congratulations! - the Ceramic Arts Association of WA Inc.
Transcription
congratulations! - the Ceramic Arts Association of WA Inc.
PYRE AUGUST 2012 CERAMIC ARTS ASSOCIATION OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA President’s Report CAAWA president Cher Shackleton reviews recent developments in the WA world of ceramics. 1 CAAWA Happenings • • • • • • • • Graham Hay Sandra Black Njalikwa Chongwe Ruby Neevay AGM Study Group Selective Exhibition Classes 2 CONGRATULATIONS! POTOBER 2012 POTOBER 2012 is almost upon us! Have you registered yet? 5TH 6TH 3 7TH and OCTOBER 2012 @ Central Institute of Technology www.ceramicartswa.asn.au CAAWA Selective Exhibition 2012 2012 Kusnik Award winner Alison Brown pictured above with her winning work at the ZigZag Gallery, Kalamunda. Continued on page 11 AUGUST 2012 CERAMIC ARTS ASSOCIATION OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA President’s Report Well so many things have happened since the last PYRE I hardly know where to start. The selective exhibition this year was hosted by the ZigZag Gallery in Kalamunda. Congratulations to Alison Brown who was this year's Kusnik Award recipient, and to Mary Wallace who received the Judge’s award. Dr Ric Spencer, this year’s selector, awarded five Highly Commended awards. Next year the members’ exhibition returns to Heathcote Gallery, but at the earlier time of April. A submission has also been accepted at the Lawrence Wilson Gallery for an exhibition in 2014, titled Here and Now. It will be a look at cutting edge ceramic artists. An invitation to present a submission will go out to ceramic artists in the next few months. At the recent AGM the outgoing committee was thanked, Marie Owens and Lynne Carlin, and the incoming committee welcomed, with new comers Rosemary Schoen and Jackie Masters. Jackie has taken up the challenge of the memberships and Natalie Acton is PYRE's new Editor. The meeting was followed by a slide presentation and talk by Dr Stefano Carboni, Director of the WA Art Gallery. The subject was Islamic ceramics. Images from the MoMA, of 12th century functional ware adorned with calligraphy lit up the screen. These are now so highly prized. Sadly 21st century potters have a long wait to achieve such a status! The next study group will be on the 20th of September at ECU with an Ikebana artist Ursula Pagels giving a demonstration and discussing the types of containers preferred for their floral arrangements. Not to be missed. POTober registrations are looking very good and all is on track. It is almost here! Welcome to our new editor, enjoy the PYRE. Cher Shackleton www.shackletongallery.com 2 AUGUST 2012 CERAMIC ARTS ASSOCIATION OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA AGM CAAWA’s 2012 AGM saw the farewell of committee members Marie Owens and Lynne Carlin, as well as the welcoming of new committee members Jackie Masters and Rosemary Schoen. A reshuffling of the CAAWA committee for 2012 sees Njalikwa Chongwe take on the role of Vice President, Jackie Masters take on the Membership portfolio and Natalie Acton appointed to the role of PYRE editor. Thank you also to Janis Heston who has taken on the position of Social Coordinator and provided delicious refreshments on the night! The CAAWA committee now consists of eleven members for the 2012/2013 period. We were fortunate enough to have guest speaker Stefano Carboni present a fascinating lecture on Islamic ceramics. A topic in which he is well versed after spending sixteen years as Curator and Administrator in the Department of Islamic Art at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Bowl with cobalt-blue inscription Probably Basra (Iraq), 9th century Earthenware painted in blue over an opaque tin-white glaze Diameter 20.3cm The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1963; Inv. No. 63.159.4 STEFANO CARBONI In 2008 Stefano Carboni was appointed as the 11th director of the Art Gallery of WA. He comes to us after a 16 year long post as the curator for Islamic art at New York’s Metropolitan Meuseum. Originally from Venice, Carboni was born into a family of art historians, so his chosen career path seems only natural. First studying Arabic and Islamic art at University of Venice, he then moved to the University of London’s School of Oriental and African Studies to complete a PhD in Islamic art. He has published widely and lectured at a number of institutions including NYU, Hunter College of CUNY and the Bard Graduate Centre for Decorative Arts in New York. 3 AUGUST 2012 CERAMIC ARTS ASSOCIATION OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA PRESIDENT’S ANNUAL REPORT 2ND AUGUST 2012 The Association has had a productive year and once again it was due to the commitment of the committee and the support of the members. Again we start and finish the year with the