Leaving a workshop with a head full of ideas is always fabulous. I hadn't been to any workshops for a while and decided to go check out Aaron Scythe, so on a Saturday morning off I went to the WSP studio. Aaron makes pots I would steal, his love of Oriental ceramics eventually lead him to Japan, where he ran his own studio for many years.
He throws on round plaster bats that have been carved with Maori proverbs, cherry blossoms, light bulbs and other random bits of pop culture. He takes old oriental decoration and gives it a modern twist. Everything has a story behind it. There was lots of fast throwing, crazy joining and heaps of stamped clay additions.
One point of interest for me was the story of the tea bowl. You can't drink from the side of the bowl that is decorated; you have to turn the bowl 90 degrees to drink from an unmarked face. Handy hint – don't over bling your tea bowls.
As Aaron and his family were staying with us we all returned home after the workshop to eat fish and chips, drink beer and with half the house yelling “Go Japan” and the other “Go ABs” we watched the rugby.

Charade Honey

Ben Carter demonstrated and descibed his approaches to, handbuiding, throwing and decorating with slip. It is always interesting for me what people choose to make  and why they chose the shapes they do or why the shapes chose them. Ben Carter eloquently described these as he worked. The shapes he chooses  come from his growing up, his family of origin and his georaphical location. He very much admired the type of value given to workmanship put into wordwork and carving,
His  slide show presented a pictoral view of what influenced his choice of shapes and the motifs he choose for table ware, the mugs and plates he makes. In his table ware he is thinking about the food that may go on the form and the forms relationship to the table setting.
He patiently demonstrated a handbuild form which he had made from a drop mould, the care he took in adding hand built edges and the detail and finish he is requiring of his work.He had choosen particular feet for some plates which related to the silverware he had as a  child.The decoration on mugs  Dogwood, his state flower and honeysuckel . Some shapes related to the full bodied look, a metaphor of abundance   which was the influence of quilting and his grandmother.
What is this pot saying he asked rehtorically “ soft,warm, comfortable, gestural”

To view forms visit.....       
www.CarterPottery.com
blog site – Tales of the red Caly rambler caterpottery.bolgspot. com

Bev McKenzie

A Day of learning and inspiration was had by all attending the Demonstration Workshop held at the Society’s Studio club rooms on 25 July.
Rotorua born Chester, now lives and works in Australia - his home “Goanna Ridge”, a 100 hectare property near Gulgong New South Wales. His near neighbour Janet Mansfield, well known potter/writer/selector/collector, opened Chester’s latest exhibition at Masterworks Gallery.
The day began with a casual introduction and chat by Chester as he wedged his clay and introduced us to his throwing using a Leach wheel in a seemingly casual manner. Turning the wheel slowly, Chester had a pot ready in a very short time. This had to be assisted in drying with a gas burner due to our Waikato climate. From here the pot had a couple of small lugs attached which are so characteristic of his pots, then “nudged” into a freer shape.
Then the base, instead of being turned on the wheel, was cut with a sharp knife (a borrowed one as Chester jokingly says he doesn’t travel with his normal large knife as customs may consider him a  terrorist; also the puppies have a great time checking his bags holding wooden tools!) then a quick cut mark, here and there with a small bamboo tool from his minimal  selection, and hey presto another masterpiece ready for raw glazing and into the wood firing for flame and ash to do their work. Several more pots were made throughout the morning in his casual fluid stress free manner - something worth thinking about and adapting - all along with little anecdotes and tales. All the pots being made would be a pleasure for any collection.
After a shared lunch it was onto the slide show of Chester showing his kiln and kiln loading….. a specific place in the kiln for each pot with “controlled chaos” in his stacking and consideration given to the amount of wadding used to direct the passage of flame and ash.
 It takes three months of throwing to be ready for around sixty hours of firing using wood gathered from his property. After firing, he has to decide the amount of ash to leave on the pots’ surface; exposing layers of colour; scars and imprints; removing excess ash with a hand stone or gently chipping with a chisel and some of the pots being considered for another firing.
Chester went on to show us some of his time in China; the wonderful fabric work of his wife Jan Irvine-Nealie and their home in a fabulous Australian bush setting with the animals surrounding them and sharing their lives.
Then back to another demonstration. A large footed platter-like form, with a fossil-like branch imprinted into the surface, with all the sides cut to an angle and looking so right. Another master piece any one would be pleased to display and use.
Further to this Chester demonstrated the making of a Japanese brush from deer hair. It was put together with the assistance of super glue and we also had a fun demonstration of what may happen when using super glue! Then of course we were shown the practical use of it.
Altogether it was a wonderful day which ended all too soon. For me it was also a great pleasure to finally meet the maker of two of my favourite pots, and have Chester sign my “Potters’ Profiles” book.

