June 2024 Newsletter
Club Notes and Updates
Our winter Potter-in-Residence: Tanaya Shirsikar
We are pleased to announce that Tanaya Shirsikar will be our Potter-in-Residence from 1 June through to 30 August.
From starting as a CEC student in 2016, to winning the People’s Choice Award at last year’s Ceramicus, Tanaya has grown as an artist, honing her unique style in porcelain and underglaze painting. During her residency, she will focus on taking her work to the next level. We can’t wait to see what happens.
We’ve booked in 2 workshop series with Tanaya in July:
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A big shout out to the kiln team that was
We’re loooong overdue in acknowledging the fantastic work done by our previous kiln team, as we transition towards engaging a Studio Technician.
Over the past couple of years, Briar S and Holly C were responsible for most of the Monday night club firings - loading your precious items and then unloading again on a Thursday night; week in, week out. When Briar stepped back from the role at Christmas, Holly took on the mostly sole responsibility for those firings. This work is a major commitment, especially for people with busy full time jobs, and can be difficult when faced with demanding members and constant queries and interruptions.
We know that the majority of you have been extremely grateful for their hard work and would like to send Briar and Holly their best wishes. Hopefully, they’re now getting time back to focus on the fun part of pottery - their own pottery practice!
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Ceramicus & Pop-up Market 2024 - save the date!
The Begonia House at the Wellington Botanic Gardens
This year we are returning to the Begonia House at the Wellington Botanic Gardens for our annual exhibition and another pop-up pottery market.
Key dates:
• Sun 27 October - Ceramicus receiving day (rooms closed all day)
• Tues 29 October - Opening night
• Weds 30 October to Sat 9 November - Ceramicus exhibition open
• Sat 2 & Sun 3 November - Pop-up market
• Sun 10 November - pot pick up and pack down
In our next newsletter we’ll announce our guest artist and selector and an information evening for our members.
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Cubby renewal
If you rent a cubby you would have received a renewal for the next rental year (1 June 2024 to 31 May 2025). Please pay this ASAP. If your invoice remains unpaid at 9 June, the cubby will be emptied.
If you are on the waitlist keep an eye on your emails and please check your spam folders.
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Back by popular demand: Witgert Clay Order 2024
Clay prices continue to increase...but you have an opportunity to get high quality clay at a sane price! WPA is considering a combined order from WPA members to again get clay from Witgert in Germany. There are 30 types of clay to choose from so there will be something for everyone. Every bag sold will also make a small contribution to WPA funds.
Initially, we need to assess whether there will be sufficient demand to proceed with an order. To register your intent to purchase clay (should we move forward), download and fill out the description / order form (link below) and email it to wellingtonpotters.info@gmail.com. The window for your intent to purchase must be received by Friday, 14 June at 5PM.
Any questions regarding clay types? Email Peter at sales@rumbles.co.nz. Administrative enquiries: email Heather at wellingtonpotters.info@gmail.com.
NOTE: This offer is open only to WPA members. The import of Witgert clays is facilitated by WPA member, Tim Hawley, through his import company, Wentworth Trading.
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New donations to WPA
Thank you to Anneke Borren for her donations of ‘Strange Clay: Ceramics in Contemporary Art’ to the library, as well as her donation of the photo of the members of the Potters’ Shop (1990) to the rooms! Be sure to check them both out next time you are at the studio.
Members’ Gallery
With winter approaching, Raku Club will be winding down after its last firing on 1 June. Club members had another successful firing recently with Obvara and traditional glazes creating some fantastic results!
The Raku Club will be doing a ‘Raku Show and Tell’ night mid-July, look for the announcement of date / time in the June MMCU.
Is there something you’ve made that you want to show off? If so, please email your photos (and descriptions, if you’d like) to wellingtonpotters.info@gmail.com.
Thank you to Gabrielle A, Julie H, and Kristy T for their photos.
DID YOU KNOW…?
Brush-on glazes are still considered glazes!
