Slip-casters out there?

I was in the Habitat for Humanity Re-Store today and in their front section they have a ton (... maybe 30-40?) slip-cast molds. We don't do it at our studio, but most looked to be in near-new to good condition.  I didn't have time to go through them all but there's a variety -- toy parts, functional ware, decorative containers, etc.

If you know of a studio, a person or a school that would be interested, please pass it on.

Holiday/Farewell get-together

Just to let people know that our Holiday get-together will be this upcoming Wednesday, Dec 7th.  It's also our chance to say our good-byes to Martin as he will be moving away this month.  Haven't had the word on this (i.e. post may be edited) but normally we have a cheese and cracker tray, some drinks, etc.  Feel free to bring a small dish as well to share.

Starting at 6pm at the studio and going till everyone's gone. 

2nd Soupy Saturday

To all PEI Potters Studio potters - you are encouraged to donate some bowls, either thrown on the wheel or handbuilt for the second time we are going to donate bowls to Back Alley Music in an effort to raise money for the Food Bank and ?? Saturday 26 November 2011 is the date!! Back Alley Music is the place... we're not sure who is making the soup yet...but let's make lots of bowls!!!

Raku (Before and After)

Martin has many, many more pictures, including lots of action shots as we put pieces from the kiln and into the metal cans with the straw, sawdust and shredded paper, but I thought people would enjoy a couple of before and after shots.

Most of the Raku was done in a "traditional" way with the fired objects placed into metal cans.  Most of my smaller pieces were done this way. As a few of mine were a bit longer and very flat, we experimented with placing them within a pile of newspaper with enough bulk material (mostly paper) to mostly smother it and then let it cool enough to remove.  I did remove one too early and with the added oxygen in the air, the newspaper pile caught fire.  Placing the piece face down on shredded paper produced a piece very similar to the can versions.  Looser contact within the newspaper produced the piece with the whiter edges.  Placing it on ferns (picked, not dried) did produce a few faint secondary patterns within the glaze, but nothing noticeable.

Raku pieces before firing (gold=Copper Penny, white = White Crackle, blue = Lemon Not, green = Egyptian Blue)

Closeup of piece, notice green (better view of Egyptian Blue)

Some of the top newspapers already removed. 

All top newspapers removed.  Layers with immediate contact carbonized. 

Flipped over to see glazed leaf impressions. Then taken, cooled in water and washed.

Final pieces.  Top right piece has whiter edges and more green  from Copper Penny. 

Some spots still open in fall courses

There's some spaces available in the fall pottery classes.  For more information call Barb at 368-3268.

Raku Workshop Sep 17th -- Last minute notice

Our pottery group is holding a raku workshop this weekend.  Comment is you're not a member and you need more details or call the studio.

"The PEI Potters Studio will hold a raku workshop with Ron Arvidson on Saturday, Sept. 17 from 9 am to 4 ish at Cathy's house. The cost is $25 for members and $40 for non-members."

 

Ron suggested that members try to glaze their pieces with the raku glazes at the studio the night before the workshop for better results.

 

 

POTTERY IN THE PARK -- Fall 2011 and Winter 2012 Adult's Classes

P.E.I Potters Studio at Victoria Park (small white house next to tennis courts)

Adult Classes

Classes are taught by professional Island potters and are designed to be fun as well as educational. Perfect for beginners as well as those with some experience, classes are small in size (maximum of 8) and relaxed and informal in style. Instruction covers the basics of clay preparation, wheel-throwing techniques, and glazing and decoration. Hand-building techniques can also be explored depending on interest. A great way to relieve stress and enhance creativity while learning a new skill! Participants will get a thorough introduction to the art of pottery making and have fun while creating their own pieces from start to finish.