selective exhibitions. The 2011 exhibition hosted by Heathcote Gallery was a successful exhibition, bringing a new audience to CAAWA. Just a few weeks ago at the ZigZag Gallery in Kalamunda, the 2012 exhibition opened. The guest selector this year was writer and curator, Dr Ric Spencer who presented Alison Brown with the Kusnik Award and Mary Wallace with the Judges Award. My congratulation to these well deserved winners. In August CAAWA invited the ever popular Janet De Boos to the Central Institute of Technology to demonstrate her elegant functional ware. Janet throws with the ease that comes with many years of experience; her workshop was enjoyed by all who attended. The end of year dinner at Rosie O’Grady’s was, as always, well attended. A very casual evening that gives members the opportunity to catch up. Throughout this year the committee has been preparing for the return of the POTober workshops. These were an enormous success in 2010 and we hope to repeat this in October. With the focus this year being colour and texture, there will be plenty to interest the novice as well as the experienced potters in our midst. The study group this year presented short demonstrations from Greg Crowe, Helen Dundo and I. These were well attended. Although the other events Janet Kovesi Watt organised which included a quiz night, discussions, slide shows, as well as show and tell evenings, did not attract similar numbers. Several members also opened their homes to show their ceramic collections. The CAAWA website has become a very popular site. Since the AGM last year, there has been over 8,000 viewers looking at 37,000 pages. 75% of which are unique viewers, is an indication at the level of interest both nationally and internationally in ceramics here in WA. CAAWA Facebook enjoys equal popularity. In 2013 Heathcote Gallery will once again host the Members’ Selective in April. 2014 will see ceramics included in the exhibition program at The Lawrence Wilson Gallery. Shortly, ceramic artists will be invited send in a submission for the Here and Now 2014 exhibition. 2014 may also see the return of more POTober workshops. The Committee are in the process of planning a survey of Western Australian ceramic artists to be held in 2015. This will be open to all ceramic artists. The proposal for this exhibition will be submitted shortly. With the strong membership the future of CAAWA burns bright. Thank you, Cher Shackleton 4 AUGUST 2012 CERAMIC ARTS ASSOCIATION OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA Profile: Graham Hay Graham Hay is a busy man. Since first turning to the medium of paper clay in 1992 it seems he has scarcely had a moment to spare. However, he was only happy enough to make time for a PYRE interview during a Saturday of teaching, and give us the grand tour of his state of the art, three-dimensional ceramic printer. Graham first came to researching the technology of 3D printing in 2010. (For those of you who are as confused as I was prior to meeting Graham – Yes it’s a printer that prints out 3D objects in clay!). Drawing on the knowledge of international artists and engineers who had also been working with this technology, Graham became interested in the idea of printing in paper clay. Early ceramic printers were developed, licensed and patented with ZCorp in 2007 by researchers at Bowling Green State University in Ohio. This made the first 3D printers very expensive. In 2010 Graham received a quote from Dimension 3D Printers for a commercial, three-dimensional desktop printer for US$15,000. However, as more people became interested in the technology, replicas started popping up making the technology cheaper and more accessible. The real breakthrough came with the RepRap kit set developed by Dr. Adrian Bowyer at the University of Bath. What caught Graham’s interest were the claims that using this now accessible technology, one could build their own 3D printer for under AU$1,000. Another key development in this technology was that the RepRap printer could in fact be programmed to replicate itself by printing out it’s own plastic parts. Meaning that aside from a few parts that could be purchased at Bunnings, you could essentially print out a printer to give to someone else. Commercial companies were therefore forced to drop their prices and users were able to develop and upload open source files to the Internet containing improvements to the design, and freely available to anyone who is interested. With this technology now much more readily accessible, Graham set out to research how one could develop the 3D printer to print objects in clay rather than in plastic. He then came across Unfold, a Belgium company working with UK potter Jonathan Keep to develop such an idea! 5 AUGUST 2012 CERAMIC ARTS ASSOCIATION OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA