OTAGO POTTERS GROUP INC.

!

6 Neville Street Dunedin

otagopottersgroup@gmail.com

Newsletter June 2018 Club Night at the OPG - Friday 29th of June at

6.30 pm

Its Mid-Winter Christmas party time!

Come along to the rooms and enjoy a good catch up with your fellow potter pals.  Its a great opportunity for new members to meet everyone.

Last years mid -winter celebrations were a great success. The show and tell was great fun and an awesome way to see what other members are making. If you would like to take part just select a piece of work you have made and bring it along. Don’t be shy we love to see what you have been making.  If you haven’t made anything yet don’t worry just come along and enjoy looking a what others have been doing.  It might be just the inspiration you need to get going on some new work !If you have friends or family who are interested in joining the club or just want to see what we do at the OPG they are also welcome to come along. Please bring some festive nibbles to share and anything you would like to drink. Tea and coffee will be provided.

Erin

Comments by participants

Liz Fea said “Having never made slab ware or used coloured slips as a decorative feature before, I found the workshop instructive and interesting. I enjoyed particularly the freedom in using colours to make more controlled designer patterns which I’d never have been able to do with glaze. Learning how to correctly join slabs too another plus. I may well do some more!”

Tina said ”I enjoyed seeing past and present students and OPG members all working alongside each other and the variety of responses to the workshop material”

Richard Stratton Workshop

Sophie Henderson Thanks for answering these clumsy questions so eloquently Sophie

When did you first purposely make something from clay?

I’m always fiddling! I can’t get through a meeting at work without folding my papers into origami animals or rolling blu tack until it’s too sticky - so the ceramics course at Polytech seemed right up my street! I did the jewellery course for two terms but once I started with clay in January 2017 I never looked back - I was searching for pottery wheels on trade me within the first couple of weeks! 

Are there any clay artists you admire? When I first started, my teacher told me to find a design that I liked online and to copy it. I had been following the work of Collin Lynch at @essaraiceramics on Instagram for a while and I adored his mugs so I tried to copy one. The result was hilarious and served as an excellent lesson as to how much clay shrinks. It also highlighted how talented Collin is. I tagged Collin in my work to thank him for his inspiration and he took me under his wing and has been given me advice ever since. He lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico and he video calls me to give me throwing tutorials and glazing advice - I don’t think I’d have gotten as far as I have today with my little ceramics business if it wasn’t for him. 

What are you interested in making now? I’ve been making mermaid mugs for the past year and I’m pretty focussed on those designs, trying to improve my throwing, texturing and finishing with every batch that I make. I’m having fun mixing my glazes (mayo stroke and coat ready made glazes - shocking I know!) and experimenting with bright colours. Sticking with the mug theme, I’m currently creating a batch of pieces that reflect my views on body positivity and the strength of women. These mugs all have different body shapes and sizes - some with breasts and some with mouths. It’s all a bit experimental at the moment but I’m having fun and going with the flow! I sell my work in my etsy shop which is called ‘zaziceramics’. I’d love to get to the stage where I have some set pieces that I can offer for customers to personalise and customise to their wishes - I just haven’t worked up the confidence or created the stock to do that yet!

What is your history with OPG? I’m very new to OPG and I’m thoroughly enjoying getting to meet everyone and chat with likeminded people. Sometimes I feel very overwhelmed with all the knowledge and skill at our group meetings and it makes me want to try ceramic technique there is! My day job is pretty full on so sadly I don’t get a lot of opportunity to visit the club rooms, but I aspire to go more frequently when Dunedin gets a little warmer! An offer to type up the minutes on one occasion has turned into me taking on the role as secretary for the group, which is a interesting learning curve. I was late to my first ever night on the job but the committee haven’t fired me yet and I’m doing my best to prove my worth!

Visit to Paul Melser

Rose McGowan Recently I visited my friend Mary in Masterton, who took me to Paul Melser’s pottery at the foot of the Tararua ranges. His work place gives the impression of a small village of old rustic wooden buildings set in a forest clearing.

The gallery is full of beautifully thrown plates and bowls, cups, mugs and jugs, arranged into regions of muted wood and gas fired glazes; His work is natural, humble domestic ware.

A pine forest planted 30 years ago, supplies the wood for firing. There are bundles of neatly cut round lengths, left to dry in a lean - to shed.

He takes us out to a studio in which a trolley on rails leads into the tall wood kiln, it’s shelves clean and empty, ready to receive the next batch of bisqued and glazed ware for the wood firing he will conduct on his own in the next few days. Paul has spent all day in the bitterly cold glazing room preparing for the event. He opens the door to the next room and a welcome flood of warmth greets us. His throwing room has a wood-burner.

