The Slip Trail Blog

Robert Eckert, Arts Editor for The Rio Grande Sun - the Voice of Northern New Mexico, has written a review of Celebration of Clay 2024. Please click on the pdf to read it.

At the end of the review he states: "Celebration of Clay never disappoints and is an exhibit you'll want to visit." 

Saturday, November 16th is the last day of the show at Taos Ceramics Center, 114 Este Es Road in Taos. Hours: Wednesday through Saturday, 10 am to 5 pm. Sundays, Noon to 4 pm. Closed Monday and Tuesday. 

Celebration of Clay 2024 - CMRS20241023B004.pdf

_{By Susan Voss}

_{On a glorious fall evening on October 5th, the New Mexico Potters and Clay Artists (NMPCA) had the opening of their exhibition at the Taos Ceramic Center (TCC) located in Taos, New Mexico (NM). The sky could not have been bluer and the leaves on the cottonwoods were turning a stunning yellow and beginning to collect in golden piles. The TCC hosted the NMPCA for the 2024 Celebration of Clay with sixty-five artists from across NM. The opening was well attended and according to the TCC was one of the best attended openings that TCC has had.} 

^{The art at the exhibit is varied, just as ceramics are varied in shape, color, form and clay. With such a large number of artists participating a broad swath of expressions it is impossible to capture within this short article. Therefore, I am going to focus my review of the show on the various forms of sculpture that were presented. What differentiates sculpture from other ceramic pieces? After reviewing multiple definitions, I have opted for a rather simplistic definition – ceramic sculpture is a piece purely for aesthetic purposes and is not designed as a functional object. That is to say, it is a piece to convey a form or representation outside of a functional use. This can be further subdivided into pieces that are representative of a known object such as a person versus those that are purely geometric representations. There are nine figures that represent the human form, five that represent animal forms and fourteen abstract forms. A short overview of the work in these categories is presented below.} 

^{The Human Figure}

^{Three of the figures modeled the complete body. Kim Alderman’s work “Egyptian Mother is a pit fired sculpture with a computer cord providing an interesting juxtaposition between the ancient and the modern and Diane MacInne’s figure “Resilience” stand’s strong and beautiful with upward expression. Both pieces are shown in Figure 1. Hebe Garcia’s work entitled “Earth” is a contemplative figure whose feet are planted deeply into the earth. Hebe piece received a Merit Award in this year’s exhibit as shown in Figure 2.} 

    

^{Figure 1: Kim Alderman Egyptian Mother and Diane McInnes Resilience. Photo credits: the artists.} 

^{Figure 2: Hebe Garcia Earth on Display at the TCC Photo credit: the artist.} 

^{Sculptures of the human bust varied from representational to abstract. Carla Bassat’s figure “En el camino” is made from mixed media and a multitude of surface treatments whereas Elaine Kidd’s mask, Mask 1, incorporates organic materials into the dark clay and uses the naked raku process to create the dark and dynamic image. Nicole Merkens’ piece “She Who Understands” incorporates contrasting stains to blend into a dynamic representation, whereas Susan Voss’ sculpture “It’s My Day” uses a minimum of surface color to allow the beauty of the clay to shine through. Lois Olcott Price imbeds the figure of a woman into a mountainside claiming the title “Still My Mountain” with glaze, oxide and tinted wax finishes. Whereas Brian Pottorff's sculpture is of a more modern representation of a face with strong features entitled “Cycladic Dreams.” Images of the figures are shown below in Figures 3 and 4.  Photo credits: the artists.} 

        

^{Figure 3: Carla Bassat En el camino, Elaine Kidd Mask 1, and Nicole Merkens She Who Understands.  Photo credits: the artists.} 

      

^{Figure 4: Susan Voss It’s My Day, Lois Olcott Price Still My Mountain, and Brian Pottorff Cycladic Dreams. Photo credits: the artists.} 

^{Animal Sculptures}

^{The five animal sculptures provide a broad range of characters and expressions. Elaine Biery’s work “The Raven’s Gallery” depicts a warm mountain cliff with a curious raven looking down as shown in Figure 5. This is contrasted with Janeen Maas’ “Sing a Song” stoneware piece depicting crows baked into a pie while two watch from the side, a playful piece that received one of the three Merit Awards for the exhibit, and Sheena Cameron’s sculpture “Raven Riding-With Skull” is a translucent raku piece with a skull skillfully embedded in the side. These two sculptures are shown in Figure 6. Kim Louise Glidden's intricate sculpture entitled “Bison Vertebra & Arrowhead” provides a realistic depiction of an ancient vertebra with an arrowhead embedded deeply, suggesting a bygone day. Adam Emery’s work “Birds in the Dragon” is a multicolor expression of a dynamic dragon. Kim and Adam’s work is shown in Figure 7.} 

^{Figure 5: Elaine Biery The Raven’s Gallery at the TCC. Photo credit: the artist.} 

  

^{Figure 6: Janeen Maas Sing a Song and Sheena Cameron Raven Riding with Skull. Photo credits: the artists.} 

   

^{Figure 7: Kim Louise Glidden Bison Vertebra & Arrowhead and Adam Emery Birds in the dragon. Photo credits: the artists.} 

^{Abstract Sculpture}

^{There are a large number of abstract sculptures in the NMPCA Celebration of Clay exhibit this year where the use of form and surface effects bring forth interesting and intriguing sculptures to observe. Beginning with Cate McClain’s piece “Windswept,” a saggar-fired piece with black terra sigillata surface, has an intriguing form that rolls inward. Her piece received the Best of Show Award, and is shown in Figure 8.} 

^{Figure 8: Celebration of Clay 2024 Best of Show Cate McClain Windswept. Photo credit: the artist.} 

^{Some of the more earthy sculptures include Judy Nelson-Moore’s work “Open Aging” --an expressive saggar-fired piece with fiber elements, as shown at the exhibit in Figure 9. Greta Ruiz's piece “Flame Keeper,” a wood-fired sculpture, can be seen in Figure 10. Abby Richardson’s work “Triangle 724A” is pit-fired with organic compounds providing the beautiful and flowing surface pattern, and Debi Smith’s piece “Chaco as We Know It” provides a physical representation of a beloved NM landmark with petroglyph markings. Greta, Abby and Debi’s pieces are shown in Figure 10.} 

^{Figure 9: Judy Nelson-Moore’s work Open Aging. Photo credit: Anna Bush Crews.} 

    

^{Figure 10: Greta Ruiz Flame Keeper, Abby Richardson Triangle 724A and Debi Smith Chaco as We Know It. Photo credits: the artists.}

^{James Marshall’s graceful sculpture “Untitled#98 Graphite Black”, is shown in Figure 11. His elegant design reflects the light emphasizing the long narrow shape.}

^{Figure 11: James Marshall Untitled#98 Graphite Black (Photo credit: the artist).}

^{Two of the more modern pieces include Andrea Pichaida’s “Beautiful Life” whose work has both a beautiful strong geometric shape as well as vibrant and contrasting colors, and Lin Johnson's “Jumble House” - a multipiece wall sculpture that uses interesting shapes and primary colors to represent a sense of mystery and play. These pieces are shown in Figure 12.}

    

^{Figure 12: Andrea Pichaida Beautiful Life and Lin Johnson Jumble House. Photo credits: the artists.} 

^{The Coyote Color in Clay Award was given to Erik Gellert for his piece “Vistige,” a beautiful piece that reflects the light in the surface underglazes, stains and glazes. The blue and greens are reflected in the light as shown in Figure 13.}

^{Figure 13: Coyote Color in Clay Award to Erik Gellert Vistige.} 

^{The last five pieces covered in this article continue to show the beauty and versatility of the ceramic medium and the countless number of choices an artist has to express themselves. Anna Bush Crew’s work “chocolate volcanic” is a raku-fired piece that dramatically rises up with glaze and slip abstractly applied. Jim Romberg’s piece titled “Ascent” is another raku-fired piece whose form and colors capture a sense of rising upward. Both of these pieces are shown in Figure 14.}

 

^{Figure 14: Anna Bush Crew chocolate volcanic and Jim Romberg Ascent. Photo credits: the artists.} 

^{Lindsay Iliff’s work “Baobab Stupa” is both abstract and familiar in its form and expression and Cathy Rapp’s work “Touch of Sky” has a rising geometric shape with touches of brilliant blue reminiscent of the New Mexico sky.  Both of these figures are shown in Figure 15.} 

   

^{Figure 15: Lindsay Iliff Baobab Stupa and Cathy Rapp Touch of Sky. Photo credits: the artists.} 

^{Sara D’Alessandro’s “Rhumba”piece is shown in Figure 16. This large sculpture provides energy and animation in an abstract form.}

^{Figure 16: Sara D’Alessandro’s Rhumba. Photo credit: Anna Bush Crews.}

^Summary

^{The 2024 Celebration of Clay representing 65 different artists is a grand success and is beautifully presented at the Taos Ceramic Center. The TCC gallery provides the perfect display for the broad array of pieces and creates an intriguing venue to spend time with each piece. In this writeup I have presented a short summary on all of the sculpture pieces presented at the exhibit, twenty-eight in all that demonstrate the power of clay to express one’s artist vision. I hope if you have the opportunity, you will visit the TCC gallery at 114 Este Es Road, Taos, NM where you can see firsthand the wide range of beautiful work from ceramic artists across New Mexico. If you do visit, please say hello to Georgia and Jules while you’re there for me! Cheers!}

^{--By Susan Voss}

^{More photos by photographer Anna Bush Crews} 

^{A wide view of the exhibit. Photo credit: Anna Bush Crews}

 

^{Adam Emery and his Birds in the Dragon.  Photo credit: Anna Bush Crews}

^{Above right: Susan Voss It's My Day. Photo credit: Anna Bush Crews}

^{Carla Bassat with her En el camino. Photo credit: Anna Bush Crews}

_{Reviewer bio - Susan Voss focuses on tiles, sculpture and large vessels in her ceramic art, working out of her Raven’s Nest studio.} 

_{Photographer bio - Anna Bush Crews describes herself as a student of the ceramic arts, learning to work with clay in various ways, concentrating on hand-building. "My travels and research have contributed to many bodies of photographic, video and sculptural works."}

By Amber Paz-Csibi

Thank you, Artists, for being part of the milestone celebration of 50 years of creativity and craftsmanship at the Celebration of Clay exhibition, showcasing the outstanding works of NMPCA members. What an amazing evening! I don't even know where to begin.

