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Spice up your life with a late fall class
With autumn comes harvest and the fragrant scent of spices in the air: cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, and allspice. The cider is mulling, the apple and pumpkin pies are baking, and the yams and squashes are roasting. To put some extra spice in your life, take a late fall class and make pottery that will enhance the bounty of harvest time: a mug, a lovely bowl, a vase, a serving tray, a casserole, a pitcher, condiment dishes . . . The possibilities are almost endless.
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Here are the spicy classes on tap for our late fall semester.
Coffee and Clay: Make beautiful and useful ceramic vessels off the wheel in this 6-week Saturday morning hand building class under the direction of teacher Nancy Bulkley. This class is designed for everyone from beginner to advanced student.
Your tuition includes up to 25 pounds of clay and covers the glazing and firing of the pieces you make in class. For the duration of your class semester, you are also entitled to 12 hours of open studio time to practice your skills and continue to work on your pieces outside of class. And there's coffee during class, too. Class starts October 28.
Introductory and Continuing Wheel: A friendly 6-week introduction to wheel throwing with teachers Nancy Bulkley, Kevan O. Wilson, and Kay Yourist. Choose a Monday evening,Thursday afternoon, or Thursday evening class to get started on the wheel or develop your skills.
Your tuition includes up to 25 pounds of clay and covers the glazing and firing of the pieces you make in class. For the duration of your class semester, you are also entitled to 12 hours of open studio time to practice your skills and continue to work on your pieces outside of class. Monday class begins on
October 30, Thursday classes on
October 26.
Try It Once on the Wheel: Join us on the second Saturday of the month at 1:00 pm to get a taste of throwing pottery on the wheel. Our next Try It Once class is on
October 14. We give you a demonstration, then help to guide you through this fun, relaxing, hands-on experience.
Register today.
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New pottery tools at the shop
We've added some nifty new pottery tools to our shop recently, including
- Red rubber-tipped sculpting tools with a variety of tip shapes.
- An assortment of professional quality brushes in a number of different sizes and hair styles
- Clever watercolor brushes whose handle you can fill with water to aid in shading and spreading color around. Special note: Kay will demonstrate these brushes in our Tool Time on October 8
- Xiem fluting tool sets with three ultra-sharp blades.
Remember, we're located right here in the heart of Ann Arbor, and our convenient hours give you ample opportunity to drop by and pick up that essential tool you've got to have right now. So come check out our collection of pottery tools today.
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Winter is coming . . .
No, not that winter! We're talking about
Winter Art Tour 2017, which will feature 300 local artists at 10 art shows in Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti on Friday, December 8, through Sunday, December 10.
Warm up your winter with
Winter Art Tour 2017
Winter Art Tour is pleased to announce the addition of a new Ypsilanti venue in 2017, Baron Glassworks, which will join Ann Arbor Art Center, Art on Adare!, Clay Work Studio, DIYpsi, Front Porch Textiles, Kate Tremel and Friends Art Studios Sale, Tiny Expo, Yourist Studio Gallery, and Ypsi Alloy Studios as a stop on the Tour. Visit these venues and stamp your Winter Art Tour passport for an opportunity to win art prizes from participating Tour artists. Baron Glassworks will present live glassblowing demonstrations, and you can expect to see exciting demonstrations at other venues as well.
Last year's premier Winter Art Tour was a huge success. Even an inconvenient snow storm did not dampen the enthusiasm of Tour visitors. Winter Art Tour will be here before you know it, so add this event to your holiday calendar now. We'll have all the details for you in the next issue of the newsletter.
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Studio calendar
We're clearing our shelves
It's time for us to make room on our shelves for the pots being created in our fall classes. If you have bisque ware or glazed pieces left over from the summer, please come and collect them now. Unclaimed pots will be discarded on October 3, so don't delay.
Ready, load, fire: cone 10
It's time to get glazing for our October gas kiln firing. H
ere is the tentative schedule for the firing:
Loading: Tuesday, October 24
Firing: Thursday, October 26
Unloading: Sunday, October 29
Be aware that this schedule
could change depending on the amount of work that's ready for firing. If we accumulate enough work to fire before these dates, we will, so be sure to check in with us from time to time on the current schedule.
Tool time: decorating with a watercolor brush
The Yourist Studio Gallery tool shop has added a versatile watercolor brush to its selection of tools. Join us at the studio on
Sunday, October 8, at 4:30 pm, when Kay will demonstrate how to use this brush to produce striking watercolor and shading effects on the surface of your pottery. No registration is necessary for this free presentation. Just drop by at demo time.