Fall session: Registration will be held on Tuesday, Sept. 13, 2011 from 5:30 to 7:30 PM at the studio 

1. Mondays         6:30 to 9:30 PM                September 26 to November 28   $200 plus clay ($25)
2. Tuesdays         6:30 to 9:30 PM             September 27 to November 29   $200 plus clay ($25)
3. Thursdays        6:30 to 9:30 PM               September 29 to December 1    $200 plus clay ($25)

Winter session: Registration will be held on Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2012 from 5:30 to 7:30 pm at the studio

1. Mondays       6:30 to 9:30 PM       January 16 to March 19         $200 plus clay ($25)
2. Tuesdays       6:30 to 9:30 PM      January 17 to March 20         $200 plus clay ($25)   *         
3. Thursdays      6:30 to 9:30 PM      January 19 to March 22        $200 plus clay ($25) 

* If enough participants are interested, an intermediate/advanced class will be offered that will focus more on throwing complex forms and in glazing and decorating. 

For more information call Barb at 368-3268.

POTTERY IN THE PARK -- Fall 2011 and Winter 2012 Children's Classes

PEI Potters Studio
Victoria Park (small white house next to tennis courts)
 

Children’s Classes (Ages 9-14)

Classes for children aged 9-11 (mornings) and 12-14 (afternoons) are held on Saturdays. While creative exploration with clay is stressed, both classes provide beginners with the basics of clay preparation, a variety of hand-building techniques, glazing and decorating and an introduction to wheel throwing. Students with previous experience may focus more on wheel throwing. Classes are taught by an experienced potter and are designed to be fun as well as educational. Classes are small in size (maximum of 8) and relaxed and informal in style. In either class participants will get a thorough introduction to the art of pottery making and have fun while creating their own pieces from start to finish.

Fall Session: Registration will be held on Tuesday, Sept. 13, 2011 from 5:30 to 7:30 PM at the studio

1. Saturdays: 10:30am to 12:30pm     Sept. 25 to Nov. 26        $175 (includes clay)          age 9 -11
2. Saturdays: 1:30 to 3:30pm              Sept. 25 to Nov. 26        $175 (includes clay)         age 12-14

Winter Session: Registration will be held on Tues., Jan. 10, 2012 from 5:30 to 7:30 pm at the studio

1. Saturdays: 10:30am to 12:30pm     Jan. 14 to March 17         $175 (includes clay)          age 9-11
2. Saturdays: 1:30 to 3:30pm              Jan. 14 to March 17        $175 (includes clay)          age 12-14

 For more information call Barb at 368-3268.

Fundraising Pottery Sale

The annual fundraising sale for the PEI Potters Studio will be held on Saturday, August 20 from 9 am to noon(ish) at the Confederation Court Mall in Charlottetown (please look for us in a new location upstairs!). Work by studio members and students, as well as professional Island potters, will be available at great prices! The PEI Potters Studio is a non-profit cooperative dedicated to the promotion of the art of pottery making in PEI. Funds raised from the sale will help the studio provide opportunities for children and adults to learn about and enjoy working with clay. For more information call Judy at 892-9064.

Orton Auto-fire for sale

Sharri Gallant has an Orton AutoFire 3000 for sale. Hooks up to a kiln to make a manual kiln automatic. 30 amp. Almost new, cost $550. Make her an offer, or she will trade for bisqued pottery that she can use for fused glass molds. Contact her at sherri.gallant@gmail.com or 969-9870.

Demerson Workshop -- Styrofoam molds

This is a very brief overview of the styrofoam mold method for slabform forms that Liz Demerson workshopped April 30th-May 2nd.  She also demonstrated numerous other thrown pots.  It was a great weekend, with lots of potting fun, nibblies, a potluck and tips and tricks.  Thanks Liz!

 After cutting out the basic shape, a line is drawn about 2 cm from the edge all around to judge later cuts evenly. 

 

Using a very sharp exacto knift, cuts are made away from your body and hands.  Many cuts are needed to get all the excess foam cut, so don't try to do it all at once.  More numerous shallow cuts are easier to control.








