May 2025
MAY 2025 | ISSUE #056
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Hello Potters
From the President
The club enjoyed a great day at the Bluewater Festival with a good selection of pieces for sale, including the last of the 2024 magnets. Thank you to all our volunteers including Shirley, Bec, Sandy, Amy, Kevin, Melina, Barb, Katrina, K, Helen, Jean, Chrystal, Lily, Steve and Jenny.
We had the pleasure of showing Bisma Asif, member for Sandgate around the club recently and helped her make her first ceramic magnet. Earlier in the month we also had a meeting with Jared Cassidy, Councillor for Deagon to discuss the club’s desire to remain in our current location.
Happy potting
Suzanne
May
3rd - SPC Mother’s Day pop up stall (sales and volunteer opportunities)
3rd + 4th - Mug wheel workshop
11th - Mother’s Day
18th - Sunday Social Water Etching
28th - Five week wheel workshop starts
June
8th - Sculptural Coil Handbuilding Vase workshop
20th - first round of Magnet Competition due
22nd - Altering Wheel Thrown Forms workshop
28th - SPC studio 20th Anniversary celebration
TBC - Goddess workshop
July
27th - Einbunpin Festival (sales and volunteer opportunities)
Make a Mug
Beginner Wheel Workshop
2 days where you will learn how to throw a mug and trim it.
Head over to HelloClub for more details and to book.
May 3rd – 1:30 to 5:30
May 4th – 9:00 to 1:30
Shorncliffe Pottery Club
Here’s the link to helloClub to book
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Sunday Social - Water Etching
Sunday 18th May
09:00am to 1:00pm
$20
Shorncliffe Pottery Club
Learn to create texture on bone-dry greenware, using resist and water etching processes.
Materials participants need to bring
1x clay tile approx 10cm x 10cm x 1cm thick, bone-dry greenware.
1x clay cup shape approx 8mm to 1cm thick, bone-dry greenware.
**Preferably made with a fine white clay, and with a smooth surface.)
Remember :
Sign your items with your stamp or mark at the leather-hard stage.
Please bring an Apron or towel and morning tea to share. Milk will be supplied for tea and coffee.
Here’s the link to helloClub to book
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Sculptural Coil Handbuilding
Vase Workshop
HelloClub has all the details and booking tab.
Sunday 8 June
Shorncliffe Pottery Club
Limited spots for individual feedback, so get in quick.
Remember to refer to conditions of workshops on the Club’s website.
Magnets – It’s On Again!
After a very successful inaugural magnet fundraiser last year we are excited to run another again this year. This year’s themes are related to the 20th Anniversary of our shed studio, Shorncliffe, Sandgate, 4017, and home.
Look out for posters in the studio outlining more details.
Ensure you leave enough flat space to attach a magnet
Mark the back with SPC, 2025 and your membership number
Kiln for free, bisque and glaze
Glue and magnets supplied by the club
Members will be given the chance to vote for the people’s choice award.
The first round of magnets are due 20th June and magnets will be displayed and sold at club events. We can’t wait to see what amazing creations we get.
SPC President Suzanne, Sub-Committeeman Ken + Bisma Asif MP Sandgate
Pottery and Politics Do Mix
We had the pleasure of hosting Bisma Asif MP for Sandgate on a visit to the studio during a recent Thursday night. She got her hands dirty and seemed to thoroughly enjoy her time in the shed. The good news is that she will be back again to glaze the pottery she made and get it fired. Hopefully she will eventually be able to help us with our location issues. Well done to the Location Sub-Committee for drawing Bisma along to the shed and raising political awareness to our situation.
Do you have any tips to share? Have you found the most useful tool, tip, or process for working with clay? If so, pop them in the Tips Box at the shed or email them to shorncliffepotteryclub@gmail.com and we will publish them here for all to share.
• from anonymous - Karen Pots and Glass is a great resource for hand building. Karen is an art teacher and has great ideas.
• from Lauren O - Do workshops. Lots of help comes from 1 on 1 tutoring to learn basics. And don’t be afraid to make weird stuff that brings you joy.
• from Mel W. - YouTube is your bestie. Tutorials are a great resource.
Facebook handbuilt bitches and Facebook Marco mudroom.
• from Jenny Kingdom - How to smooth your pieces.
Ekka Entry Details
Entries are open for Queensland’s most creative types who are encouraged to enter the Creative Art and Craft Competition at Ekka 2025.
Entries close 23 May 2025
How did you get started in pottery?
I looked for a new passion when tennis ended with my MS… I did art courses at BIA ... one was sculpture ... once I touched clay I was hooked!
How long have you been a member of SPCI?
15 years (since 2010)
What’s your fave way to volunteer in the club?
Physically I’m not much help. I used to sausage sizzle and be on the desk at Expressions. Nowadays I look for grants; I try to solve our accommodation probs; and for my own reasons (i can’t for example do weekend work shops) I currently have a court action against the Council seeking a toilet. That’s for my problems, but if I’m successful it will be there for everyone.
When you aren’t doing pottery what do you do?
Doing way too much Googling of pottery!!!
What type of pottery do you make?
Handbuilt, slab-built, wheelwork, everything!
What is your favourite clay?
Raku Gold for handbuilding (it’s “BRT-lite”). JB3 for wheelwork
Are there any ceramic artists that you admire?
All preColumbian pottery (Inca/Aztec), I just love it! Clarice Cliff for design.
What is it about pottery that rocks your boat?
I like archaeology shows. A good archaeologist can pick up a shard of pottery and say it was made in 79BC by a left-handed potter on a Tuesday/ fired to earthenware.
If you were marooned on a deserted clay island what pottery tool would you want to have?
Mudtools polymer rib, Shape 4, in yellow. I’d be making mud-castles, hoping a shipwreck brings a kiln my way.
click an image below to view larger
3D Printing
Just a quick question to see if any Members have experience with 3D Printing. If so, drop me an email so that we can have a chat about it. And while you are reading this, are there any members that are interested in 3D Pottery Printing?
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
We’re excited to announce that the Arts Trail is returning in 2025.
WHEN:
4 weekends in June
(starting on Saturday 31 May)
from 10am-4pm
WHERE: in various studios, galleries and art spaces across the Samford, Dayboro, Clear Mountain and surrounding region.
Artist Registration is Now Open: trails@creativesamford.com
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.
What Is Wild Clay?
Wild Clay is clay that has been sourced directly from the environment and not produced by a clay production company. It can consist of all manner of materials and requires a lot of refinement and testing to prove its worth as a clay body. Due to the unpredictable variations of wild clay the club doesn’t usually allow its use in the shed, particularly in the firing process where it can cause problems [like possible explosions!] and affect other potters’ items in the kiln. There are groups in Brisbane that do investigate wild clay and its use. Just search the internet to locate them if you are interested. Or speak to member Amy Stevens on Thursday nights - she is currently testing some wild clay.
Our Committee
President: Suzanne Bell
Vice President: Melina Wales
Treasurer: Sandra Roveda
Secretary: Laura Ogden
Committee Members:
Clare Houston, 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!
