Meet an OPA Member: Sarah Chenoweth Davis

Three things about Sarah that have nothing to do with clay.

1. I have a degree in biology from the College of Wooster, and studied wolf howling for my senior thesis.

2. I have a marvelous collection of PEZ dispensers. My favorite is Wonder Woman (although she has a broken foot). The most valuable is Silver Glow, a silver classic PEZ dispenser with no head (looks like a cigarette lighter).

3. I played French horn for 5 years (5th-9th grade). Marching band was super fun, but I don't think I ever really learned how to sight read music. I stopped playing after my family moved, and I didn't enjoy playing at my new school.

OPA on OPB

Tune in and watch OPA Member, Maria Simon, she will be featured on Oregon Art Beat, on Oregon Public Broadcast TV (check your local listings), on Thursday, January 7th, at 8 p.m. Program repeats on Sunday Jan.10th at 6:00 p.m

someone appreciates our fine craftsmanship

bowl by Carol Lebreton

Potters talkin' Pottery

As part of the holiday gallery feature at the Museum of Contemporary Craft, don't miss Meet the Artists: Informing Tradition, Saturday, December 12 from 2-3 p.m. Artists Victoria Christen, Kowkie Durst, Sam Morgan and Wally Schwab will discuss their work.

Out & About this weekend

Check out the OPA website for a listing of OPA members Holiday Studio Sales going on this weekend and next. Stay local, buy local and support local artisans.

Meet an OPA Member: Sandy Segna

Three things about Sandy that have nothing to do with clay.

1. Loves to sip a good microbrew and dance while cooking dinner.

2. Loves her garden and growing her own food.

3. Is working to get Italian citizenship with her brothers and sisters.

Informing Tradition-Functional Ceramics from 7 Oregon Potters

Now showing at the Museum of Contemporary Craft. When you're down in the Pearl District this month, check out this great showing of local talent. Potter's featured are Richey Bellinger, Barb Campbell, Victoria Christen, Wally Schwab, Kowkie Durst, Sam Morgan and David Piper. And don't forget all of the Holiday Sales going on around town - if you are going to be opening your wallet this holiday season, buy local - support your local artisan!

studio cat

I'm sure I'm not the only potter with a studio cat

OPA Members at OFB

I never thought working in the cold room at the Oregon Food Bank, packing frozen ears of corn, would have been as much fun as it was. It was a great opportunity to meet fellow OPA members. Twenty-one strong and a great time was had by all and for such a great cause. And what attractive headwear, gloves and beard guards that we got to wear. Can't wait until the next time. If you are thinking of arranging your own group to volunteer at the Food Bank - after the holidays is a good time to go - the Food Bank is always short of volunteers after the holidays. See you there! Pictured are Brenda Scott, Chayo Wilson, Jenny Lakeman, Ken Pincus, and Meaghan Kunzmann.

Meet an OPA Member:Ted Ernst

3 Things about Ted that have nothing to do with clay

1. Has a secret life as an environmental statistician.
2. Is very social, yet loves to spend a week or two backpacking alone in the mountains.
3. Is an avid birder.

P.S. I just want to add that Ted is a heck of a nice guy. Oh, and that is Natalie Warrens in the background

Upcoming Volunteer Day at Oregon Food Bank

Our volunteer shift is fast approaching. If you're attending on Thursday evening, the Food Bank is also looking for food donations. On their "most wanted" list are canned meats, canned & boxed meals, canned or dried beans & peas, pasta, rice & cereal, canned fruits, 100% fruit juice & cooking oil.
And don't forget, the General Meeting on Friday is also an opportunity to bring food for the Food Bank.
So, put a few items in your reusable shopping bag and drop them off. No donation is too small and all will be much appreciated.
See you there.

Dave and Boni Deal

amazing Raku photo sent in By Boni Deal

Mylin's pumpkin

This years pumpkin. It gets better as the days after Halloween go by....carved by my husband Mylin.

Meet an OPA Member: Robin Hominiuk

3 thing about Robin that have nothing to do with clay

1. My 2nd dream job would be to be a chef in France.
(she could do it too, she's a great cook)

2. My favorite, only, speed...FAST!!

3. My favorite lipstick color...RED

the glow of autumn

Autumn doesn't seem to last too long here in the Pacific NW but it is truly spectacular. I start thinking about translating the colors to my glazes. Let me know what glazes come to your mind.