Alan Cole-Baker

We all climbed aboard the bus on a lovely Hamilton morning. First stop was by the railroad tracks in Huntly to pick up Rita and Judith, and we were off. Second stop- Papakura  Art Gallery … a lovely converted old fire station.  Brian  Gartside  was waiting for us to give a talk on his exhibition which filled the gallery up with brilliant colours.  Then it was off to the local cowboy bar for lunch. They have saddles for bar stools! very cool.
Onto the bus again for stop three - Joanne Raill’s. There was a bit of excitement trying to get into Jo’s driveway, and with that accomplished we walked up the hill to her home and studio. Jo gave us a tour of her studio and Duncan took the others through her house. Her bathroom is amazing. Jo has hand-made lots of black and white figurative tiles with little creatures on them. These are spread among standard white and black tiles.  Her sculpture garden was an excellent way to see all the stages she has been through with pieces left over from various projects.
Last stop, Peter and Diane Stichbury’s. Another bit of entertaining driving from our chauffeur at the Stichbury’s driveway; we jumped out and walked up to the house. You come first to their porch, which is covered in beautiful salt and wood fired pots. I hadn’t been to Peter’s for a long time, so it was wonderful to see their pot collection again; everything from juicy salt glazed Belamines to earthy dung fired pots. We wandered around their lovely backyard, which backs onto a reserve full of native trees and Tuis, and had a look in Peter’s studio, where he is now making violins (another string to his bow…!) because, as we all know, trying to sell domestic ware is nearly impossible now, due to a recession and floods of cheap imports from China.
Diane had piled the table high with scones and cream, coffee and tea, all in Peter’s lovely handmade domestic ware. Snuggled up in their lounge we warmed ourselves in front of the fire. All too soon we had to wander down to the bus and head for home. Thanks to Diane who presented Brian, Jo and Peter with wine and flowers to say thanks.

