Volume 17 • Issue: jun 2016
20 Sou
b
e
i
Letter from the Editor • John’s column • Introducing... • Potter of the month • the Millstone Pottery Workshop • Harties pitfire • 2015 Calendar • New members • Gauteng Committee •
r a m s ic
c
Inside this issue
e
th A fric a
16
e n n a l
Demonstration pots by Thembile Nala, Perseverance Mashele and Nesiwe Nongebeza
Gauteng Region
Affiliate South African National Association for the Visual Arts (SANAVA)
Editorial
T
he main focus for 2016 is the Corobrik National Biennale, which will be hosted by Gauteng at the end of this year. Adding interest and opportunities to this, November has been designated “Ceramic Month”. Ceramics SA will present the full Corobrik Collection in an exhibition at the Pretoria Art Museum and a sculpture exhibition at the Association of Arts gallery. Other galleries in Johannesburg and Pretoria have agreed to feature ceramics. On October 29 there will be a Potters Market and the Christmas exhibition at the Association of Arts will once again fill the gallery with work from CSA members. So – much work to be done. Many opportunities and time to be inspired, let the creative juices flow and have a body of work from which you can select the very best to submit for selection on the Biennale. To be selected for this prestigious exhibition is a great achievement, and something to which every member who has had work on a Regional exhibition can aspire. Congratulations to the Eastern Cape, who hosted the first of this year’s Regionals this month, showing some exciting work. More details on all these activities will be given later. May you find a real treasure every time you unpack your kiln.
Jerice.
Opinions expressed are those of the contributors and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Ceramics SA.
20 Sou
b
e
i
With the Corobrik National Ceramics Biennale 2016 later this year and with entries being submitted online, here is a step by step guide on how to enter:
r a m s ic
John’s Column
c
e
th A fric a
16
e n n a l
1. Select the pieces you want to enter. You can enter 3 pieces, one of which can be a set. 2. Go to the CSA website, www.ceramicssa.org and click on the link to submit your entries, which will be on the front page from 15th August until the 16th September. Submissions will be open for one month and no entries will be considered after the closing date. 3. Complete the entry form on the website and submit it. If it will not submit make sure that all required spaces are filled and then submit it. 4. Take 3 images of each of your entries, following the guidelines which will be on the entry form. 5. You will receive an email within 24 hours of your submission with the numbers of your entries and you will be given the numbers to name your images. 6. Change the file name of your images to the numbers you have been sent. Usually your images will have IMG numbers. Right click on the file name and go to ‘rename’ on the window that opens and type in the number you have been sent for each image. Save the images with these numbers. 7. Go to www.wetransfer.com and send your images, up to 9 in total, to johnshir@gmail. com 8. After you have sent the images you will receive a notification to say your images have been sent successfully. 9. Keep a note of your entry numbers and after selections a list will be drawn up of all accepted entries and this will be published on the website. 10. All selected work must then be sent to the venue. Details of this will be on the website with the published list of accepted entries.
IN T R O D U CIN G . . .
Nicholas Koursaris
The Beginner’s Guide to Online Marketing: Getting your Handmade Goods Noticed by an Online Audience
A
s the world becomes more and more industrialised and automated, it seems only natural that the instinctive human yearning for creativity and personality will be felt all the more strongly. In a world of mass produced goods, the demand for products that are handmade, home-grown and artisanal is steadily rising, and today there are many craftsmen and women that are eager to capitalise on the opportunity. Ceramics is one such rising star, with handmade dishes gracing tables countrywide, and an increasing number of studios turning out beautiful work, whether functional or decorative. The internet has proven to be possibly the most powerful tool that a modern potter or any other craftsman has at their disposal, with many operating exclusively through home-made online stores hosted by websites like Facebook and Etsy.
A little bit about the Author I am a copywriter and digital marketer by trade, but occasionally dream of abandoning office life to play with clay full time. I am an avid potter who has been a passionate amateur since childhood. My current obsession is mastering the wheel, which I practice whenever I can. I will be assisting CSA Gauteng in my capacity as a digital marketer, and also look forward to getting to know CSA member artists, as well as getting more involved in the ceramic arts community of South Africa as I draw inspiration for my own pieces.
