The Sherwood Neighbourhood Centre Introduces:

Western Suburbs Clayworkers Newsletter September 2016

A word from our presidentHi all,September has worked out to be a busy month for WSC! The SWELL exhibition is on, we had a Raku workshop and we have to vacate the studio from 17 September.

BVAC Pop-up-ShopThe BVAC Pop-up-Shop is on in November. We have a number of members participating again. The Pop-up-Shop is held in the Auditorium at the Mt Coot-tha Botanical Gardens on 11 November (opening night), 12 and 13. There will be a roster for those participating; all members are encouraged to at least go and have a look to support this event.

The Ekka gets a mention again with some images of the pottery section!

The Studio ExtensionWork has started on the extension with a new slab for the relocated kiln room at the back of the existing studio.

Work is also well under way on the offices at the front with a massive ramp taking up nearly half the courtyard.

The studio will be closed for a while but we have arranged alternatives:

On 21 September Julie Stuart has kindly offered us the use of her garage at Coorparoo - bring along your clay and tools. Julie will also give us a brief workshop on terra sigillata - find out what this alternate decorating media is from a very experienced potter.

She has also invited us for 28 September.

At the last meeting it was also discussed that we have a couple of gallery crawls to make sure we keep meeting.

The October meeting will be at Sandy Edward's house at Forest Lake. We will be sharing morning tea and you are invited to bring along some of your latest work to discuss. Sandy also has some of her work to share with us.

Karen from the Neighbourhood Centre assures us we will be back in our studio as early as possible. Fingers crossed!

SWELL and the Ceramic AwardsA brilliant day at the coast - always a fascinating selection of work and a great lunch as usual.

The Gold Coast International Ceramics Awards generated a lot of discussion as to the merits of various pieces - well worth seeing.

Foundry visitJudy has committed to having one of her pieces cast in bronze and we have been invited along to witness the process toward the end of October. Should be fascinating!

See you in the studio, or somewhere, soon.

David

This month's video wsclayworkers.org.au/wsc-workshops.html Anthony's throwing workshop.

contactsPresident David Bartholomew Secretary Rachael Torepe

Western Suburbs Clayworkers 38 Thallon Street Sherwood 4075 Newsletter Angie Archibald angarchibald7@gmail.com

Newsletter Production david@vcgraphics.com.au Email wsclayworkers@hotmail.com

Go to: wsclayworkers.org.au

Send us photos of your work to upload to our web page for our members to see - http://wsclayworkers.org.au/wsc-work.html

Also find popular recipes by request

Find these and more on the web page now!

wsclayworkers@hotmail.com

The 2016 web page update

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Don't forget we are out of the studio for up to 4 weeks!

What's ahead for 2016?Any ideas for workshops, gallery trips etc for 2016? Ocarina workshop, Raku.

Foundry visit

Xmas

WantedDon’t forget to re-cycle your clay!!!

potterysuppliesonline.com.au

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gsShow and tell

Anthony's Indian pot - bought in Brisbane this time!

Anthony's lamp holder - Feeney's Dark Stoneware

David's Raku from a workshop with the Redcliffe Pottery Group

Overall winner of the Pottery Section at the Ekka by Kirstin Farr - saggar fired pieces

David's surface decoration pieces

Kirstin's crows

Wendy Britton surface decoration

Overall Ekka pottery entries

The Ekka pottery section

A Nasty Glaze Spill - seen on line

Results from our Raku - Sunday 11 September

Brisbane Visual Artists Community presents the

Pop-Up ShopNovember 12-13th, 2016

at the Auditorium, Mt Coot-tha Botanic Gardens

Mt Coot-tha, QldSaturday & Sunday 9am—4pm,

Looking For That Unique Gift

Our November Pop Up Shop is packed with a huge variety of Hand Crafted items for sale.

Meet the artists and discover unique, handmade artworks.

