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DORSET POTTERY GROUP | Return to DPG Main Page |
| NEWSLETTER | ||
| No. 18 - MARCH 2002 |
This is the on-line version of the DPG Newsletter
Follow the links to get to the sections quickly
FUNDING
THE GROUP
Now that all the bills for making and erecting the Millennium Ammonite
have been settled, it now seems a good time to look at the way the Group is
funded and consider whether any changes should be made. Up to now, unlike other
pottery associations in the UK, members have not had to pay an annual subscription
fee to belong to the Group. We have been uniquely funded by voluntary donations
of postage stamps, collections made at workshops etc. and commission on sales
at exhibitions. This arrangement came about because it was felt that those members
who used the Group's facilities most should contribute more to our running expenses.
We now send out over 80 Newsletters twice a year at a cost of £80 to £90 and
if we are to continue to do this, together with expensive publicity about our
exhibitions and events, we must consider other ways of raising funds. With more
money in the kitty it would be possible to arrange more events, e.g. demonstrations
by well known potters, to stage more exhibitions and improve our newsletters.
Any suggestions from members about fund raising would be welcomed and these
can be discussed at our next meeting. In the meantime some extra funds should
be forthcoming from the sale of the Millennium Project postcards detailed below.
Further donations of postage stamps would also be welcomed from those members
who haven't sent me any for some time.
MILLENNIUM
AMMONITE
This has now been featured on various tourist information web sites where
it is called ' The Bridport Ammonite'. Postcards of the project have been printed
and are available from me. Please see below for details.
2001
EXHIBITION AT THE ALLSOP GALLERY - BRIDPORT ACTS CENTRE
Last year's exhibition at the Bridport Arts Centre was a great success.
Both the volume of sales and visitor numbers were up on those for the previous
year. The exhibition was superbly organised and advertised by Bill Crumbleholme
who spent many hours of hard work getting it all together. Well done Bill! One
of the Innovations he introduced was to use decorated drapes to break up the
gallery into sections. These were made of lengths of gardeners' fleece which
were suspended from the rafters of the gallery ceiling. They were previously
decorated with large coloured pottery profiles by Fil Cooke. In coloured reality
they were absolutely stunning. This year's exhibition at Bridport will run from
the 21st October to 2nd November 2002. This will coincide with the 10th anniversary
of the formation of the Group. Details later. Alan Ashpool
Potters
Market & Surgery at Upwey Old School Hall
(Between Weymouth & Dorchester – next to the Wishing Well)
Saturday 23rd
March 2002 - 10am – 5pm
With Spring in
the Air and all us potters coming out of hibernation, we are holding a "Bring
& Buy" sale. We all have some surplus materials we would not miss,
but that might brighten up someone else’s life (or pots). So get sorting out
your studios and come along with your goodies.
Anything related to pottery is welcome – glazes, clay, tools, equipment, books,
magazines etc. BUT NOT FINISHED POTTERY. Bring photographs and/or descriptions
of large items that you cannot fit in the car.
To pay the Hall rent we need to charge £1 for admission.
Please package items securely and label with the sellers name, a suggested price
and full description (if glaze or clay). They will be put on display for people
to browse through and make offers. Proceeds will go to the seller (who may make
a donation to the Dorset Pottery Group if they so wish).
We will raise funds for the Dorset Pottery Group from the sale of donated items,
so please bring along a little something.
I am particularly looking for glaze buckets for evening classes.
I have acquired a batch load of glazes from a potter who moved and do not want
the low temperature glazes and some of the stonewares. They are all labeled
with numbers, but I could do with help identifying some of them – so please
bring any old catalogues.
The Surgery aspect of the day is to offer help with problems, such as glaze
faults or pots cracking, bring along your problems and perhaps another potter
can suggest a solution.
I will be taking orders for a bulk Clay delivery from Spencroft Ceramics & Valentines – to be delivered in April.
I will be taking my van to Briar Wheels at Fordingbridge and to Bath Potters Supplies so will take orders for new materials from them, we could buy bigger quantities and split them up. I will make a small delivery charge to Upwey and items can be picked up by arrangement.