WPA has a policy of NO glazing upstairs in the main rooms. This includes brush-on glazes.
This said, underglazes and engobes CAN be used upstairs, but ANY other types of glazes, whether dippable or brushable, cannot. The name ‘underglazes’ is misleading, as underglazes are, in fact, not glazes at all. Underglazes and engobes are basically color + clay + binder, whereas glazes contain a lot more (dangerous) chemicals.
And while we are talking about glazes, know that Decopot Bora Bora and Matte Turquoise glazes have high barium content so they must not be fired at WPA. NO lead, NO cadmium, and NO barium is to be put through our kilns.
Cake for June
If you have any favourite recipes that you’d like to share, please email wellingtonpotters.info@gmail.com.
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Recipe from Julie Harrington, images from thegingeredwhisk.com
INGREDIENTS (CAKE)
• 2 cups flour
• 2 teaspoons Baking Powder
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 125gm butter
• 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
• 1 cup milk at room temperature
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 c chopped walnutsDIRECTIONS
1) Grease and like a 18cm cake tin and preheat oven to 180 deg
2) Sift flour, baking powder, brown sugar and salt into a bowl.
3) Rub in butter until it is like fine breadcrumbs.
4) Press half the mixture reasonably firmly into the bottom of the cake pan.
5) In a separate bowl combine milk, baking soda, egg and nutmeg and beat to combine.
6) Pour the wet ingredients into the remaining dry ingredients and mix thoroughly.
7) Pour into the cake tin and sprinkle nuts on top.
8) Bake for 40 mins. Stand 10 mins before removing from the tin.
PSAs from the Club Admin
Kia ora, koutou! We’ve got a bunch of short announcements this month. Please read below. Ngā mihi!
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Clay recycling area clarification
Note that ALL trimmings and ALL damp items smaller than your fist should go straight into the (wet) buckets at the front door. These little things dry out and create a bunch of clay dust – the exact thing we are trying to minimise with our recycling system!
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Studio Technician applications closing soon
Interested in applying to be WPA’s Studio Technician? If you want to apply, the advert for the position can be found here, and job description here. Applications are to be sent to wellingtonpotters.info@gmail.com by Tuesday, 4 June 2024 at 11:59 pm.
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Clay Shop updates
Great news! We’re going to stock all seven of Mac’s Mud’s clays through our shop! If it is not live by the time you go to the shop, it will be soon. Also, with anagama season about to kick off, interest in high-fire clays will peak. Know that WPA stocks several different ‘anagama appropriate’ clays in the shop, and some are even available as 2kg samples.
Finally, we’ll have some special ‘clay remnants’ sales going on through June. Check the whiteboard each visit during June for more details.
To buy any clay through WPA, navigate to the Clay Shop through Hello Club.
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Bonus! 10% discount on Kiwi Underglazes
Now that we are going to carry Mac’s Mud clays, they are also offering a 10% discount on Kiwi Underglazes for WPA members. We will send out a code to members through the MMCU later this month.
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Plan your firings
As we start to head into event season for WPA, a reminder that there is no favouritism for Club firings: plan well, as requests for urgent firings will not be entertained. This will become particularly important as we near anagama and Ceramicus time.
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Items for sale
There are a bunch of items for sale: a couple of kilns, some kick wheels, ceramic fibre, an extruder, some glaze chemicals, etc. Click here to see the document. I’ll update sold items as I become aware of them, but otherwise contact the person specific to the item.
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Still a few kiln tiles up for grabs!
Looking for a fun little side-project? Pēpi and Woodrow still need a kiln tile. (Kiln tiles are the little prop signs that go on the kiln to make people aware it is firing/hot.) NOTE: Firings for your kiln tile are free!
For more details and to sign up and claim a kiln, please click here.
Suggestion Box Updates
Thanks for your suggestions in the suggestion box! Believe it or not, the suggestion box is NOT a black void of notes from you all. Suggestions get read, discussed, and logged at the Committee Meetings. Below are the suggestions and outcomes from this month’s meeting (click the “+” to expand).