In April 2012 Graham was invited to Central Institute of Technology as their Artist in Residence at the Aberdeen St campus. It was here that he received time, space and funding to bring his idea to fruition. With the help of Curtin University engineering graduate Robert Vinkovic, Graham assembled the RapMan 3.2 printer in July. In August Graham started printing extruder parts to modify the printer to be able to print clay. This modified RapMan 3.2 is also capable of printing support structures for the finished ceramic piece to prevent sagging during firing. Whilst the idea of ceramic printing is well and truly taking off across the globe, printing in paper clay is an ongoing development with the paper fibers proving tricky. Graham continues to experiment and has had some fascinating results. 2012 saw Roderick Bamford use a modified RapMan to print ceramic pieces for the Hyperclay exhibition and a symposium of leading UK experts in the field of 3D printed ceramics at the V&A Museum in London. Ceramic printing and 3D printing are undoubtedly growing fields generating exciting developments in the production, design and use of objects. With so much open source software available and the machines themselves becoming cheaper and more user friendly, it will be interesting to see how these machines might one day replace the technology of our current desktop printers. Whilst there will always be a place and appreciation for the craftsmanship of the traditional potter, it is through the drive of artists like Graham Hay that the boundaries of ceramic art continue to be expanded. Recently returning from teaching workshops in the US, Graham’s passion for paper clay has taken him all over Australia and the world teaching and presenting at conferences, symposiums and institutions in the UK, Hungary, Lithuania, Singapore, Pakistan, Norway, Canada, Sweden and New Zealand. In between all of this he continues to teach from his Robertson Park studio, publish articles and work on various studio projects. For more information on 3D ceramic printing, Graham’s many creative pursuits or classes at Robertson Park you can visit his website: www.grahamhay.com.au Graham demonstrating the RapMan 3.2 at CIT’s Aberdeen Street Campus 6 AUGUST 2012 CERAMIC ARTS ASSOCIATION OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA SANDRA BLACK goes to CHINA Mid January this year I received an invitation to again participate in the International teapot exhibition to be held in the Noble Seafood Restaurants group in Shanghai. The theme as also of last year was to be based on the Chinese Zodiac animals. This year is of course the Year of the Dragon a very auspicious animal in Chinese culture. I received the invitation not only to exhibit but to be a guest of the restaurant’s owner along with 7 other artists to attend the opening. Apart from our airfare everything else was to be paid for us by the owner. That included 6 days of accommodation our meals and excursions to various significant cultural sites in and around Shanghai. In return we donated 2 teapots and presented food related gifts to our host Mr Su XiPei. I had a frenzied 2 weeks putting together an application to Arts WA for an Artsflight grant and was successful fortunately in being able to succeed in getting my airfare costs covered. The teapot exhibitions have been running since 2006 when the first show a generic teapot exhibition was setup and curated by Jeng-daw Hwang a superb teapot maker from Tainan in Taiwan. In association with the owner of the restaurant Mr Su XiPei also from Taiwan this show has been held to promote and support ceramic artists both in China and abroad and also the longer term ambition is to build from these shows a collection of teapots which will ultimately be housed in a purpose built museum as a gift for the people of China. This year there were 50 potters from around the world participating in this event. My first introduction to Jeng-daw Hwang came about from my first trip to Shanghai and Jingdezhen in 2010. I met up with Trudy Golley and Paul Leathers in our Shanghai hotel and Dragon Cloud Teapot – Pierced and Carved Cool Ice Porcelain was taken by them to view the year of the Tiger Exhibition in the restaurant. The experience was quite overwhelming at first on entrance to this marble, crystal, red carpeted and gold plated temple to culinary seafood heaven. I couldn’t quite imagine an exhibition set up amongst all the splendour of these glittering surrounds. The work however was beautifully displayed and neatly labelled in a series of well lit glass covered plinths in the main entry hall/gallery space and throughout the restaurant. 