Easter and Mother's Day Sale at Cronulla

The members of the Port Hacking Potters Group are holding a  
sale at 
the Cronulla School of Arts, Surf Road Cronulla 
on Thursday 14th and Friday 15th April 2011.
9am to 4.30pm each day.

Bring your friends along and buy that special individual gift for your family or friend or just something for yourself.

Lots of new items - all at very reasonable prices.

A raffle will be run at the same time to raise funds for the Handicapped Children's Centre at Kirrawee, tickets for the Easter Hamper are just $1

Tips from Roger Graham

This month's newsletter contains a couple of tips from our trip to the Old Toolijooa School Pottery on the Illawarra coast of NSW.

Roger demonstates his slicing board and cutting harp

Here is a copy with thanks to Roger:

Slicing Board

If you do not have a slab roller don’t despair.  You need a sheet of fibro or other suitable board, some thin slats of plastic or wood varying in height from 4mm to 15mm.  Your piece of wood can vary in size from 30cm square up to much larger depending on your needs.

Method - Take your piece of fibro and attach with glue your 4mm strips to the 2  parallel sides of the board.  When using thicker strips you may need to use panel pieces to assist the glue when setting. Use a metal harp or cutting wire to cut your slabs of even thickness.

 Metal Harp.  Take a suitable piece of metal rod about 10/12mm thick that can be bent.  Cut little grooves in each end near the ends of the rod.  Bend the rod into a large U shape, size of your board, in a vice and attach bee-frame wire or other suitable wire into the grooves.

Great excursion to Toolijooa Old School Pottery

Those members who were able to go to Toolijooa Old School Pottery today had a great time.
Roger and his wife made us very welcome with tea and homemade cakes when we first arrived.  We had a chance to look around the gallery shop before being invited to sit in the fresh country air while Roger proceeded to share lots and lots of great ideas for producing functional pots with a minimum of fuss.
So many ideas that I think the newsletter will be able to show a tip a month for the next year at least!
If you are down that way call in and say hi to Roger and see for yourself.  The pottery is right on the highway just past Gerringong.

Woodfire Tasmania 2011

Fancy a pottery holiday in Tassie?  Going there soon?
Check out this site for details of the Wood Firing Conference to be held 28 April - 1 May 2011 in Deloraine, Northern Tasmania.

 http://www.woodfiretasmania.com.au

Guest artists and presenters at Woodfire Tasmania 2011 will include:
Jack Troy, USA
Torbjorn Kvasbo, Norway
Shiro Otani,   Japan
Graeme Wilke, Australia
Donna Gillis,    Japan/USA
Steve Williams, Australia
Hillary Kane, Indonesia / USA
Dan Murphy,    USA
Malina Monks, Australia
Alexandra Engelfriet, Netherlands
Kulli Koiv, Estonia

Activities around the Conference start on the 23 April so if you are planning a break down that way do have a look for more details on the site.

There is also more information on the Australian Ceramics Website.

PHPG Members Calendar

MEMBERS NOTICE BOARD
Some dates for Port Hacking Potters Group Members to put in your diary:

 11-13th March   The Art of Living Festival at Bundeena.  Our potter friends who live over there will be taking part in the Markets on the Sunday. Say 'Hi' if you are over that way.

16th March   Excursion to The Old School Pottery, Toolijooa.  Meet there at 10am. Tea/coffee supplied but bring your own food and a chair.  A demonstration and mini workshop will be part of our visit. Phone Gail or Joe if you would like a lift down. Here is the website:http://members.optusnet.com.au/~rogergraham/

6th April   General Meeting, 7:30pm Cronulla School of Arts, Surf Lane Cronulla. Demonstration Topic: Glaze Materials and their effects.

14th and 15th April   Members Sale at Cronulla School of Arts.  Our pre-Easter and Mothers Day Sale.  All exhibiting members are asked to take part.

4 May   General Meeting, 7:30pm Cronulla School of Arts, Surf Lane, Cronulla.

1 June   General Meeting, 7:30pm Cronulla School of Arts, Surf Lane, Cronulla

6 July   General Meeting, 7:30pm Cronulla School of Arts, Surf Lane, Cronulla

3 August   General Meeting 7:30pm Cronulla School of Arts, Surf Lane, Cronulla

7 September   General Meeting 7:30pm Cronulla School of Arts, Surf Lane, Cronulla

5 October   General Meeting 7:30pm Cronulla School of Arts, Surf Lane, Cronulla

2 November   General Meeting 7:30pm Cronulla School of Arts, Surf Lane, Cronulla

7 December   Christmas Meeting 7:30pm Cronulla School of Arts, Surf Lane, Cronulla

A visit to Ireland and Scotland

Those members who braved the heatwave to attend the February meeting will be interested to follow up the talk about potteries in Ireland and Scotland by following these links:

Belleek Pottery, Ireland

Louis Mulcahy, Ireland

plus a blog of one of the potters at Argyl Pottery Scotland

And a little scenery -

Dingle Pennisula, Ireland

Urquhart Castle on the shores of Loch Ness, Scotland.