Charade Honey

 Attending Brian’s demonstration workshop was a challenging and mentally exhausting experience for me as it inverted so many of my preconceptions about clay, glazes and glazing.  Not one week before this workshop, while making up several test glazes from specific recipes, I was ruing the day I balked at paying top dollar for a set of scales that would measure .015 of a gram and settled for a set that gives me a rather variable .5g measure.  This approach to glaze making is anathema to Brian:  “this is a teaspoon” ….. slice …….”this is half a teaspoon” ….slice ….. “this is a quarter of a teaspoon”.  Yet anyone with an interest in NZ pottery, on hearing the name Brian Gartside, will immediately have a vision of the precision and control with which texture and colour are applied in harmony with his full-bodied forms . 
The main demonstration of the day revolved around the making and decorating of a large plaster-moulded orb form – from the making of the mould to the application of quickly mixed glazes. We watched and listened as clay slab pieces were cut, coiled or impressed and placed in the mould.  At this stage there is “no concept” but “something is going on here ….. things are going on all the time if you are aware …wide awake”.  Our questions and comments were obviously a distraction; “this is why I don’t do demonstrations …. there is no way I can describe until afterwards … then there is something to talk about”.
When this was put aside to dry, Brian brought out a bisqued sphere on which to demonstrate his masking and glazing techniques.  He describes how he is now presented with the question of what to do with it.  This question interested me, and I suspect I was not the only one in the group who feels somewhat tremulous at this stage of the process.  I feel rather like Pooh Bear …”because when you are a Bear of Very Little Brain, and you Think of Things, you find sometimes that a Thing which seemed very Thingish inside you is quite different when it gets out into the open and has other people looking at it”.   Brian says, “all I know is that I have glazes that I know will work.” 
He then demonstrated mixing and applying a papa-based glaze to the bisqued piece. “This is unique,” he says, “you will never see glazing done like this”. Take 2 teaspoons of crushed papa rock, add two teaspoons of Abbots or any clear glaze, a small quantity of water and 10% stain; mix it and gloop it on – “really, really thick”.    Correct! I have never seen glazing done like this!
The day was packed with methodology, history, storytelling, visual appreciation and throughout it all, a chink of a glimpse into Brian’s creative process – though I suspect “process” is too scientific– maybe “genesis” is the word? Natural forms, vessels, are his inspiration. Yeah, mine too, but where I see a  gherkin, Brian sees         “an object of sensation”. 
So I am going to enlarge this final quote from Brian and mount it on my own workshop wall……
“Using the mind is a handicap to finding out what is going on”. 

Ginny Lane

1/2 cup cream
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon curry powder
1/2 cup ETA mayonnaise (not lite)
3 tablespoons tomato sauce
Chopped parsley for garnish if you wish
Whip cream lightly, stir in mayonnaise, lemon juice, tomato sauce and curry powder. Chill for 1 hour.
This is lovely on any seafood and I use it on my salads as I don’t like mayonnaise.
Enjoy

Bernadette Storer

….as seen through a student’s eyes…

It was with much anticipation that we awaited Virginia’s arrival and we were most definitely not disappointed. The first thing that became apparent was Virginia’s relaxed and approachable manner, not even the worst of Hamilton’s winter days seemed to dampen her enthusiasm and she quickly warmed to the compact yet eager Waikato/BOP  group before her.
Whilst I’m not qualified to speak for everyone, there were several times I felt almost mesmerized by the rhythmical caressing of the clay on the wheel resulting in a variety of ball, cone & cylindrical shapes. Virginia explained that her main influences are simple, everyday items, such as toys (rattles in particular), seed pods, skeletal remains and shells from the beach, and even door handles. These items are picked up, examined, touched and/or held to provide inspiration and from here several large and a table full of small pieces of varying shapes are thrown. When leather hard, Virginia, with an uncanny eye for scale & proportion, treats the larger basic form as a blank and then starts to think about different ways of putting forms together in a mix/match manner until the desired effect is achieved, i.e. until the piece “works”. To say those pieces worked is a gross understatement!!
Some insightful quotes from Virginia included, “To know a form you really have to make it over and over again”…. “Everything is basically a cylinder”…. “I wonder what this would look like if it was three feet tall?”…. “I wonder what this would look like if there were fifty of these?”… “Don’t imagine an object has to be used the way it was thrown - it can be used upside down, sideways, cut in half….”
Along with thrown/assembled pieces, we were also treated to a demonstration of slab and coil hand building, using wooden templates as a base shapes and gradually building on to these, thinking about the desired end shape as the sculpture grows.
As the weekend drew to a close and we had been given so many useful tips, along with some excellent websites to explore, Virginia gave a glaze demonstration, using some of her latest glazes and techniques and we had the opportunity to glaze one or two of our own pieces. Unfortunately, as is often the case with overseas glaze recipes, the chemical formulas of our raw materials obviously differed from the those in the US, and the final glaze result was less than exciting! Never mind, maybe Matrix  will create a loser substitute!
All in all, there were many positive comments from the attendees and I’m sure many went home with a head full of ideas to try.

