BETHLEHEM POTTERY CLUB

Transcription

1 Newsletter January / February 2016 BETHLEHEM POTTERY CLUB In This Issue Club news; Spotlight on BPC member - Ann Pritchard; Library News; Jingdezhen - the Porcelain Capital ; Hands On Hawkes Bay 2016; Classifieds; February Raffle; Useful tips for potters; Bob Owens Retirement Village Exhibition 2016 Info Sad News: Barry Brickell, potter, artist and creator of Coromandel s Driving Creek Railway, died on Saturday 23rd January. A comprehensive outline of Barry s life can be found on the Radio New Zealand web site at the following address: Club News The club president would like to notify members of the following changes to the committee: Gulie Dowrick has resigned from the committee and as club secretary. Secretarial duties will be performed by Ann Pritchard, until the role can be filled at the AGM. Anett Pilz has joined the committee, filling the place left by Gulie s resignation. Anett was elected to be a committee member at the last AGM but as there was a limited number of places she could not be included at that time. Alec Roy has resigned from the committee. As a long standing club member Alec has contributed in many ways to the club from maintenance of club facilities, keeping wheels and kilns going, tutoring, leading and helping with Raku firings and wood and pit firings. Alec also manages to find lots of useful items for the club at bargain prices. The committee would therefore like to acknowledge all of the assistance that Alec provides to the club. Kilns: It has been decided that the committee will continue on reduced numbers until the AGM. The controller is back for the 3 cu ft electric kiln and is working. There are ongoing problems with the 9 cu ft electric kiln with the rods moving and elements breaking. The committee continues to investigate solutions to the problems and hope to have this kiln fully functioning in the near future. In the meantime any work fired in this kiln cannot be guaranteed. The gas kiln is working well. The committee is investigating an improved ventilation system in the kiln room. Please read this month s Library News on page 2 of this Newsletter. Can members start preparing for this year s Bring & Buy by thinking about anything you would like to sell to other members, for example tools, glaze materials, books, stamps, molds, etc. February Raffle - see page 4 for details. Bethlehem Pottery Club Inc. 13 Bethlehem Road, Bethlehem, Tauranga 3110 Enquiries: Lynne Whitworth (President) ( ) bethlehempottery@gmail.com Newsletter Editor Julie Day-Lewis Copy or photographs to: juliedl@oz .com.au 1

2 Spotlight on BPC member - Ann Pritchard Ann Pritchard at the Bethlehem Pottery Club Have you always lived in the Bay of Plenty? If not, how long have you lived here? Born in the UK but I ve lived in several countries before finally settling here. This was due to my husband s work. Firstly we moved to Malaysia in 1954, then to Africa and back to Malaysia before moving to New Zealand in In 1979 we moved to Papua New Guinea then to Hong Kong before finally settling in the Bay of Plenty in How and when did you start potting? I started potting in I went to night school at the Tauranga Boys College. Then, when I moved to PNG in 1979 I joined a potters group in Port Moresby and attended classes there, in that group. After 3 years I moved to Hong Kong and belonged to a pottery group there within the Arts and Crafts Guild. I was there for 3 years, then in 1985 came to the Bay and joined the Tauranga Potters. When did you join the Bethlehem Pottery Club and what prompted you to join the club? Not long after joining the Tauranga Potters, I heard about the Bethlehem Pottery Club. A friend, who was already a member of the BPC convinced me to join because I lived very close to the club. That was also in What sort of pottery do you like to make? I like to make both wheel thrown and hand built work, generally high-fired stoneware. I make functional ware but also I especially like to make sculptural garden pieces and for those I use BRT clay. Who has been the biggest influence for you in pottery? I have been influenced by lots of different people, particularly because over the years I have attended lots of classes. I completed a Diploma of Ceramics ( ) at the Otago (online) course with practical classes held in Hamilton (at the Waikato Society). I ve even done a short course in Japan. I particularly like Peter Collis for wheel throwing so I feel I have been influenced by his style. As I have travelled a lot I have been influenced by, and learnt skills from potters in different countries and I ve gained ideas from those places that I ve travelled to. I also own lots of books and I get ideas from Library News Roy Addison recently donated a box of books to the club library. Unfortunately some of the club members have misunderstood this donation and have taken the books home. Can those people please return the books to the club to be catalogued for the library. 2

