Great Bowls of Fire 2008 Photo credits Art Petchh

Hands in ClayOttawa Guild of PottersMarch 2009 Newsletter

Next Meeting Monday April 6, 2009Our next invited speaker is Guild member Lucie Rossignol who will take us to Japan. She will show us celebrated Kyoto gardens, temples and pottery sites and she will bring some of her collection of porcelain from Arita. In 1993-94 during university studies in Japan, Lucie studied Arita ceramics.

Meetings are held from 7:30 to 9:30 pm at the Nepean Visual Art Centre/Sportplex at 1701 Woodroffe Ave. just south of Hunt Club Rd. Executive meetings are open to guild members and start at 6:00pm.The library is open from 6:30 to 7:30 pm.

Guild Meetings are on the first Monday of each month.

Spring Exhibition Symphony

OCC Toronto Exhibition Space for Symphony photo credit Marie Hennessey

Compose your own Symphony but don't forget to check the rules in the December newsletter or the Guild website. Submission times are noon to 1pm on Saturday, March 14 at the Glebe Community Centre. *Pick up time for work is between 4 and 5pm the same day. Link to the information on the members only page at http://www.ottawaguildofpotters.ca/information

*In between dropping off your pieces and retrieval, everyone is welcome to join us at the next Potters' Club meeting and potluck lunch at Sandra Marshall's, 66 Kenilworth St. (near the Civic Hospital, off Parkdale Ave). Bring images of the work that you submitted.

Guild Website Online Gallery and Members' Pages Remember that the new Member's Only information page on the website will give you access to:

• Spring Exhibition Rules 2009 • Web gallery and member's pages information • Sale inventory sheet • Sale multiples sheet • Members Album Page • Spring Sale Application '09

This page is not linked to the public site, so just go to http://www.ottawaguildofpotters.ca/information

Bruce

Membership for 2009/10As mentioned at the last meeting Carrie Leavoy has taken over the position as Membership secretary from Iben Vedel. To aid her in her new job it would be highly appreciated if you would send in your membership applications for next year 2009/10 in good time, the sooner the better. Her address is 27 Ch. Des Sentiers, Wakefield, QC, J0X 3G0

Keep in mind that if you want to borrow books through the summer, you will need your new Library/ Membership card before the library opens the day of the AGM in May. So we advise you to send in your application ASAP so we can mail the card out to you.Please send Carrie your application form that can be found on the website and Carrie can also be contacted at ogpmember@gmail.com and on her cell: 819-923-5689

Iben and Carrie

Upcoming Events and Workshops

Studio Map Project If you have any questions about the map, please contact the Project Manager at kirstin@xplornet.com.

Nominations If you have an interest in helping with this task, in nominating someone, or in putting your own name forward, please contact me as soon as possible at kirstin@xplornet.com. The Guild is moving forward in some very exciting ways. Now is the time to be a part of it!

Nominations

Our Annual General meeting is coming up May 5th at which time a new Executive will be elected. As Past President, it is my responsibility to strike a Nominating Committee on March 1st, whose task it is to create the slate of nominees for your consideration.

I require the help of one or two members with this unique privilege. If you would like to assist me in selecting potential candidates, please contact me at kirstin@xplornet.com or 613-832-3934.

All members of the Guild are welcome to put their name or the name of other guild members forward for nomination. Generally speaking, service is a 2 year commitment ,though some have remained on longer or shorter for a variety of reasons. This year we will have a change in at least 6 of the 11 executive positions in May: Vice President, Chair of Workshops and Presentations, Chair of the Exhibition Committee, Chair of the Sale Committee, Chair of the Standards and Education Committee and Membership Secretary. Carrie Leavoy has declined the traditional move into the President's position so Colette Beardall has agreed to continue as our President for a second term unless someone would like to consider taking it on. She would assist anyone in the changeover. At this time, I am particularly interested in speaking with anyone who is interested in assuming the position of Workshops Chair, a great position for those of you perennial students who love to learn new things!

For the 4 years that I have served on the Executive, service to the Guild has been an enriching and educational experience. I've had the pleasure of getting to know so many of you and have formed lasting friendships. I encourage all members to consider the great opportunity that working on such a dynamic team can afford!

I will leave you with this last thought. For all who are concerned about serving in a leadership role: "Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we arepowerful beyond measure. It is our light not our darkness that most frightens us. Weask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous? Actually,who are you not to be? Your playing small does not serve (others).... And as we letour own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."(Made famous by Nelson Mandela)

Studio Map

The Studio Map project is continuing to develop and we are desperately in need of a Sales manager! Please speak with Kirstin Davidson if you are interested in drawing potters to this marvelous opportunity. We have a fabulously efficient group of people already hard at work and would love to have you join us!

