December 2023 Newsletter
Club Notes and Updates
Our lovely volunteers hard at work at the anagama kiln space.
Our Last Anagama Working Bee of the Year
The sun came out for our last tidy up of the year. Another great bunch of helpers made quick work of chipping the old wadding off the shelves and props and doing a big tidy up of the shed.
Thanks to those that came to help. Don't worry if you missed out there will be more chances to do you bit early next year. And don't forget those that help get the chance to put more pots in the next firing.
Ngā mihi nui,
The Anagama Team
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Raku Club Up and Running
Raku Club kicked off a day late on Sunday 26 November, after the weather gods got the better of us. Lots of pots were fired with a variety of glazes, resulting in some expected (and many unexpected) outcomes. The team had a few issues with this firing though – including one kiln that wouldn’t get to temperature – so we’ve still got some learning to do! Our 7 observers kept an eye on proceedings, attempting to avoid the smoke and the sun, but all for a worthy cause – they’ll be able to join the team for future firings, starting again in January. As always, we’ll advertise on social media and in HelloClub, so keep your eyes peeled in the new year!
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Clay Samples for Sale
WPA holds a selection of about 30 different clays for your convenience. Ever been tempted to try something new but been reluctant to buy a whole bag?
Starting 1 December there will be three different clays per month available to buy by the 2kg slice. That’s enough to throw or hand build a few items plus make a batch of test tiles (and don’t forget to make a biscuit or five to keep our kiln shelves safe from glaze damage).
First up from the range will be (prices shown are for a 2kg slice):
Witgert No.11 [$9] a smooth easy-to-throw white, highly regarded by several of our more accomplished potters.
Primo-Pro WMS 2005 B [$9] a speckled buff with 20% grog up to 0.5mm. Despite the grog content being a bit tough on beginners' hands, people persist with throwing this clay on the wheel because of the very respectable results often achieved in the glaze firing – particularly with the darker Amaco glazes.
Witgert Anthracite No. 116 [$9] No grog. Fires up to 1300. Grey, showing a faint black speckle after 1200 degrees. Very plastic; throws beautifully. The club’s Zinc Blue makes an excellent complement. Even better if you leave a third or so of the base unglazed to accentuate the contrast.
Full, Life, and Associate Members can all buy clay through WPA. You can access the store through HelloClub under “Shop.”
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Potter in Residency Programme
We are accepting proposals for our summer (15 January - 14 April 2024) and autumn (15 April - 14 July 2024) residency positions! Applications close Friday 8 December. For more details and application links, click the button below or in the main navigation menu above.
DID YOU KNOW…?
Level 1 Water Restrictions
Did you know that Wellington is already at Level 1 for water restrictions? And let’s face it – as potters we use a lot of water. So, what can we do?
1) Instead of washing your tools and batts under running water… wash them in a bucket, using just enough water to suit. Then give them a quick rinse under running water. As for wheel trays, clean as much as possible into a bucket before giving them a final rinse in the sinks.
2) Remember the 2-bucket table cleaning rule? Don’t skimp on water for washing tables with that first bucketload (our lung health is paramount) but DO share your second bucket (the rinsing water) with someone about to do their first clean.
Any other suggestions for minimising water usage? Share your ideas on the WPA Facebook page or drop a note in the Suggestions Box (on the sign in desk). We’ll take your ideas and implement/share where appropriate.
And for more information about Wellington’s water restrictions, click here.
PSAs from the Club Admin
Planned power outage!
Be forwarned: Wellington Electricity Lines Limited is planning to turn off the power “in our area” for routine maintenance work between 3:00 - 4:00PM Wednesday 6 December. We will organize kilns around this power cut, but Peter Rumble says that would be a great time to “practice the superior art of hand-building.” 🙂
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EDIT since original publication: Next newsletter
The next newsletter will be Monday 8 January to give everyone a chance to celebrate the holidays. Traditionally, WPA has not published a January newsletter. The next news broadcast you will receive will be the January MMCU (Mid-Month Catch Up email) on 15 January, with the first newsletter of 2024 scheduled for 1 February.
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“See something? Say something…”
If you see something that is broken or needs attention, please record it in the maintenance log book. Or if it’s easy – fix it! The maintenance book is a red book just to the left of the shelves on the sign-in desk.
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Do you have recycled clay in the top carpark?