Keep a firm grip on the foam.  Choose the highest density type of foam you can.  Be careful not to get deeper gouges on the sides or knicks (from knife, fingernails) on the top as you'll see those impressions with every piece you make from the mold.




After you get it reasonably close to the shape you want, use a carpentry shaver to smooth it down.  Have a shop vac handy to clean up all the shredded foam.






Use sandpaper (we used a medium grit) to smooth it down.  This is where you want to be extra careful about nicks.  It's easy to sandpaper smooth it out, but the foam can shred and leave holes or depressions if you try to rush it.  If you want a curved edge, you can try to wrap your sandpaper around something curved instead of wooden blocks as we did.




Here's a small sample of the hump-style molds we made.







You'll want to protect the edges, but be aware that the edge line from the tape will form an impression in the mold, so try to line it up with edges already there in the mole.  We used duct tape but other types are fine.

The tape will stick better if you get the fine dust off.  With all the sanding, they had a good electrostatic charge, either vacuum or wash them.


An inverted piece can also be made.  A line about halfway on the inside provides that cut line to form an even angle.  If you choose a wider angle, you'll want to leave the clay in the form longer to stiffen as it will be more likely to break under its own weight when removed.





Once you get the desired slope, smooth off the edge as in the previous example.







Roll out some clay, press it over the mold and cut off the excess around the edges.  With this type of mold, you can use stamps to give patterns in the clay.






Edges can be smoothed out now, but it is easier to wait until the clays has stiffened up to avoid distorting the shape.






Keep using the molds until they get damaged.  Have fun!

That time again -- Studio Clean-up Sun April 17th

We'd like to invite our co-op members to come this Sunday and help us tidy and clean our studio in preparation for the upcoming classes and for the summer.  The doors will open at 9am and will continue till at least 3pm.  You do not have to come for the entire time. Some refreshments provided. 

If you're a former student looking for any of your pieces, unglazed student pieces have been packed up in boxes and are being temporarily stored in the basement to give people more time to retrieve them.  Student recently glazed and fired pieces from the previous class are still on the shelves.   If you've got cleaning fever and would like to help, we'd love to have you.

Some Openings in Upcoming Classes

There are still openings for pottery classes at the PEI Potters Studio in Victoria Park for adult beginners on Tuesday or Thursday evenings from 6:30-9:30 pm as well as for children ages 9-11 on Saturdays from 10:30-12:30. Classes begin the week of April 18 and run for 10 weeks. To register call Barb at 368-3268.

Partially grant-subsidized workshop: Members $30, Non-Members $50

Handbuilding Workshop, April 29th -- May 1st

This workshop is open to members and non-members.  Please phone the studio (892-2701) on Wed eve or Sun morning to put your name down or reply to this blog posting.  A few details, including costs, are grant dependant, but we will update this post when we know more information.  The information below was provided by Liz Demerson.

BIOGRAPHY

Before pottery was in Liz Demerson's life, she received a Bachelor of Arts from the University of New Brunswick in 1998 and a Master of Arts from Concordia University in 2001; both in Socio-Cultural Anthropology.

Liz Demerson graduated from the New Brunswick College of Craft and Design in 2003 with a Diploma in Fine Craft. She has been creating pottery in her own studio and worked as technician and teaching assistant at NBCCD for four subsequent years. Juried into the New Brunswick Crafts Council in 2004, she began attending craft sales in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia.  In 2005 she began to supply pottery for the wholesale market through attending the Atlantic Craft Trade Show.  In 2006, she attended the One of A Kind sale in Toronto.   She ran a pottery studio and craft store at Kings Landing Historical Settlement in 2005 and 2006.

Liz has been teaching pottery since graduating from the College as a teaching assistant, and began to teach privately in 2005.  After obtaining a teaching degree from the University of New Brunswick in 2009, and having a baby in 2008, she has been teaching Art in the public school system as a substitute, and has since begun teaching pottery at the NBCCD.  Even while working on her teaching degree, substituting and raising her daughter, pottery has always been on Liz's agenda and has continued to sell her work at craft sales and to a few wholesalers around the Martimes.