It was October 5th, the day of the COC 50th Year Exhibition opening event. We arrived at the Taos Ceramics Center and were greeted by friendly folks. The event was well-attended. We were truly in awe of all 65 exceptional pieces of ceramic art on display. 

Foreground left to right: Aurelia Gomez, Charlotte Ownby, Vincent Morales, Janeen Maas, Diane MacInnes, Gail Goodwin. Midground left to right: Brian Pottorff, Joey Serim, Leonard Baca, Cate McClain.  Photo by Stephanie Levy.

Left to right: Stephanie Levy (wall), Sheryl Zacharia, Nicole Merkens, James Marshall, Lee Akins. Photo by Stephanie Levy.

Left to right: Lee Akins, Cathy App, Hebé Garcia, Betsy Williams (wall). Photo by Stephanie Levy.

See online gallery for artist names. Photo by Stephanie Levy.

Above: Amber Paz-Csibi's "Santa Fe Peace." Below: Serit Kotowski's "Full Moon over Mora Spring 2022." Photo by Stephanie Levy.

It was wonderful to see and have an inspiring conversation with a friend, colleague, and featured artist, Elaine Kidd. Both Elaine and I are art teachers and new members. We felt truly honored to be part of this event. I enjoyed seeing and admiring Elaine's ceramic mask (Mask 1) that was showcased in the COC exhibition as well as the invitation flier and brochure. The mask was created using the Naked Raku process and is part of a mask series exploring the effects of various firing processes and the masking tradition.

Jules Epstein, Gallery Director, begins the talks, with Cirrelda Snider-Bryan, CoC 2024 Chair, behind. Elaine Kidd's "Mask 1" is above right. Photo by Stephanie Levy. 

James Marshall, Juror, speaks ahead of awards presentation. Photo by Stephanie Levy. 

Around 5 PM, Jules Epstein, Taos Ceramics Center’s Gallery Director, welcomed everyone to the event, then turned it over to Cirrelda Snider-Bryan, Celebration of Clay Chairperson and artist, who shared a heartfelt speech with the crowd. The next speakers continued to welcome and thank us for our participation and celebrating the special event together. One of the speakers, Georgia Epstein (General Manager at Taos Ceramics Center), shared details and encouraged everyone to donate towards providing much needed support, a fundraiser for Asheville flood/hurricane victims, via a fundraiser sponsored by the gallery. She was joined by Andrea Pichaida, former NMPCA board president, and Gill Bosonetto, clay artist who moved to NM from Asheville last year. Finally, James Marshall, one of the three jurors for the show, spoke about the creative process. James shared with the audience about behind-the-scenes decision making and reasoning for the awards process. He described the selected ceramic works and how the artists broke the rules, jumping off the cliff, meaning they were willing to take great risks, and try something totally different in the world of ceramic art. It was inspiring for me to think about the artworks in this way, because sometimes I see pottery and think of it as a simple and decorative form that can also be functional. All the artworks in this show communicated or inspired someone to think about ceramics in a new way. The works in this show took ceramic art to a new level and into the realm of high quality fine art. 

James, along with other jurors Jules Epstein and Betsy Williams, had met the day before to choose the artists who showcased groundbreaking techniques. Artists were given six awards in the following categories (drum roll…): 

           

Merit Awards, left to right: Luisa Baldinger's "Covered Jar" Hebé Garcia's "Earth" Janeen Maas's "Sing a Song" Photos by the artists. 

Awards CoC 2024:

Merit Award was given to Luisa Baldinger for her piece "Covered Jar."

Luisa's creative journey is a lifelong dedication to working with clay, where she expresses her art through hand building and alternative firing methods. Luisa describes her process: “A maker of containers all of my life in clay, I am intrigued by volume, negative/positive space, and complex surface, and work to have these elements orchestrate into a satisfying three-dimensional “vessel” idea.”  Her chosen medium and method are hand-built pieces and aluminum foil Saggar firing. Santa Fe,NM  luisabaldinger.com

Merit Award was given to Hebé García for her piece "Earth."

Hebé García, a ceramic sculpture artist, finds inspiration and materials from the Earth. She lives and works atop a mesa in Abiquiu, NM, with a breathtaking 360-degree view that includes the legendary Cerro Pedernal, a favorite of Georgia O'Keeffe. Her sculpture is a respectful tribute to our planet, crafted using Max Paper Clay, engobe, oxide, and glaze, fired to cone 3. Facebook: Hebé García Benitez Instagram: hebe_garcia_finearts #figurativesculptor #figurativeart #figurativeartist #contemporarysculptor

Merit Award was given to Janeen Maas for her piece "Sing a Song."

Janeen describes her work as “My current work explores childhood poems as inspiration to create a story piece that conjures a sense of whimsy, one can’t take life too seriously. In my current work I like to play with the idea of perception and therefore reality, by taking something common such as an image from nature or a childhood poem and twist it a little, adding fantasy or something quirky or ridiculous, to make that thing just a little uncommon It may turn out just plain weird but the intent is to question what is common reality.” Medium/Method: handbuilt stoneware. 

            

From left to right: Rebecca Browning-Yager's "Wood Fired Woo Blue Vessel"  Erik Gellert's "Vistige  Cate McClain's "Windswept" Photos by the artists. 

Arita Porcelain Award for Beauty, Quality, and Functionality was given to Rebecca Browning-Yager for her piece "Wood Fired Woo Blue Vessel."

Rebecca's creative process: "I am a Taos clay artist who collaborates with other artists in wood-fired kilns. My medium/method involves throwing and wood-firing in a soda-salt kiln." Currently showing at Rottenstone Pottery, Arroyo Seco, NM; Taos Ceramic Center and Magpie Gallery, Taos, NM

Coyote Color in Clay Award was given to Erik Gellert for "Vistige."

Erik H. Gellert is an artist who has been creating with clay since 2006. Erik lives and works in Lamy, NM. This piece symbolizes change, capturing the essence of transition from one form of being to another. The artwork was crafted using slab and coil building techniques and fired to cone 6 with underglazes, stains, and glazes, resulting in a stunning representation of metamorphosis. You can explore more of Erik Gellert's work on Instagram under the username @erik_h_gellert.

Cate McClain's "Windswept" earned the "Best of Show" award.

Explore the creative process of Cate McClain. "My hand-built creations are influenced by the shapes, forms, textures, and colors found in nature, both in New Mexico and throughout my travels. My hand-built pieces are created in my home studio in Los Ranchos, NM using a variety of different techniques, stains and glazes. Medium/Method: Slab construction, silver-black terra sigillata with masked resist, saggar fired."

After the awards ceremony, I enjoyed a glass of crisp, chilled white wine and a sweet treat. It was an honor for everyone, including myself to be part of a unique ceramics community, New Mexico Potters and Clay Artists.. One of the main reasons I wanted to become a member of NMPCA, because it is a gift that we are able to come together to share our artworks and meet friends that share the love of ceramics.  I took my time and explored the entire studio space. When I went outside, I was curious about the area where the kilns were and could see all the artworks in progress, and ceramic pieces waiting to be fired. I was grateful to have a moment to appreciate all the creativity, care and process that goes into creating ceramic art. The celebration of ceramic artists and their masterpieces is a must-see! The CoC show will be on display until November 16th. I am already wondering who will break the rules at next year's Celebration of Clay? 

--By Amber Paz-Csibi

Photographs by Stephanie Levy

Author bio ---Amber Paz-Csibi is an art teacher for children in grades K-8. She enjoys throwing on the wheel and creating functional pottery. She also loves to work with raku firing technique. The piece she has in the show is entitled, "Santa Fe Peace."

Photographer bio ---Stephanie Levy is a Santa Fe ceramic artist who creates porcelain jewelry and small sculptures. Her piece in the show is entitled, "Cat and Tube Bead Necklace."

Fresh from our beautiful opening just a week ago, this is a post to honor all the behind the scenes work that makes a Celebration of Clay (aka "CoC") happen each year. The purpose here is to recognize all the parts. As well, the two recent talks by Celebration of Clay Committee Chairs, 2023 and 2024, are shared below.

It was wonderful being together, wasn't it? Never enough in-person gatherings with our clay community. 

Some time ago -- 50 years ago most definitely -- organizing for annual member shows started. New Mexico Potters and Clay Artists have a well-oiled system, yes we do. Let's hear history from you past organizers -- what do you remember? When did the People's Choice voting start, for example? Please leave your comments for us readers.

Photo by Anna Bush Crews.

This year's Committee -- Leonard Baca, Serit Kotowski, Sheila Miller, Charlotte Ownby, Jenna Ritter, Joey Serim, Cirrelda Snider-Bryan -- dedicated 8 months to meetings. Elements that come together for the CoC every year include: --searching for and applying to potential locations --coordinating the long line of volunteer jobs (edited for each year depending on the needs of the gallery) --the timeline --the online gallery and voting for People's Choice --the screening of images submitted --answering questions from member artists --creating a press release and submitting twice to media outlets --organizing and posting each artist to social media --deciding and contacting jurors --creating the online documents ... and more. Each year the Committee hones these systems through discussion. 

This year's team of Volunteers numbered 33! with 12 folks contributing money in lieu. Jobs range from giving help to members photographing their work (Judy Nelson-Moore, Lee Akins, Leonard Baca), putting together the binder of artist statements (Joey Serim), checking in the work at the gallery (Joan Eichelberger, Serit Kotowski), uploading the online gallery photos (Michael Thornton, Leonard Baca), greeting at the show (Nicole Merkens, Janeen Maas), serving food (Joanne DeKeuster, Christiane Couvert, Laura Huertas), offering studio as drop off place (Andrea Pichaida, Leonard Baca), writing a review (Amber Paz-Csibi, Susan Voss, Jim Romberg), photographing the exhibit (Anna Bush Crews, Stephanie Levy), transporting work (Jenna Ritter, Abby Richardson, Leonard Baca, Elaine Biery, Charlotte Ownby, Cirrelda S-B),  posting to the backside of Facebook and Instagram (Jenna Ritter, Lois Price, Charlotte Ownby, Erik Gellert, Cirrelda S-B.), dismantling the show (Melissa Alexander), tallying the People's Choice votes (Debi Smith), and more. This is the kind of involvement many of us enjoy because it allows us to become acquainted with the makers of the pieces we love seeing. A system that has an ulterior motive - getting us together.

