Sandy W.
October: Mandarin – Christie with help from Lisa P.
Empty Bowls: Clay Network will once again be participating in Empty Bowls. Thank you to those who donated a piece of pottery to this worthy cause.
T-Shirts: Lisa W. will once again be taking orders for Clay Network T-Shirts. The Network Logo will be the same as the previously ordered T-Shirts. The T-Shirts will be $20.00. There will be many colors available with one style “Traditional T-Shirt” available. The T-Shirt brand is Gilden. Lisa suggests looking for this brand in your closet to determine your size. A specific list of colors and instructions for ordering will be forthcoming.

Clay Network Christmas-Holiday Show

On display will be: Ceramic Sculptures, Ornamental and Functional Pottery as well as Clay Art

Visit the gallery and enjoy the grounds on the intracoastal waterway while you visit with the local artists!

Bring your friends and please send this reminder email to your contacts who are looking for great gifts for the holidays.

New Business:
New Membership Dues Policy:
The board announced a new dues policy for new members joining in the middle of the year. The policy is as follows: Any new member joining the organization, for the first time, will be given a discount if they join the organization July 1, or later. The discount will apply as follows: The discount will be ½ of the dues, single or couple when joining anytime July 1, or later. The only exception to this is when a person joins the organization at the November meeting and pays their dues for the following year at the time of the meeting. For these first time new members joining at the November meeting, the remainder of the current year will be gratis/free of charge, but will afford this individual full membership status for the remainder of the year. – Renew your dues now!

Election:  The following 2013 Slate of Officers was presented at the September 2012 meeting by the Nominating Committee, Belinda B. and Mary M.
President – Mary Ellen D.
Vice President – Marie M.
Treasurer – Julie C.
Secretary – Mary M.
Librarian – Sandy W.
The slate was unanimously elected by all members present.

The meeting was adjourned at approximately 3:00pm and was followed by the following program and then our usual delicious potluck dinner and social time. Thank you Marie for your hospitality.
PROGRAM: Bamboo Brushes
Marie Mabry presented our program on how to make our own bamboo brushes. Following her demonstration, she also provided us with the opportunity to make our own brush!
What you will need:
1. Bamboo
2. Brush hair:  This is typically made with deer fur which you can find at fly fishing / fly tying outfitters. There is one such store located at 11702 Beach Blvd., Ste. 103, named Black Fly. This is located in the Strike Zone Plaza, 200 yards east of I-295 at the corner of Beechwood Dr. The fur generally sells for approximately $5.00 and will make several brushes. The fur from the “white tail” portion of the deer will make longer, finer brushes. Marie buys only the fur still attached to the hide/leather as this will make the process much easier.
3. Waxed dental floss
4. Water proof glue, such as Elmer’s Wood Glue
5. Embroidery Floss
6. Leather strip/string for the handle
Instructions:
1. Cut Bamboo to the desired brush length; make sure that each end is hollow.
2. Cut the fur to the desired length and width to fit in the bamboo hollow.
3. Roll fur; assuring that it will fit in the bamboo you have chosen.
4. Using the waxed floss, make a “hook shaped” loop where the end is left longer and free. Place this at the edge of the rolled fur. 
5. Wind the floss around the fur several times. Cut when finished leaving some extra. Put the end you have been winding through the loop and pull the free end of the loop that you left dangling. This will secure the floss.
6. Place a dab of glue in the bamboo hollow and place the tied fur in the hollow.
7. Use the embroidery floss to neatly wrap around the brush end of the bamboo using the aforementioned loop technique. Dab with a small amount of clear glue if desired. This floss will stop the bamboo from cracking, which is especially necessary when using green bamboo.
8. To make the handle, cut a small piece of leather to the desired length. Make a loop. Use a tiny piece of bamboo to push the leather ends into the bamboo hollow. Cut off the portion of the bamboo pusher that is still protruding from the brush. You may also put a tiny dab of glue in the bamboo hollow prior to inserting the leather loop, but this is generally not necessary.
Voila! One perfect brush, just the way you need it for your specific style of glazing and painting needs! 
Thank you Marie for sharing your expertise with us!