Functional ware has always been Liz's main interest. She loves the thought that the pieces she creates are used daily as a favourite mug or bowl. Her influences are mostly from contemporary sources; high fired porcelain pieces and minimalism in decorating.  She uses both thrown and handbuilding techniques to create two distinct lines. Recently she has begun to experiment in combining the two techniques to create larger more dramatic forms.

Workshop Itinerary - Details provided by Liz Demerson

Friday Evening - 2 hours: Introduction, slide show and discussion of my work and influences.

(I will bring a memory stick with my pictures on it)

Saturday 9am-12: Rolling out slabs of clay, texturing the clay, stretching the textures (15-20 mins) Will Need: White Stoneware Clay

• Making Handbuilt Tableware - cups, plates, platters (45 mins)
• Combining thrown and handbuilt forms. (Throw 2-3 forms and handbuild additions to put together when leather hard. I was thinking: a large bottle, platter, and a teapot (1 hour)
• Making styrofoam molds, slump and hump molds. (1 hour)

Saturday 1-4pm: 

• Footing the plates and platters and handling the cups... (45 mins)
• Everyone makes some molds and some plates and platters. (I can bring a bunch of mine if there are some who do not want to cut molds at this time. (2 hours)
• Those making molds Will need: Sheet Styrofoam Insulation (the pink or blue stuff), 1/2 inch thick for smaller pieces like soap and side plates and 1 inch thick plus for bigger items like plates and platters, exacto knife, pen, and black marker, sand paper... I will bring my own knife, marker and pen as well as my clay tools... This is a messy venture as you can imagine, styrofoam tends to be static-y

Sunday: 9am-12: Assembling the bottle and teapot forms, and large platter. Throw foot and spout, pull handle. (1.5 -2 hours)

• Decorating the forms: applying thick slip. (I use thick white slip, the consistency of heavy cream almost whipped. I usually just sieve some porcelain slop) (15 minutes)
• Finishing the wares made on Saturday. (leveling plates and platters, smoothing rims and feet (15 minutes)
• Wrap up... Clean up!

Handbuilding weekend workshop: Apr 29-May 1st

First notice of an upcoming workshop.  Details are still being worked out and are subject to change.

Liz Demerson (New Brunswick potter, instructor at the New Brunswick College of Craft and Design, Facebook page link here) will be teaching a handbuilding weekend workshop the weekend of April 29th to May 1st.  The Friday evening session will be mostly social with the instructional sessions happening on Sat & Sun.  Costs to be determined but it is running on a non-profit basis.

Topics: Handbuilding, slabwork, functional handbuilding, moldmaking from styrofoam, etc.

Maximum of 10 people and open to members and non-members.  Signup on the whiteboard in the studio with an official registration/payment soon.

Class Registration April 12th (CORRECTED DATE)

Semi-official reminder that the registration for the next set of classes is 5:30-7:00pm Tuesday April 12th (Corrected -- previously had 15th). Adult classes are $200 + clay ($25/20lb block) and kids classes are $175 + clay.   Reclaim (reprocessed) clay is also available at a lessor cost. 

Adult beginner classes begin week of April 18th, 6:30-9:30pm:

• Mondays (Marilyn),
• Tuesdays (Ron) and
• Thursdays (Darren)  

Children's classes begin week of April 16th

• Ages 9-11 from 10:30am-12:30pm (with Ryan) and
• Ages 12-14 from 1:30-3:30pm (with Ryan) 

All classes run for 10 weeks so they will finish up by the third week of June. If anyone has any questions, please call Barb at 368-3268.

Soupy Saturday Final Tally

$1121.00

That was our final tally of money raised with the great folks at Back Alley Music. The money went 50% to the Upper Room Food Bank and 50% to the David MacDonald and Gerry Rutten Music Legacy Fund.