"Explanation" photo by Anna Bush Crews.

Now for the speeches. Here is Leonard Baca's from CoC 2023: Inhabited Earth, held at Gallery Hózhó in Albuquerque. Members of the Committee last year were Sara D'Alessandro, Andrea Pichaida, Kathy Cyman, Leonard Baca, Chair.

New Mexico Potters and Clay Artists along with Gallery Hóhzó are pleased to have you here today, the opening of Inhabited Earth. 

My name is Leonard Baca, I am on the board of NMPCA and this year’s chair of the Celebration of Clay. I consider myself kind of a new-by clay and ceramics. I have been working with clay for about 12 years. I love it when I can communicate and work with a clay artist who have been working with clay for more than 30 years, it's amazing how they want to share their knowledge.  That is one of the goals of this group, to educate and share with others. 

The committee and members of the organization would like to thank Suzanne Newman Fricke and her staff for welcoming us to this beautiful gallery.

The Celebration of Clay is our annual member show. Last year we were in Taos, and the event in the past have been in Albuquerque, Abiquiu, Los Alamos, Ghost Ranch, Santa Fe and other cities.   I am glad to bring it back to Albuquerque. 

 If you have ever put your hands in clay, form it, felt it’s movement it comes alive. From the earth, we the artist create beauty. And as you put more time into it, the glazing, the firing the pieced keeps, developing and changing, this is my take on Inhabited Earth.  A talent God has given us to create. 

The opening to me, is a social event to meet with the Artist and you the community.  I like coming back and spending time with the art and getting to know it. You need to look at it in different angles, and different light, or just walk around it.  So, I hope you come back in the next 6 weeks to look at the work and experience the gallery.

I want to thank the committee who gave their time to make this event happen, Sara Lee D'Alessandro, Kathryne Cyman, and President of NMPCA Andrea Pichaida.  Also, the membership for entering their work and for taking on one of the many tasks needed to make this event.  One member we would like to acknowledge is Cirrelda Snider-Bryan for her work with our social media.

Now it is time for the awards.   We always had the previous winner of Best in Show to be part of the jurying, so I want to bring her up. Last year's winner was Sara Lee D’Alessandro, who will share with us the jurying process.

CoC 2024: 50 Years of NMPCA opening at Taos Ceramics Center. Photo by Anna Bush Crews.

And, here is Cirrelda Snider-Bryan's speech, from CoC 2024: 50 Years of NMPCA held at Taos Ceramics Center.

Thank you, Jules! 

Welcome to our show whose theme is 50 years of clay camaraderie! Long live New Mexico Potters and Clay Artists!

We are celebrating ourselves this year.

I am Cirrelda Snider-Bryan, board member for 3 years now, so happy to be with you all.

Before presenting the 6 awards, I wish to say thank you and give perspective. 

First, thank you Jules, for excellent communication and vision, for supporting this wide array of clay artists. Thank you, Georgia, for your vision for the Taos Ceramics Center, and organization. These are folks who engage in their own practices of creativity, and that matters because they know. 

Thank you to Andrea Pichaida, President of the board for 3 great years, who helped make this show happen. 

Thank you to our committee of 7 who grabbed the baton this year back in March, and have honored the true meaning of consensus in our planning and decision making. Please thank: Leonard Baca, Serit Kotowski, Sheila Miller, Charlotte Ownby, Jenna Ritter, Joey Serim, and me. 

Thank you Volunteers on this event – you all stepped up and make this show better for your involvement.

Thank you, Jurors, for giving of your time to let these pieces soak in and let them resonate in you, collaborating in your decisions: Betsy Williams, James Marshall, Jules Epstein.

Thank you to the board members of NMPCA who listen so well and are so humane. 

Thank you to our Members who answered the call to share the piece here in this room, in this final stage of the creation process – we find the piece we most want to share, that expresses us. NMPCA gives us this opportunity time and time again.

Lastly, want to thank you, JB, my partner for 41 years, who shares my love of clay, and is such a good listener and imagination harnesser.

At last year’s CoC opening I was so heartened by the talk given by Leonard who served as chair – I wanted us to hear these again:

"If you have ever put your hands in clay, form it, felt its movement -- it comes alive. From the earth, we the artist create beauty. And as you put more time into it, the glazing, the firing, the piece keeps developing and changing, this is my take on Inhabited Earth.  A talent God has given us to create."

This show is about us over 50 years, our banding together. Originally with snail mail newsletters so well-written and dial telephones and in people’s yards doing firings or at community centers like Heights in Abq.

This is about extending relationships with small local businesses: Taos Ceramics Center, N.M. Clay, Coyote Color and Clay, Santa Fe Clay, Abiquiu Inn, a conference center called Ghost Ranch …

This array of 65 artists is about lasting as an organization for 50 years. 

There have always been folks there to pass the baton to.

Why?

Is it our land?

What makes clay artists 

In NM

Want to band together? 

Camaraderie around clay.

Somehow, the relationship --between the land formed by volcanoes and the pulling apart of the crust upon this middle of the continent plate, and its inhabitants -- is accentuated with the material with the smallest particle size, that folks, after using plants to make baskets vessels, found this magical material to form water jars and cooking and drinking vessels in their hands –the Inhabited Earth again. So many minerals here to delight us?

Long live this kind of coming together! 

NM Potters and Clay Artists Folks have made systems to facilitate collaboration, jobs to sign up for, opportunities to gather, decisions to make together - we facilitate collaboration!

What matters is that we show up for each other. 

Common Good in Clay!!

Jurors do you want to say something? May I pass the baton to you?

Thank you for reading. If you haven't submitted a piece to Celebration of Clay in a while, 2025 will happen this coming spring.

Remember there's a comment function, and please share your thoughts!

-Cirrelda Snider-Bryan, Slip Trail editor

All photos by Anna Bush Crews, copyright 2024. 

Sunday morning August 25th gathering on the new slab for future ceramics education building in Pot Hollow. Photo by Leonard Baca

As NMPCA celebrates 50 years, we gather together in
August, 2024 to renew our community in clay, 
learn together and celebrate creativity over 3 days,
ensconced within the grandeur of Ghost Ranch. 
[Prelude by Michael Thornton]

We can be grateful to Michael Thornton for organizing another year of New Mexico presenters – what happens every other year. This time we had this great line-up: Lee Akins “Fear No Glaze,” Barbara Campbell “Alternative Clay and Faux Finish,” Kerry Halasz “Photographing Ceramics,” and Sheryl Zacharia “Forming Technique and Design."

After the workshop, Michael sent a mass email to participants, which included an invitation for participants to send in comments and photos for the Slip Trail article. Here is what was sent:

Hello all, Just wanted to touch base after our great weekend of ceramics workshops at Ghost Ranch. Thanks to all who participated, and to our great presenters! Through this email thread we can all share our photos from the workshop with the group. Cirrelda will be working on writing an article on the weekend event for publication in the NMPCA Slip Trail, and requests that any participants who want to chip in their 2 cents to provide her a pithy statement of their experiences. Any submissions must be made by September 15. Cate reports that Sheryl’s Terra Sigillata is a custom mix made for her by NM Clay. It is not available off the shelf, but can be special ordered. Thanks to all for making the workshop a success! --Michael

Thank you, Michael for all of your hard work to make this Workshop so successful!!  Not only was it very informative and inspiring, but it was a lot of fun!!! --Charlotte 

Thank Michael for all your hard work. I really enjoyed spending time with the group.  When my demo is completed, I will send out a photo and will send an in process to Cirrelda. Hope to see u soon! Thanks all for your patience and attentiveness!!! --Sheryl  

Huge thanks to the NMPCA Board & volunteers for putting together the ceramics workshops at Ghost Ranch. There’s nothing better than conversations with other artists who share your passion! --Kat Richter-Sand

Thanks to all of you who helped the workshop run so smoothly, I enjoyed being a part. --Lee

It was a great workshop and I am so happy with everyone’s input for the new space. Wish I had paid better attention in the photo part, I thought I got a few things, but I sure messed up on others.  I am trying very hard to get into a space that doesn’t resist learning this stuff. Thanks again to everyone for the great clean up job and all the wonderful exchange of information. --Barbara Campbell

Hard to believe a week has gone by already. I’m still thinking about the workshop and how much fun it was and how much I learned. Thank you to Barbara, Lee, Sheryl, and Kerry for your presentations, and to Michael and others who worked on the organization for this workshop. Looking forward to the next one. Best wishes, --Kathy (Kathleen Allen / Jemez Springs and Pittsburgh)

Some of us had come before, others for the first time! Regulars from Placitas, Albuquerque, Cuba, Rinconada, Santa Fe, Las Cruces, Jemez Springs were joined by first timers from Philadelphia and West Texas. Our usual 3rd weekend in August saw some cloudy skies, and just a few raindrops. The pool was still open and a few of us swam on Saturday afternoon. Meals were fabulous connecting times as usual, and our evenings afterward spent at Pinon Pottery Studio with slide shows by presenters sent us into deeper realms of the imagination expressed in clay and fire and chemicals. 

BARBARA CAMPBELL, the Ghost Ranch ceramics coordinator,  shared her knowledge of the self-hardening "Taxidermy" clay (reinforced with fiber), the body she uses in her TruGreen Clay seminars at the Ranch. So, we all got to play with it! Barbara provided bamboo skewers for internal armature, and encouraged us to experiment with shapes we don’t normally try with standard clay bodies. In plentiful supply, our entire group engaged with the material in a varied array of expression, all around the one indoor table. A Facebook album shares all the pieces. Here is the piece Barbara made, showing the flexibility and strength:

And the form created by Katy Halasz

Above 2 photos by Barbara Campbell.

Cate McClain's finished Taxidermy piece, "Mochi."