As a digital marketer myself, my working days are devoted to ensuring that the agency’s clients have the best possible website, blog, social media pages and many other forms of online presence that money can buy. Some of these clients pay hundreds of thousands of rands monthly for these services, which should tell you how important digital marketing has become in business today. Nowadays it is so easy to make a simple website (with services like Wix and WordPress), a blog, a Facebook page, or a fully functioning online shop, that there really is no excuse for an artisan to complain about lack of marketing ability or budget. Whether it’s a part-time passion or a full-time grind, these small businesses need to market at every opportunity, especially if they have no physical storefront. Internet marketing is easy and affordable, and many ceramists have had incredible success with clever online marketing. Here are some of the secrets of their success, for you to bear in mind in your own marketing efforts: A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words The importance of the best quality photography cannot be stressed strongly enough. People who are using social media or browsing websites have notoriously short attention spans, and with the amount of content each of us consumes in the average day, this is
understandably. A striking photograph with intense colours and interesting composition are far more attention grabbing than a boring, grainy one. Photos should be well-lit, detailed, and with simple backgrounds. They must show the product honestly, but in its best possible light. Most modern smartphones are capable of taking satisfactory photographs for social media purposes, but a decent camera will do wonders for your formal product photography. A quick Google search will unearth many articles about how to photograph goods for professional results. You could also enlist the help of a friend with a decent camera and a little experience, or even a professional photographer, if your budget allows. Get Social, both Online and Offline You’re probably already using social media of some sort in your personal capacity, so there’s no reason not to use it to drum up some business, too. Sites like Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and Tumblr and are extremely visual in the way they serve content to their audiences, so these are the perfect place to start putting those amazing product photos to good use. Blogging is also a great way to make connections in your industry, both locally and internationally. If you’ve played around with Wix, WordPress, Shopify or similar site-building platforms, you’ll know that creating a blog is easy and fun, and can generate big interest in your products if done right.
exposure of your name and knowledge of your product in the online arena is no longer an option, but a necessity
Keywords are Crucial Google, Bing and other search engines use keywords to make sense of the content they have to sift through millions of times per day, in order to deliver you the most relevant results for your search. In a nutshell, keywords are the descriptive terms and words that people type into the search box in order to find what they are looking for. For example, if someone types “handmade ceramics” into Google, the pages that make the most mention of “handmade ceramics” will appear at the top of the search results. This is only one aspect of a multi-billion-dollar industry known as Search Engine Optimisation (SEO). While nobody can expect you to become an SEO pro overnight, make sure you take every opportunity to describe your business and products online (in your social media profiles’ “About” pages, on your website, in your blog, and maybe even on other websites that have featured your work). A keyword-rich listing is much more likely to be picked up What is a hashtag? in organic search results. Many online resources provide handy guides A hashtag (represented by to increasing your website traffic with basic SEO practices. the character #) is a method There are so many options in the sphere of online marketing that it of categorising and searching can be difficult to know where to start. I would recommend taking through content on social inspiration from some of the ceramists making great use of social media. It acts as a way for media today, and taking note of their methods. Eric Landon (Tortus people with similar interest Copenhagen) has achieved international fame through the beautifully to find each other and share shot wheel-throwing videos he posts on Instagram, and Adam Field their content with one another. is extremely popular for his activity on Periscope, YouTube, and Most websites these days other social channels. My advice is to create your own profiles and enable the use of hashtags. get familiar with the format of the various social media options. Use Using hashtags is an acquired hashtags to search keywords related to your products, and you will skill that becomes instinctive quickly discover a thriving community of artists. over time, but for the purposes of this particular magazine’s With a little research and practice, anybody can put good online readers, hashtags like #pottery marketing principles into place – exposure of your name and and #ceramics are a good place knowledge of your product in the online arena is no longer an option, to start. but a necessity.
the Millstone Pottery
A top!!
