-Hiroshima Kazuo, Rural Japanese basketmaker

NEXT OPA MEETING: Friday July 9th at the Multnomah Art Center, 7688 SW Capitol Hwy in Portland.

6:30pm: OPA Business Meeting. Announcements, business, etc. Bring snacks and items for the swap table. If you have items for the agenda, please call Cynthia Spencer.

7:15pm: Program: We will have two activities. One will be small group discussions. If you have a topic you would like to lead or would like to see covered, contact Cynthia Spencer (she already has some interest in wholesaling and cone six glazes). There will also be the Ceramic Swap Meet... Bring unused tools, glaze ingredients or recipes, packing materials, books, etc to sell, swap or barter.. a chance to trade pottery as well!

NEXT BOARD MEETING: 6:30pm, Tuesday August 10th at the Marjorie T Sherman Ceramics Center, 1220 12th St in Salem. Bring a potluck dish to share during the meeting

NEXT NEWSLETTER DEADLINE: August 10th. Write your information down and mail it to Janet Buskirk, 3624 SE Yamhill St, Portland OR 97214

PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE: "After restoring a full set of newsletters to the Presidential files, I am enjoying reading back through our illustrious history. OPA has accomplished so much over the years... and continues to do a tremendous amount, thanks to many hardworking potters! Next year will be our 20th as an oxymoron (potters association, ha ha!), and we should CELEBRATE! Sumi is already working on an expanded Membership Directory for next year and the Board is thinking about a big party. Sandy Brown has volunteered to coordinate, so call her if you have a brainstorm," Thanks! -Cynthia Spencer, OPA President

ART IN THE PEARL OPA BOOTH: The OPA has been offered a group-booth at Art in the Pearl again this year. OPA's 10x20' booth will be shared by 6 OPA members. Everyone will be expected to volunteer during the show and help with booth set up and take down. Cost will be about $50 per person, plus approximately $20 per person for display materials to make a unified looking booth. Art in the Pearl is an outdoor show in the NW Portland Park blocks, Sept. 4-6. Anyone interested in the OPA group booth should write down their name, address and phone number, and send with an SASE to Cynthia Spencer, 1105 NW 30th St, Corvallis OR 97330. Booth will be filled giving priority to OPA members who are on the wait list for juried booths in Art in the Pearl, then on a first come, first served basis for all other OPA members.

OPA PICNIC: The picnic will be Sept 19 at George & Pearl Wright's in Manning. Dan Sheridan is organizing this, and is looking for volunteers to help set up, clean up, and generally help out during the picnic. This is great fun! If you're looking for a bit more fun in your life, call Dan!

PRESIDENT ELECT: As many of you know, Kristen Applegate-King (and husband Shane Blitch) moved to a new home in Bend over Showcase weekend. Due to her distance from the Portland area and her need to work on her new home and studio, Kristen will be unable to be OPA President in 2000. It is important for the OPA President to get in the groove by serving as President-Elect during the previous year, so we are taking nominations for the 1999 President-Elect/2000 President. Luckily for us, Nancy Hart has accepted a mid-term nomination. Emergency elections will be held during the July general meeting. Anyone else who is interested should contact Cynthia Spencer prior to that meeting.

PERMANENT COLLECTION: The OPA Permanent Collection is once again in the news. The OPA board has been looking into donating the Collection to a worthy institution, and Ted Vogel and Pat Strauss have been looking into the Portland Center for Contemporary Craft (formerly Contemporary Crafts Gallery) and the Willamette University Gallery in Salem. We are hoping to be able to add to the Collection each year, to be able to have "first right of refusal" if they decide to give away or sell pieces from our collection, and to be able to borrow all or part of the Collection from time to time. Linda Owen and Victoria Shaw will help with this committee as well.

CONE SIX GROUP: Paul Bush and Dan Sheridan are interested in continuing a cone 6 discussion group, meeting on a regular basis before, during or after OPA meetings. We are interested in exchanging glaze recipes and firing information. If you are interested please come to the July OPA meeting. Bring recipes, test tiles and anything else you think might be of interest. We would also like to get together during the picnic.

DO YOU NOW OR HAVE YOU EVER WANTED TO WHOLESALE? Galleries are always wanting to know who amongst us sells wholesale, and our ranks are always changing. A small group session regarding wholesaling opportunities will meet at our July meeting. If you cannot make it but are interested, please call Cynthia or Natalie Warrens. There was also some talk at the board meeting about an OPA group booth at a future Rosen Show (the Rosen Shows are big wholesale shows. Many of our OPA members who wholesale go the these or the ACE or Beckman shows to meet new wholesale buyers from throughout the country). Natalie and Cynthia may pursue this if they feel there is interest.