In February we investigated the important issue of insurance. Through consultation with the Guild's insurance company and other insurance companies associated with artists (such as The Ontario Crafts Council's provider), it was determined that every potter on the map must have their own business liability insurance and must sign a waiver releasing the Guild from any responsibility should a visitor to that potter's studio suffer an injury. Potters on the map should also consult with local by-laws and regulations to be certain they are well prepared for visitors to their studios. Safety and caution when undertaking an endeavor like this may seem like overkill, but we want to be certain we are protecting the Guild and it's members in a time when security (personal, financial and otherwise) is foremost in so many peoples' minds.

Potters on the map should be those with an active studio that is open year round, where customers can go to purchase work and meet the makers. We are looking for between 18 and 24 potters and will draw from our Guild and from other organizations outside the Guild. It will be "first come first served" as applications are confirmed as being complete, where the work complies with the purpose for which this brochure has been created and whom the committee believes are ready to receive customers at their studios. If you know of any potters whom you feel might be interested in this project, please let them know about it! We will have more information in the April Newsletter, including the application forms. Fees for participation will be approximately $150/year (subject to change), giving participating potters a spot on the map, a colour picture of their work, full contact details with location and hours of opening, as well as a full website with a complete online support for this fully bilingual brochure. To get a sense of what we re working towards, please check out the following sites: www.arttrail.com and www.studiorally.ca. If you have any questions about the map, please contact the Project Manager at kirstin@xplornet.com. Get ready - get on the map!

• Kirstin

Great Bowls of Fire POTTERS DONATING BOWLS + RESTAURANTS DONATING SOUP = $ FOR THE FOOD BANK

The event, on March 21st, is already sold out! But you are encouraged to volunteer or lend plastic shelving. Please e-mail Sarah at capitalpotterysupplies@on.aibn.com. Email or call Anne Chambers if you are donating pieces for the dining tables so we have an idea of how many to expect in our planning. Drop it off at Anne’s house or at Capital Pottery Supplies. Thanks everyone!!

• Anne Colette and Sarah

Sandra Marshall - Handbuilding Sculptural PiecesWhen: Saturday, April 25 1:00-4:00pmWhere: 66 Kenilworth St. Ottawa (near the Civic Hospital) Subject: Handbuilding sculptural pieces. What do you want to achieve? Bring examples or images to discuss and find solutions with the group. If you wish, bring some clay to test out new approaches.

To register for the above Guild workshop Contact Rhona Bloomfield to reserve a space before Feb 21, or after March 18. (email: rhona@ magma.ca or phone 613-256-2734).This will be confirmed when payment is received. Make a cheque for $10:00 to Ottawa Guild of Potters and mail to:Rhona Bloomfield, Box 669, Almonte ON, K0A 1A0

Colour Line Blend Workshop - Cone 6 Hands-On Workshop with Anne Chambers

Learn how to create a glaze and understand the reasons for using a particular glaze material. During the workshop we will also discuss how to fix common glaze problems. We will investigate colour line blending with oxides and create 21 separate compatible glazes from each glaze base. Have fun exploring why oxides produce varied colour reactions in different glaze bases. Glazes and recipes will be supplied; you will need to bring 21 bisqued fired self-supporting/standing test tiles approximately 3cm wide x 6cm tall made from cone 6 clay. Also one bisqued 10cm x 10cm flat test tile. To speed up the measuring process bring a scale if you have one. The test tiles will be fired during the week and picked up the following Sunday with discussion about the results.

Where: Gladstone Clayworks Pottery CooperativeLocation: 949b Gladstone Ave., OttawaCost: $45.00Dates (Workshop is 1 and ½ days):Sunday April 19, 9:30 am – 4:30 pm and Sunday April 26, 9:30 am – 12:30pmFor registration/information contact Perley-Ann Friedman: perleyann@yahoo.com or 613-829-8827

Gladstone Clayworks Cooperative presents 2 other workshops with Anne ChambersPlease note these dates and watch future newsletters for more details. Maiolica Painting for Cone 6 - May 9thLearn contemporary approaches to colour and technique. Learn how create your own personal colour palette. We will experiment with washes, wet brush and dry blending techniques, sgraffito while exploring the marks various brushes create.

Slip Decoration for Cone 6 - Oct 4th

Explore the wonderful world of slip (liquid coloured clay). Experiment with varied thickness to create texture on your work. Experiment with resist, image transfer, sgraffito and slip trailing with a selection of slip colours.