Its inspiring to see a devoted full- time potter living the good life.

There is a beautiful short video about him, on an interesting website called Musings about Mud, if you look on Paul Melser’s Website

Quartz Museum of Studio Ceramics

While travelling in the North Island I wanted to visit Rick Rudd’s Quartz Museum in Whanganui

The Rick Rudd Foundation was set up in 2013 as a charitable trust and in 2014 Rudd sold his home overlooking the sea and bought Munford House in Whanganui giving it and his collection of studio ceramics to the Foundation. This act of generosity and devotion to New Zealand ceramics is worthy of pilgrimage, which I took, with Mary. I found the museum exciting and inspiring.

The experience was beyond my expectations. Rick was working in his on-site studio and greeted us warmly, introducing us to the collection in his unassuming manner. The building is well chosen for a feeling of light and spaciousness. Ricks great curatorial skills allow each piece to bathe in its own glory. I was high on the benevolence of the space. There’s nowhere else like this in New Zealand. see a video here https://youtu.be/xHNRYgd3XIk

Entries Close 30th of June

Portage Ceramic Awards

Entries are now open!!! Greetings! This is a courtesy email to let you know that entries for the Portage Ceramic Awards 2018 are now open.

The premier Portage Ceramic Award carries a prize of $15,000. Up to three merit awards totalling $3,000 are also on offer, along with a People’s Choice award of $1,000.

Submissions will close on Monday 6 August at 4pm.Enter online or download an entry form online from the Portage Ceramic Awards page at teuru.org.nz/portage

If you haven't already, be sure to follow the Portage Ceramic Awards Facebook page for updates and information, and sign up to our fortnightly email newsletter for all exhibitions and events.

The awards evening will be held at Te Uru on Thursday 8 November. We hope to see you there.The exhibition will run from 9 November 2018 - February 2019.

We wish all the best to those entering this years competition!

James AndersonGallery Assistant

Kaiawhinga Taiwhanga P +64 9 817 8087 ext. 208 | 420 Titirangi Road, Titirangi, Auckland | PO Box 60109 Titirangi 0642

teuru.org.nz

Waitakeri Contemporary Gallery

!

Call for Entries - 1 June 2018

UKU Clay Hawkes Bay is a new biennial National Ceramic Award to be held in the Hawkes Bay region. It will be a selected exhibition showcasing the best work from ceramic artists from around New Zealand. Awards for 2018 will be announced soon. UKU Clay 2018 will be held at the CAN Gallery, Napier from Saturday 27th October to Wednesday 21st November 2018. We are delighted that ceramic artist John Parker has kindly agreed to be our first selector and exhibition designer for 2018. Submissions are invited from emerging and established ceramic artists throughout New Zealand.

Key Dates

Sponsors Napier City Creative Communities NZ. Hastings City Creative Communities NZ. Primo Clays.Tennyson Gallery.

Contacts Natham Crossan & Annette Bull148 Ferry Road, Clive, Hawkes Bay 4102 Phone: (06) 870 0842 or 027 222 8858Email: upmuddycreek@xtra.co.nz Web: annettebull.co.nz

News There is an opportunity to share studios, gallery and a shop space for artists. 201 North Rd is coming up for rent in the near Future. I’m going to live in the flat and will work in and rent a studio. It‘s my dream to have a gallery/ shop with other studio spaces rented by artists at a low rent and to have exhibitions by Dunedin potters and other artists.. Anyone interested? 0223021287 Rose

Call for Submissions is Now Open Entry $25.00 limited to one entry per artist.

Friday 31st August 2018 Closing date for entries.

Monday 8th October 2018 Finalists announced.

Monday 15th-Thursday 18th October 2018 Works to be received.

Saturday 27th October 2018 Opening at CAN Gallery Napier.

Sunday 28th October 10-11am Floor talk with John Parker.

28th October to 21st November 2018 Exhibition Dates.

Thursday 22nd November 2018 Collection of unsold local work.

Pottery Supplies Stephen Robertson of Nelson Pottery Supplies is regarded by club members as a most helpful and knowledgeable supplier of clay and glaze materials etc. He has a wide range of clays from North Island suppliers which cuts down on courier costs. Orders placed before 4pm will arrive in Dunedin the next day.

Email : nelsonpotterysupplies.co.nz 30 Motueka Street, Nelson📞 03 5484556 Open. Mon - Fri 10am to 5pm. Sat 2pm to 4pm.

NEWSLETTER FEEDBACK AND ITEMS FOR NEXT EDITION! We aim to make this newsletter interesting and useful for club members. If you have any comments or items of interest that you would like to have published, or if you want to buy or sell any pottery related items, please send details to otagopottersgroup@gmail.com with “Newsletter” in the subject line.