The 4th Annual Ceramics in the Garden Show is April 14, 2012 with details available earlier in this Blog.
The Network continues to display at various Libraries around Northeast Florida. So look for these displays at the
following libraries this year:
June - The Beaches
August - St. Augustine
October - Mandarin
Additionally, we are hoping to add more Libraries as the year progresses.
One of the many benefits of Clay Network Membership is the ability to rent our tent to use in your personal
shows. The tent rental fee is $35 for a 3 day rental.
An exciting new meeting agenda item has been added to all of our meetings, entitled Membership Tips, Tools, Techniques and Tidbits: Here is what we learned this month and another reason not to miss a meeting!
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Telescoping Sponge: Using a rubber band, attach a sponge to a telescoping magnet, to have the
perfect length sponge available at you finger tips. These telescoping magnets can be found any auto part
store and many hardware stores.
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Level: Bubble levels, also available at hardware stores, are a must for a potter’s tool kit. However, these
are sometimes to small, the small plastic levels work great for larger needs as well as any leveling APP,
available for your smart phone.
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Corks that fit!: Ever been frustrated by trying to cut a cork down to size? Try this instead: Put your cork in
boiling water, allowing it to thoroughly soak up the water. This wet cork will now be able it to be pushed
into a smaller bottle and once the cork has dried; it will retain the size and shape. No cutting necessary!
Our program was given by Doug from Dixie Pottery who presented a wheel throwing and altering demonstration. We watched Doug throw a beautiful collared vase starting with 6 pounds of clay. As he was throwing, he provided many valuable tips and suggestions:
• Place a mirror on a 2x4 piece of wood attached to the front of your wheel table. This not only
allows you to watch your throwing technique and the profile of your pot but will also assist in
limiting back strain.
• No trimming chuck? Try using a recently made pot for a chuck.
• Use your knuckle when throwing larger forms and amounts of clay.
• When coning and collaring in your forms, be sure to keep an upward pressure on the clay.
Speeding up the wheel as you are collaring also helps.
When altering a pot, Doug likes to add lines with interest using ribs at the wet stage. At a drier stage, Doug
completely covered his pot with slip. He then utilized different length strips of clay made from a slab and placed them in interesting patterns on the pot. Additionally, Doug believes it is OK to have a “thick” pot as long as the entire pot is well balanced. The result was beautiful! Thank you Doug for sharing your skill and expertise!
Our next meeting is in May. The date has changed to Sunday, May 6, 2012 due to Mother’s Day. The meeting will be at Vina's studio where everyone will try their hand at colored slip decoration on a small clay tile which you will get to take home! If you would like to join us, email our secretary at claynetwork.com@gmail.com for directions.
Our meetings are open to all. If you are not a Clay Network Member, but would like to attend this meeting, and need directions or other information, please contact our secretary, Lisa, at ClayNetwork.com@gmail.com