On sale will be exclusive handmade gifts from our member groups, including textile works, porcelain, glass, leather goods, pottery,

watercolours, jewellery and other craft items. You’re bound to find the perfect gift.

Light refreshments will be availableEfptos available

For more information:bvac.org.au email: info@bvac.org.au or join us on

facebook: BVAC - Brisbane Visual Arts Community

theredcliffepotterygroup

22-29 November Redcliffe City Art Gallery

and Library Complex,

470-476 Oxley Ave Redcliffe

Open:

Mon to Thur 9am to 5pm

Fri 9am to 8pm

Sat 9am to 4.30pm

Closed Sun

Tuesday 29 November

fi nal day 9am to 2pm

FREE ENTRY

For more information contact:

Tad 0411 339 061

or email

austad@bigpond.net.au

Ideal end of year and Christmas gifts

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Raku Sunday was very successful - quite a variety of work put through and quite a variety of glazes.

One of our busiest Rakus ever!

Whats On In & Around Brissy:Edwina Corlette Gallery555 Brunswick Street, New Farm 4005. (07) 3358-6555, 0412-301-355. www.edwinacorlette.com Director: Edwina Corlette. Tues-Sat 10.00 to 5.00. Sept 20 to Oct 15 Reliving by Bundit Puangthong.

FireWorks Gallery52a Doggett Street, Newstead 4006. (07) 3216-1250. info@fireworksgallery.com.au www.fireworksgallery.com.au Tues-Fri 10.00 to 6.00, Sat 10.00 to 4.00. Sept 11 to Oct 22 Pat Hoffie & Paul Bong.

Jan Murphy Gallery486 Brunswick Street, Fortitude Valley 4006. (07) 3254-1855. enquiries@janmurphygallery.com.au www.janmurphygallery.com.au Director: Jan Murphy. Tues-Sat 10.00 to 5.00 or by appt. Aug 30 to Oct 1 Unearth by Guy Maestri.

Museum of BrisbaneLevel 3, Brisbane City Hall (Adelaide and Ann streets) King George Square, Brisbane 4000. (07) 3339-0800. info@museumofbrisbane.com.au museumofbrisbane.com.au Free entry. Daily 10.00 to 5.00.

Queensland Art Gallery (QAG) | Gallery of Modern Art (GOMA)Stanley Place, Cultural Precinct, South Bank Brisbane 4101. (07) 3840-7303 Fax 3844-8865. www.qagoma.qld.gov.au Free entry, unless otherwise stated. Daily 10.00 to 5.00.

GOMA:To Sept 18 Time of Others. To Oct 3 Cindy Sherman. Ticketed. Children’s Art Centre: Ah Xian: Naturephysica. To Nov 13 Line + Form. To Feb 12, 2017 Children’s Art Centre: The Gabori Sisters: Gathering by the Sea. To April 16, 2017 A World View: The Tim Fairfax Gift. To May 14, 2017 Untitled by Anish Kapoor.

QUT Art Museum2 George Street, QUT Gardens Point Campus (next to the City Botanic Gardens), Brisbane 4000. (07) 3138-5370. artmuseum@qut.edu.au www.artmuseum.qut.edu.au Free entry. Tues-Fri 10.00 to 4.00, Sat-Sun 12.00 to 4.00. Visit website for programs and events. To Nov 13 the churchie national emerging art prize announcement and exhibition.

Redland Art GalleryCapalabaCapalaba Place, Noeleen Street, Capalaba 4157. (07) 3829-8899. gallery@redland.qld.gov.au artgallery.redland.qld.gov.au Free admission. Mon-Wed, Fri 8.30 to 5.00, Thurs 8.30 to 7.30, Sat 9.00 to 4.00. To Sept 3 Brian Hatch: Mini watercolours, modern scrimshaw and prints. Sept 10 to Oct 8 Dwight Ricketts: Ancient Greece.