3 Jingdezhen the Porcelain Capital by Julie Day-Lewis The city of Jingdezhen in Jiangxi province, Southeast China has been producing porcelain for around 2,000 years and is often called the Porcelain Capital. Originally, the porcelain clay was made by crushing the locally found chinastone-feldspar (petunze) which was mixed with water into a paste. Then, around years ago, during the Ming dynasty, a kaolin deposit was found which was added into the clay mix producing a better structure allowing larger ware to be made. Schroeder and Erickson state that Kaolin deposits form the basis of many modern materials, but the first sophisticated human use was in porcelains from Jingdezhen, China. The word Kaolin came from Gaoling or Kaoling, a village located within Jingdezhen City. From the eleventh century until 1912 when imperial rule in China came to an end, Jingdezhen produced porcelain to order for emperors, their households and officials in successive dynasties. The imperial porcelain was so exquisite that it was described as being as white as jade, as bright as a mirror, as thin as paper, with a sound as clear as a bell. This porcelain was in such demand by Europe s elite that it became known as white gold. Originally, Jingdezhen was known as Xinping, then during the Tang Dynasty it was renamed to Changnanzhen (Changnan Town), as it sits at the south bank of the Chang river. It is believed (stated in the Wings of China article, and also advised by local artists at the Sculpture Factory in Jingdezhen) that this gave birth to the English name of the country China. As Changnan became famous for ceramics, over time, foreign ceramics traders made the name sound like china. Then, during the reign of Emperor Jingde ( ) of the Song Dynasty ( ), all of the products made there bore the royal Jingde mark, and the name of the city was therefore changed to Jingdezhen (Jingde Town). Jingdezhen traffic lights also blue painted ceramic Lamp posts in Jingdezhen are blue painted ceramic It is common for potters in Jingdezhen to make tools out of recycled materials, including turning tools from old bicycle spokes. Reference sources used in this article include the author s ceramics studies in Jingdezhen in 2013, and also University of Cambridge website, Wikipedia on Jingdezhen, Youtube video on Jingdezhen, Article in GeoScienceWorld Kaolin: From Ancient Porcelains to Nanocomposites, Paul A. Schroeder and Gary Erickson, Wings of China 2011 No. 05, Vol. 198 p 179 cited in Wikipedia, www1.chinaculture.org 3

4 Here is the link to Hands On Hawkes Bay 2016: REMINDER FROM THE CLUB COMMITTEE: To the electric kiln firers, be very careful when moving kiln shelves into and out of the kiln to avoid touching the elements, which are very brittle and can get damaged very easily. Classifieds: WANTED: Kiln - small electric approx. 3cu ft single phase. Contact Sheryl on REMINDER FROM THE CLUB COMMITTEE: To members that kiln wash the shelves, only the TOP side of a kiln shelf should be kiln washed - otherwise occasionally bits fall from the underside of shelves onto ware being fired. Extruder - Contact Sheryl on Raffle for February MEAT PACK from Bethlehem Butchery VASE WITH ARTIFICIAL FLOWERS supplied by Sunny Bay Florist There will be 2 sets of raffle tickets available at the club (on an honesty basis). Tickets will be drawn at the end of the month. Price : $2.00 each or 3 for $5.00 These were sponsorship donations for the Exhibition last November. Members please send to the Editor any items FOR SALE or WANTED TO BUY to be advertised in future BPC Newsletters Good Luck! 4

5 2015 Club Christmas Party The Christmas party was an overwhelming success. The venue, food, drinks and weather were all excellent and thanks to Dorothy for allowing the club to use her home and to Raywyn for organising. Tips for potters. Crack filler recipe for dealing with cracks in greenware (this tip was provided by Alec Roy from Ceramics by Louisa Taylor) One part dry clay body (clay body used for the piece, dried and ground) One part china clay (kaolin) One part calcined alumina powder Mix to a paste with water or gum Arabic. Dab the area of the crack with vinegar. Confuse the line of the crack by cross-hatching around the area in different directions. Compress crack filler into the cavity with a rubber kidney or similar tool. Bob Owens Retirement Village Exhibition The exhibition committee has convened their first meeting to organise the 2nd Celebration of Ceramics at Bob Owens Retirement Village, which is planned to be held 22nd - 24th April. This will take a similar format as last year with a few minor changes identified at the debrief. It is anticipated that once again exciting and high quality work will be exhibited by club members. More news to follow as the exhibition committee progresses further into planning. 5