The next general membership meeting of Grand Clay Arts will be September 16, 2021, at 9:00 AM.

Finally, Sun City Grand is experiencing some of that great late spring 100 degree weather!  You know the drill...early morning to rise, mid-afternoon siesta, back to it after sundown.

Thank you to everyone for supporting the SCG community C-19 guidelines, especially mask and social distancing in the Clay Arts studio.  We certainly missed our members and friends staying away from SCG this season due to C-19 concerns.  We look forward to your return later this year or early next year.

Overall the 2021 winter season was a success.

Great classes and workshops were offered.  Sessions ranging from afternoon workshops to focused specialty classes sold out quickly.  The same format will be considered moving into the Fall season.  The club also replaced the outdoor kiln in support of the expanding alternative firing program.  Additionally, a professional grade slab roller was introduced into the studio this season.

On the tech side, www.grandclayarts.com has developed into the club's main source of information and daily administration.  The Gallery (pottery online sales) is a powerful tool featuring your creations.  Online sales results show that consumers are finding their way to the website in support of our artists.

None of this would be possible without the time and dedication members invest in support of the club on an ongoing basis...thank you!

In closing, here is a review of the club's successful participation in the Market at Grand (formerly Farmers Market).  Between April and May events, 200 pieces of pottery were sold in a combined 6 hour period.  The outstanding results are based on years of members refining the club's approach to building loyalty within the SCG community.


The overall success of the Market at Grand events will be further enhanced in the near term.  David Twiggs (SCG General Manager) views the Market at Grand events as an opportunity to showcase SCG's seven visual arts groups, also known collectively as Artisan Fusion.  The enhanced exposure offers current residents, as well as prospective home owners, an opportunity to embrace SCG's vast creative possibilities. 

Have a great month!

Tip for Reserving Studio Time

When using your smart phone or tablet, it turns out there is a trick to using "This Week/Next Week."  Who knew?  I generally use my laptop, so didn't tumble to this issue sooner.  My apologies!

Our reservation system is based on Google Sheets; therefore, the device must have the Google Sheets application downloaded to it.

When you attempt to make a reservation, you may see a message to download Google Sheets, or the system may just not work properly.  In either case, do go to the app store and download Google Sheets - it's free.

As various devices work differently, it is difficult to give specific instructions.  So if you are having any issues, please just give me a shout.

GCA Gallery

Reminder:  Summertime Gallery is On!

The Gallery will continue to operate through the summer months.  Artists may post pieces then bring them to the studio.  Items may remain on the Gallery all summer, unless the artist opts to remove them.  (Please notify gallerystaff@grandclayarts.com of any removals.)  Sales will be processed online as usual, with volunteers in the studio to handle the pick-ups.

After acquiring a new turquoise raku kiln, alternative firing ended our season with the always amazing Naked Raku, sometimes referred to as Slip Resist Raku.  (Please note that all participants wore clothing to the event.)  After two days of preparation, we met early in the morning at raku park and fired our pieces, smoked them, then squirted them with water and watched the shell fall off revealing the smoke pattern underneath.  Everyone works as a team during this event and we are always surprised at the results of applying layers of sacrificial slip and sacrificial glaze to our bisque ware.  Tints of color can be added after firing, but traditionally, the Naked Raku is a black and white smoke pattern on the naked surface of the pot, which is finished with wax.  Although the process has many parts, it is simplified by clear, step-by-step directions and working as a team during the prepping and firing.  Thrown pieces, flat pieces and well-constructed hand-built pieces all work for this activity using special shock-absorbent clay.

We will start our alternative firing again in the Fall, when the weather mellows.  We offer Raku, Obvara, Blackware, Horsehair, Naked Raku and Saggar.  Typically, there will be a lecture with many samples and lots of how-to information at the beginning of the season for those who have not tried this before.  Consider joining the fun next season!

We currently do not have classes scheduled while we go through our seasonal population change.  If any of you hearty summer residents have an interest in one of our many class offerings or other clay processes, please let one of us know.  We will attempt to schedule classes as interest and instructor availability allow. 

Thank you for making the past season such a success with high demand for class offerings.

The Education Team