August 2025
AUGUST 2025 | ISSUE #059
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Hello Potters
From the President
It’s hard to believe it’s August already and although the cold weather has hit, the club is still buzzing with activity.
Monday nights are now a permanent fixture on our schedule so members now have two night sessions to choose from. Massive thank you to Jen for making this possible.
The kiln team have been doing a fabulous job loading and unloading all our precious pieces, and as a bonus keeping the studio warm. Our cookies have been doing a great job keeping the kiln shelves safe but after reviewing costs and sizes the committee has reviewed the charges. From 1st August damaged cookies will be charged at $2, $4 and $6 depending on the size.
The glaze team have been working hard on revamping the glaze buckets and labels. The new labels look great. If you need an extra hand opening the buckets look out for the yellow bucket openers, they definitely make it easier.
Einbunpin
The Einbunpin festival was a great success with lots of inquiries and sales, especially magnets. Such a great fundraiser for the club. Thank you to those who volunteered and made it run so smoothly.
Bracken Ridge is holding their Backyard Bonanza on Sunday 24th August and the club has decided to move the Father’s Day pop up to the bonanza. Another great opportunity for members to show their work and volunteer. Look out for our fabulous fundraising magnets for sale too.
If you haven’t popped down to the club recently you might have missed our new additions. We now have a range of kiwi underglazes available for members to use, some really beautiful colours. A new venco wheel has joined our line up, complete with a bat system using tiles. To complete the line up we have new banding wheels to help your building and decorating.
Happy potting
Suzanne
August
16th + 17th - Northern Rivers NSW Mud Trail
17th - Sunday social “Learn Sgraffito”
24th - Father’s Day pop up @ Bracken Ridge Backyard Bonanza
[sales and volunteer opportunities]
Here’s the link to helloClub to book
September
19th to 21st - Visions in Clay exhibition and sale, Mt. Coot-tha.
See below for more details
Sunday Social Workshop
Come along on Sunday 17th August to learn how to do Sgraffito to decorate your pottery pieces.
Head over to Helloclub for further info and to book.
Sunday 17th August
Time: 9:30am – 13:00pm
Shorncliffe Pottery Club
Remember to refer to conditions of workshops on the Club’s website.
Here’s the link to helloClub to book
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Father’s Day Pop Up
Come on down to the shed for a Pop Up sale. Volunteers are needed
to help manage the stall - see helloClub for details.
Saturday 30th August
Time: 11:00am – 13:30pm
Shorncliffe Pottery Club
Remember to refer to conditions of sale on the Club’s website.
North Coast NSW Mud Trail 2025
Step inside the creative world of clay.
Now in its 13th year, the North Coast Mud Trail invites you to explore the studio spaces of 33 ceramic artists working across 22 studio locations in the NSW Northern Rivers region.
Less than 2 hours from Brisbane it is a showcase for the region’s arts and crafts and well worth experiencing. For more info:
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Rotary Art Show 2025
A recent exhibition by the Rotary Art Society was held in the foyer of the CP1 building in the city. Some very nice ceramics were part of the wide ranging exhibition, as shown below. The overall winner was the 3D sculpture above by Carolyn V. Watson and the gold gilded baby doll by Julya Hegarty below won a highly commended award. Apologies to the artists not credited.
click on any image to see larger
Current Clay in Stock
We have a large range of clay in stock, all at great prices. Just ask your supervisor next time you are down at the pottery shed.
Blackwattle White Stoneware Paper Clay
Chris’ Light Speckle
Clayworks YG Speckle
Feeneys Fine Blend FFB
Feeneys Raku Gold
Feeneys Red Raku
Feeneys Buff Raku Sandy BRS
Feeneys Buff Raku Trachyte BRT
Granite Mid Fire
Keane White Earthenware 37
Keane Ceramics Red Earth
Keane Ceramics Dark Matter
Keane Ceramics White Raku
Keane Ceramics Mid Fire 33
Keane Ceramics Mid Fire 6 Speckled
Northcote Clayworks Cone 6 White
Walkers White Handbuilding EW/SW
Walkers 10 Stoneware
And don’t forget, we now stock a large range
of glazes to buy.
Clay Sales and Cookies
Unfortunately 😳 a few pugs of clay have disappeared from inventory this year. In an attempt to cut down on stock loss we will conduct more frequent audits and will now ask that all club retail purchases (includes CLAY, GLAZES, and CLUB merchandise) be paid for as you receive it.
The cookies are doing a great job in protecting our kiln shelves and saving members from paying for a new kiln shelf! After some review we have decided we need to amend the price for replacing cookies to cover costs, from a ‘one size for all’ $2 each to $2 for small, $4 for medium and $6 for large. As always you are welcome to provide your own cookies, please just refer to the specifications located on the members only page on the club website.
We have popped all of the published tips, hacks and techniques onto the ‘Tips’ page on our club website so that you can refer to them easily.
Compression
To prevent cracks in pottery, especially those dreaded "S-cracks," compression is key. Compressing the clay, particularly the bottom and walls, helps align the clay particles, reduce water absorption, and minimize stress during drying. This process involves pushing the clay inward, causing it to collide with itself and become denser, resulting in a more even and stronger piece.
Methods for Compressing Clay:
Bottom Compression:
After forming the base, compress the bottom using your fingers, a sponge, or a rib tool, ensuring it's flat and of even thickness. A needle tool can be used to check thickness.
Wall Compression:
When throwing, compress the walls by pushing your fingers inward, guiding the clay to collide with itself, creating a denser, stronger structure.
Slab Compression:
When working with slabs, compress them in multiple directions, flipping the slab and compressing again to ensure evenness and prevent cracks.
Why Compression Matters:
Reduces S-cracks:
S-cracks often occur when the centre of the piece is too wet or uneven in thickness. Compression helps to prevent this by ensuring evenness and density.
Improves Strength:
Compressing the clay makes it denser and less prone to cracking during drying and firing.
Promotes Even Drying:
By ensuring evenness in thickness and density, compression helps the piece dry more evenly, reducing stress and the likelihood of cracks.
Our Committee
President: Suzanne Bell
Vice President: Melina Wales
Treasurer: Sandra Roveda
Secretary: Laura Ogden
Committee Members:
Rebecca Mason, Steve McConnell, Kylie Smith
Newsletter Editor: Ed Trost
edtrost1961@gmail.com
email: shorncliffepotteryclubinc@gmail.com
follow us on
website + instagram + facebook
…Until next month…
HAPPY POTTING!