s if going to Millstone Pottery wasn’t enough… A workshop with 4 tremendously inspiring woman was the cherry on the
In April i was fortunate enough to go down to McGregor where Nina Shand and Paul de Jongh run their beautiful studio and gallery called Millstone Pottery. I didn’t really realise how sublime the space is until i stepped in the door. The weekend workshop was facilitated by Michelle Legg who’s knowledge of pinching, coiling, pit firing and traditional African pottery is vast. There were demos by each woman from three different areas in SA, Thembile Nala from KZN, Perseverance Mashele from Limpopo and Nesiwe Nongebeza from Transkei. They were working at different spaces around the studio and we were
y Workshop
By Ashleigh Christelis
Thank you to all who made it possible. able to watch and ask questions as well as make our own pots that would be fired in a pit on the Sunday. During the course of the weekend we watched how each woman finished off their pots too The weekend was incredibly inspiring, full of glorious moments and incredible food, I remember one of the woman saying “oh i just come to Millstone for the food!” Nina and Paul are wonderful hosts with so much knowledge about clay and life. Michelle showed great slides and explained techniques and guided all the participants with much patience. During the Sunday firing sessions we were able to witness how each of these traditional firings are done… It was truly magical!
Meanwhile, not far from Jozi...
The Broeders HARTIES POTTERS, members are: Margaret Hugo, Lisa Zeffertt, Trixi Junge, Leslie Phillips, Noelene v.d.Walt, Claire Waters, Ria Scheepbouwer, Cathy Birnham
Ria Scheepbouwer Lisa Zeffert
Kathy Bigham
On Saturday the 4th of June, Lisa, Leslie, Cathy and Ria came together to have their first attempt at making a “Pit-firing”! We decided to do this at Lisa’s home, situated on a large piece of ground overlooking the Magalies Mountains and the Dam, just too beautiful!!! Together with her gardener they had dug a 2x2x1m hole, it is huge! We had all brought some items of paper clay, earthen- or stoneware and Cathy had some extra pots for us to paint with oxides, Cobalt, Copper etc. We had fun with that and went on with the business of filling up the pit. The 1st layer was a lot of grass and sawdust, Lisa packed and Ria crumbled up a whole phone book to push inbetween the items. More sawdust was added and than the hard work started for us to fill the pit with more dried grass, which had been mowed and left to dry. Small branches of dead trees, Kakiebos, bark anything we could lay our hands on. On 2 sticks we wrapped some kitchen towel, that was dipped in petrol, ready to light the fire! A huge flame shot up and the wind did the rest. Then we made a cross of tree trunks, resting on the sides, from there we started throwing the bigger trunks on, making sure that it was not too heavy! We fuelled the fire for about 2 hours and left it to die down. We all had lunch, each of us bringing something to the table! We rested and chatted and had fun! The fire died down enough for the girls to cover the pit with corrugated iron roof plates in order to keep the fire smouldering. Dirty, but satisfied we left, waiting for the “Magic” to happen. On Tuesday Margaret, Trixi, Leslie, Cathy and Ria arrived at Lisa to uncover the pit. It had cooled down enough to see what had happened to our pots etc. Lisa slid down into the pit, large gloves on and found the first item, unfortunately we discovered that the fire had not been hot enough. After Lisa had taken out all the pots, we found that we were all keen to try again. If all goes well, that will happen on the 23rd of June.
By Ria Scheepbouwer
stroom Burn SAVE THE LION! You might like to try this next time something gets firmly stuck to a kiln shelf. This sculpted lion standing on a flat base, made by a student of Minette Zaaiman, was glazed with a turquoise earthenware glaze which was very fluid and ran down over the base, fixing the piece firmly onto the shelf. Nothing would move it. Minette was told that she should immerse the shelf, with lion attached in a bath of water for several hours. Worth a try!
½ Leslie Phillips
Margaret Hugo
Shelf and Lion in bath
Dirty, but satisfied we left, waiting for the “Magic” to happen.
Released Lion!! About 6 hours later the base ,with the lion intact, lifted off the shelf – no cracks – fired glaze still sticking to the shelf and under the base of the lion, but could be ground off. If anyone else has success with this method please let us know.
Rem e
mber
Potters Market tra An ex is effort ade m being ertise to advent on the ev media social ve an to ha reater even geness awar g the amon lic. pub
Sat 29 October
!!
Start preparing for the 2nd Potters Market this year! We hope to have a large turnout of members. All CSA Gauteng members are invited to take part in the market. The cost is R200 per table. Bring your own cloths, umbrella, chairs, cash box etc. A credit card facility will be available at one of the stalls. For planning purposes please let us know if you would like to participate.
