February 2026
Monthly Newsletter

GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING
February 19, 2026 • 9 AM • Pima Room

FROM YOUR PRESIDENT

Cathy Rick


We look forward to seeing you at the upcoming General Membership Meeting on Thursday, February 19. Take a peek at the agenda here:  https://www.grandclayarts.com/docs/February_2026_General_Membership_Meeting
_Agenda.pdf


Renovation Update 
Our Grand Clay Arts club will be moving to the expanded Agave/Cholla building (currently Poker club). The expanded space will meet all of our submitted requirements, including designated/improved outdoor space for alternative firing. We will begin detailed discussions regarding layout, traffic flow, lighting, plumbing, storage, electrical, etc. in the coming weeks. The temporary timeline for starting construction is Summer of 2027 with anticipated move-in by late 2027 or early 2028.

New Kilns Ordered
Three of our current kilns are failing. We have gained support from CAM to upgrade our kiln room wiring to support new production kilns that are larger and have expanded capabilities for firing. The kilns are on order but there is a backlog for delivery, and we’ll need to coordinate timing of the installation with completion of the upgraded wiring.
 
Bob Mohr Award
Thank you to all who took the time to nominate a member for this special recognition. There were 19 submissions, and we had 6 nominees. The GCA Board is proud to announce Jim Donaldson as the award recipient. Jim is known for his extensive contributions to the planning for our studio expansion and his awesome, impactful leadership of the Glaze Team. Members can count on Jim for sound advice with his calm and pleasant approach. CONGRATS, Jim!!


Jim Donaldson, recipient of the Bob Mohr award at  
the Membership Appreciation Party on Feb. 9th

Monitor Pilot Evaluation to Continue
Data showed that there was an increased number of monitor slots filled during the pilot and the majority of comments/observations during the pilot have been supportive. The Board has endorsed the continuation of the policy allowing members to work on their clay projects while on monitor duty. All monitoring duties must be adhered to. Monitors may NOT use the glaze room while on duty and MUST observe members as they check in to the club in order to ensure that they’re in good standing.  

Monitor Refresher Video and Handbook Reference
The newly created refresher video for monitoring will be available on our website soon. Additionally, there will be a comprehensive reference binder available at the monitor station; it will have detailed information on frequently asked questions.

GALLERY UPDATE

Sherri Singer

Now Accepting 7 Gallery Items
I’m pleased to announce that you are now able to submit up to 7 items for the in-studio gallery. This increase will be effective through the summer and will be reevaluated in early October. Remember to give your artwork a descriptive name and use the brown tags in the studio, which are by the computer and gallery staging area. Please put your full name on one side and the title and price on the other. This is a very busy time of year with lots of visitors that like to come in and purchase our beautiful pottery, so keep your gallery submissions coming.

New Gallery Interface
A new Gallery interface was rolled out last week. There are differences in the presentation, but all the functionality is still there, plus a bit more. The new interface does seem to be working well for folks, but if you do have any issues, please send a note to webmaster@grandclayarts.com.
Of interest are these features:

  • Display Options:  Icons on the right side of the screen change the display from a grid view to a listing. At the bottom of the screen, there are controls to scroll through the pages and also to control how many items per page.

  • Search Products:  Type in a name or title, then click the magnifying glass. This will display just the items that match within the title.

  • Hide Sold Out Products:  Click in the square to hide (or unhide) items that are marked as Sold Out.

A note about "Categories":
The software is designed with the capability to have many categories of products, however, GCA only uses one - Grand Clay Arts Original Artwork. Options on the screen that refer to Category are not applicable for us.
 
New Modify a Gallery Item Option
We've added an option to modify a gallery item that's already submitted. You may now change the Title, Price, Description, and even submit a different photo. Previously, these changes were handled by emailing individuals on the team. Using this form will prevent any confusion or the chance of missing an email. This form can be found on the homepage and also on the members' page, along with the Submit and Remove forms.

GLAZE ROOM UPDATE

Jim Donaldson

"My Glaze Result Doesn't Seem Right"
If a glaze or stain doesn’t seem right (and you have mixed it very well), talk to a Glaze Team member. The member list is posted on the door. There is a paper form on top of the microwave to help get our attention. We will investigate and get back to you.  

If you are in doubt or trying something new; slow down and use test tiles or other non-critical pieces to validate your plan.