Naked Raku Workshop at Mt. Hood Community College

Have you ever wanted to get Naked?....Naked Raku that is. Come to this one day workshop and learn about this exciting technique. Held at Mt. Hood Community College on Saturday, 11/14/09 starting at 10am. I'll start the morning off with a lecture and demo and then after lunch, we'll fire up the raku kiln and fire some pieces to really give you all the information that you will need to start exploring this technique. The workshop cost is $25.00 ($15.00 for OPA members) - bring an open mind, a creative soul, don't forget your lunch and come join me for a great day at MHCC.

Meet an OPA Member: Stephen Mickey

3 things about Stephen that have nothing to do with clay.

1. Stephen once lived on a commune and is still best friends with 2 of his commune buddies of 50 years ago---as Victoria Shaw would say -"you are old as dirt"

2. He loves to garden and feels he is more in touch with the creative spirit there than any place else he walks

3. He is so in love with his family that it almost makes him cry to say the word---family

Mahonia Hall

For the next year 8 OPA members have the honor of displaying pieces of their work in the dinning room of the Oregon Governor's mansion, Mahonia Hall. Mary Lou, from the Mary Lou Zeek Gallery in Salem, coordinated the exchange and display in the showcases of the dinning room.




First Photo: Mark Heimann, Kenneth Standhardt, Leslie Green and Bev Curtis
Second Photo: Linda Heisserman, Brenda Scott and Dawn Panttaja. Brian Jones could not join us.
Group Photo: This photo includes the outgoing displayed artists Mindy Chaffin and Mel Perrigo

NCECA demo-Korean Potter & a kimchi pot

So, after learning that one of our members is very interested in the fermentation process, I went back into my picture files to locate the photos that I took during NCECA 2009. This demo was done each day of the conference, each time, the potter making several of these large kimchi pots, some with lids, other without. It was truly amazing and inspiring to watch this potter take a bag of clay, get down on his knees and literally starting tossing the clay from side to side, each time stretching the clay into what would become a very long coil. Then he would take lengths of this coil, throw it over his shoulder, sit down at a very crude wheel and start forming a pot or lid. At the end of the last day, a kimchi pot was placed back on the wheel for all who had attended to sign. Enjoy!

Meet an OPA Member: Justin "Skye" Walker

3 things about Skye that have nothing to do with clay.

1. Born in Oklahoma. But has spent most of his life in Oregon
2. Writes poetry and likes to perform it in front of crowds. I've seen this and it's remarkable.
3. Interested in fermentation, such as Kombucha, Kimchi and Beet Kvass.

slip test success

Finally, after months of experimenting with different formulations on this Cassius Basalt slip - SUCCESS! No bloating, no bumps, no lumps. I was throwing this clay body, bisque firing really slow and everything looked good out of the bisque but once it came out of the glaze firing, a bad case of the mumps is and understatment. At the New member gathering at the Nelson's we all discussed this and talked about the possibilities of using a slip over my porcelain thrown piece. And voila, success. Now it is time to produce more, as this piece sold at the Corvallis Fall Festival.

Champoeg State Park

It's that time of year again for the OPA annual picnic. This years location is Champoeg State Park, Oregon's birth place. Everyone is invited to join us at Noon on September 26 for a pot luck and great conversation in the Day Use are. We hope to see you there.

Pictured here are some beautiful views of Champoeg and James DeRosso visiting the park last year.

food, food, glorious food

What a feast! Last night the Showcase Steering Committee meeting took place at my house and everyone brought delicious dishes to enjoy. With this much talent in the kitchen - the Showcase cookbook will be a major success! hmmmm...."the dishes we make" - I think Brenda was onto something when she mentioned it last night - could be a great play on words for the title of the cookbook - a dish we cook in a dish we make. I forgot to take more pictures of the food but here is what I made - hummus with fresh chickpeas from the farm! And the bowls were made by my good friend, Tim McMullen, owner of Silica Studios in Palm Springs, California.

Potters Stoked about Wedding

On Sunday September 13, 2009 Sarah Chenoweth, OPA Board Secretary and Visa Sales Chair, was wed to Brian Davis on Fairacres Farm in Damascus. Brenda Scott, Ceramic Showcase Chair and last years board secretary, was her Maid of Honor. Sarah made beautiful tumblers for all her guests to take home along with bottles of Wedding Bliss Ale homebrew made by the groom. It was a beautiful day and Sarah was gorgeous. Congratulations Sarah and best of luck.