Redland Art GalleryClevelandCnr Middle and Bloomfield streets, Cleveland 4163. (07) 3829-8899. gallery@redland.qld.gov.au artgallery.redland.qld.gov.au Free admission. Mon-Fri 9.00 to 4.00, Sun 9.00 to 2.00. To Sept 4 Pacific Art from the Searle Collection, and CATCHING Light by Maryann Talia Pau. Sept 11 to Oct 9 Creative Generation Excellence Awards in Visual Art.

Royal Queensland Art Society Brisbane Branch Inc.at the Petrie Terrace Gallery162 Petrie Terrace, Brisbane 4000. (07) 3367-1977. secretary@rqas.com.au www.rqasbiennial.com.au Tue-Sun 10.00 to 3.30. Sept 6 to 25 Queensland Figurative 2016.

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The University of Queensland Art MuseumJames and Mary Emelia Mayne Centre (Building 11), University Drive, The University of Queensland, St Lucia 4067. (07) 3365-3046. artmuseum@uq.edu.au www.artmuseum.uq.edu.au Daily 10.00 to 4.00. To Nov 13 bTo Oct 30 Over the fence: Contemporary Indigenous photography from the Corrigan Collection features the work of 18 Indigenous artists engaged in the field of photography, drawn from the private collection of art patron and philanthropist Patrick Corrigan AM.

Gold Coast City GalleryThe Arts Centre Gold Coast, 135 Bundall Road, Surfers Paradise 4217. (07) 5588-4021. gallery@theartscentregc.com.au www.theartscentregc.com.au/gallery Free entry. Mon-Fri 10.00 to 5.00, Sat-Sun public hols 11.00 to 5.00. To Sept 18 Shifting Sands – South Stradbroke Island Indigenous Artist Camp. An exhibition of artwork by Indigenous artists responding to their experience on country. Aug 27 to Oct 23, 30th Gold Coast International Ceramic Art Award – a dynamic exhibition of ceramic art practices from around the world.

Also, Dreamliner by Damien O’Mara. Local artist Damien O’Mara presents a series of large-scale, detailed photographs of the recently launched Boeing 787 Dreamliner, taken at Gold Coast Airport. These seductive images seek to portray this giant industrial object as a contemporary structure in new ways and reveal both a sleek and streamlined form, signs of use and symbols of ownership and branding. Sept 23 to Oct 30 Energies an insightful exhibition by Gold Coast secondary students featuring artwork representing their current social, emotional and global views.

Noosa Regional GalleryLevel 1, 9 Pelican Street (PO Box 141), Riverside, Tewantin 4565. (07) 5329-6145. gallery@noosa.qld.gov.au www.noosaregionalgallery.com Director: Nina Shadforth. Tue-Fri 10.00 to 4.00, Sat-Sun 10.00 to 3.00 closed Mondays, public holidays and during exhibition changeovers. Sept 2 to Nov 20 The Making of Midnight Oil. The exhibition showcases rare and iconic items including stage props, instruments, protest banners, hand written lyrics, photographs and posters as well as rare and exclusive footage and unreleased music. Free entry.

Awards:Albert Park College Art Showapcollegeartshow@gmail.com Submissions open for the 6th annual art show. 2 and 3 dimensional works. Entries close 5pm, Mon Sept 5. Exhibition Oct 14 to 16. Trudy Rice 0410-596-415. Visit website for more info.

Contemporary Art Awards 2017Winners prize value $4,500 plus additional prizes for the winners and finalists. Entries close Nov 29. Apply online or through the supplied hardcopy application forms. Visit website for details.

Hornsby Art PrizeOpen to all Australian artists. Major prize includes $10,000. Entries close Sun Sept 18. Exhibition Nov 17 to 27. Visit website for details and to enter.

Montalto Sculpture Prize 2017(03) 5989-8412. Acquisitive prize. Entries closing Mon Oct 31. Exhibition Feb 26 to Oct 29, 2017. Download entry form and details from website.