I will also be ordering materials to build a Raku kiln and would welcome people to join in purchasing the various materials. I can get the wire frames made locally and will try sourcing ceramic fibre.
We look forward to seeing you, doing some bartering and having a chat.
Contact me for more information, Bill Crumbleholme Tel 01305 812030.
Invitation
to Throwing & Raku Firing Workshops
Sundays 2002
- 10am to 5pm
At Upwey Old
School Hall (North of Weymouth)
17th
& 24th March, 7th , 21st & 28th
April
DPG members are
invited to come along to one (or more) of these workshops, which I am holding
mainly for our evening class students.
Please let me know ASAP if you would like to come & your preferred dates (I have to limit the numbers). You can come for the whole day or just a half.
The basic cost per person is £5 (for up to 7 hrs!), plus material & firing costs. If you are everso impressed with the pot(s) you take home you can make an extra donation to the Hall funds. I do not want any money until the day.
You can use the craft room facilities, working on the wheels or hand-building. Clay suitable for Raku firing is available on sale.
You can help fire the Raku kiln, I will provide biscuited pots at various prices (£4 up). Or you can bring your own pots. You paint on the glazes and see them fired, then clean them up and take them home. Allow at least 3 hours.
Wear old clothes & shoes (waterproof, but nothing too inflammable).
Bring a camera, food & drink.
Contact
Bill Crumbleholme by
e-mail
or for more details of other Classes follow
this link
BOOK
REVIEWS
The following books have been published by A & C Black..-
Glazes
Cone 6
by Michael Bailey Paperback. £12.99
This is another book in the brilliant Ceramics Handbook series. It is about
making glazes that are fired to cone 6 (1220C to 124OC) The advantages of firing
at this temperature, rather than at a higher stoneware temperature, are lower
fuel costs and less wear and tear on the kiln fabric and electric elements.
The handbook can be used purely as a recipe book providing many base glazes
ranging from shiny to very matt and suggested colouring additions. These are
illustrated by coloured pictures of fired test pieces. In addition to this however
it also explores and explains the chemistry behind glaze formulation. Special
effects such as crystalline, lustre' single fired and brush-on glazes are also
examined, with recipes and tips for ensuring success in using them. Finally
there is a Gallery of the work of a number of potters who use cone 6 glazes
including some by Carenza Hayhoe who is a member of the Group.
For most of my potting life I have fired my pots between 1200C and 1220C because
of the advantages detailed above but this book has really opened my eyes to
what additionally can he achieved at this temperature. 1 was particularly amazed
by a chapter on red iron glazes which detailed and illustrated some brilliant
red ones. For this reason alone 1 would treasure this book in my workshop.
Mary
Wondraush on Slipware Hardback. £25
In this reprint of her classic book Mary Wondrausch looks over the history
of slipware, narrating its development in many countries and discussing the
techniques and practicalities involved. As one of the leading practitioners
in the field, she writes with great enthusiasm and knowledge about this most
joyous and colourful of ceramic styles. This new edition features many more
colour images as well as pictures not previously included.
Slipware has a tradition of being used for commemorative wares and as such,
it has played an important part in marketing historical events both for individuals
and nations. This extra role makes this book essential reading for both potters,
ceramic collectors and historians alike.
There is a chapter on English slip-trailed wares which took me back to the first
time 1 read about Thomas Toft in Bernard Leach's ' A Potters Book.' This chapter
enlarged my knowledge about this man, and other 17th Century Staffordshire potters.
In addition this book has given me an insight into the importance of the written
word on pots and opened my eyes to the wealth of slipware that has been made
outside England. Alan Ashpool
Clay
for People with Special Needs
By Claire Botterill Paperback £12.99
Well written by an enthusiastic potter having vast experience working with people
with a wide range of disabilities. As well as briefly covering the major techniques
of clay, glazes and firing, the book’s main strength is the numerous suggestions
for various tried and tested projects suited for particular "clients".
A wealth of guidance is given about how to gauge people’s abilities to the level
of skill needed for the various tasks, particularly working with groups with
differing abilities.