Photo by Cate McClain.

After our Friday afternoon working with Taxidermy clay under Barbara’s guidance, the evening was turned over to LEE AKINS, whose slide show focused on the inspirations that are behind his pieces. He showed us his works chronologically and sprinkled in autobiographical anecdotes about his journey with clay. Juxtaposed with a piece would be a photo of something that influenced the idea or the making of that piece. 

"... Architectural influence... adobe walls and passageways … " Photo by CC Snider-B.

KERRY HALASZ is a photographer in Santa Fe, NM who also enjoys creating with clay. Her preferred way to photograph ceramic work is to use only natural light. She brought and recommends this type of light box which will also soften fluorescent light (Impact digital light shed from B and H photo).

Kerry: “Your camera doesn’t need to be expensive.” She uses a zoom lens, Aperture priority, f stop to 16. 

Typically, she sets up camera at angle, always set at horizontal, unless it’s a tall piece. She uses deflector panels for her portrait work, and sets up outside if not too windy. Later, in the editing mode, she utilizes Photoshop Lightroom. In phones, she uses “Vivid” setting, along with “Adjust,” “Highlight,” “Shadows,” and “Contrast.” 

Kerry demonstrating her preferred light box while shooting Sara D'Alessandro's piece. Photo by CC Snider-B.

Kerry offered custom photo sessions with participants later in the day. We all gained from hearing her honed perspective on making choices when photographing our work.

Katy holding the screen to focus more light, while Kerry adjusts camera to shoot object in outdoor setting. photo by CCSnider-B. 

Kerry pointing out an object.  photo by CC Snider-B.

LEE AKINS on GLAZE – Lecture with Slide Show. Lee lives in Rinconada, and is on the faculty at UNM Taos. “For all of us glazing is one of the most frustrating parts.” Lee added that if you want a certain look you have to approach this in a studied manner. How we decide what to glaze, like how we decide what to make, benefits from thought and intention, to achieve what we envision. “Choices” abound! 

Choosing to use glaze to accent carving: Celadon glazes will run and flow into the lines. Lee recommends getting to know your glazes by working with 5 instead of 20. Shoji Hamada used four, saying, “When I learn these four, I will move on to more.”

Here are some useful anecdotes captured in Lee’s lecture: “What pattern what shape? Not arbitrary random.” … “Design principles: 1. Simple form can use a complex surface /abstract. 2. Complex form /keep glaze simple.” Lee tends not to use gloss glaze that causes reflection. One potter’s piece that was shared used “patterning, repeating shape of pot, implying function in the decoration.”

He showed examples where a “complex form was sticking with one glaze” then contrasted it with a “fairly complex form that had a glaze used to accent form with slip trailing.” Then, he presented an “opposite, to break the rules: large complex sculptures with multiple heads using many glazes.” Many more useful anecdotes were given by Akins in an absolutely wide-ranging panorama of glazing possibilities. 

After the slide show, Lee had us assembled back at the common table, with all his tools laid out. 

Photo by Kathleen Allen

Lee's glazing tools, photo by Kristin Welch.

The question, “WHAT IS GLAZE ANYWAY?” lead into demonstrations of DIPPING, POURING. BRUSH, SPONGING, SPRAYING, COMBING, SPLASHING, TRAILING. While glazing, he stresses the use of 95% minium mask, better to use a respirator because of the fine particle size. He uses a glaze notebook, as well as Pottery Notes app!

More advice: “Thickness is critical. Not preparing glaze properly will affect. Focus on measurement by weight more. 100 milliliters of water will weigh 100 grams. Make your own cup marked after weighing. Specific gravity! 100 water to 145 chemicals.”

Favorite tools of Lee’s: Whisks. Power mixer and immersion blender! IKEA whisk fits in drill! Brush vs spatula to force stuff thru sieve. “Thickness of a dime -- some glazes like shino need to be super thin.” More practical advice: Plastic knives better than metal for removing glaze. And, “Hamada used big ladle to do swirl.”

The result of this far-ranging lecture had many around me echoing my own feeling that we couldn’t wait to get back to our own glazing tables – this “refresher” had us inspired to go back home and try all the different methods we’d known of, but had forgotten or ignored. 

SHERYL ZACHARIAH, born and raised in New York, and resident of Manhattan as an adult, has made her home in Santa Fe for over ten years. She has been a member of NMPCA for a while and has given another workshop to us in the past. She began her demo in the afternoon, and brought a piece already bisque-fired, then created another sculpture with a whole stack of slabs she had pre-rolled out, to be stiff enough to build with. 

Sheryl Zacharia with her bisque-fired piece she brought to demo glazing. Photo by Kathleen Allen                         

In her description of her making-mode, she spoke of “coil vs. slab’ and talked of joining slabs in a coiling method. She went on to describe more of what’s important to her, saying she is "self-taught, no training.”

Uses the clay body Super Sculpt (NM Clay) fired to cone 5. She has one thousand sketches in her phone – an idea can be in her head, or not.

Drawing process is what leads her creations – she showed the drawing that she will create for us. She will identify the ones she likes, so the same shape may have 6 different ways to finish. 

Describing herself as a Modernist, she was a kid who loved Picasso. She strives to not let “others’ ideas get in [her] head.”

Starting with oval, she cuts away. Then she stamps the slabs before she builds with them, using templates. A very key tool for her are the oval and circle cookie cutters! 18” bottom - to make oval, long line with circle drawn. Eyeballing vs measuring - it doesn’t have to look perfect, just has to “look right.”

Builds with slab strips like coils. Builds hollow, no supports. Starts by rolling slabs 1-2 days ahead so not lousy goosey. Cutting slab pieces for building she uses straight edges. Loves texture- goes to garbage room. Makes her own stamps. Keeps scrap bowls that become the slip for joining. Scores and slips sides to be joined. Uses old scraps to shore up seam. Fills in the seam.

Generally she works on two pieces at same time. Combining white and brown clay bodies even when folks say you cannot. 

Paddles seams. Justin Novak teacher, was a proponent of drawing, and a big influence, because Sheryl, too, is a proponent of drawing! Loves texture and is inspired by textiles.  NY Museum of Art and Design resident!!

She’s a painter. Not just solid color but rendered color three coats. Layering makes it interesting 

Light wash of black Mason stain over stains in terra sigillatta. 1.5 cups hot water white terra sig, Mason stain.

Gestural wiping following form of the piece. Black underglaze pencil is also her “go-to,” making lines with flexible, metal straight edge. She definitely goes for the “Layered Look.”

That evening, we got to hear her story via slides – from her earliest pieces and years, on through many affiliations with other artists, in school settings, or studios. She shared an amazing, varied journey of shape exploration. Series upon series inspired all of us in the darkened room. There are many different “periods” and many different influences. Thank you so very much, Sheryl!

 

  

Roller Coaster Sky #5 side 2300, by Sheryl Zacharia

Roller Coaster Sky #5 side 1300,  by Sheryl Zacharia. Finished piece from workshop demo, submitted a few weeks post-workshop. Photos by Sheryl Zacharia. 

BARBARA CAMPBELL’s Day 2 shared the next step with the now dry Taxidermy pieces: painting of our pieces. An array of acrylic paints and acrylic inks (Golden “High Flow”) was shared with the group. The “test” piece we each created was first painted white, then allowed to dry. We then painted a few coats of the color, then applied sealant which is thin. 

---

Before lunch, we gathered at the cement slab for the new ceramics studio, in the area near the arroyo below the Dining Hall, where the former Ghost Ranch ceramics studio, Pot Hollow, sat before the 2015 flood. We heard Barbara Campbell describe the building that would be constructed in months to come. 

A fitting end to an elightening weekend – looking to future times with clay camaraderie, ahead!

On the new Pot Hollow Ceramics Classroom slab. Photo by Kathleen Allen.

--Slip Trail Editor, Cirrelda Snider-Bryan, September 22, 2024.

Over the last 50 years, NMPCA members have come from as many as 45 New Mexico towns! 

Some years, north of La Bajada has had more members. Some years, south of La Bajada has had more. And, there have been some of us who live in other states, too. 

[A note to why I use La Bajada as marker between north and south comes from Wikipedia which cites the wonderful book “Dictionary of New Mexico and Southern Colorado Spanish” by Ruben Cobos: The distinction between río arriba and río abajo dates back to colonial times, and continues to be a cultural and linguistic division in New Mexican Hispano society.]

Place is important! And the fact that our organization represents the whole state means even more, knowing that New Mexico covers 121,591 square miles (314,915 km²), and is the fifth largest state in the U.S..

1986

38 years ago, our New Mexico Potters’ Association, August 1986 member list shows us this array of towns that members lived and made clay objects in:

Members from New Mexico -- 64, from 21 towns, total

From the rio arriba – north of La Bajada -- 21

Chama 1 / Embudo 1 / Chimayo 1 / Las Vegas 1 / Santa Fe 15 / Los Alamos 2 / 

From the rio abajo – south of La Bajada – 43

Las Cruces 2 / Hobbs 1 / Clovis 1 / Glenwood 1 / Gallup 1 / Ruidoso Downs 1 / Socorro 1 / Peralta 1 / Albuquerque 24 / Corrales 4 / Rio Rancho 1 / Sandia Park 1 / Placitas 2 / San Ysidro 1 / Madrid 1 / 

Members from Out of State -- 6

Tuscon, AZ 1 / Aurora, CO 1 / Denver, CO 1 / Ormond Beach, Florida 1 / Salinas, Kansas 1 / Washington, Connecticutt 1 / Topsham, Maine 1 /

2006

Here are the towns we lived in 18 years ago, referenced from NMPCA Directory of Members 2006:

Members from New Mexico -- 172, from 45 towns, total. 