Fall Fire 2009 UpdateJoin us for our 2nd annual weekend get-away. Eat – Sleep --- and LIVE pottery all weekend long!!Date: Sept. 11 – 13, 2009 Location: Morrisburg Meeting Centre, Morrisburg Ont. Registration details will be available early April.

About the Fall Fire Artists

Leta CormierLeta Cormier has been making pottery, reduction fired stoneware and raku, in the Ottawa area since 1975. Her work is informed by an interest in the pottery traditions of Japan, Korea, China and the Cycladic culture. Leta shares a studio in North Gower with her husband Don where they make individual and collaborative functional pieces.

Leta’s work has been shown in solo and group exhibitions since 1975. Her work is in many private and public collections including the Canada Council for the Arts - Art Bank, City of Ottawa, Museum of Civilization, Claridge Collection, Burlington Cultural Center, Winnipeg Art Gallery, Ontario Crafts Council and Fusion: the Ontario Clay and Glass Association.

In addition to her studio work, Leta has been active in the arts community as a volunteer, teacher, consultant, curator and juror. She served as President of The Ontario Potters Association (Fusion) and the Ontario Crafts Council as well as on the Board of Directors of the Canadian Crafts Council, Council for the Arts Ottawa, and the founding program committee and Board of Directors of Arts Court and the Ottawa Art Gallery. She has presented workshops throughout Ontario since 1977 and taught at St. Lawrence College for twelve years.

She has consulted on several exhibitions for the Canadian Museum of Civilization, has been a curator of numerous ceramic and craft exhibitions and has juried exhibitions, grants and service awards. Leta will share insights, from her experience, of the challenges and pleasures of making functional pottery for over 30 years. She will demonstrate, use images, pots and lead participants in interactive exploration exercises. The workshop will take a practical look at the issues of developing an objective perspective and language for observing one’s own work as a means for deepening learning and one’s exploration with clay.

Thom Lambert

Thom is a potter and educator living and working in Haliburton, Ontario. He works primarily in cone 6 oxidation, focusing on both functional and decorative pieces. Recently, his exploration of landscape (and love of starting fires) has led to a body of raku-fired work. Thom's work can be found in several galleries and in private collections.

Thom has been teaching at the Haliburton School of the Arts for the past 10 years, as well as offering workshops to various guilds and potters groups in southern Ontario. A trained teacher, with over 25 years of educational

experience, he has developed a reputation for offering clear, inspirational instruction in a variety of ceramic techniques, including; slip decorating, raku, hand building, and the infamous "throwing camp", which no pot has ever survived!

Thom's love of travel has led him to explore several inspirational landscapes, including: the canyons of Utah, the Grand Canyon, and Georgian Bay. For several years he has been pursuing a body of work that is informed and influenced by those landscapes. Through the layering of multiple clay bodies, unique slip-decorating techniques, and construction techniques that combine throwing and hand building, he seeks to create pieces that honour those places. He will be demonstrating mixed-clay throwing, multi-media slip decorating and the combining of throwing, altering, and hand building. More importantly, he will be discussing the "Why" of technique, and it's judicious use to achieve an artistic statement in clay.

ArticlesDear Guild members – you are invited to submit articles for the Guild newsletter. Suggested subjects are workshops that you appreciated, technical and marketing hints, trials and tribulations. Please keep them concise.

A Primer on Consignment

Consignment sales are often misunderstood by craftspeople, and this information is offered to help Guild members to better understand their responsibilities.

To put your work in consignment means that you offer the pieces to a retailer (boutique, art gallery, etc.) to sell them for you. You remain the owner until the work is sold. You are only paid if the work is sold, according to the terms of the contract that you must negotiate with the vendor. This amount is normally 40-50% of the retail price.

For example, as Lisa Anderson, manager of the Gardiner Museum Shop Gallery explained to me, the Gardiner Shop contract with artists stipulates the percentage that the Shop will retain upon sale of the work, the delay from the date of sale until payment is mailed to the artist (for example two to three weeks for accounting to process the cheque once the sale report is made). The Shop also accepts to cover the value of the work if it is broken or stolen while under their care. However, the artist must assume the expenses of transport and insurance related to bringing the work undamaged to the Shop and removing it if it is not sold. Artists must also remain in contact with the Shop – It is not unheard of for crafts people to leave the work unclaimed! The Gardiner contract also states that artists should send the Shop a written request two weeks before they want to retrieve their work.

In order to have work accepted by the Shop, artists must email images of their work, their cost price rather than retail price of each work, GST number, artist's biography and statement, also explaining why their work would be a good fit for the gallery. A word to the wise – Lisa Anderson receives 12 to 20 requests a day from artists wishing to display their work! The Shop already represents 260 craftspeople and their 2009 plan is already set.