Rutherglen Recycling Sculpture0429-401-835. Arts Rutherglen, North-East Victoria invites entries for sculpture created from recycled materials. Major prize $3,000. Entries close Fri Oct 7. Exhibition Oct 21 to Nov 19. Visit website for entry.

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Sculpture At Scenic World 2017 ExhibitionOpen call for submissions. Entries closing Mon Nov 28. Exhibition April 7 to May 7, 2017. Visit website for details and entry form.

St George Art Awards – Hurstville Museum & GalleryEntries are now open for this biennial award. Artists must respond to the theme of ‘Reflection’ in their work. Prize pool of $12,000.Entries close Fri Sept 9. Visit website for details and entry.

Sculpture At Scenic World 2017 ExhibitionOpen call for submissions. Entries closing Mon Nov 28. Exhibition April 7 to May 7, 2017. Visit website for details and entry form.

AT GOMA TILL OCT 3 2016:CINDY SHERMANThe lady is back. A costumed chameleon with one of the art world’s most recognisable faces, the Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art (QAGOMA) presents the new age of Cindy Sherman.The first solo show in Australia for 15 years, ‘Cindy Sherman’ curated by Ellie Buttrose, focuses on the artist’s practice from the early 2000s onwards. Now a mature artist, Sherman returns as the central subject representing an older generation of women. No small subject matter, Sherman’s practice embraces this head-on, with more than 50 large-scale works on display.Examining the representation of older women in the media, as well as the everyday practice of becoming a woman, Sherman’s practice, as Buttrose states, “is about that idea of the masquerade we put on with a costume every morning before we go out – the gap between who we are and who we aspire to be.” Through her character studies she explores the social conventions adhered to by older women, as well as the changing attitudes of society and the camera towards them.Taking centre stage at GOMA are the everyday women. A larger than life, immense five metre-tall mural will feature a cast of eclectic characters. Subverting social hierarchy, Sherman gives colour and prominence to a section of women that can normally go by unnoticed.In a series of fashion collaborations with ‘Society portraits’ (2008), ‘Balenciaga’ (2007-2008) and ‘Chanel’ (2010-2013), Sherman represents the rich cross-section of women in society. Playing upon the unattainability of the fashion world’s campaigns, Sherman questions the status, class and unattainable perfection that is perpetuated by the industry.In her collaboration with ‘Chanel’, Sherman dramatised the digitally edited perfection of fashion magazines, using Photoshop to amplify

her imperfections like the bags under her eyes, shadows, wrinkles or the shape of her nose. Mimicking the way that fashion magazines often dress models in couture in ludicrous settings, Sherman, as Buttrose outlines, plays upon this outlandish idea, “as if the landscape is this rugged desolate place and the woman is this beautiful, fragile person.”Do not be mistaken that Sherman is critical of the women she represents. What adds depth to her studies is the underlying tone of empathy from her own experience as a woman. With her recent 2016 series on display, at 62 years old Sherman’s practice is aware of the scrutiny of the camera and viewer at her own image.An artist that is completely self-directed, through prosthetics and make-up, photography and more recently digital manipulation, Sherman whilst presenting a new age group, asks the ongoing relevant question of what do beautiful women look like?Buttrose sums up the key to Sherman’s character studies, “she is asking the viewer – how do you see class and beauty every time you see an advertisement, a film or television? She is putting the images up for you to read. Her work is not the works that you see on the walls, it’s you catching yourself out as you make that judgement and reflecting on the judgement you make everyday.”A telling exhibition of perception and representation, ‘Cindy Sherman’ presents a felt experience of identity and image, and the relationship between the two. In a digital age where images are only gaining in prominence in their influence, Sherman’s latest brush with the camera is as relevant as ever.

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How to Make a Floating Stick Hydrometer for the Cost of a MilkshakeGetting glazes to come out the same from batch to batch is a lot easier if you are sure the glaze is mixed to the same consistency each time. Many potters just eyeball it (you know, “mix to the consistency of skim milk”), but to get scientific, you need to measure the specific gravity with a hydrometer.

