The year of the wood dragon has officially begun.
“According to the Chinese Horoscope 2024, the dragon represents authority, prosperity, and good fortune. Those who were born in the year of the dragon are known for their captivating demeanor, distinct personality, and strong leadership abilities.
The Wood Dragon year 2024, when combined with the nourishing Wood element, will bring evolution, improvement, and abundance; it is the perfect time for rejuvenated beginnings and setting the foundation for long-term success.” -From The Times of India
Additionally, if you follow Burnish and Burnished on Instagram, you might have noticed that we are posting helpful short videos for beginning potters. Don’t worry, there are many more coming, and these will all be available in the Burnished Clay Artist Collective Library in the members area, along with a lot of other helpful information and resources for clay artists.
Soda Schedule and Registration
The soda schedule is up for March. As of this writing there are only 5 spots left in the cone 6 soda firing, so if you are interested, get on over there and sign up.
MARCH:
Cone 10 firing led by Zoe Petersen
Deadline to bisque at Burnish: Work must be dry and on the greenware shelf by Monday 2/26
Deadline to deliver finished/glazed work: Saturday, 3/2
Loading: Monday, 3/4
Firing: Tuesday, 3/5
Unloading: Friday, 3/8
Cone 6 firing led by Ann Marie Cooper
Deadline to bisque at Burnish: Work must be dry and on the greenware shelf by Monday 3/4
Deadline to deliver finished/glazed work: Saturday, 3/9
Loading: Monday, 3/11
Firing: Tuesday, 3/12
Unloading: Friday, 3/15
REMINDERS
The 5th Anniversary for Burnish Clay studio is happening this Friday, February 2nd, so mark your calendars, put on your cleanest pair of overalls and dust off your clay boots. The party will be super poppin’ with games, food, prizes, and a bunch of the coolest clay nerds you ever did see. Please join us. RSVP HERE.
Critique Club picks up again at the end of February. This is a great opportunity to learn about looking at, evaluating, and improving art, specifically clay art and functional works. Come and bring a piece for which you want feedback. We will be doing this at the end of every month in the studio, and starting in May, once a month online. The date for the in studio critique is February 25th, and it runs from about 6-8, roughly, so drop in any time between 6-7 to join us.
The work is starting to come out of the bisque kilns so get into the studio and glaze if you can. The more you glaze your work now, the less you will have to do at the end of the session when everyone else is glazing and generally trying to get all their work fired.
Cleaning the studio is the best way to be a good community member at Burnish. When you are finished with the glazes, clean the paddles. When you are finished with the ware board, clean that off. When you are finished using the table/wheel, please clean that off so that the next person can sit right down and use it. A clean studio is a happy studio.
The One Thing I Wish I had Known.
I was fifteen when I started working with clay. The thing is, I didn’t know I was working with clay, I actually believed that I was learning how to make clay bend to my will. Like my life, my technique was wildly out of control and unpredictable and I had no idea exactly how or why my hands were affecting the clay the way they were, but it showed up in every piece I made- my pain, my depression, my ache to be accepted and deep desire to be ignored. What can I tell you? I was a teenager.
I know now that the clay reflects everything I am experiencing back to me. I see that as a tool for self-knowledge, clay is as good as any out there, if you are willing and able to be present with it. While I am not suggesting that you use clay as therapy, (though many people do), I am going to point you in the direction of presence and total engagement with your clay.
It’s not because I believe in the human ability to heal. It’s because I believe in the clay’s ability to direct the maker how to proceed. Not in life, necessarily, (though many people do), but in your work. Clay has a life of its own, a direction of its own, and abilities that will steer you through any project you’re working on. Just remember to slow down, wait a bit, and watch. You will see. Clay is like your body. It will send you soft, subtle signals in the beginning. If you ignore them, the signals will become more obvious. If you ignore those, the signals might turn into flaws that will ruin your piece.
So pay attention.
Weekly Tip
I say this on the Gram. I tried it this morning so I know it works. When taking your pots off the wheel, if your pot is somewhat thin-walled and you don’t want the walls collapsing as you lift, take a square of newspaper and lay it on the lip of your pot, then gently trace the lip through the paper so it sticks. Take the paper off your pot after you transfer the pot to your ware board. You will find your lip round and intact, exactly the way you last saw it before you laid your newspaper square over it! Give it a shot. It will work.
Artist Opportunities
At the beginning of every year, I look at places to see grant deadlines for the year and I make a calendar for the grants to which I will apply. One of the places I look is Artist Trust. This is for Washington State Artists. There is one for every state, I am guessing. I know there are ones for California, Oregon, Minnesota and Illinois for sure. In fact, I just applied for a small grant last night.
Hot tip for grant applications: Your “why” is the most important part of asking for money, so practice verbalizing why making is so important to you, why it pushes you to create, why your process and drive make your art unique. Also, record your efforts. Build a small website with your work. These will also help you.