From the rio arriba – north of La Bajada -- 78

Las Vegas 1 / Taos 7 / Ranchos de Taos 2 / Arroyo Hondo 2 / El Prado 2 / Embudo 3 / Dixon 3 / Chimayo 1 / San Juan Pueblo 1 / Hernandez 1 / Medanales 1 / El Rito 1 / Abiquiu 2 / Chama 1 / Farmington 2 / La Plata 1 / Cuba 1 / Santa Fe 42 / Tesuque 1 / Los Alamos 2 / Lamy 1 / 

From the rio abajo – south of La Bajada -- 94

Galisteo 3 / Sandia Park 5 / Placitas 1 / Tijeras 3 / Cedar Crest 1 / Bernalillo 1 / Corrales 2 / Rio Rancho 3 / Albuquerque 46 / Los Lunas 1 / Belen 2 / Peralta 2 / Elephant Butte 1 / T or C 1 / Glenwood 1 / Gila 1 / Silver City 1 / Carrizoso 1 / Lincoln 1 / Ruidoso Downs 1 / Roswell 6 / Artesia 1 / Hope 1 / Las Cruces 5

Members from Out of State -- 12

CA 2 / CO 1 / OK 1 / TX 2 / AZ 3 / FL 1 / NY 1 / MD 1

2024

Here is where we came from May of this year, gathered from NMPCA Member Data by Membership Coordinator Jenna Ritter:

Members from New Mexico -- 212, from 40 towns, total.

From the rio arriba – north of La Bajada – 126

Los Ojos 1 / Farmington 1 / Chama 1 / Cuba 1 / Jemez Springs 1 / Abiquiu 4 / Santa Fe 74 / Tesuque 1 / Questa 2 / San Cristobal 1 / Taos 8 / Rancho de Taos 6 / Los Alamos 5 / White Rock 1 / Arroyo Hondo 3 / Embudo 3 / Arroyo Seco 2 / Dixon 2 / El Prado 1 / El Rito 1 / Espanola 2 / Chimayo 1 / Glorieta 1 / Lamy 1 / Pecos 1 / Las Vegas 1 / 

From the rio abajo – south of La Bajada – 86 

Galisteo 1 / Cerrillos 1 / Albuquerque 52 / Placitas 5 / Sandia Park 3 / Edgewood 2 / Los Ranchos 4 / Rio Rancho 4 / Corrales 3 / Magdalena 1 / Carrizozo 1 / Gila 1 / Silver City 2 / Las Cruces 6 / 

Members from Out of State -- 9

Tuscon, AZ 1 / Fullerton, CA 1 / Lakewood, CO 1 / La Quinta, CO 1 / Mancos, CO 1 / El Paso, TX 1 / Houston, TX 1 / Los Angeles, CA 1 / Transverse City, MI 1

---

For even more trivia, compare our state’s area (314,915 km²) to that of other countries: Poland (312,679 km²), Oman (309,500 km²), Ivory Coast (322,463 km²), Norway (323,802 km²), Italy (301,336 km²).

Other places for whom ceramics is important – combined area of North and South Korea is 84, 565 sq. miles (South Korea is 100, 378 km², North Korea is 123,138 km²), Japan is 145,869 sq. miles (or 377,973.89 km²).

According to the 2020 census, NM is the 15th least populous state in the U.S..

What is your impression of these different years, of towns lived in by New Mexico clay makers? We leave it to your interpretation, dear Reader. Please leave your thoughts in comments. Looking forward to hearing what you have to say. 

-Cirrelda Snider-Bryan, Slip Trail editor 9/5/24

This map file is my own personally-purchased property - Cirrelda S-B.

Part 2 - Clay Connections July 2022: The Issue of Pricing Your Work

Cirrelda: I used to sell at the Los Ranchos Growers market for a couple of years and then at book fairs, I made wooden boxes to display my tiles alongside the books we published.  The whole pricing thing has always been really hard. At Los Ranchos Growers Market friends would come up and I would say, “Have a 6-inch tile that I’ve spent 3 hours on for 15 dollars.” It was not great. My Etsy shop started in 2009 -- I love their set up, it’s an affordable fee. I don’t like what they have done in past couple of years where they’re pressuring artists to have free shipping and stuff like that, though. I have over 100 sales on my shop of my house number tiles. I got to a point where I was adjusting the price to make it be worthwhile for me. I charge 15 dollars per number tile, then a set of 4 would be $60. That was higher than at the Growers Market. A really nice “arts and crafts” tile website is charging so much more than I ever did. I just took the house number tiles off of my Etsy because I don’t want to have that take up my time anymore. Since I have retired from teaching, I am do “pop up” sales once a month. My Etsy shop is more of a showcase these days. I was part of a gallery for a few years. I’m inspired by a young artist in Santa Fe who makes one-of-a-kind hand-painted bowls selling at the Hecho a Mano gallery. She charges $150 for her hand-painted bowls, similar to all the hand-painting that I do. And it’s encouraging me to charge more.

Adam Emery - screenshot taken from zoom.

Sheila: What about you Adam, are you selling your pieces?

Adam:  I am, I did the studio tour last year. And, that gave me a good chunk of money. I’ve got a repeat customer come to the shop last few months and buy pieces. And I sell from the shop. And then another show.

Sheila: Good for you. 

Mo: What studio tour are you in? 

Adam: The Santa Fe Studio Tour. 

Sheila: Are you doing it this year?

Adam: Yes. 

Leonard: Adam did you happen to see in eNews the show that’s in New Orleans? 

Adam: I did. I was thinking of doing them again. 

Leonard: I saw it and thought about you right away. 

Cirrelda: So, Adam the person that keeps coming back to you, is that a good relationship? Is that somebody you feel good about making stuff for them? Do they ask you to make specific things?

Adam: They buy. Uh, some of the work is just bad, and my grandparents have told me that people will buy the bad stuff even if you don’t like it. 

Cirrelda: Haha. 

Sheila: How are you determining your price for things, Adam? 

Adam: I do small work under 10 dollars. And then I have some small work, 40 to 50, 60 dollars. And then large sculptures from100 to1000, depending on the work, the time I put into it. 

SatShabad Khalsa - screenshot taken from zoom.

Leonard: SatShabad? You bought my slab roller correct?

SatShabad Khalsa: I did. Yes, I like having it. I don’t use it too often, but I’m glad I have it.  

Leonard: Good. How are you doing your sales? 

SatShabad: Well, I haven’t been in any shows in quite a while. I’ve done the Contemporary Clay Fair a few times and some school shows in Espanola. So, here I am just kind of interested in hearing how other people are doing, so thank you. When I have priced my stuff, sometimes it was based on where the show was. Like if it was at a school show, I wouldn’t put my best work there so I didn’t need to price very high. But for other places, I guess I might have a similar way to Steve. I base on size, and maybe how long it took me. But if it’s a smaller thing, but maybe took me a really long time, that would be something I’d price higher. Also based on how much I like it or not, hahaha. I rarely do it by time because I take a while to do things, so that’s maybe not getting close to like If I were to have a hourly rate for myself, I wouldn’t get anyone near me. Let’s see, I have, depending on what show, like if we do charge tax or keeping my credit card fees, I add that in. Let’s see. Like I have on occasion, in different shows, I have done really well sometimes, and then not great the next time. Sometimes I hear that my prices are too low. In a way I think that kind of depends on each person, the buyers, their perspective or where they’re coming from financially with this. They say that something is worth more and they can pay more. So, when I’ve heard that prices are too low, I try and raise them a little bit. But then they didn’t sell. I don’t know, there are so many factors. And I don’t know if it has to do with my prices or not, those times that things don’t sell. But yeah, these days I’m mostly just spending my time in class, I’m in Sheila’s class right now, at the college. I don’t have much time to focus on sales really right now -- I‘m just practicing my skills and my designs and that kind of thing. I usually do sales when I have enough hand-building work. Now I’m focusing on learning on the wheel, and so wanting to get my skill level to where I like it, you know whenever I feel like I’m a little bit closer. I might this fall or winter look in to for things to sell, just trying to get into my thing ahead of time. Thanks to everyone for the inspiration. 

Judy Nelson-Moore - screenshot from zoom.

Leonard: Okay Judy, it’s you.

Judy Nelson-Moore: So, we had this sentence in the announcement that said, do you make work to sell? And I’m the person who doesn’t fall into that category. I don’t really make work for sale. But I do sell my work. I’ve participated in group shows. And I have a show coming up in Taos where the work will be for sale. The way I used to price my work is I would go around to galleries and look at prices others were charging. I’m a sculptor, by the way. I feel like pricing sculpture is really kind of a different animal. If you go by the hourly-rate you could really be way off. I mean some stuff don’t take very long to make, but they sell for a lotta money, from other artists. But some sculptures that I make take forever and they don’t sell for anything. But anyway, I would go around to different galleries, I would look at work what I thought was sort of comparable in size of my work, and contrast, and I would try and figure out, okay how does that compare with what I would offer my work for sale. And I found that sculptural work is just all over the world in terms of price. So, I gave up that idea. Now what I do, is I look at the work and I say, “How much am I willing to let this go for?” I only put work in that I’m really proud of, what I really like, the rest of it goes under the hammer. And then I look at that and I say, how much am I willing to let go of these for. There’s also some consideration for if it’s too low, people won’t value it and they won’t buy it. If it’s too high, of course they won’t buy it either because they can’t afford it.  So, those are the two considerations, “What am I willing to let it go for.”  And “How much will indicate its value to whoever’s going to buy it.” Very vague, can’t do a spreadsheet on it, I don’t think. So, that’s my method. 

Leonard: I get all the time from the guys at work. There’s a bowl that has a price on it that says $50 or $60 they say, “No you can get more for it.” And I charge a little bit more. I’m doing multiple glazes, the crystals really grow well, and I really like the piece and the way the glaze plays, has a lot to do with the cost. If the glaze is just kind of on there, and it didn’t run the way I wanted it, then it doesn’t have the same effect to me. 

Judy: The aesthetic qualities. 

Sheila: I think all of you mentioned that, so that’s I think something very significant. Steve and Elaine and SatShabad—all mentioned that, how much they liked the piece. Determined what they would ask.

SatShabad: How much you would be willing to let it go for. That could be a problem too, because if you’re pricing something you don’t love lower. You don’t actually love it maybe. 

Sheila: I don’t think anybody realizes the clay can do magic and then it can do – just where it’s placed and everything. These things just aren’t reproduceable most of the time.

