The cool weather these last few weeks has brought many of us inside. It's exciting to walk into the studio and see so many of you busily creating your art. Even with the tight space, contagious laughter and comradeship abound as you work together or individually on projects. You are to be commended for making the most of the limited space. 
The great news is the expansion process is pushing forward. Project Manager, Ken Feldman is onboard and the Large Project Team (LPT) composed of Jim Donaldson, Jenny Mieras and me, are beginning to meet on a weekly basis. Ken is working on reviewing "as-builts" and interviewing architects. The LPT completed Phase I (Design Phase) required updates. We are poised to act with efficient quickness when tasked. Clay Arts teams are already forming to fill roles we know we will need during renovation. In the future months we will welcome additional members who wish to join in the effort! At this exciting and busy time I am grateful for so many of you stepping up to help or volunteering to do so when needed. 

See you in the Studio!
 

 2024 Membership Renewals

2024 renewal cycle is completed.  Members who opted not to renew have been dropped from the membership roster.  The associated CAM cards and door codes are no longer active.  If you feel there was an error or mis-communication, please contact me.

We are always sorry to see members leave the club.  Please know that former members are welcome back at any time!

Here are some resources available on the homepage

The "Member Help" link has lots of good info about questions members frequently have. This includes what to do if you are having trouble logging in to the website, and tips to manage your service hours.  Be sure to take a look and even print it out for your work bag.

If you need a replacement name badge, click the link on the homepage to make a request. Note that replacement badges are $10.All issues of the Newsletter are available online. Click the "GCA Newsletters" link .

The February and March class calendars are open and available for registration.  We have many, many interesting classes.  The offerings include the new progressive skill building for wheel 1, 2 and 3. And some great project classes like Leapin' Lizards, Desert Landscape and Handbuilding/Altering/Carving.  There are also some glazing classes to check out.

Starting with the April calendar, you can see the intended class offerings but registration will open to sign up for those classes on March 1.  Going forward this will be the process….view the available classes with registration for those classes available the first of the prior month.  This helps you plan your classes further in advance and makes sign up available for everyone on the same date.

In preparation for our studio expansion, one avenue being pursued is firing pieces using member personal kilns. If anyone has a kiln that they would be willing to let the club use during reconstruction, please let Cindy Wright know. (Cindywrightm@gmail.com)

You are receiving this newsletter because you are included on GCA's email list.  Some active members are opting out of receiving GCA emails and are missing out on lots of important information.  If you opt out you will not receive the newsletter, annual dues invoices, ballots for elections, ballots for non-election matters, updates about our expansion, surveys, and Eblasts.   We all get lots of emails and we understand wanting to manage your inbox, but we encourage you to keep getting emails from us as long as you are a member, so you don't miss out on important information.  We will reach out to those members who have opted out and let them know what they are missing and encourage them to opt-in. 

Gallery News

Just a few reminders…….
1) Gallery items now need a brown tag which are located by the computer.  Name and description on one side and price on the other.
2) Once your piece has been accepted (not before) to the online gallery, you can bring it into the studio and place it on the front window shelf by the computer.  DO NOT place it on the lobby gallery shelves.  I need to check it in and put a date and G on it.
3) There is currently a 2 month limit.  You will be notified to remove it from the online gallery when the 2 months are up and then pick it up promptly.
4) Gallery pieces need to be ‘show worthy’.  No cracks, chips etc.
 

Welcome to February, one of the busiest months at Grand Clay Arts.
Weather pushes us all to find an indoor activity and the club is abustle with creativity. 

Clay stocks are a little low on  B-Mix w/ Grog which is not expected to be available until next week when the truck arrives from Laguna.  I am hopeful to have a fresh batch by February 15th. If you're looking for a new alternative, try the "Aardvark Charcoal" for a rich black color that does well with our glaze selection.  Share a bag with a friend and see some beautiful results. The Redstone is also beautiful.  I know our dark clays are messy and can leave your hands stained but if you use Magic Eraser, it cleans right off your hands quite easily. 
We are still waiting on our order of Van Guilder Horseshoe Knives. So sorry for the delay, it seems that there is a supply shortage but I can assure you we are next in line for delivery. That being said, it may be another 3 - 4 weeks.

Please continue to bear with us as we encounter these road blocks in supply.
Becki continues to handle your Member Special orders as they become available: fill out your request on the order sheet on the pegboard by the glaze room. ( Thanks Becki!)

