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January 2008
New Glazes
The glaze room is running
smoothly and we hope to have enough choices to fill your every
color whim!
We are testing 2 new colors.
Desert Yellow is a nice contrast to lemon, more subtle and
Turbulent Indigo blue can be dark or very bright. Test tiles have
been fired in 3 clay selections: Redstone, B Mix, WS 4, and
Speckled Buff. Please check out the test results with 1 or 2 dips
and breaks. Try some either completely dipped or as an accent.
Share your results or make sure to leave a comment. If enough
people are excited, we will consider adding them to our
selections.
You may have noticed some
small buckets of glaze. These are the runny glazes that we
encourage you to use as accents, rather than a full dip. Some of
our old friends have been relocated to the floor near the sink, so
be sure to look around for them.
Please lets remember to clean
up drips, splashes and spills when you finish glazing your
wonderful creations.
Be creative and have fun!
Many new colorful combinations are being tested and we love to see
your completed treasures.
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August 2007
New
Committee Members
The Glaze
Committee welcomes two new members this month, Dot Reeve and
Barbara Spinner. The summer committee is: Connie Johnson, Chair;
Aleta Basso, Dot Reeve, and Barbara Spinner. Contact any of them
with glaze concerns and/or questions.
Empty
Bowls glazing 8/8 at 6 p.m.
On
Wednesday, August 8, we will again have a busy evening in the
studio glazing our bowls for the Empty Bowls project. Come
down and learn how to glaze on the fast-track! Try some glaze
combinations you've been wanting to try! You will be able to see
your spectacular creations before they are snapped up by eager
buyers.
Tip from
Ceramic Arts Daily:
To minimize
the risk of crawling glaze mishaps, glaze the interior of the
vessel first, then allow it to dry completely — even if this means
waiting an hour — before dipping or pouring exterior glaze. Pots
saturated with too much water cannot accept subsequent layering of
any more glaze.
Enjoy the
quiet time at the studio while you can, and... Have a good glaze
month!
Connie Johnson Glaze Committee Chair
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June
2007
Summer is here, and there are parking
spaces near the studio! There is room at the wheels, at the
tables, in the glaze room! Enjoy your studio freedom.
Time to try
something new? Explore the world of underglazes, on-glazes,
oxides, engobes, sgraffito; and use one of our many standard
glazes to enhance the beauty of pieces incorporating any of these
techniques.
Please remember
to sign in when using the glaze room and remember the maximum
number of people glazing at one time is two.
Also, please
do not add water to glazes; do not alter glazes in any way.
If you want a thinner application, use a separate small container
to thin just the amount you need. The Glaze Committee
calendar lists who is assigned to glaze duties each week, so
please check with that person if you have a question or concern
about a glaze.
And as always, have a great glaze month!
Connie Johnson, Glaze Committee Chair
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May 2007
Have you tried our latest test glazes?
They are Lemon Yellow and Blackberry wine. Please place any
comments you have regarding these glazes in the tray below the
bulletin board on the glaze room door. This will help us decide
whether to keep either of these glazes, or try something new.
Also look for printed glaze
hints/suggestions, which will be available by or on the bulletin
board. These suggestions are *not* meant as a substitute for glaze
classes.
A class is always a good idea! These are just reminders of what
you already know, and maybe a few hints to help put together what
to many of us is the glaze puzzle.
Those of us who work in the glaze room
know how to mix glazes, but we are not by any means experts on the
art of glazing. Remember, your own test tiles are *always* a good
idea; the tiles in the glaze room are a guide only.
A safety reminder: Please, no sanding
in the glaze room. Also, a courtesy reminder: No more than two
people glazing at one time, no more than two pieces at a time. If
there is no one waiting to use the glaze room, you may take more
pieces in. Also, if you are applying with a brush (painting),
please take a small container of glaze and do your brushing in the
general work area so others can use the glaze room.
The order of Copper Matte has arrived
and we now will have enough in the big bucket for dipping.
Have a great glaze month!
Connie Johnson, Glaze Committee Chair
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April 2007
Spring is a
time of renewal — of energy, of spirit, of color. We in the Glaze
Room are sharing the excitement of spring with you by introducing
you to three new glazes. These three new colors may or may not
become permanent, depending upon their reception and usage by
you, our club members.
Look for
three small, new buckets on the floor, beneath the shelf that
holds the 5-gallon glaze buckets. They will be marked with the
color and the message "Try Me." Test tiles will be prepared as
soon as possible. These are food-safe cone 5 Laguna glazes. The
colors are: Blackberry Wine, Lemon Yellow, and Soft Concrete. You
can apply them by brushing or pouring, but there will not be
enough glaze in the test-size buckets for dipping.
As a safety
reminder, when the "Do Not Enter" sign is on the glaze room
door, please stay out of the room. This means you cannot enter to
glaze, you cannot enter to visit, and you cannot enter to return
or to get molds. The dry glazes in powder form are harmful to our
lungs; that is why we take the precaution of wearing dust masks
when we mix dry glazes. If you want to glaze, place your name on
the sign-up board. We do not keep you out to punish you; we are
concerned for your safety as well as ours. We try to do the mixing
at off-peak times because we know how important glazing each and
every piece is to you. Please be patient with us when we find it
necessary to close the door for a bit. Thank you for your
cooperation!
Have a good
glaze month!
Connie Johnson, Glaze Committee Chair
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March 2007
Thanks to
all of you who participated in the glaze survey. Some results were
expected; some were surprising.
According
to the survey, the glazes most often used are: Light
Blue, Italian Straw, Cappacino, Ocean Green and Xavier Green.
The glazes most seldom used are: Matte White, Clear
Bright, Forest Green and Antique Blue.
The most requested
new colors were reds and oranges, and a suggestion for a different
gloss green.
We will make some
changes through the year, but they will be gradual, with testing
of new glazes before they are incorporated into our stock
inventory. Meanwhile, remember that Matte White and Clear Bright
will probably be the first to be replaced. However, we don't want
to waste glaze, so use them up and we'll replace them with
something new and wonderful!
Remember: No matter
how good our glazes are, the way you apply your glaze will have
much to do with the beauty of the finished piece. It is important
to get the glaze on in a smooth, even coat, thick enough to flow
into a satisfactory surface during firing, but not so thick that
it crawls.
Have a good glaze
month!
Connie
Johnson - Glaze Committee Chairperson
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February 2007
From time to time we will be introducing new glazes and
discontinuing others. This month, we are phasing out
"Weathered Bronze Green". Once the existing supply is gone,
we will no longer order the glaze. Our new green glaze is
"Forest Green", which many of you are familiar with. It is a true,
gloss green.
For those of you who loved "Weathered Bronze Green" and who would
like to keep some on hand, bring your own container and help
yourself from the bucket - Free. We also have a limited
supply of the dry mix which can be purchased for $1 per pound, a
50% discount.
Remember, the best teacher is experience. If you have a
piece that is special to you, choose your glazes and do a test tile first on the type
of clay your piece is made from. The appearance of
fired glazes will differ depending on the type of clay used,
condition of the bisque - was it clean or did it have dust or oil
particles on it when glazed? - as well as thickness of
application and other factors.
We
have bisqued "dip sticks" in the glaze room for testing glaze
thickness before applying glaze to your ware.
Have a good glaze month!
Connie
Johnson - Glaze Committee Chairperson
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January 2007
(Report Archive Pending)
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