The numerous colour photographs accurately illustrate the methods and results,
the text is clear and well set out. The book is structured like a cookery recipe
book and is easy to read, both from cover to cover and dipping into for particular
ideas. The book is worth consulting for the many tips which are universally
applicable to struggling new-comers of all abilities working with clay, from
young children at the dawn of their creative existence to aging evening class
students with failing powers of imagination! An excellent book for "service
providers" who need an instruction manual and some inspiration.
Bill Crumbleholme
This newsletter features reviews of new books, but it would be useful if we could have some recommendations about established publications – any suggestions?
Perhaps on 23rd.March (see above) you could bring a couple of your favourites to just put on show for the day (please make sure your name is on them and they are marked NFS).
The activities staged by the Dorset Pottery Group depend on members making suggestions and helping to organise the events. Do we want to become more active with Masterclasses or guest speakers? Talk amongst yourselves and please speak up with your wishes.
Dorset Art Weeks 2002 are from 25th May to 9th June, including the extra Bank Holiday for the Jubilee Celebrations. Many DPG members are involved and will be opening their studios and workshops for visitors with all their latest ware on display.
The Guides will be available very soon, listing over 300 visual arts venues. Look at www.dorsetartweek.com
Claire Ring, Dorset County Council’s Visual Arts Development Officer, publishes The Art List which gives lots of useful details about visual arts exhibitions, events and workshops. It is available by post or at http://www.dorset-cc.gov.uk/libraries
Claire is a good contact for Dorset potters looking for advice and assistance.
Claire Ring Tel 01305 224224 e-mail c.e.ring@dorset-cc.gov.uk
Jill Rousseau’s gallery in North Street, Wareham continues to show a wide selection of contemporary paintings and studio ceramics. www.thedorsetgallery.co.uk
Goblin Teasmade – An Opportunity!
I have received
an enquiry (nay a challenge!) about producing replacement teapots for the wonderful
Teasmade, feature of so many bedsides. There are several models, but Goblin
were taken over and manufacture has ceased. I am one of thousands of owners
with a broken teapot. Is anyone interested in producing replacements? I guess
a cast could be taken from an original – not something I’ve done a lot of. Perhaps
this could be a topic for a future workshop! If you need a reminder take a look
at www.teasmade.com
Answers on a postcard or e-mail to Bill
Crumbleholme.
We are pleasure to inform you, of a great event on May 2002 on our city Zaragoza (Spain) based on the contemporary ceramics CERCO 2002. If you want more information you can look on: www.ceramicacontemporanea.com
SELLING COSTS Running a Gallery - Not All Beer and Skittles!
Selling costs and sometimes it can cost a lot! It rates among some of our biggest headaches along side formulating glazes and firing, and selling takes up valuable time when we could be making. Whether you are trying to make a living out of clay or fitting potting into an otherwise already busy schedule there comes a time when you have to look for a market. However you do it there is no way of escaping selling costs. Outside London a basic run of thumb is to allow !T making costs (including overheads, rent, heat, raw materials and labour) and !S selling costs. In other words, !T is your trade price. In my gallery I ask my exhibitors to set the retail price from which I take one third commission. (This is assuming that the maker is not VAT registered.)
Sadly there are still people who believe that galleries are in business to rip off the unsuspecting producer. They seem to think that all you have to do is sit there in the warm and dry and take the money!
I began my potting career more than thirty years ago in a London basement. My first experience of the costs of selling were in Libertys where in 1977 I demonstrated in their Spring Exhibition. Since then I have never quibbled over a gallery mark-up. First there is the inescapable cost of the business rate. This is based on frontage and square footage and is decreed not by a local authority but by inflexible central government. In addition the gallery owner has to pay rent, staff, public and employers liability as well as insurance of goods and premises. Then there are the costs of publicity and advertising (these can be extraordinarily heavy) and the cost of private views. On top of all these there are the costs of special lighting and maintaining the premises in perfect decorative condition. The mark up of the gallery will depend on its position – a central London gallery must put on a high mark-up just to survive. The costs involved in selling at craft fairs are stall rental, transport, packaging and the making-time lost in while you are packing, unpacking and staffing the stall yourself. For a while as a rural potter I sold from my own premises as well as doing craft fairs and market stalls. To sell from your own premises you have to pay the business rate or risk facing the penalties of being found out.