Happy Mudding everyone,
 

·   Two new glazes are being evaluated, a purple (Amethyst) and an orange (Mandarin). Check out the test tiles and let us know what you think.

·   Microwave is available in glaze room for re-glazing prep as well as heating up coffee, tea, etc.

· You can find a brief video reviewing glazing basics on our website homepage.

When using the glaze room, please:

• check that glaze buckets are clean including lids and sides.
• Clean items used in glaze process and returned to storage place.
• Clean surrounding areas if you splashed.
• Observe the 2-person limit in the glaze room; use the sign-up sheet.
• Limit your time in glaze room to 45 minutes, especially when studio is busy.

Please use the Glaze Room Request Form to provide feedback on glaze performance or shortcomings. The blank forms are on the microwave. Fill it out and tape it to the cabinet so we can act on your concern. Or be techy and use the QR code posted on the glaze room door to send us an email.

Experimenting with glaze combinations:

Dave Dick recently experimented with different glaze combinations on Speckled Buff. His work may give you some ideas on what to try next:

 

Dave Dick recently experimented with different glaze combinations on Speckled Buff. His work may give you some ideas on what to try next:

Dave Dick recently experimented with different glaze combinations on Speckled Buff. His work may give you some ideas on what to try next:

Party time:

Have you ever wondered where all of those test tiles come from?  Well in the dark of night your glaze team parties in the studio. On Jan 26 we made >400 test tiles using a die for the 6 " extruder.  We also made many glaze tiles that will be used for updating the Glaze tile board.

Many hands, good food and conversation made for a fun time.  Now doesn’t this make you want to join the team?

 

Our November Plates of Plenty fundraiser brought in $1,200.00 for the Valley View Community Food Bank!  Thank you to everyone who donated pieces for the event!

March 30 is our next POP sale when we hope to greatly reduce our huge inventory AND have a great day of raising money for the food bank.   Again, I'll let you know when we are ready to accept more pottery donations.  Stay tuned!
  I finally had the opportunity to take the check over to the food bank yesterday.  Such nice people doing great work!

Here are a few special reminders to keep our club and its members healthy and safe:

1. Clean Floors critical to safety of members. 
1. Wipe up all spills in Glaze Room, by Wheel Area, and in General Hand-building areas. You spill it, You clean it!  Wipe ON…Wipe Off!
2. Use oil sprays by sink or outside. Line paper towels on cabinet and spray away from floors.
2. Clay creates a lot of Dust which is damaging to our lungs.  Free crystalline silica is present in clay bodies from trace to 50% amounts. Inhalation of all clay materials, especially silica can damage your lungs and cause irreversible loss of breathing capacity.  So, ensure that you spray and wipe your area & clean all tools that you used prior to putting them away. Wash & Dry counters.
3. Keep the area and table in front of the "First Aid Station" clear so there is no problem accessing it in case of emergency. Do not put items on the table. Do not use the sink for anything other than emergency use.
4. No members are allowed in the kiln room.  There is a large sign to remind you of this rule.  Only on-duty kiln committee members can enter this room.
5. Keep all items contained within your cubby.  Items sticking way out of the cubby are difficult for others to get around and have caused injuries in the past.

We are all very excited about the expansion of our Grand Clay Arts studio. Although we don't have specific dates yet, we are anticipating that construction could possibly begin this summer.
To those of you who leave for the summer, you will need to clear all items from your cubby before you go. This means EVERYTHING. Unfortunately, any items left in cubbies will not be saved as we will not have storage space for them.

To those year-round members, you will be reminded of the need to clear your cubbies. Once we have our construction dates solidified.

Your cooperation is greatly appreciated as we look forward to our spacious new digs!


 

We had a unique experience in Las Vargas, Mexico this week.  We saw bricks being made out of local clay, manure and sawdust.  This man makes 600 bricks a day and earns approximately $35 a day.  The bricks get stacked after they set up for 24 hours and then they are left to dry for 15 days.  The bricks are then used to build the kiln that will be used for the bisque firing.  Wood is loaded into the chambers of the kiln as they build it and will burn for 36 hours with more wood continually being added to the  burn.  The end results are the bricks that are used for construction here in Mexico.  It was fascinating to see that greenware was used to build the kiln that fired it to bisque.