Got an idea for a demo you'd like to see Kay present? Let us know. We're interested in hearing from you.
Enrollment open for late fall classes
Now's the time to
sign up for our late fall classes that start at the end of October:
Coffee and Clay
Saturdays, Oct 28 through Dec 9, 9:30-11:30 am, with Nancy Bulkley.
Introductory and Continuing Wheel
Mondays, Oct 30 through Dec 4, 7:00-9:00 pm, with Kevan O. Wilson.
Thursdays, Oct 26 through Dec 7, 12:30 to 2:30 pm, with Nancy Bulkley.
Thursdays, Oct 26 through Dec 7, 6:30 to 8:30 pm, with Kay Yourist.
Note: These classes are designed for adult participation. Please call before registering students 13 and under.
Try It Once on the Wheel
Saturday, Oct 14, 1:00-2:30 pm with Nancy Bulkley.
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Potter's quick tip
Making "barber pole" pottery
Q.
I really love swirlware, those pots with swirly stripes like barber poles. How are they made?
A.
Swirlware is a traditional form of pottery from North Carolina. In this video by Ceramic Arts Network, potter Michael Kline demonstrates two methods of combining two different clay bodies to get the distinctive swirlware effect. Kline also points out how swirlware shows the twisting effect of the hands on the clay during throwing.
Get acquainted with Michael Kline and his work here.
Readers, if you have a burning pottery question for Kay,
ask away
. We'd like to know what you want to know.
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Brief notices
Clay community digest
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Photo by
David Velez Felix
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Featured event:
Nancy Bulkley Ceramics Sale
Want your own gorgeous piece of ceramic art by Nancy Bulkley? Here's your chance. Nancy is holding a one-day sale where you'll find a mix of her work: bowls big and small, plates (including those with snowflakes and other drawings), mugs, pinch pots, and more. There might also be a teapot or two.
The sale is on Sunday October 15, from 12 noon to 5 pm.
Email Nancy for directions to the sale.
Date: Sunday, October 15, 12 noon to 5 pm
Get directions to the sale by emailing Nancy.
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Textures: Works by Linda Colman and Joan Rosenblum
Ending soon. If you've visited Yourist Studio Gallery lately, you've probably seen ceramic artist Linda Colman's large wall pieces hanging in the gallery or in process in the studio. Linda is displaying her recently constructed wall pieces in a two-person exhibition at the
Kerrytown Concert House with painter Joan Rosenblum.
In her artist statement Linda explains that she "decided a year ago to limit my forms to a large platter shape." She adds that "The last few pieces I've made feel as though one is peering through a pond or puddle of water, where small creatures and detritus are seen floating mid way down or are trapped in the compressing sediment at the bottom."
The exhibition, entitled "Textures," runs from September 8 through October 7, with a public artist reception on Saturday, September 16, from 4 to 6 pm. You'll find details about the exhibition
here.
Dates:
Now-October 7, 2017
Kerrytown Concert House
415 N. 4th Avenue
Ann Arbor, MI 48104
734-769-2999
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Creating With Clay: Clay-Art Friends
Ending soon.This third exhibition by the Clay-Art Friends at Ann Arbor's downtown library is designed to inform visitors about the materials and processes involved in making ceramic art and perhaps interest them in giving clay a try themselves. Clay-art friends exhibiting this year include Nancy Bulkley, Jeanine Center, Jessica Krivan, Betty Locey, Caron Valentine-Marsh, and Lineke Zuiderweg.
Box by Lineke Zuiderweg
Dates: Now-October 12, 2017
Ann Arbor District Library
Downtown Library: Lower Level Display Cases
343 South Fifth Avenue
Ann Arbor, MI
734-327-4200
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Beyond Consequence: Works by Russ Orlando
Ends soon. From September 8 through October 13, the
Birmingham Bloomfield Art Center is presenting an exhibition of the challenging, unconventional works of ceramic, mixed media, and performance artist Russ Orlando.
Orlando earned his MFA in ceramics from Cranbrook Academy of Art and has shown his work at exhibitions and museums around the world. Orlando says of his pieces that " . . . much of my work is a response to a situation or event, or even material itself. I often see the work as a fragmented perception of reality." Read more about Orlando and his art
here.
You'll find details about the Orlando exhibition
here.