7 AUGUST 2012 CERAMIC ARTS ASSOCIATION OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA Risto Hamalainen from Finland and Krisaya Luengganantakul from Thailand were to join us later after the opening. We were to spend the next 4 weeks together in Shanghai and Haian apart from Sarah Michael who returned to Denmark at the end of the 6 days in Shanghai. After a quick trip to our hotel to register and drop off our luggage we piled into taxis to get to the exhibition venues and deliver our pots. This was to be the start of a full on 4 weeks of sightseeing, work and dining and above all the most generous hospitality I have ever experienced during a residency. Exhibition display in the reception area of Noble Seafood Restaurant The exhibition was located in 2 of the restaurants in Shanghai. Currently there are 3 restaurants in Shanghai and one more in Beijing. My initial understanding was that these were exhibitions in the traditional sense being open to the general public to admire and purchase but this misconception was soon put paid to when the curator informed me that most of the works were purchased by the restaurant owner. Non selected works are sent back to the artists or moved to a private gallery managed by Hwang Jeng -daw for sale in Shanghai. Payment was extremely prompt and within 2 weeks of the opening the money was transferred. It’s always a bit nerve wracking hoping when you send work overseas that firstly it arrives ok and secondly you will get paid but in this instance there were no concerns. If only every gallery was so prompt in payments!! I arrived in China on the 11th of April along with 5 other artists. They were Mirta Morigi from Italy, Janice Hunter, Denmark, Sarah Micheal, Netherlands, Anne Turn and Merike Hallick from Estonia. The exhibition opened on the evening of April 14th with a formal banquet held at the North Hongmei Road branch of the Noble Seafood Restaurants. We were driven to the door and received the red carpet welcome with staff forming a guard of honour as we entered. A little overwhelming but fun. Guests arrived, some were friends of the exhibitors and invited friends of the owners. We mingled looking at the exhibition setup, spent time talking to the guests, photographing and being photographed. We were then escorted to the anteroom of the Banquet room to enjoy champagne and pre dinner nibbles and again photographed. Opening speech by Mr Su Xipei. Sarah Michaels – Netherlands, and Sandra Black seated next to Mr Su XiPei 8 AUGUST 2012 CERAMIC ARTS ASSOCIATION OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA This was to be a constant throughout our visit to China. The dinner announcement was made and we entered the banquet hall, a fabulous space set with fine china, linen cloth’s ,glasses, crystal chandeliers, beautiful flowers and our very own printed menu. Also provided were interpreters who stood at the back of our chairs to help with conversations with our host and owner of the restaurants Mr Su XiPei. Around a 100 guests attended on the long table setup. We enjoyed a 7 course meal with each dish beautifully presented. Out came our cameras much to the amusement of our hosts as we photographed each dish. The event was a special one for all of us invited artists. We were quite overwhelmed by the kindness, respect and generosity that was shown to us. The exhibition will remain for some months at the restaurant before being moved onto the other branches of the restaurant in greater Shanghai and Beijing. At the end of every 3 years of each series of exhibitions a book is printed and sent to exhibiting artists showing the works included in each exhibition. At the completion of our 6 days in Shanghai as guests of Mr Su Xi Pei we left the city to head off on a 3 day trip to Yixing to explore the making of traditional teapots. That story can await another article! Appetiser – Deep fried squid! The formal opening consisted of a couple of short speeches by the curator Jeng-daw Hwang, Mirta Morigi from Italy and our host Mr Su XiPei to welcome us. The end of the meal saw us retire to a private upstairs lounge for the presentation of gifts to Mr Su XiPei. We were asked to bring some food products to our host from our respective countries. Following the giving of the gifts we were then supplied with cigars and whisky to wind up the evening. Also we were presented with a gift bag of the restaurants special green and Menghai aged Pu ‘er teas along with 2 catalogues of exhibitions! Sandra Black wishes to acknowledge the WA Department of Culture and the Arts for an Arts Flight grant. I wish also to acknowledge Mr Su XiPei for his generosity in hosting and funding the exhibitions at his restaurants and Hwang Jeng –daw the curator, photographer, interpreter, organiser and wonderful guide for our entire time in China. 