Judy: I really wish there was some other way to get my work out into the hands of people who love it, without having to sell it. Certainly, I am not going to give it away, they’re not going to value that, that’s not the way things work in our society. But I really wish there was a way I could give it out to people.  Because I feel like we need art in our world, we really need art in our world, especially now, we need people who are looking at art, having it open it up their minds to new possibilities and new ideas. That is what I would really like my work to do in the world. But I haven’t figured out yet how to do that without that commercial aspect of it. 

Cirrelda: I love that you bring that up Judy, I’m wondering about trading. I’m also wondering about a book my husband and daughter have read, called The Gift by Lewis Hyde. It talks about the power of giving. I know a lot of public places have art that’s been donated by the artist to be in a specific place. And I know the place is really happy to get it for free. I am throwing those out there because I think that’s a really important point you have, about art needing to be out.  

Sheila: And that’s like the mosaic pieces that you do, Cirrelda, they’re beautifying spaces, it’s such a legacy that you create. That magazine that you shared, the mosaics. It’s kind of also what Judy is talking about, but it’s not so easy with a piece that hangs on the wall or sits on a pedestal.  

Mo: Another thing is teaching. I think someone like Judy that I’ve actually been able to sit in a class with, and Andrea, and other people. That’s where it’s not a physical piece that I have, but that’s certainly a part of carrying your legacy forward. I just had a class last weekend in precious metal clay, people get so excited to learn how to do this in their art. I have been excited to be a part of that. Frankly, the years I have spent teaching a lot of classes, I have made a lot more money as far as just the money thing. And I love it. So, for me, I have to weigh those two things, I love being here my hand in the clay, I also love teaching which takes a lot of time and effort to think about. 

Judy: I’m going to be doing a workshop in Taos, the first weekend in September [2022]. So, anybody who wants to learn how to do paper clay and a trip to Taos – watch for the announcement on eNews. 

Mo: I’m going to try to get in on that, so if anyone wants to drive up for the workshop together, let me know.

Two years ago, July 14, 2022, nine participants showed up for the Clay Connections zoom, lured by this blurb: "The issue of pricing your work." Do you feel guilty about the prices you need to charge in order to make a living off of your art? Do you struggle to reconcile your feelings of disgust at rampant, unchecked consumerism with your desire to make and sell your art? Do you make your art to sell? If you do, how do you decide the price?  NMPCA Slip Trail Editor, Cirrelda Snider-Bryan, plans to record this session to incorporate into an article in the Slip Trail about pricing.  Join us for this lively Clay Connections to discuss this controversial topic. Co-Hosts:  Sheila Miller and Judy Nelson-Moore

Originally, motivation for this discussion began with an email from NMPCA president, Andrea Pichaida, saying, “This article might be an interesting topic for a Slip Trail article: The Economics of Art (and Craft) and Why You Shouldn't Feel Guilty about the Prices You Need to Charge to Make a Living."

Another article mentioned in the discussion is: In the Studio: Pricing Artwork. And the article Leonard mentions here is called Pricing Your Artwork, published in Slip Trail. 

The nine attendees, Sheila Miller, Leonard Baca, Steve Blakely, Elaine Biery, Merlene Walker (aka Mo), Judy Nelson-Moore, Adam Emery, SatShabad Khalsa, and Cirrelda Snider-Bryan, all agreed to have their spoken thoughts shared in an article.

The effectiveness of zoom platform and the small size of our Clay Connections group made this a success. Even taking into consideration the strange effects of meeting on a screen, the input from all created a fabulous and wide-ranging perspective on pricing. Thank you to these folks … for showing up, for being thoughtful about sharing their experiences and learnings, and … for waiting two years for this! 

Clay Connections Zoom 7/14/2022

Judy: Okay we’re ready to go. Who wants to start?

Sheila Miller screenshot from the zoom.

Sheila: I’ll start. This came about from another project that Andrea had sent to Cirrelda. And then Cirrelda has forwarded a couple more, which, if you’re interested in reading, are in the chat area. I don’t have anything profound to say on this topic, more that I wanted to say what I find very interesting is that 2 of the 3 articles she supplied to us said that the importance of paying yourself a living wage. Two articles referred to that. I honestly hadn’t considered that before. Partly because I don’t keep track of the amount of time that I am spending on a piece. It seems a little tedious to me to do so when you start making the piece, bisquing, glazing, everything. So, I don’t keep track. But it’s interesting you know because our time is valuable. So, I’m going to take that into account moving forward and try and determine that. There are other factors that are there in the article too, like I said, two of them, the importance of keeping ourselves in business and paying ourselves a living wage and not undervaluing ourselves, that was really valuable for me to hear and a tool I had never considered before. I think I tried to do an assessment of other pieces were similar to mine to get my pricing, and once I got into it, I had an idea of what pieces what people were willing to pay. I think that’s a very important component that I myself hadn’t considered. 

Leonard Baca - screenshot from the zoom.

Leonard: A few years back, the lady that’s in the white shop up in Taos did article on that. Betsy Williams. She did an article about that in the Slip Trail years ago. She talks about that, about how you price your work. Give yourself a raise, and that type of information. And I took an Etsy class they said the same thing again. I was starting to develop a cost because I mix my own glazes. And then, if you know how much glaze you’re using on a particular piece. Anybody here customizing, mixing glazes or just using commercial glazes? Steve? Yes. Adam? Yes. Elaine? Do you? Elaine: No, I use Desert Sand glazes. Leonard: I can share that with you. It works out kinda nice. You can set it up for what chemicals you use for a particular glaze and then that gives you your cost. Maybe I should share it on the website for tools and information. 

Sheila: Leonard can I ask you, what about if you’re buying equipment? Like I bought a new Shimpo wheel last year, I bought a used kiln. I bought a slab roller. I guess I never think about re-couping the cost for those things. 

Leonard: It’s just like any business, you depreciate that information, if that’s your sole income. But even if it’s not … I just kind of set it up. If you’re making let’s say, if it’s under $1000, it’s more like a hobby, right?  If it’s over that amount, then it’s a business, and you’re gonna have to pay taxes on it. But you can write all those off. You write off all your expenses, you write off your equipment, it’s depreciated --- just like you do any other business. And that’s the way things work. You start with your bookkeeper. You just keep track of it. That way you’ll have it available, or, you’re leading up to that point. 

Merlene "Mo" Walker - screenshot from the zoom.

Mo: For me the best way was to set up Quicken. I did this 20 years ago, and designated the different categories. At the point that you decide that it’s a business.  One of the things for me in pricing is considering I’m in a different place today than I was several years ago when I was actually wholesaling to galleries and shops. You have to be really cognizant of that, if you ever plan to go with a gallery. Now I’m doing the art tour in Eldorado, so it’s my studio, and I don’t have to worry about 20-50%. But I still keep my pricing the same as if I was going to sell to a gallery, and factor that in, because I would be thinking, “Oh well I’m selling out of my home so I can sell it for this amount.” But at that point, if you’re not willing to give up 50% I think it’s really important for all of us, and you probably all know that, when you’re figuring the difference between wholesale and retail, when you’re figuring up that pricing.

Leonard: Another thing that came up when I was doing a little research on it, is how you attempt to represent yourself with a gallery or a show, or how you’re marketing your piece. So, I create a little price tag that has my name on it, the piece’s name, a little description of what I’m making, more personal, and a little tear-off tag so that if it’s a gift they can tear off the tag, and save the label with the piece itself. The reason I did that, and the article I’m reading says, if you’re going into a gallery or a store, instead of just a price tag, it kind of represents the piece a little bit more. And I noticed when I restocked my area at the shop, and I didn’t put any labels on anything, it kind of cut back on some of the people that were just walking by pick it up and wanting to buy it, if it didn’t have a price on it. I thought that was kind of important. Something I did notice about that though if it was in the studio, or in the gallery and it had the price tag, then it looks really good. But if I package it, if I’m going to go to a trade fair, everything’s boxed up, then the tag does a little damage. Then it’s more about the label, the label on the piece, then the tag is if it’s on display. That really helps you market the piece.  When I bought something on Etsy, and then when I got my product, I got this cool little envelope with a thank you card, my receipt, and a business card, and I think they put stickers in it, stuff like that. So, it’s little pieces that dressed up the piece. So, I do the same thing again for my when I ship something out, I typically pack it like a gift for them, re-marketing my store. Those are marketing tips that help show that you’re not just a home potter, but you’re trying to get it to the next level up.

Mo: I will say, Leonard, all those things figure into the cost of the piece, too. 

Leonard: exactly. 

Mo: at that point, that’s why to me Quicken is good, then I’ve got everything I spent as well as the marketing aspect as well as the product. So, I look back and go, wow, I didn’t realize I had this much money tied up, you know. 

Leonard: Keeping up records really helps to show what you’re spending and where your profits coming in, and see what, you know, what your volume is, and then you can show that you’re at least covering your costs, and then try to recreate that again for the living wage. How much time am I spending, am I starting this for $5 an hour? Or am I selling this for $20 an hour? That makes a big difference. 

Cirrelda: I’m curious for the 9 people that are here, how each of us sells. So, Leonard you sell at your place of business and you have an Etsy shop?

Leonard: When I first was doing it at the shop, I just did like an Open House at the shop. I had all my customers and friends over and family. It was more like a holiday-type event. I did a lot of sales, like in just one evening, started out in the $500 range, then the next time I did it, it was in the $1000 range. So, it worked out kinda nice. What I want to do now though, is I just want to do two events, and do it at home. So, I can invite people to the house, set up the work, have a little bbq, invite friends over and then do your selling that way. Get in a rhythm, come once in the summertime, and once towards the holiday season. And that’s kind of what my goal is planned to do. 

Judy: You also do the Etsy shop, right? 

