Just had a visit this week with the talented people in our Wednesday afternoon class. It’s fun to see what people create during their class. This is often a bit of “me” time to allow them to be creative.
The Firing Stages of Clay
We often talk about firing items in the kiln and such terms such as “ramping up” and “soaking” are bandied about, but what exactly happens when you are firing your kiln? And what stages are the most crucial?
There are some brilliant articles about the stages of firing, and what happens chemically to your clay as it goes through a firing process. The article talks about six stages, and it explains it in a really interesting way.
These are very interesting, and written in a way that while it does have some chemistry terms, explains it in an easy to understand way.
Sorry, these articles are no longer available!
Potters Guild members create magic from Clay
We had an article in The Peterborough Examiner on December 22nd written by Joanne Culley. It was a nice article talking about the guild and our recent Christmas Show.
We attach it here, please click on the image to be able to read it in a larger format.
For another article featuring our sale and a few images, go to The Peterborough Examiner website.
Thomas Aitken mixes things up
We normally know and love Thomas’s work for the flawlessness of it. His functional pieces are a delight and envy for fellow potters. His demonstration was a revelation though, as he was loosening things up and using found objects to create texture and with a throwing technique on a board, stretches and makes the textured piece thin enough to be a base of a bowl or platter. The photos below show the technique that he employs. No wonder potters like to collect all sorts of junk!
Click on any image below to enlarge the size. Then you can scroll through the images.
Ceramics Gallery Opens in Port Hope
Kawartha Potters member Brenda Sullivan has just opened “Dragon Clay Gallery II” on 52 Walton St., in the heart of historic downtown Port Hope.
Dragon Clay is dedicated to the exhibition and sale of fine ceramics including funk-tional and sculptural works of ceramic artists from the surrounding area.
Winter hours at the gallery are Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday 11:30 to 5 pm and Friday 11:30 to 5:30 pm. Drop in and say hello!
Try Clay Sunday
We had a great time with our second “try clay” event. We hope everyone who joined in enjoyed themselves. We enjoyed showing you all about clay and our studio.
Here are some images from the people that enjoyed their time with us. Click on any for a larger version.
Messy basements
Many of the potters that are in the show have full time jobs or waited until they were retired until they could indulge their passion for clay. Our studios are generally in our basements, sheds and garages. Priya’s studio is in her basement and here you can see hers in the run up for the Christmas sale. She says this is her “messy studio” but she hasn’t seen mine! This looks positively spotless.
Susan McDonald hard at work
Susan McDonald is in so many shows at the moment, that she must have to work continuously throughout the night! Here is an image of her studio in preparation for our own Christmas show.
Fran Brownley
Fran is a new member of the guild and this year is her first in the Christmas Sale. Here is Fran on her wheel and burning a feather to a pot.
Saturday Clay Club
Our Saturday Clay Club has been running for over a year now, and it is a big success. For members only, you can come to the guild on a Saturday morning from 9:30 – 12:30. The cost is $10 per session but it is a good way to share your ideas, or work through a problem, or just throw in the company of like-minded people. Here are some photos of the last clay club. Click on any image to see it full size.