WEATHER FORECAST PLANNING In view of the fact that we will not be able to move the market into the Gallery as the Assoc. of Arts will be hosting a current exhibition, artists who have booked tables are requested to contact Jerice between 05:00 & 06:00 on 012 460 6516 or 082 683 5680 should it look as if it will be raining in Pretoria in the morning or to determine whether it is already doing so, to establish whether it will be necessary to cancel the event. This pertains especially to stand holders who need to travel long distances.
Cynthia tel: 074 703 4399 • email: ceramicssa@icon.co.za
Association of Arts Pretoria Sat 29 October • 9 am – 3 pm
Winter Workshop
Saturday, August 27th
Decorating with Rhoda Henning The methods that we will be demonstrating It can all be participating. On bone dry or bisque. With underglazes • Painting a lighter background • Painting a dark background • Blowing bubbles • Painting watercolour effect. In wet stage • Pressing plates In leather hard stage • Engraving underglaze • Varnish resist • Underglaze inlays. Rhoda is well known for her colourful ceramics and is a previous premier award winner of the National exhibition. Her daughter, Madelaine, moved from the Cape to join her mother in the studio and will also demonstrate. Place: Rhoda Henning’s studio in Brooklyn, Pretoria. Time: 09.30 to 14.30. Cost: Members R350 • Non members R450 Bookings: Tel.: 074 703 4399 Fax to email: 086 664 0958 ceramicssa@icon.co.za More details and directions will be sent out later.
diary 2016 MONTHLY POTTER of the month - Every First Sunday Presenting Belinda Leontsinis from 5th June
Winter Workshop Saturday, August 27th
AUG
Decorating with Rhoda Henning Place: Rhoda Henning’s studio in Brooklyn, Pretoria. Time: 09.30 to 14.30.
NB sep
15 August - System opens for National exhibition submission 16th September - LAST day for National exhibition submissions - system closes sat midnight. 23rd & 24th – National Biennale Selections; 30th Notification of all submitted entries
COLLECTION EXHIBITION 23rd October – December 25th 2016 Opening: Sunday 23rd October, 11:00 Henry Preiss Hall - Pretoria Art Museum
oct
Potters Market
COROBRIK NATIONAL CERAMICS BIENNALE UJ Art Gallery Kingsway campus Opening Sunday 9th - Closes 25 th r a m • Saturday 12th – workshop by e Sasha Wardell (uk) –
c
International Award Judge
•S unday 6th SCULPTURE EXHIBITION –
b
Sculpture workshop with talk by Greek Ceramist Valentinos Charalambous Ass of Arts. Opening by Gordon Froud. Assoc. of Arts Pretoria (tbc)
s ic
Madoda Fani
Nov
Sat 29 October
i
e
e n n a l
• Christmas exhibition at the Assoc. of Arts, Pretoria. Curated
POTTER OF THE MONTH by Cornelia Wessels
The Association of Arts Pretoria in collaboration with Ceramics SA Gauteng has launched a ‘Potter of the Month’ exhibition on every first Sunday of the Month. It forms part of the Pretoria art meander.
The purpose of this [recurrent (monthly)] exhibition is to present potters and their work to the public. Nici Brocwell was our first potter of the month for April and her beautiful work was a real delight.
We looking forward to seeing the work of our next potters of the month: • Belinda Leontsinis 5 June • Robert Wagener 3 July • Sandra Goercke 7 August • Gina Forssman 4 September • Roger Evans 2 October The Pretoria Meander
http://www.artsassociationpta.co.za/Pretoria%20Art%20Meander%20booklet.pdf This is an event not to be missed. Make a booking in your dairy and visit: 173 Mackie Str, Pretoria at: 10:30 for 11:00 every first Sunday For more information contact the gallery at 012 346 3100.
*
Gauteng Region
PLEASE NOTE:
Technological advances have resulted in membership cards becoming redundant. This, together with the current day postal situation where there is a great deal of speculation about the effective distribution and delivery of post, has led to a decision by the National Council to discontinue the exercise with immediate effect. The resultant cost saving will be allocated to other promotional initiatives.