We ended up with about 40 bowls available which was really great. Thanks to everyone at the studio who donated time and bowls in getting this together.



Even before the doors opened at noon one of the bowls was sold and within a couple hours after that they all were gone. People flocked in and I heard many compliments both for the great soups provided by Beanz and the idea of Ron's to team up for this project. Seeing people walking around eating soup from a bowl I personally made, knowing the money is going to a couple good causes, was personally quite gratifying for me.



The band sounded great as well, providing a perfect soundtrack to a rainy Saturday spent indoors enjoying soup.

Stay tuned in the fall. This was so successful and fun to do that we'll definitely be doing it again!

Sneak Peek

Just a quick post to show a preview of some of the bowls that are going to be at the Soupy Saturday this weekend! See the previous post for details and there is now also a facebook event.

I'd also like to take this opportunity to thank Ron Arvidson, our instructor for coming up with this idea for a great partnership. I think it's going to be a big success!

Update on Soupy Saturday

We initially had the date of Soupy Saturday wrong, it's actually going to take place on Saturday March 12 from noon to 3. That's this Saturday! We'll have lots of bowls ready and it will be a great time. Music is being provided by Lil Dave & the Drawstiks, the soup is by Beanz.

A $20 minimum donation will get you a bowl of your choice filled with great soup. After you're done, you can take the bowl home, it's yours to keep. We're really excited about the great variety and selection of bowls we've created for this.

Check here for The Buzz's information on the event.

Upcoming Classes: April 2011

Youth / Teen
POTTERY IN THE PARK
PEI Potter’s Studio in Victoria Park (small white house next to tennis courts)
Children’s Classes (Ages 9-14)

Classes for children aged 9 -14 re held on Saturdays, either from 10:30 to 12:30 or 1:30 to 3:30. While creative exploration with clay is stressed, both classes provide beginners with the basics of clay preparation, a variety of hand-building techniques, glazing and decoration and an introduction to wheel throwing. Students with previous experience may focus more on wheel throwing. Classes are taught by a professional Island potter and are designed to be fun as well educational. Classes are small in size (maximum of 8) and relaxed and informal in style. In either class participants will get a through introduction to the art of pottery making and have fun while creating their own pieces from start to finish.

Spring session:  Registration Tuesday, April 12 from 5:30 – 7:00 PM at the studio.    
Saturdays          10:30 AM to 12:30 PM    April 16 to June 18   $175 (includes clay) 
Saturdays          1:30 to 3:30 PM               April 16 to June 18   $175 (includes clay)  
For information call Barb at 368-3268.  

ADULT SECTION
POTTERY IN THE PARK
PEI Potter Studio 
Victoria Park (small white house next to tennis courts)

Classes are taught by professional Island potters and are designed to be fun as well as educational. Perfect for beginners as well as those with some experience, classes are small in size (max of 8) and relaxed and informal in style. Instruction covers the basics of clay preparation, wheel-throwing techniques, and glazing and decoration. Hand-building techniques can also be explored depending on interest.  This is a great way to relieve stress and enhance creativity while learning a new skill. Participants will get a thorough introduction to the art of pottery making and have fun while creating their own pieces from start to finish.

Spring session: Registration Tuesday, April 12 from 5:30 to 7:00PM at the studio.

Mondays              6:30 to 9:30 PM   April 18 to June 20         $200 plus clay ($25)

Tuesdays              6:30 to 9:30 PM   April 19 to June 21         $200 plus clay ($25)
Thursdays             6:30 to 9:30 PM   April 21 to June 23        $200 plus clay ($25)

For information call Barb at 368-3268.  

Floating Blue

 The picture shows the amazing variation in colours that our floating blue glaze can achieve.

All the pieces shown have the same base clay and were thrown and glazed by the same person (Cathy).