Many of our glazes and stains are quite expensive. Use only what you need and return the uncontaminated remaining amount to the source bucket. If you have only added gum solution, the glaze may also be returned to the bucket.

Test Tiles
We provide test tiles in three clay bodies (B-mix, Speckled Buff, and Redstone). They are free and there is no charge to glaze or fire. Use an underglaze pencil to note at least your initials and date. You don't have one of these pencils? Ask around, someone is sure to have one you can borrow.
 
The Glaze Room Request form (in the binder on top of Microwave) is a great way to let us know. Post your form where we will see it or email: glazelead@grandclayarts.com 

Glaze Status
Viscosity of a glaze is one of many factors that will affect the layer thickness when dipping. For some glazes viscosity is not static. The literature suggests this can be due to leaching of chemicals from the minerals in the chemical soup we call glaze.
 
Glaze chemistry is more complicated than we would like. Both Stoned Denim and Maycoshino had drifted from the ideal viscosity. This is why Stoned Denim results were overly brown. These glazes have been repaired and re-tested. We now have a new metric (viscosity) to measure and track. Hopefully, this will result in a better user experience.

Sunflower Yellow (in a small bucket) is a relatively thick glaze which is best used for brush-on. If you dip, expect pinholing of the glaze.

Community Glazes

There is a growing set of pint bottles available in the glaze room for your use.  f you use these glazes, they do not require glaze stickers. If you donate to this collection, please cross out your name so there is no confusion.
 
If you use the large bucket maintained glazes, mark your fire sheet appropriately and add Glaze stickers.
 
Share Your Glaze Combinations
Let us know what glaze combinations you're experimenting with and share your results! Send a photo and details to: GlazeLead@GrandClayArts.com

This is a glaze combination demonstrated to us by Theresa Fritz. 
Clay body: Speckled Buff
  1. Bottom 2/3 Ancient Copper x 3
  2. Top 1/3 Obsidian x 3, Sapphire Float x 3 (with slight overlap on Ancient Copper) t
  3. Then, 3 x Seaweed, also overlapping the Ancient Copper

Got a question, concern, or suggestion?
The Glaze Room Request form (in binder on top of Microwave) is a great way to let us know. Post your form where we will see it. Or email: GlazeLead@GrandClayArts.com 

EDUCATION

Cindy Wright

March is almost here with some great NEW learning opportunities. Check out the Abstract Image Transfer on Tile class or the Mold Making class. Both are NEW this year. 

And take a look at the rest of the class roster. Each class offers a chance to make a beautiful creation and, most importantly, learn skills that can be valuable for other projects. And as many have said—even taking a class you’ve taken before, the teachers refresh the approach so there’s always something new to learn. 

So let’s make some cool stuff! 

MEMBERSHIP APPRECIATION PARTY

Sherri Singer

The Membership Appreciation Party held on February 9th was a blast! It was FAR OUT man! Many thanks to those who participated in the ‘LOVE IN’ theme. It was fun to see everyone having a good time together. 
 




A BIG Thank You to Trish McGinnis and Diane Palley (below) and the volunteers that helped with the event!



Dressed up or not, the band kept everyone on the dance floor. 


Thank you for attending and making memories together!

JOIN THE IT TEAM

Karen LeMar

Welcome Lisa Minton to the IT team!
Lisa has volunteered to manage our FaceBook site, and she is doing a great job.
Thank you, Lisa!
 
That said, we are still looking for help in a couple of areas. Please consider volunteering for one of the following positions:

  • Maintain the Volunteer sign-up Calendar - This position involves inputting time slots onto the Volunteer Calendars monthly and takes about 1 hour
  • Backup Webmaster - Lots of things to do and lots of things to learn about!

Take Our Member Survey by February 24​
Within our membership, we have all sorts of amazing talent and skills in many different areas. This is a chance for our members to share their skills and experience! You should have already received an email with a link to the survey. The link is keyed to each individual member. The survey will close on Tuesday, 2/24. 

New Addition to the Volunteer Calendar
We are adding additional sign-up categories to the Volunteer Calendar. This should make life easier for members (and for our Hours Recorder, Bella Frederiksen!)  Currently, there are sign-up slots for the Cleaning Crew, and, hopefully, a few more can be added. To record hours for Cleaning Crew, go to the Volunteer Calendar and sign up just as you would for Monitoring.

