To Teach, To Learn, To Share

Margrit’s Studio

Last year when the doors first open for our sale, the woman that had been waiting for ten minutes outside (we let her and others into the vestibule to keep warm) was desperate to be the first to find the table of the person that “did this piece” and was it in the show.  The piece that she was referring to was a platter with fish on it.  And it was done by our talented Margrit Beesley.  Here are some photos of work in progress in Margrit’s studio.  See, she has made another of her popular platters, so no fighting!

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In the Studio with Brenda Sullivan

Brenda is one of our longest potting members.  Here she is getting ready for our show at Peterborough Lion’s Centre.  Brenda Sullivan is now showing ten sculptures from her show “Natural Revelations” at the new location of The Gallery on the Lake, 268 Port Perry, ON.  But make sure you come to see her and all the other artists at our show on the 29th, 30th November and 1st December!

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Cathy Allen

Cathy is our Facebook and Twitter-ess.  She also takes quite a few of the photos of various events.  She posts all the wonderful things that we are doing, and keeps our public informed!  Here she is getting ready for our upcoming show.

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Janet McDougall – Studio Stories

My studio is just a small downstairs bedroom that has been converted. I have a throwing area that has protective thick plastic sheeting on the floor – I am a little messy!, a working table, drying shelves and storage shelving along the wall – although there never seems to be enough storage space. My husband just built a shed for me so I could store my materials for glass mosaics and stone carving. This really helped in keeping my studio space organized and more stream-lined although it may not look like it.

The following pictures show the stages of throwing – it this case a bowl. First I weigh out the amount of clay I will need and form a ball. This ball of clay needs to be centered on the wheel. This is a crucial step. If the clay is not centered – you’re not going to be able to throw anything. Once centered, the clay is opened and the walls of the form are pulled up and shaped. It may take 2 or 3 pulls to bring the clay up to the height and thickness you want. The final shaping of the form is often done with a rib. The rib helps compress the clay and smooths out any throwing lines.

The form is then moved to the drying racks. It often takes a few days for the form to dry out to a leather hard stage. At this point, the form is returned to the wheel and the bottom rim in trimmed out, giving a nice foot rim. Once completely dry to the touch, the form is bisqued fired in the kiln to take out any moisture in the clay. Glaze is applied to the bisqued ware and a final glaze firing is done.

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Lillian Forester’s mice

Lillian Forester is famous for her cheese mice.  The perfect little friends to accompany your cheese tray!  These cute little fellows won’t even nibble!  Like the rest of us, Lillian is getting ready for the show, and has her kiln loaded and ready to go.  Check out her beautiful work, before it is even glazed!

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June Goodwin getting ready for show

June Goodwin is the hardest working member of our guild.  A lot of days you will find her at the gallery, either teaching or doing our books, as she is our treasurer and general “go to” person.  How she has time to do her own work is beyond us all!  Below is some of her work that has been bisqued and is ready to be glazed.  That is where the magic comes!  Every time we open the kiln, we never know what we will get!  You’ll have to come to our sale to find out!

Click on the image to see a larger version.  The work below includes not only June’s pottery, but our member Barb Zmozynski on our “Newbie” table!

Liz Willoughby – wonderful presentation

We were honoured to have Liz Willoughby presenting on Monday, May 13th at the Kawartha Potters Guild.  She was very interesting and showed us how she puts together her Uwers with their spouts.  Very good tips from a pro.

Kawartha Potters' Guild