Please remove your ‘in progress’ clay buckets in the top carpark by December 18 or they go either to pugging or to ‘landfill’. No more placements until January 18 to allow a proper cleanup and a new arrangement. Please return all WPA buckets to the sluice room – cleaned, of course. In future you must provide your own buckets.
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No more “reject bisque” please!
The Anagama Team no longer needs “reject bisque” for wadding for the firing, as they have found a better solution. Your rejects must now be taken away and disposed of… absolutely NOT to be placed in the Club waste wheelie bin.
Upcoming Events
Kiln Room Closing Reminder
The kiln room closes over the holidays for a deep clean. Here are the key dates to keep in mind:
Sunday 17 December: No more “to-be-fired” pots to be placed on the shelves in the kiln room.
Monday 18 December: Last club firing of the year.
Thursday 21 December: Last club firing unloaded (by 6PM).
Sunday 1 January: ALL fired pots to be removed from the kiln room!
Friday 19 January: “To-be-fired” shelves re-open.
Monday 22 January: First club firings for 2024.
DID YOU KNOW…?
Slab Roller Best Practices
A few words of advice from Peter about best practices for the slab roller:
When rolling your clay, wind down either of the black crank handles no more than 1 full turn (i.e. 360 degrees) for each pass through the roller. Any more than that will place too much strain on the aluminium gear wheels. PLUS, it’s better for your slabs if you alternately roll and turn your slab so that it elongates as evenly as possible in both directions. You achieve more even shrinkage which helps to prevent warping and cracking.
CLEAN it! If you miscalculate the expansion of your clay and it spews out beyond your “guard cloths” and gets into the *knurls on the roller you will need to take a deep breath and allocate about 10 minutes to properly clean it. Don’t wait for the clay to dry…other members may wish to use the machine. You’ll likely require (1) a non-metal scraper to get rid of excess clay (2) a kebab stick to clear the clay stuck in the knurls (3) a toothbrush and a container of water to brush out the remainder. Sound like a right PIA procedure? You’re right; so remember to take care when you roll.
* Knurls= the diamond-shaped indentations in the roller that help to grip the canvas.
For more info about slab and preventing warping check out: https://ceramicartsnetwork.org/daily/article/Great-Advice-for-Preventing-Ceramic-Warping
Community News/Events
A Session with Hsin Chuen-Lin
By Jade Valour
On November 5th I took a BART train from San Francisco to Fremont, California for a two-hour private session with Master ceramicist, Hsin Chuen-Lin. I was familiar with his work from his many wonderful and informative YouTube tutorials, and from having had an online one-on-one with him earlier this year.Hsin’s studio at the back of his home in a quiet Fremont neighborhood is a cozy space with all the essentials (including a large pug mill!). He is gracious and welcoming and we get down to work at once. Wanting to make the best usage of the short time, I chose to work on something specific – the technique involved in making moon jars.
Hsin had thrown two cylinders for me to work with to save time, but he started me off with a lump of clay in order to assess my throwing technique, and he guided me through the process from centering to completed jar, correcting and explaining as we went along. I then used one of his cylinders for the second piece.
What I particularly value and love about Hsin’s work is his precision, attention to fine detail, and his sense of aesthetic and form. This is how he worked with me, fine-tuning the speed of the wheel in coordination with hand and finger movements and the usage of tools at each stage. His instruction was so specific that I was very grateful to have him film the session, so I would have the key points on record for future reference. He has put two videos on his YouTube channel, which I’m happy to share (see links below).
It was a pleasure and a privilege, and a very rewarding two hours; and I was delighted to take home one of his beautiful shino glazed Chawan tea bowls for my collection.
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Kate MacDonald has a few days left of her show at the Thistle Gallery! Go check it out!
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The Rick Rudd Foundation invites entries for the $15,000 Emerging Practitioner in Clay Award.
The award is a triennial event and has been set up to encourage, foster and promote excellence by those emerging makers of studio ceramics in all forms.
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Ceramics NZ is back up and running!
After a bit of time reorganizing and restructuring, Ceramics NZ is back in action and we’ve rejoined as members! They have just promoted their last newsletter for the year — click below to read updates from around the country.
Have some content for the newsletter? Email it to wellingtonpotters.info@gmail.com. The deadline for the next newsletter is 29 January.
