Decopots are recalling a couple of batches of PW20 because of slumping and cracking. The batch numbers are #789 to #798. Please check to see if you have any bags with these batch numbers and we will exchange them. Please contact Rod Graham to exchange rodgraham1948@gmail.com.
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The Taradale Pottery Club has had a presence at the Waiohiki Arts Village since 2008. On Monday 13 February 2023, Cyclone Gabrielle caused extensive damage to the Arts Village, including the club's premises. The clubrooms were flooded with silt, debris and water, causing significant damage to the pottery wheels, electric kilns and other key equipment. Even the community woodfire kiln was badly affected.
As the clean-up operation gets underway, the members of the Taradale Pottery Club are determined to rebuild their premises, which is an integral part of the Waiohiki Arts Village, home to several artists from Hawkes Bay. While the club has some insurance, it is not enough to replace everything that has been lost. Therefore, the club is in need of a new kiln, either gas or electric, and would appreciate any leads on where to purchase one. If you are able to donate to help the club rebuild there is a Givealittle page set up: https://givealittle.co.nz/cause/help-taradale-pottery-club-recover-from-cyclone First firing for 2023, loading 9am Saturday 18th March, firing 8am Monday 20 March, unloading 2pm Wednesday 22 March.
The weekend loading has been scheduled to allow the involvement of members who are not normally free during the week. I hope some members will come to the loading to assist and learn for the future. There are more learning opportunities with the Monday firing and assistance with the Wednesday unloading is also appreciated. The most underused facility at the club is the gas kiln installation. Over 2021 and 2022 we tried to set up firings 4 weekly, seldom achieved, and have often had to reschedule firings out to 8 weeks or more apart. The reason for postponing firings is simple, about 200 units are needed to fill the kiln and that volume of work has seldom been available. I am sure the long delays between firings have disappointed members who have put forward a small number of pots only to see them languish on the shelves. There are just 4 members who contribute a good number of pots on a regular basis and there are just 3 members who have been assisting on a regular basis with loading and 2 with the long all day firing. The club wants to get more member involvement with gas firing. This would reduce part of the heavy load on the electric kilns and the members who run those firings. The big advantage I see in more member involvement is in developing skills and collectively advancing both knowledge and the excitement of reduction fired glaze finishes. I am setting up a gas firing group, under the title COOKING WITH GAS. Other than club membership, there are no prerequisites to joining this group except that you should have pots available for each firing and share in and learn the firing duties on a rostered system. ALL CLUB MEMBERS PLEASE NOTE there will be no restriction on the general membership putting pots forward for any of the firings, these will continue to be welcomed. COOKING WITH GAS will feature a series of Saturday morning instruction sessions covering
The group will be established with a manageable number of up to 10 members. Additional members may be invited to join once the group is established. Initially firings for the year will be scheduled at about 6 week intervals. I am asking for a commitment from the members who join to provide a minimum of 5 pots for each firing. We can get COOKING WITH GAS underway on Saturday 18 March with the kiln loading, on Monday 20 March, split attendance 8am to 12 pm for start of kiln firing or 1pm to 5pm finish of kiln firing, on Wednesday 22 March unloading, then schedule our discussion Saturdays after Easter and the club raku firings in the first half of April. Please register your interest through artandceramics@xtra.co.nz or by mobile 027 443 9796. Please also contact me if you can assist with any part of the March firing. I look forward to starting this journey with interested club members. Neil Hey - Kilnmaster With the Art Trail behind us we can now contemplate Christmas and then the Festival of Pots.
We are scheduling the next kiln firing as follows:
There is a lot of preparatory work needed for the Festival so with the intervening holiday period as well, this will be the last firing before the Festival of Pots. It is anticipated that the first firing in 2023 will be towards the end of February. Please remember the December firing will be subject to there being sufficient work so please crack into making mode again after the break for the Art Trail. As a guide to the quantity of work we need, the pre-art trail firing included over 200 pieces. We are hoping that all those with work in the firing will be at the opening, though everyone is always welcome to come to see the exciting work that is passing through the kiln. You're invited to view the students studying the NZ Diploma of Arts and Design in Ceramics end of year work.
16th November at Otaki Pottery Club Class Rooms from 3 - 6pm Nibbles and drinks provided. All welcome. The Tote Modern Gallery closes on 18 December for the year and Club members are asked to have their work removed by 8 Jan 2023.
If you haven't yet managed to sign up for a cleaning bee please check the roster in the rooms and register to help.
150mm $3. 200mm $5.50. Please contact Sandra - hello@potterybats.co.nz or
ph: 0274888204. For those of you who don't know, the Otaki Pottery Club has run this community event each year for many many years. COVID stopped us from doing this for a couple of years and we are excited that we can now welcome back the public to this event and of course to our new venue. The event is where members of the public buy a piece of bisqueware, decorate it with Raku glazes and we fire it on the spot and they can walk away with a lovely piece of pottery. This is a particular favourite event of the local children. Sue Wilson is organising this and would like to get together a team of volunteers to make this happen. Please contact Sue if you are interested in being involved. |
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