JUSTICE CENTER WINDOWS: The Justice Center Windows are between SW 2nd and 3rd on Madison in downtown Portland. They now house an Empty Bowls display which will be there until the Blues Festival. Bill Murray from the Graystone Gallery will then use the windows until Art in the Pearl sets up a display in August. One of the three windows may be available to members of the OPA beginning in July. If you would like to display your work there, we would need 5 to 7 larger pieces. Call Sandra Fennimore-Lauser.

"Now that Showcase is behind us, it is time to focus on another OPA annual event, the Empty Bowls Project at the Waterfront Park Blues Festival in Portland, July 2-5. Our booth will be open throughout the festival, 5-10pm Friday, noon-10pm Saturday & Sunday, noon-9pm Monday. Setup will be Friday, July 2 starting at noon, breakdown takes place at 9pm on Monday July 5th.

"We know you are all hard at work making bowls to donate to this great fund-raiser, but we also need you to call and volunteer to work a shift. Call soon, because the best shifts go fast. You get to hang out with a bunch of fellow potters, help raise money for the Oregon Food Bank and listen to some great blues!

"We need volunteers to set up and staff the booth, help with breakdown and pick up the donated bowls at the various drop-offs around town and bring them to the festival at noon on Friday. There will be a meeting of volunteers on Wednesday, June 23rd at 7pm at Paul Bush's home, 8406 SW 46th ave in Portland (corner of Carson in Multnomah, near 45th and Garden Home Blvd). Call Paul at if you need additional directions. Even if you cannot make the meeting, please call Paul or Cindy to volunteer.

"An added bonus for volunteers is the opportunity to sell your own pots on the last two days of the festival, with 25% of the sales going to the Oregon Food Bank. But you have to work at least one shift and be there for the tear down at the end of the Festival. To volunteer or for more information, call your Empty Bowls chairs, Paul Bush  or Cindy Clark " -from Paul Bush

Paul has requested that every OPA member donate a piece. Keep in mind that while most bowls are sold for $10 each, many bowls are priced higher ($40 or $50 is not unheard of). Please, feel free to donate really nice pieces. They do not have to be bowls. There is always a crowd of people waiting for the booth to open, and many of them are willing to spend serious money on work!

MAJOLICA PARTIES: If you want to have even more fun, there will be two majolica parties in late June. You can attend either or both! Georgie's donated a lot of ram-pressed bisqueware, and we have some terra cotta bowls which need glazing, decorating and firing. We can also use more bisqueware if you have it! This will be low temp (cone 04) glazing Janet, Jeanne and Mary can give you pointers if you (like me) have never done this before. Beginners are very welcome, this is a great way to try out some majolica without any worries (and it's a ton of fun). Both of these are pot luck, so bring some yummy snacks.

Saturday June 19 Janet Buskirk & Jeanne Charles' house

noon-5pm 3624 SE Yamhill, Portland

Sunday, June 20 Mary Walyer's house

noon-5pm 3511 SE Johnson Creek Blvd, Portlan

FROM THE RETIRING SHOWCASE CHAIR: "Thanks to everybody who made this year's Showcase such a success! Gross sales total was almost $450,000... $45,000 more than 1998.

"However the real success was in the cooperative spirit of the show, which still remains strong and vital. 'Better, not bigger' is an attitude that will guide Showcase into the new millennium with class and dignity. An who better to lead it than Margie Adams, our Showcase chair for 2000. Some of you may not know that Margie has been Chair in previous years, and her return is certainly good news.

"Please welcome Margie back to the Chair position by being involved, going that extra mile, and really keeping the heart in Showcase.

"See you down the road" -Mark Heimann, retiring Showcase Chair

THANKS TO MARK HEIMANN FOR CHAIRING SHOWCASE SO WELL FOR SO MANY YEARS! This has been a big job, and Mark has done it for a long time. Our last few Showcase Chairs (including Mark and our new chair, Margie) have done the job for several years, helping to keep continuity in the show. We all owe them a big round of applause. Thanks!

THE DOLLARS AT SHOWCASE 1999: Our total sales were $449,253.50. Friday $199,765; Saturday $157,288; Sunday $92,200. Three people made over $9000, three made over $8000, five made over $7000, six made over $6000, seven made over $5000, 13 made over $4000, 22 made over $3000. There will probably be a rebate for Showcase 1999, and this will be decided in the fall. Last year, the rebate was about 6%, and this rebate is expected to be similar, providing that the expenses which have not yet come in are what we expect them to be. Committee chairs don't forget to submit your receipts and expenses for Showcase 1999 NOW to Ramona Searle, and submit next year's budget (in writing) by Oct 31. The projected budget for Showcase 1999 was $75,083. Not all bills are in yet, and the rent is paid in odd amounts over several years, so your newsletter editor will give a brief and not quite perfect overview, but the major expenses (over $500 each) were budgeted as:

Accounting $1700 Gallery Awards/Photography $1423

Administration $3500 Insurance $1200

Advertising/Mailing/Postage $4500 Lights/Electric $5500

Advertising/Poster $6440 Map $1600

Publicity/Staff Expenses $1200 Taxes/Licenses/Fees $1000

Advertising/Publicity $18,150 Medical Exhib. Svces $900

Bank Charges $7620 Wrap Desk $750

Equipment/Phone Rental $2200 Rent $8635

Mail List Maintenance $3600 Reception/Entertainment/Demo $562

Storage $2064

There are many other small budgets which space does not allow here. Booth fees account for about $9000 of our income for Showcase, with sponsorship bringing in $2650 so far this year and commissions on sales bringing in all other revenue.