Owners of small galleries outside London do not expect to make a fortune – or even a living – they do it for the love of the work they exhibit and many have to rely on a supplementary income to survive. Exhibition galleries provide a service and should not be confused with shops who call themselves galleries and take goods on sale-or-return for long periods doing little to publicise the individual maker or artist. Such establishments should be treated with caution.
May I suggest that there might be merit in pooling the selling experiences of members? A selling co-operative might be an interesting venture, either in a shop on a short term lease, or from a stall at a central venue on a regular basis so the public know where it can be found. However this would need a very considerable commitment from everyone involved. At least two local associations have experience of setting up their own shop. In the mean time we all have to be come opportunists and develop our business skills – while I for one would always prefer to be up to my elbows in clay!
P.S.Money headaches aside, running a gallery can be great fun, combining the pleasures of handling lovely things & meeting fascinating people. Visitors are always welcome, especially Dorset Potters.
Carenza Hayhoe, Wellbeloved Gallery, Portland www.wellbelovedgallery.co.uk
ALPHA HOUSE GALLERY 2002 EXHIBITION CALENDAR
| 19 January - 23 February | Justin Cooke - Paintings |  |
| Margaret Lawton - Paintings | ||
| Julia Manning - paintings & prints | ||
| Deirdre Burnett - ceramics | ||
| Daphne Carnegy - tin glazed earthenware | ||
| Marcus O'Mahoney - salt glazed stoneware | ||
| 2 - 30 March | Jim Malone - pots | |
| Daphne Alexander - paintings. watercolours & sculpture | ||
| lan Potts - watercolours | ||
| George Winter - paintings | ||
| 13 April - 11 May | William Mills Retrospective | |
| Gabriele Koch - ceramics | ||
| 18 May - 22 June | Four Dorset Artists (in conjunction with Dorset Art Weeks) | |
| Richard Batterham - pots | ||
| Marzia Colonna - sculpture & drawings | ||
| Gerry Dudgeon - paintings | ||
| Vanessa Gardiner - paintings | ||
| 6 July - 11 August | More Air
in the Garden Sculpture, ceramics and paintings about the tamed outdoors by various gallery artists |
|
| 8 September - 5 October | Mike Dodd - new pots | |
| Reg Gammon (1894 - 1997) probably a last opportunity to acquire paintings by this remarkable artist | ||
| 12 October - 16 November | Susan Caines - paintings | |
| James Campbell - ceramics & drawings | ||
| 23 November - 4 January | WINTER EXHIBITION - a seasonal mixture of ceramics, paintings, sculpture, glass, wood &. studio jewellery | |
| N.B. Dates may be changed without prior notice, but are correct as of 1st November 2001 | ||
25th - 26th May. Wales First Potters Market - Llanrhaeadr Hall, Denbigh, North Wales.
26th - 28th July. Potfest in the Park - Penrith selected show.
2nd, 3rd & 4th August. The 5th National Pottery and Ceramics Festival - Hatfield House, Hatfield, Herts.
9th - 11th August. Potfest in the Pens - Penrith Open Market
Postcards of the Millennium Ammonite are now available from Bridport Arts Centre for 50p each. Copies can also be obtained from me at the same price from the address given below. All the profits from copies obtained from me will go into Group funds. Ten or more copies can be purchased for 30p each. Please make cheques payable to Dorset Pottery Group. Alan Ashpool
This space is available for free notices from Members.. Please send copy to the Editor.
Articles
are required for the next Newsletter. Copy date is 30/6/02. Please send contributions
, either in print or on floppy disc, by e-mail to alanashpool@waitrose.com
or to me at the following address:-
Alan Ashpool, Trumps In Cottage, Whitchurch Canonicorum, BRIDPORT Dorset, DT6
6RH
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