9 AUGUST 2012 CERAMIC ARTS ASSOCIATION OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA Ruby Neevay: Ceramic Artist Ruby Neevay was a ceramic artist who worked as a ceramic decorator on the range of Wembley Ware figures at Brisbane and Wunderlich Pottery Division, Subiaco, Western Australia. Ruby joined Brisbane and Wunderlich in 1940 when she was 15 years of age. At the time, the business had just changed from Calyx Pottery to Brisbane and Wunderlich. In those days most people stayed in their jobs for many years and Ruby was of this generation, working 45 years at the pottery until she retired at 60. Since then, she has worked in her own business making ceramic floral tributes for graves. Her career in pottery spanned over 70 years. Ruby’s first work was fettling jugs. In this process the fragile clay article is hand cleaned and the seams removed. Ruby broke the first jug she picked up. The fettling process is tedious and slow with some operators only managing less than twenty articles per shift. With Ruby’s love of pottery and dexterous fingers she began achieving 60 articles per shift and became the department’s “pacemaker”. One of the other ladies working with Ruby used to hand paint articles at home. The management at the time recognised her potential and she was moved into the decorating area. Ruby would join her friend in decorating during the breaks and helped with guilding ceramic horses. She was asked to join the decorators working on Wembley Ware and immediately warmed to the new challenge. One of the popular techniques used on Wembley Ware was aerographing or producing a fine tapered colour effect using a very small spray gun. This was one of Ruby’s favourite techniques and one she still used on her floral grave decorations. A German lady joined the decorating team who had previously made ceramic floral decorations. These flowers were added to some of the Wembley Ware cast pieces. Ruby was about 26 years old at the time and loved to watch the techniques used in ceramic flower making. She learnt to make the ceramic flowers herself and to decorate them. At that time, Ruby’s Uncle died and she asked the management if she could make a ceramic cross with ceramic roses for her uncle. A cross was made and the management approached local monumental masons to see whether a market existed as an extension of Wembley Ware. The Monumental Masons were enthusiastic by the prospect of a local and respected supplier making the grave decorations. Over the next 35 years Ruby made thousands of the floral ceramic tributes for cemeteries and examples of Rubies work can be seen in graveyards all over Western Australia. As Ruby approached retirement, a new manager was appointed at the pottery and he did not want to continue with the floral tributes, especially as Ruby was leaving. This was devastating for Ruby and she embarked on a plan to continue making ceramic flowers and to call the project Ruby’s Roses. As she had very little technical expertise, Ruby asked the Works Chemist to help her. The Works Chemist already had a ceramic studio and suggested Ruby produce the ceramic flowers there. For 30 years Ruby enthusiastically made the floral tributes. Some of the customers have known Ruby for many years and as a mark of their respect, still call her Mrs. Neevay. Ruby died last week at the age of 88. She was still making her roses right up to her death. 10 AUGUST 2012 CERAMIC ARTS ASSOCIATION OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA SELECTIVE EXHIBITION 2012 As the sun streamed in through the windows of the ZigZag Gallery in Kalamunda, anticipation rose when the award ceremony began for the announcement of this years winners. Dr Ric Spencer, writer and curator at Fremantle Arts Centre, selected the winners. The Kusnik Award, an award of excellence, went to Alison Brown for her Tideline Series The dome forms are a combination of slip trailing, molded and hand built forms with intricate details of sea life found near her studio. ABOVE: Danica Wichtermann - Highly Commended A Colourful Perspective (3 Pieces) Stoneware, wheel thrown, altered, multiple glazes. SOLD The Judges Award, a personal choice, went to Mary Wallace for her Lotus Tea Set. A combination of wheel thrown and hand building techniques. The tray and cups are carved with the lotus pattern and are presented, with a teapot, in a celadon glaze. Highly Commended Awards: Five were given this year as the selector could not settle on the usual three. They were awarded to: Stewart Scambler, Danica Wichtermann (pictured above, left) Njalikwa Chongwe, John Blinco and Cher Shackleton. Many thanks to Gilbert Wines for their sponsorship this year. Bev Gilbert provided three types of their wine, all of which were very well received. ZigZag Gallery staff (Nicola, Marilyn, Cheryl and Vanessa). Thank you also to Stewart Scambler and Cher Shackleton who provided the plinths. To Marie Owens, Lynne Carlin, Christine and John Blinco for the refreshments. Njalikwa Chongwe, Helen