Since graduating from art hasNorth featured P school, O Box she 2900 Riding prominently at R.S.A. exhibitions, both 2162 Gauteng as exhibitor curator. She Tel.: 074 703and 4399 has already featured Fax to email: 086 664 0958 prominently as finalist and ceramicssa@icon.co.za prize-winner at Sasol's new www.ceramicssa.org signatures art competition, the Thami Mnyele fine art competition and ceramics SA's regional exhibition in 2012. Her first solo exhibition, titled Samsara... the journey of the soul Millar, is scheduled for the first Kim Trish quarter of 2013 as part of her Pichulik andin fine art. M Tech degree
WELCOME to our NEW MEMBERS:
Wendy Tsai (student).
Gauteng Management Team Name Duties Colleen Lehmkuhl Regional Chair/ Meeting Notes John Shirley Vice Chair/ Exhibitions Nici Brockwell General Assist Gillian Clark Workshops Dineke den Bakker Vaal Triangle Liaison Michelle Legg Clay Festival/ Exhibitions Jerice Doeg Exhibitions/ Meeting Notes Darien Harrison Catering Bob Wagener Clay Festival/ Exhibitions Karen van der Riet Potters’ Market Minette Zaaiman General Assist
Tel. No. Mobile e-mail 011 463 7262 073 481 0889 colleen@potterystudio.co.za 011 640 4982 083 407 5968 johnshir@gmail.com 011 702 4600 083 257 7330 nicibceramic@gmail.com 011 706 7289 074 782 2640 gillian@lamariceramics. co.za 016 932 2173 082 715 1639 dineke.denbakker@lantic. net 083 730 0250 michellejanelegg@gmail. com 012 460 6516 082 683 5680 jerice@informsa.co.za 012 667 1207 082 463 8653 dunkelly@mweb.co.za email wag@iafrica.com 012 660 2341 082 655 2121 karenvanderriet@gmail.com 012 460 5823 073 255 2482
All Management Team members, apart from their specific portfolios, can be co opted to special large projects on the current calendar
DTP: Claire Waters
Manufacturers and suppliers of a wide range of stoneware and earthenware clays for throwing, slab building and casting in buff, terracotta and white.
Telephone 082 808-9166 / 082 885-1103 Email: ndebelemining@gmail.com work and images supplied by Digby Hoets
+27 11 482-2215 1 Annet Road Cottesloe Johannesburg email: liebpott@iafrica.com www.liebermannpottery.com
An exciting array of Southern African potters and ceramic artists, both rural and urban, including˚Lisa Liebermann, are showcased at Liebermann Gallery. The Gallery is located in the historic Gas Works, close to the trendy Melville shopping area. Liebermann Pottery in Johannesburg has an extensive range of traditional handmade cottage tableware, dinnerware and ceramic picture tiles, brilliantlycoloured˚contemporary garden˚planters˚and vases, with their distinctive Liebermann ambience. For the Bonsai enthusiast, the Liebermann Gallery has the largest selection of planters on the continent. Our Cape Town gallery is situated on an old Cape farm, on Kommetjie Main Road, near Kommetjie on the Cape Peninsula.˚
GLAZECORcc GLAZE & FRIT MANUFACTURERS
PRODUCT RANGE
Glazes For all applications and temperatures, constantly being developed- how can we meet your needs? Clays Throwing clay in White and Terra Cotta from fine to textured with coarse grog Porcelain throwing clay and casting slip Casting slip in White and Terra Cotta Clay bodies blended to customers formulations Underglazes Liquid underglazes with over 100 colours to choose from Powder underglazes Stains A broad range of colours for every application Raw Material Just about everything to make your own glazes, clay bodies, moulds…. Kiln Furniture Kiln shelves & Props, Element wire, Temperature controllers, Compensating cables and Thermocouples, Pyrometric cones, Insullation Bricks, Fibre Blanket…. Miscellaneous Pottery Tools, Engobes, Relief Glazes, Onglazes, Glass Enamels, Lustres… New and second hand equipment…
great. mall or ndly s o to ie d is No nee us today for fr e… t ic c v ta d n a o l a C fession and pro
194 Immelman Road, Wadeville, Germiston Tel: 011-827-0280/1/2/3 Email: jpryde@vodamail.co.za
Let Glazecor Be Your Partner In Business