NEXT MONTHLY MEETING
  March 20, 2025 • 9 AM AZ Time • Hopi Room

It's Spring! May the luck of the Irish be with us all.

A great big thanks to those who attended and participated in the lively discussion of our revised Policies & Procedures at the February General Membership meeting. Your valuable input helped us develop a solid set of useful guidelines. The approved set of Policies & Procedures has been posted on our website in the Members Area. 

For the months of January and February, Artist Sales were slightly lower than expected at $1,486, compared to our budget of $2,028. I'm happy to report GCA payments received from Dues and Cubby Fees were higher than anticipated at $18,035, compared to our budget of $13,884. We're off to a good start in 2025!

I'm often asked, "why does GCA charge tax on supplies sold to members when some other Grand Charter Clubs don't tax supplies sold to members?" I submitted a request in January for CAM to provide official guidance to all clubs on this topic so that there would b e a policy directing a standardized approach. We have been directed, by the CAM Finance Officer, to continue to charge these taxes, since we are not charged sales tax by Marjon. I followed up with the Peer Group Council chair in February requesting written guidance for all Charter Clubs and received response that the topic is still under review. 

The Grand election for three Board positions is open from March 10-19. Your informed decision about who to vote for has a direct impact on our club operations and planned expansion. Please get to know the candidates and make your voice heard by casting your vote online; one ballot per household. If the Membership office has your current email address, you will receive an email from Vote-Now with a link to your ballot. If not, enter the following address in your web browser (not the search box): https://vtnw.com/go/SCG Also, vote "YES" for Arizona Revised Statute (ARS) 33-1818 to preserve the unique standards and quality of life that makes this a special place to live. Thanks!

Studio lobby changes are in the works. Members will see an updated color scheme and new shelving to accommodate additional artwork in the Gallery. The GCA BOD made an "executive decision" to relocate the tool display case to the locked storage room in an effort to improve the look of the lobby and to provide an extra display option. The tool display case will no longer need to be locked since its in the locked closet. A great big thanks to all involved in the improvements. If members find issues with any of these changes, please reach out to a Board member so that we can address any concerns.

Lastly, here's a fun effective option for glaze resist. I saw this on Pinterest and gave it a try. Using a gold Sharpie permanent marker, I wrote my initials and drew a star on three test tiles, then dipped them in MaycoShino. I didn't have to wipe anything down. The areas with the gold marker came out without any glaze on those areas and the marker ink burned off. Pretty cool!

A sincere thanks to y'all for the wonderful support that I receive, as I navigate the responsibilities as your Acting President.

Do you have comments, concerns, or suggestions for the Glaze Room? Let us know! You will find the Glaze Room Request forms on top of the refrigerator. Post it where we’ll see it, or email: GlazeLead@GrandClayArts.com

Glaze Room Practices
Be aware that many of our glazes and stains are quite expensive. Use only what you need and return uncontaminated glaze to the source bucket. If you have added gum solution, the glaze can be returned to the source bucket.

Use the ‘swish’ bucket under the sink to initially rinse brushes and tools. This helps keep these chemicals out of the sewer system. The most frequent problem is a glaze that has not been sufficiently mixed.  If it doesn’t seem right…ask for help. 

Sample tiles:  We provide sample tiles showing how our glazes will appear on three clay types. Please return the samples to the peg board in the correct order so that all the B-mix (white) tiles are on the top, followed by Speckled Buff and Redstone.

House Rules
Clean up after yourself. During the busy season please observe the 2-person limit in the Glaze room and use the sign-in /out board on the door for your reservation.

Glaze Change Updates
The new glaze called Stoned Denim is now online to replace both Light Blue and Blue Rutile. The new glaze called MaycoShino is also online to replace Albany Slip. The Specific Gravity for Ocean Green has been reset so that a shorter dip time is needed. See instructions added to the bucket lid.

We are selling off the balance of Light Blue, Albany Slip, Ochre and Delphinium Blue at $10 per quart: Contact Jim Donaldson. 

Share Your Glaze Combos
Do you have a favorite glaze combination you would like to share? Send a picture and your recipe to:     GlazeLead@GrandClayArts.com

This month, Connie Asher is sharing her results using Stoned Denim. Great new glaze choice!

This hand-built vase was made by coiling with flat 2-inch strips of clay and then carved using a fluting tool. The vase was dipped in Stoned Denim glaze. She loves the way it breaks on the speckled buff clay with the carving.

Yay! Our spring POP sales brought in $932 for the Valley View Community Food Bank. As always, I’m so grateful for the amazing pieces that were made and donated for this important event.  I’m also grateful for our wonderful POP team.  

