December 2013 Congratulations to all our students who participated in our Student Exhibition. We were proud to receive so many compliments from visitors, and are definitely going to make this an annual event. A noticeable factor was the individuality of all our student’s work – every one of you have started to develop your own ‘voice of expression’. No two student’s work looked alike and from decorating to making techniques, the work was very diverse. We were especially pleased to hear feedback from families – it’s great that they were there to show support for your creativity. Thanks too for everyone who so generously provided catering, most of it home made! We were overwhelmed at the variety and quantity and enjoyed the leftovers the entire weekend that we had the open studio. The launch of the Gallery was a goal we set ourselves earlier this year and we received many compliments on that as well. We plan to have a permanent exhibition of teacher’s work as well as to highlight a student ‘Pot/potter of the Month’. Bob Wagener’s beautiful coiled bowl is the first to receive this accolade and can be viewed in the gallery till the end of January (unless he sells it sooner!). The gallery is intimate and ideally suits solo exhibitions or ‘themed’ exhibitions. We are very excited about plans for 2014 and have started discussing a solo exhibition with one of our students for mid-year, and are thinking of a themed exhibition ‘White on White’ later in the year open to all our students. Let us know what you think.
Plans for 2014 In keeping with our long term goal of setting up a ‘Ceramic Academy’, we will be offering the following classes and workshops in 2014; John Shirley • John will continue to offer weekly studio pottery classes on Tuesday, Wed and Thursday mornings, Tuesday afternoons and Wed evenings. Classes are open to all levels and beginners are welcome. • A Month of ….’ Workshops have proven to be very popular on Wednesday afternoons. John ran ‘A Month of Porcelain’ ‘A Month of Mould Making and Slip casting, ‘A Month of Letting Go’ and ‘A Month of Glazing’ in the past few months. These workshops run for 4 consecutive Wed afternoons from 1.30 – 4.30pm and allow students to focus on a particular aspect of ceramics. John will announce his program for 2014 in the New Year – please let us know if there is something in particular you’d be interested in learning more about. • Mentorship Program. For slightly more serious students, these Friday morning sessions are run monthly over 6 months. John has been running this program for over 4 years and has seen remarkable progress in students that have been through the program. Speak to John if you are interested in joining the next group. Michelle Legg • We are delighted to welcome Michelle Legg back to the studio after her sojourn in the UK. Michelle will be starting a Saturday morning pottery class starting in February. • Life Sculpture classes. These will be a series of classes focusing on the human form, often working from a live model. Michelle will send out her schedule for these classes in the new year and depending on demand, will start in Feb or March. • Private Pottery Workshops. Ideally suited for small groups as a once-off fun event, birthday party, anniversary or simply a ‘getting to know clay’ workshop. Gift Vouchers for workshops are available and make ideal presents for someone who has everything! Speak to myself or Michelle about the various options available. Julia Kunstler Julia continues to offer her wonderful ceramic painting classes on Monday mornings and Tuesday evenings. Julia has a range of bisc ware available for painting at the studio. Please contact Julia directly regarding costs and class availability – kunstler@global.co.za
Examples of Antionette Badenhorst’s work Antoinette Badenhorst • Antoinette is a SA ceramist based in the USA who is internationally acclaimed for her beautiful thrown and carved porcelain. We are delighted to announce that Antoinette is visiting SA in June/July 2014 and is going to be running an intensive week long porcelain workshop at the studio. Details will be announced as soon as Antoinette has firmed up her travel dates. Google her in the meantime and view the Youtube video she made, I am sure you will be as impressed as we are with her incredible work. CSA Membership Ceramics Southern Africa is the representative body for all ceramists in the country and membership is open to all, whether professional or part time hobby potters. CSA offers many benefits to members including workshops, exhibitions, regional newsletter and national magazine. Artist profiles on the CSA website are free to members and is a great way of marketing your work. Membership is R550 per year – speak to any of us should you be interested in joining. Fees As most of you know, we believe our budgets take enough strain in January so we take annual fee increases in the middle of the year. As a reminder - Fees are due on the 1st of the month and are the same whether there are 4 or 5 weeks in the month. There will be no classes on public holidays. On the few days that a public holiday falls during the week, it balances out with quite a few 5 week months. Missed classes must be made up by the end of the following month, on days other than your regular class. Please let me know if you are making up a class so that I know how full the class will be as we want to maintain a fair teacher/student ratio to ensure adequate time for each student. When you are paying by eft, please use your name and the month as a reference. Remember we start next year on the 7th of January May you and your loved ones be safe and happy over the Festive Season and the year ahead. Looking forward to some great creations coming out of the studio again in 2014. Kind Regards, Colleen, John and Michelle