Bronwyn Brady
DCA Student

President's Report

Well it has been another successful year for the society.  The club is going from strength to strength, thanks to the support of my committee, our new manager and fellow members.
This year saw a major change in how things are run down at the club with the introduction of a manager Duncan Shearer to run and promote the society and to oversee the day to day running of the club.  I am sure that you will all agree that the club has made significant changes for the positive since Duncan’s start; the club’s membership has increased, term to term day and night classes have been reintroduced and the whole feeling around the society has been reinvigorated.  I can see a bright future for a club that was beginning to fade away — a great credit to Duncan’s skills.  Big thanks to him on behalf of the club and committee.
The end of year exhibition held at ArtsPost, ‘Foreshore and Seabed’, was a change from the usual exhibition the society holds.  Having a themed exhibition brought some potters out of their comfort zone and showed their skills can be turned to anything.  Judging by the creative pieces displayed, there are some very talented people in our region.  There were a few sales, and Marion from ArtsPost was pleased with the results.  This year will see a return to potters producing their best works for the show.
The wood kiln firings we have had throughout the year continue to be well supported with people’s pots, and now we can say that more and more people are turning up to help on the day which is fantastic.  Duncan has been adding a splash of soda into the firings as well to give the pots a bit more oomph.  I think that Duncan’s interest in wood firing has given rise to a whole wave of potters keen to give it a go and bring out the  pyromaniac in them. 
 The Polytechnic course continues to have a strong group of students who seem to be enjoying the course.  The end of last year saw Robyn Lloyd complete the course with an exhibition at ArtsPost with some excellent works displayed. Yvette Phillips also completed her post-grad year with a wonderful display of cups and saucers in solid glaze techniques.  Congratulations to them both for all their hard work.
Club level activities have seen Play with Clay continue with Alan Cole-Baker and Margaret Raine holding the fort, with numbers slowly increasing.  Duncan also has a Wednesday morning Play with clay with smaller numbers.  This time is for all members to come down to the club and say hi, pick up a piece of clay and just enjoy each others’ company, so come down and have a go, even if its for a coffee and a chat.  Duncan has rearranged the clubrooms and now everything is running more efficiently, and we even now have a cleaner coming in once a week to give the place a tidy up.
Special thanks to my committee for putting your hand up and volunteering your time to help the club succeed.  It certainly makes my job very easy indeed.  As I have decided to step down as President this year I would first like to say thanks to all those who have supported me and the committee over the past couple of years.  Your support is always welcome.  I hope that you will enjoy the next tenure of Yvette Phillips as President and a new committee whom I’m sure has some great ideas up their sleeves.  Thanks.
In all, things are looking rosy for our society and I hope to see you all over the coming year to enjoy in our success. 
Cheers