POP volunteers who participated in our recent sales event included: Karin Brambilla, Judy Climan, Georgene Davis, Bob Foss, Denise Guida, and Lisa Minton. What a hardworking (and fun) group! Thanks also to Janet Wear, who glazed donated bisqued pieces. Beautiful work, Janet! 

A BIG thank you to ALL who continue to support POP’s efforts to combat food insecurity in our area.   

As Cathy mentioned above, we are in the process of revamping the studio gallery with new colors and display areas. The tools and supplies have moved into the storage closet in case everyone is wondering what happened to them. The monitor will have access to all supplies as usual.

Hope you like the new look! Thanks to Bob Singer and Bob Schulzetenberg for reconstruction of the back window display shelves and all their hard work.

Selling artists have been doing a great job with following the rules for submitting artwork. Just a reminder that each piece submitted must have a unique name, especially if your pieces look similar. This really helps the gallery team and monitors choose the correct pieces when recording and selling.

We appreciate everyone cleaning up after themselves after each visit to the studio; however, deeper cleaning is required on a monthly basis. We are in the studio on the first Wednesday of every month, November through April from 7:00-9:00 am.

Your Winter cleaning crew has been hard at work: Jane, Barb, Maxine, Dennis, Lynne, Patty, Sandi, (missing is Butter). Thank you team for all you do to help us keep our studio a cleaner place to work in!

The GCA Party was held in February this year at the Palm Center. It was a lovely evening with a beautiful view of the sunset, as the amazing 7-piece band, Off The Record, played songs from the top 40 to country. Members and their guests were treated to a salad, a charcuterie board, fruit and sandwiches, along with chips, followed by cake for dessert.

When the band took a break, the raffle ticket numbers were called out. Everyone hoped they would win one of the wheel-thrown or hand-built pottery that was generously donated by the following members: Anita Britton, David Dick, Jim Donaldson, Brian Marks, and Jean Zeidler. The very lucky winners left with beautiful pieces of pottery and big smiles on their faces!

We want to thank the volunteers for setting up the decorations, helping with delivery of food, balloons, and drinks, as well as serving the food. A big shoutout to the members who donated their time to making this event a success: Leigh and Jim Donaldson, Laura Abrahams, Diane Niehof, Linda Harmon, Mark Alexander, Beckie Alexander, Susan Fish, Jacquie Wodach, and Pam Davidson. We have the BEST group of people in any club in all Grand!

Thank you for joining us in the celebration of GCA and its wonderful, caring, inclusive, kind, and exceedingly talented potters. We are so fortunate to be able to work, share, laugh, create, and spend time together. Your participation in GCA makes this club so very, very special!!
 

You can find answers to your most frequently asked questions (FAQs) by clicking on "Member Help" on the homepage of the GCA website. Here are some of the most common FAQs:
 
What if I forgot my username or password?
On the Homepage, click the Member Login button. Under “Reset Your Password”, type in your Email. The system will email your username and a link to set your password.
 
How many Service Hours do I have?
Log in to the website; click on Volunteering; click on Volunteering Reports; click the Run Report button.
 
What if I get a new CAM ID?
Log in to the website and click on “Change Contact/Profile Info”. Type in all new/changed info. It is important to keep your CAM ID current, as this is what lets you into the studio.
(Note that the Webmaster must confirm your CAM ID, which may take a day or so.)
 
What if I’m not getting emails from the club?
Check your SPAM, JUNK and even your TRASH folders. Also, add the following to your email Contacts list:

On Saturday, March 1, 2025, we lost a potter who made a huge impact on Grand Clay Arts. Bob Mohr is described by those who knew him well, as a true gentleman. A giving man who was kind and willing to share his vast knowledge of clay techniques, as well as stories about his students.

I remember one of his favorite shapes to construct was a double-wide low dome, set on edge, then he added a base and small funnel top. Italian Straw was one of the glazes that he made for the studio. One day, he made a mistake while mixing the glaze and so our proprietary recipe for Italian Straw came into being. Laguna made it for us for many years.

One day, he built a cardboard fence around his wheel, then squirted glaze onto a plate form. At speed! It was amazing to watch. When he was working, he would tell Jean, "Be quiet, I can't hear myself thinking!"

He was responsible for starting the clay club at Sun City West as well as our own, which was called Grand Ceramics at the time. In addition, he was individually responsible for gaining approval from Grand's BOD to have an area dedicated to alternative firing, which still draws admiring crowds from the community to watch as we create the "magic and mystery of raku" on the patio.
 
RIP Bob. Thank you.

Note: I have contact information for Bob's son, if you would like to send greetings.

 grandclayarts.com