2011 - First meeting of the year

The first meeting of 2011 for our group will be on Wednesday 2 February at 7.30pm upstairs in the meeting room at the Cronulla School of Arts, Cronulla, NSW, Australia.
You can pay your Membership renewal fees at the meeting or send it in with the coupon from your Newsletter.
There will be two presentations on the night. One on Peter Rushforth and the other about overseas potteries visited by one of our members.
Here is a little taste:

Belleek Pottery Museum, Ireland.

A New Year Treat

Steve Harrison is well known by Port Hacking Potters Group for his generous sharing of his lifestyle philosophy and use of local materials for his amazing bowls.  His latest exhibition will be at the Watters Gallery in East Sydney. While you will be able to see some of Steve's latest bowls, this is a small exhibition in which the space will be shared with painter, Brian Hartigan. Steve will have a larger exhbition later in 2011.
So here are the details in larger print:

Watters Gallery  109 Riley Street East Sydney NSW 2010 Ph: (02) 9331 2556

Hours: 10am - 5pm Tuesday and Saturday; 10am - 7pm Wed, Thur, Fri

The exhibition opens on Wednesday 19 January and closes Saturday 5 February. 

Meeting for those interested in Ceramic Master Class - Gymea TAFE

Anyone considering the possible new Ceramic Master Class at Gymea TAFE in 2011 can come along to a meeting on January 27th at 1pm. Further details will be discussed at the meeting.  It is thought there will be enough numbers to get started but the more the merrier! Not from the area or haven't seen the TAFE for a long time?  Follow this link for information about the college:

http://www.sit.nsw.edu.au/ceramics/gymea/

An opportunity for experienced clay workers

The Head Teacher of the Gymea TAFE Ceramic Design Studio is calling for an expression of interest from experienced clay workers who might be interested in a special course in 2011.

More details follow.  Please contact the Head Teacher directly.  TAFE closes for the Christmas break but returns in January.

Hi Everyone,
I am proposing to run a special Ceramic Master Class (Design and Research Program) starting in 2011.  This would be a non-government funded course so any Centrelink exemption would not apply but it will be a wonderful opportunity for advanced guided assistance that can be tailored to the individual participants.

At this stage based on 10 - 12 people I estimate an intensive 10 week 6 hour class would cost approximately $450 - $500.

This would include 6 vouchers to be used for clay, plaster or casting

slip with glaze and firing costs for the clay included (further

vouchers for materials can be purchased if required). 

If we have enough people indicating interest then I would have a meeting to further explain the aims and objectives of the class and the group could discuss their needs so that we could tailor the program and determine the most suitable specialist teacher(s). Participants would ideally be Diploma and above graduates or have a portfolio demonstrating a sound grounding in ceramics. 

Participants would receive a Certificate of Attainment for each 10 week block and receive extensive feedback but no compulsory formal graded assessment requirements. 

Participants would be given freedom to explore their own ideas with the specialist teacher(s) and group structure providing expert advice, friendship, motivation, stimulation and full access to studio equipment would be provided.

In order to keep fees as low as possible this pricing structure does not make provision for the costs of high production quantities as this program is not to be seen as a firing service but rather a unique opportunity to resolve designs, experiment with surface techniques and create high quality one-off pieces that may be exhibited or entered into competitions.

It could also be a platform to resolve designs which could then be mass produced within your own studio.

Although this is a trial we are looking to provide further opportunities with the possibility of up to 3 x 10 week courses per year and based on feedback these may also include advanced workshops on specific areas of ceramics.

Please feel free to promote this program to friends and colleagues.

Regards,

Marian Howell

Head Teacher, Ceramics

TAFE NSW - Sydney Institute, Building A, Cnr The Kingsway& Hotham Road, Gymea Campus NSW 2227

P: (02) 9710 5048 | F: (02) 9710 5026 |

E:  Marian.Howell2@det.nsw.edu.au | www.sit.nsw.edu.au