Making a floating-stick hydrometer doesn’t have to be rocket science. While making calibrating marks on a simple soda straw to show the specific gravity does requires a bit of math, using a calibration chart makes it a lot easier to do. In today’s post, an excerpt from the June/July/August 2013 issue of Ceramics Monthly, Roger Graham shows you how to make and use this simple tool.

Any Easy and Cheap Way to Make a Hydrometerby Roger GrahamIf you mix your own glazes, you will already have discovered that it is a mixture of science and magic. Probably you make use of an accurate scale for weighing out ingredients. Maybe you consult a glaze calculation program, and work out expansion coefficients. That’s science (with a small “s”). But when it comes to actually mixing the glaze, how much water do you add? Does your recipe say, “Mix to the consistency of thin cream?” Or do you just dip your hand in and see how thick a coating clings to your fingers? That’s Magic (with a capital “M”).One way to bring glaze consistency assessment back to the realm of science is to use a hydrometer, which measures the specific gravity of a fluid. Let me share with you the design for a glaze hydrometer, which you can make for the price of a milkshake.

Making the HydrometerThe idea is to fix the little weight (Figure 1) inside one end of the straw, and seal it in with something waterproof. Then you can float the straw upright in the glaze, and the numbers on the straw will show the specific gravity of the fluid. Floating in pure water, the straw should sink to the mark 1.0, meaning that 1 mL of the liquid by volume would be 1 gram by weight. If the straw sinks to the mark 1.4 in your glaze, that means 1 mL of glaze weighs 1.4 grams, and so on.If you don’t have scales suitable for measuring in grams, you can just do it by trial and error. A 20 mm length of ¼-inch steel rod is a good starting point. Just trim it down to about 4 grams using a hacksaw or grinder. A scrap of sheet lead just over a millimeter thick, and about 15 x 20 mm in size, is about right, if that’s what you’ve got. Roll it up into a little cylinder and secure it into the end of the straw with the sealant. Whatever little object you use, it must go completely into the straw (no bits sticking out) and the end of the straw should be closed completely by the sealant. Leave the top of the straw open if you wish, but don’t get liquid inside the straw when in use.

Materials List• A McDonald's drinking straw (these are wider than others)

• A dab of silicone sealant, or hot glue

• A 4 gram scrap of lead or steel rod (or a nail or a bolt - but about 4 grams)

• A waterproof felt-tip pen to write marks on the straw

Float the newly made hydrometer straw in water. It should sink a bit over half way, and float upright. Make a mark at the water level (Figure 2).Now dry the straw and line it up with the calibration chart so the bottom end of the straw is on the bottom line, and the mark you’ve made on the straw is against the chart line marked 1.0 (Figure 3). The sloping cross-lines on the chart show where to mark the other numbers, 1.1, 1.2 , 1.3, 1.4, 1.5, 1.6, 1.7 (Figure 4). A value of 1.3 to 1.5 is typical for most pottery glazes (Figure 5). The exact value probably matters less than being able to get it the same next time, or every time.If you prefer not to use the calibration chart, it’s easy math to calculate where to put the calibration marks. Just float the newly made straw in water, and mark the water level as 1.0. Now measure the length from the bottom of the straw to the water-level mark, in millimeters. Call that length x. With a calculator, work out a value for (x ⁄ 1.1). That tells you the measurement in millimeters where you should add the calibration mark 1.1. Calculate a value for (x ⁄ 1.2), and mark the straw 1.2, then do it again for (x ⁄ 1.3) and so on.

Develop your own glazes!There›s nothing more satisfying than putting one of your own glazes on a pot you made — and it›s not that hard to do! It doesn›t take much to get started — a half dozen ingredients and a few colorants can keep you busy testing for a year with hundreds of results. Greg Daly›s Developing Glazes provides a great starting point for making your own glazes at any temperature range.

Figure 1 Figure 4

Figure 2 Figure 5

Figure 3