Kelvin Burton WSP President

The Anagama Firing

The first few days of the kiln schedule were taken up with preparing the site and loading the kiln.  WOW what an education! It certainly is more than just chucking in pots...........there is a whole art and thought behind this process. Duncan and Charade were both excellent teachers supporting several of us newbies in developing our loading intuition/skill.  After some trepidation that we would struggle to fill this she-mammoth of a kiln, we ended up having more than enough pots. The most interesting thing would have been seeing what particular shapes seemed to fit easily versus other shapes making the stacking more difficult.  
This also highlighted how difficult it was to place some items into the kiln, leading to some pieces being left out.  Mon, Tues, Wed were all loading days with final touches and wood chopping on Thursday. I managed to skive out of this day, my excuse being wood chopping is man’s work!!
Then it was onto the firing process.  Group C (the noisy ones) including Teresa Watson, Ann O’Sullivan from Auckland and Janet Smith (our crazy kiln master!), Kelvin Burton and myself from the Waikato were allocated the 2am to 6am shift first off!!  We set the alarm for 12:30 am. with much anticipation only to be woken at 1:50 am. by the disturbing sound of one of the cats vomiting (on the bed)!!!!! We had forgotten to flick the alarm on............. I must say that it was the first time I have ever said ‘thank goodness the cat vomited’.  So, saved by the rude awakening we arrived at the kiln an hour late to find Janet and Teresa tending the kiln looking very relaxed, whew!  The first night was a gentle but precise process and allowed us to sit and talk, drink several cups of tea and mesh our group together.  Our next shift was 6pm to 10pm and after a day recouping on the couch we arrived ON TIME! for our next shift, which was really an extension of the first but saw embers being fed further into the firebox. 
After a solid sleep, the morning shift at 10am rolled around rather quickly and off we went again; by this time the shifts had started to blur, so the arrival of Teresa’s and Ann’s husbands was timely.  Danny, Chris and Kelvin who were all keen men were instructed with the expert guidance of our kiln master and several experiments to the kiln settings were undertaken  with interesting kiln responses  (not sure if all were wanted). 
The boys did all the hard work on this shift and we became ladies of leisure.............Danny was like an ever ready battery and I was completely exhausted watching him by the end of the shift!  By our shift Sunday morning 2am again, we were all starting to feel the effects of sleep deprivation and were as ‘mad as cut snakes’ spending the whole shift madly side stoking and laughing!  It was great fun and we kept several of the sleep over people awake when they were needing some much needed sleep and developed the reputation of the ‘noisy ones’, particularly as the next group were poles apart from us and the most quiet group of all – typical! I’m sure that we were not in fact that we were unruly but the extra mouse like qualities of group D made us appear to be so!!!!  I found the whole experience from stacking to firing very rewarding and the hard work is balanced beautifully by the exhilarating relationship that you build up with the kiln and your team members.

Janine Burton

Studio Open Hours
Due to the Anagama kiln loading and firing schedule Duncan will be busy there and not at the studio – so please call first before you show up to work as the studio may be closed. Business will return to normal after the 18th May.

The Lost Anagama Kiln
11th May to 18th May
We’re now just days away from this historic firing and the roster is full – hopefully that means that the kiln will be as well. We’re still sourcing the last of the wood and other materials for the firing as well as figuring out the logistical support for 20 potters camping out for 8 days at the bottom of Anthony’s garden. It’s sure to be a lot of fun! If you want to stop in and have a look at what we’re up to then head for 30 Summerfield Lane, off Pencarrow Road, near Tamahere – there will be signs from the load pointing to the kiln. We’ll be loading from Monday and kicking off the firing on Thursday night – but the really fun part of the firing probably won’t get underway until the Saturday. We keep firing until either we run out of wood or Monday night, which ever happens first.

AGM
Our Annual General Meeting will happen on Wednesday 27th May at 7pm, at the clubrooms. All members no matter how old or new to the Society need to come along to the AGM. This is your chance to catch up on the last year’s happenings: financial, social, educational, managerial etc... Most importantly, your committee members act on behalf of the Society during the year, so if you want to have your say about the direction the Society is heading in, or changes and improvements you would like to see happen them come along and make a contribution. Even join the committee and get really involved.
There will an added inducement of tea, coffee and cake.
See the website for proxy voting forms and the agenda.

Raku Club
Sunday 21st June
Potters from the Tuesday evening Play with Clay sessions are hosting a Raku day for themselves and other club members interested in this firing technique. Make sure your pots have been biscuit fired and come along for a fun day in the smoke. If you want to know more then come along to a Tuesday evening session (6.30pm – 9.00pm) and talk to Alan. Cost will depend on how big your pots are – bring something for a shared lunch as well.
Book by either registering at the Studio or by emailing Duncan.

Visiting Guest Potter
Virginia Scotchie – 27th and 28th June
This is shaping up to be a cracker of a workshop – we’re even being sent out a box of equipment and pots from Virginia. So be in quick to secure your spot. I’m taking bookings over the phone, email and in person – however, unless you actually pay the $50 workshop fee I can’t confirm your place – so please pay up as you book and then you won’t have to worry.