Sandra

Discussion of Peta Hall's Workshop

Shameless Self-Promotion

Peta Hall provided us with many useful marketing tips to help us resist the current economic downturn. First and foremost, she admonished us to do shameless self-promotion. (Who else can do this for you?) We are grateful that she took the time to come to Ottawa to share her knowledge with us – reflecting her belief that potters must also educate others as well as themselves. She also strongly argued that we must educate our public, so that our potential clients will better appreciate the time, skill and expense that goes into making ceramics. Only then will they recognize the value of handmade pots and realize that they should not be offered for sale at Walmart prices.

Peta recommended that the Guild continue to offer demos at our sales and use other proactive means to reach our clientele and educate

them. For individual potters, storytelling is an excellent way to attract the interest of prospective clients to particular work. Another technique is to provide how-to-use cards for each type of pot – people seem to respond positively if they know a pot has a particular use, and how it can be cared for.

Peta also stressed that each of us should present a professional image to the public, through graphic materials, booth and website design. We should engage other professionals – for example, graphic and web designers, bookkeepers and photographers, if we don't have the requisite skills to do it on our own . For Peta, change is an essential element of pottery production - we need to be aware of trends, and what are clients are looking for. The millenial generation (born form 1977- 94) have been neglected by we craftspeople, who keep trying to attract the baby boomer generation. This is a new client base that we need to discover. But especially, we need to be engaged in our work and thus have our work speak to people, so that they say “I need to have that!”

Advice was offered on business plans, sales management software and creative ways to find new clients and ways to sell. Highlighting the day's end were Peta's encouraging suggestions to each individual about how we could each improve our product designs, our publicity materials and our sales.

Thank you Peta Hall! Visit her at www.petahall.com Sandra

Announcements

New email address for Ligita Gulens is jlgulens@sympatico.ca

Art Show on Saturday, March 28, from 10:00 a.m. til 4:00 p.m. All are welcome to an early spring art show at the home of pen & ink artist, Janet Bell, at 598 Westview Ave. (at the corner of Buell, just off Kirkwood, north of Carling). Other participants include Jane Snider (pottery), Ann Orton (oils, mixed media), Peter Farris-Manning (photography), Deidre Hierlihy (lino cut prints), Jeff Wiebe (pen & ink). Hope to see you there!

For sale at reduced pricesVioletta has the following equipment to sell at a reduced price:Gare kiln, fits 21” shelves and is 22” deepExisting kiln shelves, stilts, box to store the shelves and a pyrometer will be included.NEW PRICE: $250.00 Call Violetta at 613- 256-5088 violetart@mondenet.com

ChinaTown Remix – A Celebration of Art on Somerset St. WestSubmissions for this contemporary art exhibit are accepted until March 29. Grand openings and vernissages Saturday May 2, 2-5pm. For more information, contact info@ottawachinatown.ca

Haliburton School of the ArtsRegistration opened on Monday, March 2Visit www.HaliburtonSchoolofTheArts.ca [http://www.haliburtonschoolofthearts.ca/] for the schedule of courses and workshops. With over 50 new courses and 20 new instructors blended with favourite returns, it's an exciting program. Accommodation assistance is available.

Raku Basics Course at the Haliburton School of the ArtsInstructor: Michael Sheba Dates: August 3 – 8, 2009 (6 days) Fee: $339.16 (includes $40 material fee) Raku experience is not required, however, intermediate pottery skills are recommended. This course is suitable if you have limited or no Raku experience. Topics covered include the history and

contemporary development of Raku, glazing and decorating techniques with simple but attractive Raku glazes that explore the three basic characteristics of Raku (Crackle, Lustres, and Carbonization) and safe firing and post-firing reduction techniques. You are required to bring 5 – 6 bisqued pieces to Raku fire and have sufficient skills to make 2 additional pieces during the course. This informative and enjoyable course is the perfect introduction to the dramatic Raku process and provides a stepping stone to more advanced Raku courses. A maximum of 12 students ensures individual attention. Register by phone using Visa or MasterCard only. Tel: 1-866-353-6464 ext. 3, or call 1-866-353-6464 for additional information.

Talking Earth and Flying Fish March 5 to March 29, 2009 OpeningOntario Crafts Council Gallery Toronto [http://www.craft.on.ca/About_Us/Our_Locations]990 Queen Street WestToronto, ON, M6J 1H1416.925.4222www.craft.on.ca

People need to listen to Mother Earth and the artists who give her voice. In Talking Earth and Flying Fish the eloquent voices of six First Nations Ontario artists present their vision in sculptures, paintings, prints and clay. The artists' images of the Earth and her creatures come from the traditions of storytelling in the aboriginal clans. These stories embody important beliefs that are relevant to the present and connect us to the past.