Dundo and Holly Courtney, who helped with the set up of the exhibition and the transportation of artwork. Images by Cher Shackleton and Vanessa Robinson. Alison Brown in her Quindalup Studio 11 AUGUST 2012 CERAMIC ARTS ASSOCIATION OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA Ikebana Centre Of WA Committee 168 Burswood Rd Burswood, WA 6100 Ph: (08) 9470 1416 September Study Group: IKEBANA Ikebana is probably the most famous of all Japanese traditional arts that is still actively practiced, not only in Japan but throughout the world. Ursula Pagels, director of the Ikebana Centre of WA, has 32 years experience in the art of arranging flowers according to some ancient observations and traditions. Ursula who teaches Sogetsu, the avant-garde style, will give a demonstration at the September Study Group. She will also discuss the types of containers and vessels favoured by the artists in this expressive floral art. (Images and info by Roxine Paterson) SEPTEMBER STUDY GROUP When & Where? ECU Ceramics Studio Mt Lawley – Car park entry from Central Ave 7pm 20th September *Study group enquiries to Janet: [email protected] 12 AUGUST 2012 CERAMIC ARTS ASSOCIATION OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA POTober 2012 5th, 6th and 7th October Central Institute of Technology CAAWA proudly presents a smorgasbord of workshops by international, national and local ceramic artists with an emphasis on texture, hand building and colour. Participants are encouraged to engage with the demonstrators during three days of action packed workshops! Other activities will include a BBQ, a sale of pottery and an exhibition of the demonstrators work in the Showcase Gallery. DEMONSTRATING ARTISTS • • • • • • • • • • • • ROYCE MCGLASHEN (NZ) MALINA MONKS (NSW) KATRINA CHAYTOR (CANADA) STEFAN JAKOB (SWITZERLAND) ADIL WRITER (INDIA) IAN DOWLING (WA) GREG CROWE (WA) NJALIKWA CHONGWE (WA) ROBYN LEES (WA) BELA KOTAI (WA) CATE COSI (WA) ANDREA VINKOVIC (WA) Don’t miss out! Register now! 13 AUGUST 2012 CERAMIC ARTS ASSOCIATION OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA POTOBER 2012: 5th, 6th and 7th October Registration Form RATES Full Rate (After July 30th) CAAWA Members (After July 30th) Student (Full Time) BBQ Friday evening 3 DAY $280 $240 $180 $20 1 DAY $130 N/A N/A Return registration to: Di Sigel, Hon Treasurer, CAAWA C/- 9, Hartington Way, Carine WA 6020 Ph: (08) 94479179 Email: [email protected] Your Details: Mr/Ms/Mrs/Miss: ____________________________________________________________________________________ Postal Address: ____________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________P/C:________ Ph:_________________________Mob:__________________________ICE:_____________________ Email:______________________________________________________________________________ PAYMENT DETAILS: (Circle that which applies) Full Rate FRIDAY Member SATURDAY Student Day Rate SUNDAY BBQ $___________ for ____________ days. Payment by cheque/money order for $________ is enclosed (Made payable to Ceramic Arts Association of WA). Please Circle: Visa Mastercard Card No:______-______-______-______ Exp Date:_________ Name on Card: _______________________________ Signed:___________________ Date: ___________ Direct Debit: Westpac Karrinyup BSB: 036027 Acc: 257310 Acc Name: Ceramic Arts Association of WA v Please notify the treasurer of deposit and please include your name with the direct debit so Di knows who the money has come from. For students only: Institution details ___________________________ Lecturer signature _____________________ 14 AUGUST 2012 CERAMIC ARTS ASSOCIATION OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA COMMITTEE 2012/2013 COMMITTEE SPOTLIGHT: Njalikwa Chongwe An artist statement can be a great cure for insomnia so it was with some trepidation I agreed to send one through to Natalie for Pyre. For the last 25 years I have worked in my South Fremantle running Zinongo Gallery, a ceramic home/studio. As an Australian born ceramic artist, with an African (Zambian father), my work is strongly influenced by these two different cultures. The Australian coast and African art have always been the two key primary creative influences in my work. While these two influences have been constant through my creative development spanning some 25 years I've been influenced by a number of other factors. I hope this leads to discussions of how aspects of practice and business have changed for other artists in their studio practices. Executive Committee • Cher Shackleton President Website Coordinator [email protected] • Njalikwa Chongwe Vice President [email protected] • Dianne Sigel Treasurer [email protected] • Janet Kovesi Watt Secretary Study Group Coordinator [email protected] General Committee • Jackie Masters Membership Secretary [email protected] • Natalie