Listings

Hi there,
I am wondering if you are able to suggest who I could contact in the Te Awamutu/Pirongia area to find out more about doing some pottery with children and also to find out where the closest kiln would be and who could help us to prepare work for firing and fire it for us.  Any info would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks.
Kind regards,
Vanessa White
Director
Arterial
07 871 5860

Pecha Kucha Night Hamilton
Thurs 7 May, Doors open 7.30pm, starts 8.20pm. Wintec Gallagher Hub, Anglesea St, Hamilton.
The next Hamilton Pecha Kucha Night is coming up and we are putting together an awesome line-up of presenters including: Cliff Threadgold –Photographer, photographed collection of Artifacts; Martha Simms - President Waikato Society of Arts, Upcoming initiatives; Kate Muggeridge - Street Art Project; Meliors Simms - Survey of Artists books made and exhibited. $7 entry, Door sales only. Cash bar available. Come early as there are limited seats. Applications are still open for presentations. If you want to be a presenter at Pecha Kucha, please send an email pecha.kucha@wintec.ac.nz.
Contributed by Pecha Kucha Team Hamilton

Good Enough to Eat! – Cambridge Creative Fibre Exhibition
Wed 24 – Sun 28. Victorian Rooms, Cambridge Town Hall.
Inspired by the delicious range of fibres available today, Cambridge Creative Fibre has taken ‘Good Enough to Eat’ as the theme for its Annual Exhibition. Using a variety of techniques, including weaving, felting, knitting, and some less well known crafts, members have created a feast of fibre exhibits. Staying with the theme, but providing an interesting contrast, the Guest Exhibitor is Hamilton Cake Decorating Club. On TRADES DAY (Thursday 25 June only) stalls will fill Cambridge Town Hall selling all sorts of fibre, fleece, and craft necessities and temptations. Free Entry.

On Friday 21st November  Janine, Blanche, Linda, Alison, Noelle, Susan, Bernadette, Duncan, Ann, Alan, Margaret, Heather ,Jackie, Brenda, Jenni, Gillian and Robyn boarded the bus for Auckland.
Seventeen happy and enthusiastic members looking forward to the prospect of a fun filled day ahead.
First stop was at LOPDELL HOUSE in Titirangi to see the annual Portage Awards Exhibition. We were not disappointed in the work shown. Matt Maclean’s winning entry, a large, interlocking colourful sculpture was attractive and strong. Easy to see why it had won first place. Waikato Society of Potters was well represented in the show. Very enjoyable to be up at Lopdell House again in brilliant weather.
After an hour we set off again for Ponsonby to see work in OBJECT SPACE a gallery in Ponsonby Road where Philip Clarke is the Director. It’s run by a charitable trust and stages exhibitions around design.  About 8 or 9 exhibitions are held a year, Creative New Zealand giving a substantial donation. Philip told us the gallery is interested in contemporary work and in creating a main space for small collections. He said “We borrow groups of objects from private collections; for instance, eighteenth century ceramics and glass from Peter Webb’s former show.”
The present exhibition was to do with the vitality of current embroidery. A striking image in the window near the entrance was of two young girls in Muslim headdress. The work was executed in black and white machine stitchery to be viewed from both front and back, reminiscent of Chinese reversible embroidery.
Showing as well were Tapa cloth dresses in early Victorian style, decorated with brown machine stitching in the form of fern leaves.
“Journey”, a large wall hanging by Wendy Randall of Wellington used hessian as a background, the design being broken up into hundreds of small squares with varying patterns embroidered in wool of bright colours.
Shona Rapira Davies had hand stitched figures in frames using Maori motifs.
Gallery’s website is: www.objectspace.org.nz
Next up was MASTERWORKS GALLERY further along the road in Ponsonby. They show John Parker’s work and that of many well known and well respected artists in glass and clay. This gallery has an elegant ambience and contains beautiful objets d’art. Paul Maysek, recently back from the U.S. had outstanding work in the main gallery space. Maysek is a graduate from the Archie Bray Institution, one of the more established schools in Montana. The work was large, often columnar adorned with finely painted intricate figures and messages. The artist is highly skilled and controlled, with a unique sense of humour.
In the charming little courtyard behind the gallery lay a brick recliner by Peter Lange, whom we were to meet later in the day.
Robyn Irwin, glass artist, showed a vessel “Snow Flurry Bowl” with gold and black markings, accentuated with a luminous tangerine.
Linda Bruce had quirky little ceramic pieces with references to machines and seedpods intertwined.
A big pot by Jeff Micham [Australia] revealed a fine sense of balance. “Summer Grasses”  was a vibrant gold and black striped, pale green vessel with a terracotta coloured base.
Galia Amsell exhibited part of a series, “West Coast Surf”. The piece, made of glass, looking like a wave, was a stunning green and outstanding in its concept.
At this point, we all found watering holes. The day was without a cloud in the sky and our spirits matched the day.
Finally we took again with our super driver to visit THE AUCKLAND STUDIO POTTERS at Waikaraka Park in Onehunga. The Level 6 Diploma Assessment was in full swing with Neil Grant from Otago Polytechnic visiting for the occasion. We were kindly invited by Peter Lange to have a cup of tea before we departed for Hamilton. We looked at salt kilns where George Taylor and Simon Leong were busy. There are a lot of kilns on site. Every 2 years they put in a new kiln and every 3 years the electric kilns were replaced or renovated. Simon gave us a valuable recipe for kiln wash for the shelves: equal parts [1:1:1:] of flour, alumina and china clay, mixed.
On Saturday Dec. 6th The Auckland Studio Potters were to hold their Big Clay Day Out. Starting at 9am with 40 potters working, and selling their creations.  Look out for it next year.
Then, we took off for Hamilton, energised and delighted with the day.
Noelle Schroder