Here are a couple pictures of Sarah and Brenda fooling around in Brenda's kiln barn.

Linkin Up - 2009

After a stormy Saturday & Sunday, the skies cleared and the children showed up to help create more links for the OPA's Linkin' Up with the OPA project. I lost count of just how many children came to the booth to play in clay but for most of the day we had kids waiting for an empty seat at the table. And at the end of the day - 297 links were made! They are all in my studio drying and will be fired mid-October. Thanks to all the children and parents and to the OPA members that came out and helped make the day so successful. Dawn Panttaja worked all day, for the 2nd year, Jamie Anderson & Mark Chapman worked the morning shift, Jeff Gunn drove up from Corvallis to help out for a few hours, James DeRosso helped for several hours and taught the kids all about making monsters! And Jenny Lakeman worked the afternoon shift. What a team. A huge thank you to Art in the Pearl and the Contemporary Craft Museum and KINK FM for sponsoring our day. More updates as the links get closer to being fired.

An August Afternoon

After meeting with the various artists guilds in the Portland area and having a lovely lunch Kris Paul and I stopped by Start Street Studios. We found Michael Grubar glazing pots and Carol Lebreton unloading a kiln. It looked like she had a successful firing. Charlie Piatt was also moving around the studio and took a minute to chat with us. So many wonderful works of art being made there and the gallery is always full of wonderful things.
-Brenda Scott

“The creative process is a process of surrender, not control.” ~Julia Cameron

Remembering Tom Rohr

Oregon potter, teacher, and friend of Studio Potter died suddenly on July 8 at his home outside Eugene. Tom was a vivid, generous, life-embracing potter and friend, and his loss will be deeply felt by the students, wood-firing crews, and fellow-potters whose lives he touched – as well as by his family. His wife, potter Kathryn Finnerty, has asked that people who want to remember Tom’s life in clay do so with a donation to Studio Potter. We are more touched than we can say by the generosity of this gesture, and by being included in the ceramic community honoring Tom. Our heartfelt thanks and condolences to Kathryn and to Tom’s friends and family.http://www.studiopotter.org/tomrohr/

Meetings, meetings, meetings

The July General Meeting is tonight at the Multnomah Arts Center. Potluck starts at 6pm and the meeting will get under way at 6:30pm. Brian will be coordinating the Group Buy effort for the members and rumor has it, our President Elect, Margaret, will be running the meeting tonight.

And then there's the "Visions" meeting for Showcase tomorrow afternoon at our Showcase Chair's home/farm. Potluck lunch starts at noon and the meeting will get underway at 1pm. This should be a terrifc meeting with a lot of ideas being exchanged for Showcase 2010.

Hope to see you all at either or both of these meetings.

Empty Bowls @ Blues Festival

Grab $10.00 and 2 canned goods and head to the Waterfront Blues Festival this weekend at Tom McCall Waterfront Park. The OPA's Empty Bowls booth is at the entry across from the Marriott Hotel off Naito Parkway. This year's chair Bill Sanchez and his Co-Chair Raybun Thompson and a group of volunteers set up the booth on Wednesday. The donated work is amazing and you'll be helping a terrific cause. All proceeds from the donated work go to the Oregon Food Bank - a much needed donation in these trying times. Hope to see you there!

TexMex Mac & Cheese

Not your granny's mac & cheese. And oh so easy.

4-6 poblano chiles-blackened under the broiler, cooled, skin, seeds & mebranes removed

6 sm white corn tortillas

1 cup fresh cilantro

1 cup 1/2 & 1/2

1 cup milk

3 lg eggs

elbow macaroni-cooked al dente

shredded Monterey Jack Cheese, sharp Cheddar, Spicy Jack-whatever you've got on hand and plenty of it to make the mac & cheese gooey

Rough cut the chiles and tortillas. Put in a blender with the cilantro & finely chop.

In a lg bowl, whisk together 1/2 & 1/2, milk, eggs, salt & pepper. Add in the chile/tortilla mixture. Mix. Add in the elbow macaroni & most of the cheese. Stir. Pour into a baking dish rubbed down with butter. Don't be stingy-you don't want it to stick. cover with remaining cheese. Bake in a 350 oven until it is bubbling, 40 minutes or so. If you can resist, let it sit for a few minutes when it is done, otherwise, dig in!