Scanning Into the Studio More than Once
This is a follow-up to a question that was asked at the January General Meeting. When a member scans into the studio more than once, the display color and info will be the same each time. So, if a member shows in green on their first scan-in, subsequent scan-ins on that day will still show green.

WINNERS - SPECKLED BLUE GRAY CHALLENGE

Irene Chappell and Monique Greer

We want to thank those who participated in the Glaze Room's Speckled Blue Gray Challenge! 

All of the entries were very well done, but there were 5 that stood out within the described categories.

Best Use of Speckled Blue Gray: Brian Marx
*Best Layering Effect: Cheryl Kirscher
*Best Layering Effect: Jim Donaldson
Best Functional Form: Nancy Quinlisk
Best Application on Non-Functional Piece: Irina Bowman
*Tie

The 5 winners will describe how they achieved their result and have their pieces on display at this week's General Meeting, so stop by and check them out!

Congratulations!

SUPPLY

Theresa Fritz

Hello everyone! We're into another month of a full studio abuzz with creativity. We are seeing some absolutely stunning work from our membership. 

Marjon Ceramics Open House
Marjon will be holding their open house activities February 27th and 28th. Lots of demos and activities, new products to see and fun for all potters throughout the valley. See the posters in the studio for more information and plan to attend, if you have the time.

Mayco and Amaco Pricing
Marjons has recently notified us of a slight increase to all Mayco products. Amaco's increase occurred at the beginning of the year. Our clay pricing remains unchanged, as decided by GCA's board, which is good news to all.

Keep in Mind When Placing Special Orders
Please be specific with product names colors and your contact information. It takes Beckie and I considerable extra time looking up colors and product names, if you only include a number or a brand name on the order form. For reference, you can find the information online at either Amaco or Mayco websites, we have a 2024 Amaco catalog in a binder in the cupboard behind the Monitor's desk, and a Mayco poster on the back of the glaze room door. Or, you can please ask either of us for help when we are in studio. We are always glad to help. The Member special order form is located on the pegboard near the glaze room.

For new members wanting tools to advance your skills, we do have a number of very useful tools in the storage room showcase. The Monitor will be happy to show you the various tools that we keep in stock for your needs. 

Some great news will be shared by the board at our next meeting, be sure to attend Thursday February 19th. 

Theresa & Beckie 

GET TO KNOW - BEA DOLL-SHEPARD

Monique Greer


What brought you to the Grand? 
My husband and I are stalking our adorable grandchildren and moved here from the Seattle area in 2023. We are full-time residents.

What were you doing professionally prior to retirement? What aspect of your profession did you enjoy the most?
I was a complaint analyst for a life insurance/financial company. I enjoyed listening and resolving issues for our customers and responding to the Insurance Commissioners’ inquiries.
 
What other activities do you enjoy - in or outside The Grand?
I enjoy quilting and learning about the desert animals and plants - very different than Seattle!

Many of us have seen your adorable "monsters" - what is the inspiration behind making these and what do you do with them?
My son laughed when I told him I was going to make a monster! That motivated me to make a monster for him! His favorite book was “Where the Wild Things Are”. The monsters are named after the number in the order that they were created. My son’s monster is named 3 because my first two monsters were not successful. I have made a total of 13, but 7 & 8 don’t exist anymore because they blew up! They are various sizes and colors, and several are on people’s desks in the Phoenix area, but the majority are yard monsters and reside under bushes and plants outside my home.



What is your favorite dessert?
I love Crème Brûlée!
 
Describe in 1 word how you feel when you're playing with mud: THERAPEUTIC!

GARDEN EXPO SUCCESS

Debby Luchetti



A big thank you to everyone who sold and supported our participation in the first ever Garden Club EXPO that was held at the end of January. I wanted to share this sweet note from the Garden Club's President, Karen Rowland.

Thank you for the Clay Arts participation in the EXPO Saturday. I know that you and the club have many responsibilities, and this added to your workload. The work displayed for sale was beautiful and your gift basket was over the TOP, WOW, what a lot of beautiful things in the basket.  My only regret is that I didn’t win it!! I hope the event was successful for the club. I loved your enthusiasm for our EXPO, it was great working with you.

Thanks again,
Karen

GCA New Look! Newsletter - February 2026