As the new manager and the new kid on the block I was given a new broom with the alarm code and told to make some changes. I’ve spent the last couple of weeks having a good look at the facilities and planning what changes are needed to re-vitalise the great asset this studio is.
Here’s what has already happened:
The new office is installed in the room immediately to the right as you enter the building. In the office, the WSP computer will be the centre of attention as it will host the email and web site, take bookings for the rooms, classes and kilns and generally keep all the information in one spot.
The large display cabinets from the studio have all been moved through to the lunchroom, but need new bases on them before the pot collection is put back into them.
So in the next month expect the following:
My studio will be set up next door to the office and I’ll be starting my work in there shortly.
The studio and kiln room will be reorganised so that all the work is placed on ware boards and moved in a sequence from wet cupboards, to drying racks, to bisque area, to glaze area and finally the finished racks. This involves a lot of rack building and a change to the way the kilns will be used. In the future there will be a system in place where you can pay per piece (or by multiple pieces) and I’ll load and unload them through the kilns – standardised firing schedules will mean everyone’s pots will be fired in a timely manner. You can also still hire the whole kiln if you’re prepared to load and unload it.
Part of the reason for these changes is to make the place a more efficient studio for the current users and to allow the WSP to once again host its own classes. (See front of newsletter).
During this re-organisation every effort will be made to keep everyone’s work safe and unharmed – however, it would make my job easier if you could call by and remove any non essential belongings, pots, glazes etc that are here.
There are a host of other improvements that are in the pipe line and will transform this facility. I do need your help – the recent working bee was a success (if measured by the amount of clay dust raised it was a blinding success) and others are planned once our hopeful paint grant comes through. To help with this and other notices that I or the committee need to send out email is becoming essential as a means of communication. So please email me with your address so that I can ensure that I have the most up-to-date information.

Poem

The year ahead
It must be said
Should be one great
Without abate

For Duncan’s here
It must be clear
From those who’ve seen
Just where he’s been

The rooms are changed
It must seem strange
To see what’s new
And bid adieu

To stuff that’s old
And not been sold
The shelves now hold
New works not old

But that’s not all
Not one to stall
Duncan’s on to something big
Classes more to set and rig

Watch this space
For our new ace
Is taking us to frontiers new
The growth of WSP set to pursue

 ADF