The differences in colour is due to temperature variations on the different shelves.

Advanced Class Update

Ron Arvidson, pottery instructor extraordinaire, demonstrates a method to attach handles while David looks on.

The advanced class is going very well, we're learning lots of great tips and tricks to improve our potting. I find for myself personally, every class I learn something new, some small or large way to improve my throwing or detailing.

Soupy Saturday Bowls

Once a month Back Alley Music in Charlottetown hosts something they call Soupy Saturday. Generally what happens is some local bands or artists perform over a few hours while people enjoy locally made soup. Donations are accepted and usually go to a local food bank.

One of our members/instructors had an idea to see if we could team up with Back Alley Music and make some bowls that people could take home with them, for some minimum donation (say $20). I talked with the folks at last Saturday's Soupy Saturday and they loved the idea.

So our plan is to make some bowls! Size wise we are thinking they should be standard soup bowl size, so somewhere in the 500-700g range for starting clay. I think 30-40 bowls should be our goal, so depending on how many of us are interested, that won't be too many per person.

The Soupy Saturday that we'll be at will be March 19, so that gives us just under 2 months to get the bowls ready, and time to get an announcement in The Buzz.

Switcharoo

PEI Pottery Studio is really PEI Potters Studio, so our website/blog will be transferred over here as time permits, and the other one deleted.  If you're looking for recent updates, go to http://www.peipotterystudio.com/.

UPDATE: I've exported and imported the first blog posts and I'll be updating some of our settings.  I've re-sent invites to our previous authors, so come on, sign up and get posting. :)

AGM/Potluck/Google Searches

We had our potluck tonight at Joyce's place.  Excellent food was had by all and we had a good discussion about various matters at our AGM afterwards. More details will be forthcoming, but we brainstormed for more workshops/daytime classes, problems and solutions for helping to keep our studio running, and different ways we can work together as a co-op.  We're introducing a new method of tracking clay purchases that I hope will be easier for everyone (except Heather T. who'll be maintaining it). More information soon.

In the short term, we're hoping to have an outdoor raku workshop in May, and potentially a weekend 1-2 day weekend handbuilding workshop.  These events are open to members and the general public.  To give you an idea, our workshops are a bit more like this youtube video from samkellystudio with added potluck & fun rather than the (admittedly gorgeous) professional level of the raku produced by simplyearthpottery (youtube video).

For those that have been checking, we are now searchable (again) from Google (1st page of results!), if not from Bing.  We're hoping that this will help our current and future potters find out about classes, workshops and memberships.

Raku 2010 with Tim

Just a note to say I am grateful for the friendship of my fellow potters at the Studio. I love learning from everyone. It`s a great place to be!!!

Website domain name registered

I made my life harder than it had to be, so there was a bit of swearing at unfamiliar jargon and how to change DNS settings, but our blog is now linked to our domain name.  I've asked Google to add it to its list of sites to crawl through so it should start showing up in searches within the next month.

If you type in http://www.peipotterystudio.com/ or peipotterystudio.com or peipotterystudio.blogspot.com -- all three should take you to our main blog page.  More features will be added as people volunteer their time and interests.  Besides updating with diferrent events and such, there's been suggestions for book reviews, a kiln schedule, student updates, etc. 

In the meantime, have some pottery pictures:

 Coilbowl in "oldwhite" glaze.

Small vase in our inconsistent and highly variable "waterfall brown" glaze. 



David has already started with more glaze tests, so we should have a better idea within the next month or so which glazes we will be "retiring", which we'll make cautions/advice on, and which will be recommended for glaze combinations.  The advanced class on Tuesday evenings is also going to make some trial glazes, so we're looking to introduce some new (and more consistent) glazes this year. 

Annual General Meeting

Our co-op's annual general meeting (AGM) is next Friday, January 14th (rescheduled) Saturday January 22nd at 7pm at Joyce's place.  Potluck gathering at 6pm.