Acton PYRE Editor Facebook Coordinator [email protected] • Stewart Scambler Workshops [email protected] om • Janis Heston Social Coordinator [email protected] • Sandra Black [email protected] • Helen Dundo [email protected] • Rosemary Schoen [email protected] 15 AUGUST 2012 CERAMIC ARTS ASSOCIATION OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA I opened the studio with my wife, Jacqui, but fortunately she had the common sense to take a different path in life and join the world of education, leaving me to the studio and the mud in the hope that I may get it out of my system someday. Unfortunately this hope has been in vain and I continue to mindlessly wonder through the house with clay on my boots much to everyone's annoyance. As most potters would understand it is a bug that is very hard to shake. was typical - I thought she was dreaming! Since I opened the studio, IT (including the internet), the digital camera (and camera tent) and my customers have continued to influence my artistic career. The customer has been the most interesting influence on my work making me more discerning and aware of the market. Customers keep in contact online, they use mobile phones to photograph and share images of your work while trying to make a decision on which piece to buy. As potters we have no choice but to embrace new technology if we are to survive and develop in today’s IT savvy world. Another growing phenomena is social networking mediums to promote work for free. After all even some of the wood firers amongst us are on Facebook. 25 years ago the documentation of my work consisted of taking photos with a camera using wind-on film that had to processed at the local camera shop and we celebrated when one hour processing came in. When presenting my work I needed to provide slides with information stickers stuck on the front. I brought my first digital camera with a massive 1.3 mega pixels for close to $1000.00. Though expensive, the camera was the start of a change, giving me the ability to keep an ongoing record of my work and opened up the world of IT. When we first opened the studio computers were something banks had and the greatest piece of tech we had was the manual bankcard swipe machine. Marketing meant the expensive printing process and snail mail. As struggling artists, we had to think of ingenious ways to advertise without spending too much money. So stunts like parking your car with the gallery logo in prime spots in and around Fremantle on the weekends to attract attention were not uncommon. IT and the internet is now integral to my business as an artist, providing me the ability to communicate and send images across the globe as I have done with these images sent through for PYRE. A lot of my new customers are already familiar with my work via the web before they come into the gallery. Now for the next 25 years, what next, potters on the moon??? I have a clear memory of getting a hint of the way IT was going to change business, when working with an Interior Designer from Hong Kong who said that in Hong Kong emails had become the main way businesses were communicating and of course my response 16 AUGUST 2012 CERAMIC ARTS ASSOCIATION OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA GALLERY EAST Opening 6pm on Friday 24th of August Jörg Schmeisser: prints Keiko Amenomori Schmeisser: textiles Stewart Scambler: ceramics Exhibition continues until Sunday 16th of September This exhibition of prints by Jörg Schmeisser is a tribute to his superb craftsmanship a nd to a very wonderful man who, sadly passed a way in June this year. Jörg’s print making covers 45 years a nd the works on show represent the extraordinary breadth of his vision a s well a s his technical virtuosity. Many of the works have the feel of a visual diary, recording with enormous warmth a nd sensitivity the places, cultures a nd traditions that he experienced. Keiko Amenomori Schmeisser is a master of the Shibori technique of dyeing. Represented in the National Gallery of Australia a nd Parliament House, Canberra, a mong others, her rich textile works with their shimmering surfaces, a re a unique fusion of a n Australian experience with Japanese craftsmanship a nd aesthetic sensibilities. Stewart Scambler is a master ceramicist; a leading a uthority a nd teacher in ceramics a nd one of Western Australia's most prominent wood-‐firers. His ceramic forms a re a n exploration of his response to the land, the underlying presence rather than the landscape itself. They are a bout the emotional a nd spiritual effect that the land has on the people a nd the stillness that it g enerates within. 