Unity & Diversity Call for SubmissionsOnline Application System is now open! Deadline: March 31, 2009Information about how to apply to "Unity and Diversity," is available on the Canadian Crafts Federation website [http://www.canadiancraftsfederation.ca/korea/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=57&Itemid=66]I t's easy to apply. Simply go to [http://www.callforentry.org] and follow the steps below to submit your application. Creating an artist profile/ Uploading your images/ Entering the Unity & Diversity Call for Entry.

Ontario Crafts Council Call for Submissions

Awards & Scholarships Submission Deadline: April 8, 2009Apply for over $17,500 in awards, scholarships and grants.The OCC has several new and improved awards:

• OCC Volunteer Committee• Established Professional Award for $1,500, the OCC Craft Curator Award valued at $1,500 including

a 2010 exhibition time slot at the OCC Gallery, • ARTexe Web Marketing Grant for Undergraduates valued at $1,000 and the • Digital Chaos/SOS Design Web Marketing Grant valued at $2,500.

In addition, a variety of awards & scholarships are now open to both individual application and/or nomination from OCC Members and non-members alike. We encourage you to nominate a student, colleague or member of the community for either the Jean Johnson C.M/ Melanie Egan Award for Curatorial Excellence, the OCC Craft Writing Award or the new OCC Craft Curator Award. Critical discourse on craft along with thoughtfully curated exhibitions raise the profile of craft in the public's eye, and it is imperative that these members of our community are recognized and congratulated for their efforts.

As always the John Mather Award, recognizing lifetime achievement in support of the craft community remains open to nominations from our Affiliate Members, OCC Board of Directors and VolunteerCommittee.

For full award and scholarship descriptions, requirements and to download a copy of the application form, please visit [http://www.craft.on.ca/awards].

If you have any questions about this program please contact Katherine McKellar, Special Projects

Coordinator, at [kmckellar@craft.on.ca] or 416-925-4222 ext.222.

Artpreneur ConferenceWhere: North Grenville Municipal CentreWhen: Thursday, March 26, 8:30am – 3:30pmCost: $40 up to March 1, $50 after that dateWhat: Guerrilla Marketing for the Artpreneur, Success in the Arts, Where's the Money? Expert PanelContact: 613-342-8772 x 471 to register Website: www.lgsbec.com

Guild ContactsGuild Website: www.ottawaguildofpotters.ca Webmaster Bruce Jones

Newsletter: Send Newsletter contributions by the Sunday following our meetings to: newsletter@ottawaguildofpotters.ca Newsletter Editor Sandra Marshall

Membership Secretary Carrie Leavoy

Member List Changes: Notify Iben of any changes to your phone, address, email or other contact information through ogpmember@gmail.com or mail to OGP Membership, 27 Ch. Des Sentiers, Wakefield, QC, J0X 3G0

EnquiriesThe Ottawa Guild of Potters Peter Macnaughton info@ottawaguildofpotters.ca POB 4053, Station E Ottawa ON K1S 5B1

OGP Help Line for Technical Questions: Victoria Jenkins email avjenkins@rogers.com Hanne Lawrence email brucehanne@rogers.com

Due to privacy concerns, refer to your membership list for members' numbers.

2008-2009 Guild Executive President - Colette BeardallVice President – Carrie LeavoyPast President – Kirsten DavidsonTreasurer – Peter MacnaughtonSecretary – Helen StoneMembership Sec'y – Carrie LeavoySale Committee Chair – Debbie GilmerWorkshops Chair – Carol BadenochStandards Chair – Lucie RossignolExhibition Chair – Maire HennesseyNewsletter Editor – Sandra Marshall

Other PositionsLibrarian – Linda TaylorWebsite Manager – Bruce JonesNewsletter Distribution – Marie PaquetteMember Workshops – Rhona RichardsonMeeting Presenters – Hugh HamiltonRefreshments – Jen Kamerads and Joyce WoodSales Committee – Lis Allison, Lynda Soper, Ros Allchin, Pat JessopStandards Committee – Monique O'Brien, Linda Northey, Glenn Dunning, Rita Redner, Vickie Salinas, Saskia Praamsma, Anne Chambers, Liz Hoffman, Debra DucharmeFusion Rep – Joyce LemkeBursary – Amy ArtsGuild Book – Cathy Payne