Leonard: Yes, I do an Etsy shop. There are so many people on Etsy – if I try to search for somebody in Albuquerque who does ceramics, it’s going to be hard to find them. Cause it’s about self-promoting. So, you self-promote yourself on Facebook, you self-promote yourself on Instagram, then, word-of-mouth, friends. Then once I start doing that a little bit more, I get a little bit more sales. It does show you, just like what that we did on Facebook we show the results for the Celebration of Clay: how many people have gone, and how many have “liked.” Etsy has kind of the same thing. It tells you how many people have searched for a certain product or name. And it tells you the product name.  also tells you how many people searched for your shop this week or this month and you can put any kind of resources in it. So, it looks like I had lots of people coming, but my sales really happen during the holiday season. And they pretty much drop off after that. Then there’s another gentleman who is on my Facebook page, and has an Etsy shop, but he empties it out, right? So, his stuff is gorgeous, and his stuff is not inexpensive, but he has a huge base. So, what he does instead of paying a fee every month (you pay like 20 cents for 90 days - it’s not that much) until you sell the product, then it’s a little bit more. So, what he does is he empties his shop and turns everything off. Then he does an announcement, “Hey, I’m having a show and I’ve restocked.” Everybody’s excited to go. Then he makes all his sales like in a month or couple weeks, everything’s sold! because everybody anticipates they can go and look at his work and buy his work. After that he turns everything off and he doesn’t have to deal with it during that time. So that’s a different way and one that works. Who else has an Etsy shop? 

Cirrelda: I do. 

Leonard: Do you? 

Cirrelda: I’ll talk more about my Etsy in a little bit. But I am curious to hear from Adam, Elaine, Steve. I want to hear how all the others sell. 

Cirrelda – Elaine, you use the studio tour, right?

Elaine Biery - screenshot from the zoom.

Elaine Biery – Yeah, whenever they have them. For years I did the studio tour and it was really successful and in fact I think you came the last year that they had it, Cirrelda. But they haven’t had it for the last 2 or 3 years and I don’t know that anyone is going to pick it up. So that was always real successful. I sell from my home. I do the Contemporary Clay Fair, used to have it twice a year, now they’re just going to do it November, that always works really well. You know you build up the clientele. People come and look at your stuff because they’ve bought stuff previous years. And like I said, I sell at home. Really right now that’s about all.  I’m not in any galleries right now. Thinking of maybe looking for one it but that’s all I’m doing is thinking about it! 

Cirrelda: How about your pricing method? 

Elaine: That’s always a hard one for me. Let’s say at the Contemporary Clay Fair, I have a piece and I really like it, and I don’t care if I sell it or not. Then I tend to put a higher price on it, and if it sells, good. If it doesn’t, I won’t be broken-hearted over it. It’s kind of a balancing act. At the Clay Fair you take quite a bit of inventory you want to sell.  I don’t want to price my things so low that it’s like a giveaway. Nor do I want to sell rapidly. I want to sell a lot of the inventory that I take. So, yeah, it’s just a balancing act. I don’t worry too much except, it’s intuition.

Mo: Last year was my first year in the Eldorado art tour, and I loved it. I was surprised I did as well as I did. It was wonderful to have it here in my studio, to have everything set up, and at night I could go home and go to bed after it was over. I love that. And I actually lucked out because I’m involved in the Santa Fe Cactus Club, the president started carrying my cactus pots. He goes all over the US. He’s taking 15% to sell my pots. I mean it’s been wonderful. I don’t know how long he wants to continue doing that. I’ve been able to have that instead of doing an Etsy shop or something, to have you know to have a pretty constant income. Because he usually does a show at least two a month in CA and different places. So, people are starting to recognize my cactus pots. And I do the Cactus Show here in Santa Fe every year. I was selling jewelry up until 3 years ago, then I started doing my clay again. I know that my skill level is not where I want it to be to ask some of the prices that I would like to. That’s my goal is to work on finishing my work better and developing that. So, I look at that in pricing. Because I know in precious metal clay, I could sit down and do multiple pairs and finish them and do it in just a matter of hours. So, my time wasn’t what I was doing but it was the costs of the materials. I have wonderful little cost comparison for precious metal clay. But it’s measured in grams of materials. It’s much simpler because I have product costs, the real thing, right there. A lot of my friends that do Etsy and they call it “passive income.” Because they make big show pieces, but they have small pieces, ceramic art pieces, cups, whatever, one of my friends says, this is my passive income, I can make 4-500 a month without doing much of anything. But it’s a lot of work, because she really has to update her inventory and put it out there. These talks are great to help me to understand what other people are doing.

Steve Blakely - screenshot from the zoom.

Steve: I have very much struggled with pricing over the years, usually I price for the type of show it is. Right now I am shuffling to the Corrales Bosque Gallery from my place, it’s actually it’s a cooperative gallery. I like a smaller gallery with other artists, I’m the only potter there. Anyway so, I have struggled a lot, as we all have, with pricing, and my most recent method was to do a spread sheet for the gallery. Basically, what I do with the spreadsheet is start with the size of the piece, because my pieces are mostly vases, and they range from 6 inches to 12 inches. They get higher but now 12 is the max. Then I just gave each size a price. So up to 6” is $80. Or up to 8” is $80. 8-10” is $160, 10 and 11 is $260. 11” and higher is $360.  Then the next category is the design time, and if it was difficult, or if it was easy. And I just gave that a figure --$10, $20, $30, or $40 -- $40 being the most difficult. Next step is the glazing, I do all spraying, so whether I use one glaze or two glazes, or I do a lot of “faux bois” work, so doing the faux bois work is creating a wood-like look with different oxides. So, I just price those at 10 – 20 dollars. And then I gave the piece a “result,” if I was pleased with the aesthetics personally, and I gave that a price. And then I gave the whole aesthetics final piece a price that I felt was good, 10, 20, 30 or 40 dollars. It’s kind of a weird system, but it made sense for me at the time so I added those up and came up with the price, so for example an 8 ½” pot came out to a value of 270 dollars, and then I decided, does that make sense, or not? And then it gets adjusted. So that’s more or less the system I am using right now. I don’t know if it makes sense or not, to tell you the truth. Maybe you can give me some feedback. 

Sheila: Is this for your gallery pieces that you’re basing? 

Steve: Yes, gallery pieces. 

Sheila: And then you’re paying a membership to be part of the gallery? 

Steve: A monthly dues. 

Sheila: And then a commission? 

Steve: a 20% commission. 

Sheila: That’s been what my experience was. You have to consider those “fees” as well. 

Steve: Yeah, but, I really take the worth of those pieces into consideration. Not the cost of the show and everything, just the worth, and the size, so it kind of balanced out. 

Cirrelda Snider-Bryan - screenshot from the zoom.

Cirrelda – I wanted to reply to your method, Steve, just to say it reminds me of the 1^st article I put in the chat. It’s from Ceramics Arts Daily (CAD – part of Ceramics Monthly (CM). They do let you have 3 free articles a month, so you can probably access this article. I found it helpful after reading that first one Andrea shared with me. The CAD article talks about exactly what you’re doing, taking into account different aspects to make the price. It talks about creating a wholesale price and then creating a retail price. The whole idea of adding on. Kind of going back to what you were saying too, Elaine, and Mo. You’re adding on a bit of a chunk. That’s an important thing for us. Both articles talk about “burning out” if you’re producing to sell and being on a timeline, we want to give ourselves some compensation for that time. Thus, a retail price will give yourself a profit, not just covering your time, your product, your materials. But giving yourself “icing”! 

Steve – So, I don’t even know if what I’m doing is good. When I first started at the gallery, I sold right away. But now I’ve had 2 months of no sales, and then all the other artists have said, well, none of us are having sales right now. We’re all working at getting more people in. It’s questionable even for me being in a gallery.  Right now it’s a learning experience.  I question the pricing in the gallery scenario….  I find that that’s the biggest problem with the gallery. 

Cirrelda: You mean your prices are too high? Or too low?

Steve: I’ve been told they’re not too high. But, I wonder sometimes if they are too high. Then, we have a “sale.” And it’s not like a situation where you are selling your work at all times either, and that really helps. The downside of being in a gallery, you’re not there to talk about your own work and it’s where you’re coming from or how you made that piece, I find that that’s the biggest problem in a gallery, or any situation where you can’t talk to the people. 

Sheila: You can do like Leonard does and give a little story on your pieces. 

Steve: I wanted to do that, but the gallery kind of wants just a little card, with the title and the price. I have a card that tells about my work, but not each individual piece. It’s the individual piece that sometimes sells if you’re talking to someone … tell them how your inspiration for it was, where you’re coming from, that’s really the selling point. 

Mo: Is anyone on here actually making a living from their pottery? Because I frankly don’t know but a few people that are able to actually do that. Their work is like high-selling stuff and they do shows like Main Street in Ft. Worth or Cherry Street and they sell big huge chunks at a time so they’re thousands of dollars.  I quit my corporate job and I was in several galleries and shops about 25 years ago and I thought, “Oh I can do this” and my first year I made $12 thousand dollars, hahaha.  And I realized, oh, my goodness! And I was working very hard and I was in ten galleries or shops, so it still you know. 

Cirrelda: Wow. 

Steve: Yeah, normally I’m selling just to supplement my social security. Which is what a lot of us do. So, I‘m not trying to make a living off of it. I’m just trying to make living a little easier. 

End of Part 1. Go here for Part 2. 

Meet the Jurors! Celebration of Clay 2024

Delighted to introduce this trio who will determine the awards at Celebration of Clay: 50 Years of NMPCA: Jules Epstein, James Marshall, and Betsy Williams. The Taos Ceramics Center will be the showcase, running from October 5 through November 16. The trio of jurors will decide together which artist will receive … Best of Show, three Awards of Merit, Arita Porcelain Award for Beauty and Functionality, and the Coyote Color in Clay Award. The recipients will be announced at the opening on Saturday, October 5 from 4 to 7 pm. The gallery is located at 114 Este Es Road, Taos, New Mexico. 

Jules Epstein. 

Jules Epstein 

Just two years after receiving his BFA in graphic design from Penn State University, Mr. Epstein founded a brand design firm just north of Boston that grew to be a nationally recognized business with more than 25 employees. Thirty-three years later, in 2013, he sold the business and retired full-time to Taos, NM, with his wife and two daughters. In 2019, along with his wife, Georgia, he laid the foundation for the formation of the Taos Ceramics Center (TCC), a community ceramics studio, supply store, and respected interdisciplinary gallery. In 2024, the TCC was recognized by the IRS as a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) educational organization. Mr. Epstein continues to be the curator for the TCC Gallery and Operations Manager of the business. He has been an active board member on the Taos Arts Council since 2018 and is treasurer of his local acequia in Arroyo Hondo.   