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Outcome: We don’t know, but we’ll look into it!
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Outcome: Certainly. Thanks for the suggestion.
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Outcome: Yes! Our plan is to film one soon. If you see (WPA President) Martin Henty in the rooms recording, you’ll know why.
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Outcome: No, there isn’t. We need to check a few details before we proceed with something like this – stay tuned.
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Outcome: Yes! WE agree 100%! In all cases, please return items back where you found them.
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Outcome: Yes, we’ll look into it.
Upcoming WPA Events
It’s the season to stay warm at the Wellington Potters’ Association with our winter classes and events. There is a lot on offer over the next month! Click on the images or buttons to learn more.
Anagama Information Evening
7 June | 6:30 - 8:00PM
Come and join us at our Anagama information evening to hear all about our annual anagama firing.
Whether you're new to pottery or wood firing or an old hand, we'd love to see you. The Anagama Team will share all the beta you need to know and have examples of previous work to show the effects of the flames on different clays and with different glazes, or even no glaze at all! Because the firing reaches temperatures of 1300 degrees celsius, you MUST use the right clays and glazes. We'll talk about this in more detail on the night. You will also find out how you can volunteer to help load or fire the kiln - an elemental and exciting part of the process you don’t want to miss!
Please sign up so we know how many people to expect.
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The Perfect Mug / Cup
8 & 9 June | 9:00AM - 4:00PM
The first of our members’-only classes kick off with an intermediate throwing/handbuilding class and we can’t be more excited!
What does a "perfect mug" mean to you?’ In this 2-day, one-weekend workshop, Vivian Rodriguez will guide participants through the process of making the perfect mug or cup.
This workshop is suitable for throwers and hand builders. Throwers need to be able to centre clay and work unassisted with at least half to 1 kg of clay. Hand builders need to be able to know the basics of slab building
The deadline to sign up is MONDAY, 3 JUNE at NOON, so get in quick to secure your spot.
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Glazing Basics
10 June | 6:30 - 9:00 PM
Only one spot left!
Join Hedy Ankers for an evening to learn the basics of glazing at WPA.
WPA subsidizes this course to ensure new members have a good grounding in glaze basics. It helps you to avoid making glaze mistakes that could ruin your pieces and/or cost you in damage to kiln or kiln shelves.
The course provides an overview of glaze room protocol, stirring, dipping, pouring, with some layering and oxide decoration depending on time. Spray booth/glazing is not included. It will be limited to four participants per class.
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Ramen Bowls
22 & 23 June | 9:00AM - 4:00PM
Ever wanted to make your own set of larger bowls but been stumped? Vivian Rodriguez has designed this 2-day, one-weekend workshop for throwers seeking to learn or perfect the necessary skills and techniques to design, thrown and trim ramen bowls.
All levels of skills are welcome, however, students MUST be able to centre and work at the potter’s wheel unassisted.
Goals of the workshop:
At the end of this day you will be able to have four bowls with the same hight, depth and width. At the end of this day you will have a set of four ramen bowls. (The size of your bowls related to the amount of clay you are able to center at the potters’ wheel.)
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Matariki / Mid-Winter Pot Luck
28 June | 5:00 PM onwards
It's now the dark cold days, so let's get together to celebrate our community with a mid-winter pot-luck! Bring a dish to share (in your favourite pottery container, perhaps?), a drink, and yourself and spend some quality social time with your fellow potters.
Arrive from 5pm, eat from 6 - 9pm. Please RSVP for this event so that we have a good count on numbers.
Community News/Events
Click on the images below for more information.
Have some content for the newsletter? Email it to wellingtonpotters.info@gmail.com.
The deadline for the next newsletter is 25 June.
Nga mihi for doing your “plusONE” so that WPA stays a thriving space for us all.
(Note: the missing macron above is not a typo, but a disappointing formatting quirk of the website platform.)