17 AUGUST 2012 CERAMIC ARTS ASSOCIATION OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA Potter’s Tips: “When setting out to make large bowls or platters, first attach a dampened circle of canvas to your bat with a good smear of slurry, and throw on that. When you have finished, slide the cutting wire between the canvas and the bat, not under the bowl itself. When the bowl is firm enough to turn upside down the canvas can be peeled off, and none of the clay gets wasted.” Ginny Conrow, US potter ~Submitted for PYRE by Janet Kovesi-Watt What is a pot? A pot is not Just any grey Little bowl of clay A pot is a pot For daffodils Or a porridge pot Or a pot for pills Cruets and goblets Jars and jugs Platters and plates And trays and mugs Shallow pots Or dark and deep Pots to give And pots to keep Touch them hold them Pick them up Batter bowl Or sake cup And feel the curve Of earth and sky Kitchen warm Or springtime shy A pot is a mood Of many hues But most of all A pot is to use Poem by US potter Cynthia Bringle ~Submitted for PYRE by Janet Kovesi-Watt Competitions & Prizes: York Art Award In October or November of each year the York Society holds the annual Art and Craft Awards which originated with the Craft Awards in the York Fair of 1973. The Awards hold an important place in the Western Australian Art & Craft scene and now attract around 500 entries each year from some 180 artists and craftspersons. Entrants must be residents of Western Australia. Prize money, donated by the community, totals $8850. A new Award of $1000, was first included in 2001. In 2012 two such Awards, one in the Art section and one in the Craft section, will be made for the best entries in any category depicting "Farming". (2012 has been designated as "The Year of the Farmer".) Entries close 10th of September 2012. For more information: www.yorksoc.org.au Ph: 9641 1276 AUGUST 2012 CERAMIC ARTS ASSOCIATION OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA Noticeboard: *Message from the treasurer: When making a direct deposit can you put in your name a s reference please. A recent deposit a t a Floreat Forum bank remains anonymous. If you have made a payment recently could you contact me. Ph: 9447 9179 Thank you, Di Sigel POTTERY CLASSES With Cher Shackleton Pottery Studio Gar age Sale! Wendy Binks is having a studio closing down sale at her studio 13 Walker St, South Fremantle (rear) on Sunday 23 September, from 1pm to 4pm. Goods include: • 11 cu ft electric kiln plus furniture and kiln controller • 2 Venco wheels • Pug mill • Large slab roller • Extruder • Various tools, materials, wooden batts, plaster moulds, tile cutters, kiln furniture • Wedging table 2/16 Peel Road, O’Connor Term dates: Enquiries: Wendy 0407 942 757 20th October – 24th November 6 Weeks Saturdays 10am – 12:30pm 23rd October - 11th December 8 Weeks Tuesdays 10am-12:30pm or 2pm – 4:30pm or 6pm – 8:30pm Call Cher: 0408 904 271 www.shackletongallery.com Wanted to buy: Giffin grip - in good nick - at reasonable price. Call Elaine Ph: 0411 160 233 AUGUST 2012 CERAMIC ARTS ASSOCIATION OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA CAAWA CALENDAR 2nd August 9th September 6th 20th October 4th 5th, 6th,7th October October November 1st December 2013 April 15th AGM: Community Room, Peppermint Grove Library Dr. Stefano Carboni talks on the subject of Islamic Ceramics Annual Selective Exhibition Closes No August Study Group Committee Meeting 6 pm Study Group: Subject: Ikebana Artist talk and demonstration. Committee Meeting 6 pm POTober 2012 Ceramic Workshops No Study Group Committee Meeting 6 pm Study Group: TBA CAAWA Christmas dinner. Rosie O’Gradys’ Selective Exhibition Heathcote Gallery, Melville For PYRE submissions and enquiries email [email protected] WEB ADDRESS www.ceramicartswa.asn.au POSTAL ADDRESS C/- 9 Hartington Way Carine 6020 WA AUGUST 2012 CERAMIC ARTS ASSOCIATION OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA MEMBERSHIP RENEWAL 1st July 2012 – 30th June 2013 NAME……………………………………………………………………………………………… ADDRESS…………………………………………………………………………...……………. ………….…………...…………………………………………………P/C…………………… PHONE……………………………………………………………………………………........... EMAIL……………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………………… MEMBERSHIP (please circle) NEWSLETTER: post NEW RENEWAL TWO YEARS FULL $ 50.- $ 100.- GROUP $ 75.- $ 150.- FULL TIME STUDENT $ 30.- $ 60.- ASSOCIATE $ 30.- $ 60.- email CHEQUES payable to CERAMIC ARTS ASSOCIATION WA (INC) CREDIT CARD: Visa…………………………………………………..EXP…………… MasterCard………………………………………….EXP…………… Name on Card………………………………………………………… Monies to: Dianne Sigel, 9 Hartington Way, Carine WA 6020. email: [email protected] Payments may be made by cheque, money order, credit card or direct debit to Westpac Karrinyup BSB: 036027. A/c: 257310. Account name: Ceramic Arts Assocn. of WA Inc. When paying by direct debit, please reference your name on the direct debit and please advise Dianne Sigel via email that you have made the direct debit. Cheques made out to Ceramic Arts Assn of WA (Inc).