James Marshall. 

James Marshall

James Marshall’s education in the ceramic arts began with a pottery apprenticeship in Guatemala while serving in the Peace Corps. For two years he lived and worked with the K'iché, a Mayan First Nation tribe during his service assisting in a pottery cooperative and agriculture.

In 1977 he began his studies for an MFA at the Rackham Graduate School, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.  John Stevenson and Rudolph Arnheim, author of “Art and Visual Perception”, were his mentors in the research, development and production of his work in sculpture. He graduated with an MFA in 1979.

James is a multi-media artist with a concentration in clay, wood, bronze, copper wire, steel, graphite and charcoal.  Works are included in over 200 public and private collections and museums, nationally and internationally.  Additionally, his work has been published extensively in books, magazines, and newspaper articles. He presently maintains a home and studio in Santa Fe, NM.

James’ teaching experience includes the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, New York, Bloomsburg University, Bloomsburg, PA., University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY. In 1999 James began to foster and build the ceramics program at Santa Fe Community College, Santa Fe, New Mexico.  Today this program includes 12 ceramics classes that cover all facets of the ceramic process.  Currently James is Professor Emeritus in the School of Art Design and Media Arts at Santa Fe Community College and continues to teach classes.

Betsy Williams. Photo by John T. Denne. 

Betsy Williams 

Born and raised in rural Georgia, the youngest of three children, I grew up drawing. My father had a wholesale tire business and the leftover price sheets from his tire store were my unbound sketchbook.

I was drawn by a love of books to St. John's College, the “Great Books School” in Santa Fe, New Mexico. After graduating, another three years of Russian language study culminated in a summer at the University of Leningrad. Next, I moved to New York City on a whim with my friend, Robin Taylor, and got a job at a Japanese bank where I was trained as a money market trader. My co-workers at the bank introduced me to the world of Japanese ceramics, and a show of 17th century Korean celadon ceramics at the Metropolitan Museum of Art marked a defining moment in my life.

I was welcomed into evening classes at a small Japanese pottery studio in Manhattan while still working full-time at the bank. After five years, I left New York and sought out an apprenticeship in Japan, visiting many pottery studios before asking the artist whose work I admired most, Mr. Yutaka Ohashi of Karatsu, Japan, to take me as an apprentice. I studied with him for 4½ years and am forever indebted to the special people who supported and encouraged me during my time in Japan. 

Upon completing my apprenticeship, I returned to New Mexico to buy a remote plot of land in the mountains north of Santa Fe and set up my studio. I met my husband, Mark Saxe, who is a stone sculptor. Together we opened Rift Gallery in Rinconada, New Mexico, south of Taos along the Rio Grande rift valley. We also created Sax Stone Carving Workshops, a series of intensive seven-day summer classes, bringing together students from all over the world to learn from some of the best carvers in the field. Recently we founded Rio Grande Rift Institute, a non-profit dedicated to hands-on education in art and craft. We live in an adobe house on a hilltop adjacent to the Carson National Forest with our dog, Atticus Finch, turbo-charged puppy Agnes, and Mo the turtle, who came with me from Japan. 

The majority of my pieces are woodfired in a kiln I designed and built in 2001. I am building a new wood-fired kiln now (summer 2024). The wood-fired work is complemented by Tiny Plate World Headquarters, my wheel-thrown and hand-painted tiny plates, fired in an electric kiln. 

In the early days of the pandemic, I embarked on a research project of New Mexico virgin clays. This research is ongoing and has taken an increasingly prominent role in my practice. I honor with gratitude the land and its stewards who preceded me. 

Summer of 2022, Brant Palley and Cirrelda Snider were asked to co-teach one of the NM Connections workshops at our NMPCA Ghost Ranch weekend, “Using Stains and Oxides in Clay.” Alas, he needed major surgery, so was unable to participate. Cirrelda interviewed him to get info for the stains and oxides handout, and he wrote his own bio to be included. Here the handout format has been removed, and the interview that actually happened is presented. Brant is happy to have this information shared to a wider audience than the participants at that past Ghost Ranch retreat. 

The Slip Trail (TST): Brant, please tell us about yourself.

Brant Palley: Owner of New Mexico Clay since 1985. Ceramic artist graduated Otis Art Institute 1979 (LA). Clay body designer, Webmaster of nmclay.com, kiln expert, and, head floor sweeper. Started with Art at a young age as my Dad taught at UNM in the 50’s and they collected Indian Art including some fantastic Acoma pottery that I have seen every day. We were dragged to museums in Europe and saw a lot of art.  In high school I had a great pottery teacher, and then at UC Irvine when super bored with psychology classes, started taking pottery and painting. Went to Otis Art Institute in downtown Los Angeles where, in the decade before, a ceramics school was begun by Peter Voulkos in the 1950s and was part of art movements like the Craft-to-Art movement, also known as the American Clay Revolution. Move to NM 1985. “Ceramic King” then “NM Clay” on Girard now for 38 years. Brant worked at his uncle’s art gallery Reese Palley’s where they sold figures from Boehm and Cybus,  Brant was responsible for shipping and handling and delivering fragile porcelains.

Brant at his desk at New Mexico Clay.

TST: Tell what you know about oxides. Tell us about adding oxides to slips.

Brant: Oxides are elements, all elements have different properties, like melting point, cobalt and titanium are very refractory, where iron and copper are not.

TST: And adding oxides to water? 

Brant: Will not reliably stick to clay body as stains. Oxides are refractive [melt at higher temps.]

TST: Then what about firing oxides? 

Brant: Each are different. 

TST: Clay Bodies - all? 

Brant: Generally, oxides are not as sensitive as stains, but may change color in the presence of other fluxes like sodium and boron. Changing composition of clay body affects the oxide’s performance.

TST: Safety important when using oxides? 

Brant: Each are different. 

TST: Here’s another tangent about oxides — have you seen trends in usage? 

Brant: Usage is down except iron wash, more products available for potters makes glaze-making less necessary. Only the “geeky” want to be making own glazes now.

For example: Iron oxide -- different ones melt at different temperatures vs cobalt oxide – refractory higher melting point.

TST: Now we turn to stains. What about adding stains to slips? 

Brant: Should be body stains, if stain rule is #1 on Mason Chart. For example, 6000 Shell Pink used as body stain comes out white … needs Ca carbonate [Calcium carbonate].

TST: Adding stains to water? 

Brant: Will not reliably stick as stains are refractive.

TST: Firing? 

Brant: See rules 2-4 on Mason Color Chart 

https://www.masoncolor.com/ceramic-stains

TST: Clay Bodies - all? 

Brant: Same as slips. [Pure white is recommended.]

TST: Safety? 

Brant: Don’t inhale, yes to gloves if mixing.

Brant checking out an old container of stain in the back room of New Mexico Clay.

TST: History of Stains - any personal anecdotes? 

Brant: Early experiences with crystal glazes; the high soda-zinc glazes change some colors dramatically, Nickle blue anyone?

TST: Use of stains rose w/ Duncan Cover Coat in the 70s? Or earlier? 

Brant: Stains were made for the tile industry, not potters. We just get the sloppy seconds…

TST: Was Duncan the first to use Mason Stains for a glaze “line”? 

Brant: Yes. … Duncan, then Mayco, Laguna’s Moroccan Sand, then everyone popped out. Only the geeky are making their own glazes nowadays. NM Clay was top seller of Duncan. We used to sell to 80 other stores, now to 2. Duncan had a room full of ball mills (vs. blenders). 

Mason Color photo of ball mills, https://www.masoncolor.com/mason-color-history

“Mason Color Works was founded in 1842 as Bleak Place Color Works in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England by James and Mary Skerratt Mason. Mary was a well-known color chemist who developed many of the inorganic pigments which are still used in the whiteware industry today.” Son “F.Q.” moved in 1902 to East Liverpool, Ohio, “Pottery Capitol of the World.” Read more at website https://www.masoncolor.com/mason-color-history.

Mason Color Factory photo, https://www.masoncolor.com/mason-color-history

Reds in glaze color were difficult to come by. 

More from Brant: The Environ-vent was invented for Lead based red glazes because of their need for good oxygen in firing.  

From digitalfire: https://digitalfire.com/glossary/ceramic+stain

“Encapsulated stains were introduced by Cerdec-Degussa (also called inclusion stains) are a special class of man-made pigments that enable bright and difficult-to-achieve colors in ceramic glazes (especially reds and oranges). Encapsulated stains are made by special processes that 'coat' the individual particles (i.e. cadmium) with silica or zirconium. In this way they can be suspended in a melt with minimal dissolution of the harmful metals into the glass. These stains are very expensive, must be used in larger amounts, and come with lengthy safety data sheets and must be used according to instructions. Like regular stains, they are intended to be incorporated into engobe or glaze recipes, not used as a straight powder. These are a recent development in glaze technology, and, many companies that hesitated to use them in the past now use encapsulated stains in their biggest-selling products.”

Cover-Coats were unceremoniously dropped by Mayco. Other underglaze brands include Amaco Velvets, Amaco LUG’s, Coyote, Spectrum and Mayco’s Foundations.

__________________________________________

Tips on Using the Mason Color Chart*

Charts were given to all participants of the 2022 workshop, courtesy of Mason Color Works!!

https://www.masoncolor.com/reference-guide

•Reference numbers under color swatches

6000 Crimsons                     6400 Yellows

6100 Browns                        6500 Grays

6200 Greens                         6600 Blacks

6300 Blues / Violets

•Numbers under color name refer to 

% of stain / % of Opacifier (Zn:zinc base glaze)

“Body Stains” need reference numbers 1, 3, 6.

•Inside flap list includes oxide combinations.

•Mason Color Works:

https://www.masoncolor.com/ceramic-stains

•On NM Clay website:

https://nmclay.com/potters-material-chemicals/mason-stains

•Archived Formulas for colors not available

Mason reduced number of pigments from 160-100.

https://www.masoncolor.com/archived-formulas

 6000 Shell Pink used as body stain comes out white … needs Ca carbonate.

MS6020 Pink Manganese Alumina oxides are Al & Mn, and its reference numbers are: 1,3. 

Mason stains are made to be combined!