Friday, November 2, 2012

September 9, 2012

 REMINDER:The "Clay Network Christmas-Holiday Show" will be held Dec 8, 2012 from 10am-5pm located at the Sydney McKenna Gallery 5 Inlet Pl St. Augustine Fl

for map directions go to SydneyMckenna.com



Our September 2012 meeting was hosted by A.J. at Wild Ginger Studio in Green Cove Springs.

The Network continues to display at various Libraries around Northeast Florida. Our last display of the year is at the North Mandarin Library on Kori Rd.

Library displays will begin again in February. Please adhere to the following guidelines when packing your display items. Please do not use newspaper. Newspaper print is not only messy for the coordinators of the display, but can also be transferred to a white piece of pottery. Bubble wrap is preferred; however, any paper without ink is acceptable.
Please be sure your piece fits completely into the box in which you transport your piece on. The box should be able to close completely. Opened boxes are very difficult to transport, please avoid their use. Be sure to label your box with your name, and description of the piece(s) that are to go into that box. Continue to provide a business card for each piece you display as your pieces will most likely not be displayed together. Please be aware that new cards may be needed if your piece has been traveling with the library for awhile.

Clay Network will once again be participating in the Empty Bowls Program, scheduled for November 13, 2012. Please bring any pieces you wish to donate to the next meeting. If you cannot attend the meeting, you may also drop them your pieces off at Wild Ginger, Atlantic Pottery or Dixie Pottery in St Augustine or contact Mary M., the event coordinator.

Our Holiday Show will be at the McKenna Gallery on December 8, 2012. Be sure to tell all your friends to do their holiday shopping at the show. More detailed information to come.

Membership Tips, Tools, Techniques and Tidbits:

Vina suggested using Silica Sand (AKA Play Sand), available at hardware stores to use in place of stilts when firing flat pieces. Pour the sand on your kiln shelf and smooth out evenly before placing the piece in your kiln.
Be sure to remove all sand after use.

Lisa W. displayed plastic disposable cake/platter tray covers, available from grocery stores, as quick and easy, temporary covers for a piece. These generally come in round and rectangle forms.

PROGRAM:
Ron W. presented “Feeling the Potter’s Touch”
Ron is a master potter with over 50 years of pottery experience. He earned his BS and MS degrees Western Kentucky University. After graduating with his M.S., Ron established the Ceramics Program at FSCJ in 1968 where he worked for approximately 35 years until he retired.
Ron shared many stories from his experiences and workshops he attended nationally and internationally. His work is greatly influences by Japanese potter, Toshiko Takaezu, as well as potters Louis Snyder from Tennessee and Henry Lee who was at Ohio State University.
Ron’s philosophy is to make the surface treatment of a piece “HIS”.
Ron demonstrated throwing on the wheel as well as pinch pots and provided us with much information and tips as follows:

Clay: Clay with age has more plasticity and therefore is more workable:
Grog: Clay with more grog makes it easier to make bigger pieces. Many times, he wedges additional grog into his clay to establish the consistency he desires to work with.
Centering: Always use one firm hand and be sure to start and release with slow even pressure. (And Pray! )
Finger Use: Use fingers for forming thin, small pieces and knuckles for forming thicker and larger pieces.
Opening: Ron demonstrated his particular method of opening. He uses his thumb for smaller bowls and his palm for larger bowls.
S-Cracks: Will not only form if you do not compress the bottom of your piece, but will also form, if you do not trim properly.
Bottom rim: Be sure all you functional pieces have a rim as this rim acts as a shock absorber.
Bisque Fire: Ron believes that different clays require different temperatures of bisque firing. The clays he uses seem to work best at 07 firings.
Pinch Pot Exercise: Even though no two pinch pots are alike, a good practice exercise is to try to get the diameter and the height the same in many pinch pots. Another exercise is to see how thin you can get the walls and still have it stand up.
Pinch Pot Dimension: To get dimension in your pinch pot, keep the pot on its side while working. Keep the pads of your fingers on the side of the pot and work from the bottom to the top as you continue to turn the pot. It also helps to turn the top down a bit. Do NOT pinch hard!
Above all else: Keep It Simple!