Dates: Now-October 13, 2017
Birmingham Bloomfield Art Center
1516 S. Cranbrook Rd.
Birmingham, MI 48009
248-644-0866
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Finland 100:
The Cranbrook Connection
This exhibition examines the "profound influence" Finland "has had on the development of the arts in America." Of particular interest to potters are the works of Maija Grotell, former visiting artist and head of ceramics at Cranbrook.
Visitors to this exhibition will also see treasures by Eliel Saarinen, his wife Loja, and his children, Eero and Pipsan, as well as other Finnish artists associated with Cranbrook. Get more information about the exhibition here.
Dates:
Now-January 14, 2018
Cranbrook Art Museum
deSalle Gallery
39221 Woodward Ave Box 801
Bloomfield Hills, MI 48303
248-645-3323
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The Art of Containment: Vessels From the Sidney Swidler Collection
The Flint Institute of Arts is exhibiting more than 100 pieces of ceramics that architect and collector Sidney Swidler donated to the FIA this year from his sizeable collection.
"The Swidler Collection of ceramics encompasses pieces by ceramicists working predominantly with the vessel form. Some consider the straightforward functionality of a bowl or pot while others consider the cultural or social implications of the vessel."
The vessel at left is by ceramic artist William Kidd. See more of his astonishing pieces here.
For details about the Swidler exhibition, visit the FIA.
Dates:
Now-March 31, 2018
Flint Institute of Arts
Ann K. Walch-Chan Gallery
1120 East Kearsley Street
Flint, Michigan 48503
810-234-1695
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Get Ready to Celebrate: National Clay Week starts soon!
Wow, a whole week dedicated to celebrating "clay in all its forms." You can learn more about National Clay Week and see a day-by-day calendar of the week's activities here. Be sure to check out the day of back-to-back conversations with clay artists throughout the world, sponsored by Artaxis on October 10. It's your chance to ask questions of Linda Arbuckle and other noted clay artists.
A big thank-you to Nancy Bulkley for this tip.
Dates: October 9-15
National Clay Week web site
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The Business of Being an Artist: The Art of Marketing Art
Ok, you've made your art. Now how do you motivate people to buy? The second of
The Entrepreneur Center's
free speaker series on the business of being an artist features successful artist
Kathy Hiner. Hiner owns her own business, Kathy Hiner Art, and is also president of Ann Arbor Women Artists. Her talk will focus on her "journey to make money from her portfolio, after a career of teaching art." Sign up for Hiner's presentation
here.
Date: October 17, 2017, 6-8 pm
Great Lakes Regional Training Center,
Room GL202
Washtenaw Community College
4800 E. Huron River Drive
Ann Arbor, MI 48105
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Stop, look, listen . . . and learn
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Small touches yield big visual interest
Potter Bill van Gilder shares a wealth of information
in this video as he shows how he uses some simple wooden tools to add
loads of visual interest to his pots. The tools van Gilder has in his toolbox include dowels in several sizes, square stock, press boards, and wooden eggs.
Full disclosure: van Gilder has assembled a set of these tools for purchase, which he talks about
briefly at the end of the video. These tools are available at craft stores and other locations, however, so you can easily assemble your own collection.
ICYMI (In case you missed it)
Making dipping glazes brushable
Ceramic Arts Network recently released a video clip of Brenda Quinn showing how she adds CMC gum to dipping glazes to make them more brushable and stampable. This is such a useful tip for surface design that we wanted to pass it along to you right away.
Get a look at Quinn's work on her Instagram site.
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Unthrowing a pot
Really? Is it possible to "unthrow" a pot? Watch this two-minute video to see for yourself. It's from Ingleton Pottery, a small, family-run business that is the longest established working pottery in the Yorkshire Dales of England. Yes, there's a trick, but this video gives an interesting and informative perspective on wheel throwing pottery.
The Great Pottery Throw Down continues . . .
Potters have three hours to hand build a large clock, fit a standard clock mechanism into it, and get the clock running. They are also challenged to throw a double-walled pot in 10 minutes and to pull and attach three handles each to three casseroles in 75 minutes. Find out who will make the pot of the week and who will go home
in this nail-biting episode.
Missed episode 1 of season 2? Here is the link to the season 2 premier:
Episode 1
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Yourist Studio Gallery | 1133 Broadway, Ann Arbor, MI 48105
734-662-4914 |
www.youristpottery.com
Inspiring classes and workshops for new and experienced students | Bright, modern, fully equipped community studio workspace | Comprehensive selection of pottery tools for sale | Gallery exhibiting the works of celebrated artists |
Online gallery shop for the purchase of ceramic art
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