WORKSHIFT COMMITTEE: Thank you to all of the Showcase participants who carried out their assigned workshifts. A SPECIAL HEARTFELT THANKS to all the volunteers: Julie Asbury, Lisa Clapp, Minga Dotson, Jeanene LeRae, Roger Korn, Kayo Parsons-Korn, and to those who dropped out of the show but did their workshifts anyway: Gay Angelos, Samm Dobash, Jeanne Henry, Chris Kienle, Steve Moellering, Tamae Sawano, Mary Walyer. To all those who stepped forward when extra help was needed and to those who selflessly contributed their invaluable time to the smooth running of the show, your extra effort is commendable and truly appreciated. Here's to another successful show! -Carol Lebreton, Workshift Chair

SHOWCASE AWARD TALLIES: The Best of Show was won by Vern Uyetake (43 votes). 2nd place was Brad Messinger (31 votes), 3rd place was Sheryl Murray-Hansen (29 votes). The Bennett Welsh Memorial Award for surface decoration was won by Sheryl Murray-Hansen (11 votes). Best booth was won by Patrick Horsley (7 votes). The runners-up were (number of votes in parenthesis): Best of show: Cynthia Silber (28); Barb Campbell (24); Barb Rawls (20); David Fitzpatrick (20); Natalie Warrens (18); Jenny Ferguson (16); Marianna Crawford (15). Welsh Award: Fay Nakamura (6); Doug Bowman (6); Lyn Sedlak-Ford (5); Nao Tajiri (4). Best Booth: Cynthia Spencer (5); Pamela Mattson McDonald (4); Pat Strauss (4); Deb Shapiro (3). 85 people voted for Best of Show, 76 for the Welsh Award, 53 for the Booth Award

COMMITTEE CHAIR POSITIONS AVAILABLE for Showcase 2000: First, thank you once again for a job well done. The committees worked very hard and well this year. There were very few major problems, most people were where they were supposed to be and did what they were supposed to do. The show cannot go on without you! Thank you again. Thanks especially to those who stepped in at the 11th hour to save the day (you know who you are) and to those who helped with committee jobs even if they had dropped out of Showcase. This is the truly cooperative spirit that sustains us and helps us have a better show year after year.

TO APPLY FOR COMMITTEE CHAIR OPENINGS FOR SHOWCASE 2000 send: 1. Your name; 2. Address; 3. Phone Number; 4. State the committee you are applying for, why you think you would be qualified to chair this committee, your experience with OPA and Showcase. Send to Nancy Hart, 6161 SW Salmon, Portland OR 97221, 503-292-2165. The available positions are listed below.

-COMMITTEE PLACEMENT CHAIR (retiring chair Nancy Hart, 503-292-2165). This committee places people in their committee, keeps track of the committee chairs and replaces them when they retire. This chair is on the Steering Committee and attends their monthly meetings and reports the status of the committees and makes recommendations about replacement chairs as people retire. This chair works closely with the building chair to replace people on committees as they drop out of Showcase. Must have thorough knowledge of Showcase, its committees and members.

-DEMONSTRATIONS CHAIR ((retiring chair Patty Maly 503-452-9618). This committee coordinates the demonstrations during Showcase. Set up and tear down demo area. Schedule the demos and make sure everything is available for people doing the demos throughout the show. Coordinate with the Showcase Chair and the Equipment Rental Chair to make sure you have all the physical equipment needed.

-GALLERY PHYSICAL SET UP (retiring chair Stan Gibson 503-231-4772/Steve Moellering 503-775-5488. Only one chair needed). This committee sets up the physical space for the gallery area. Paints pedestals & walls, sets up lighting, etc. Need to be available Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday during the show for hauling props from storage area and returning them, and setting up and tearing down. Helpful to have a van or truck. This person needs to have previous experience on the committee and have knowledge of gallery placement and group booth because of close coordination with these committees.

-SALES CO-CHAIR (retiring chair Dulcie Lindsoe-Johanson 503-622-4376, co-chair Nan Niiranen 360-423-1170). Coordinates sales activities throughout the show. Sets up and tears down the sales area. Arranges for and trains people on the VISA machines. Oversees the workshifts and everything that goes on at the sales desks. Must have experience with this committee and be available throughout the show.

-WORKSHIFTS CO-CHAIR (co-chair Carol Lebreton 503-238-0394). Assigns people to workshifts. Keeps track of the comings and goings of people as they drop out and are accepted into the show. Coordinates with the gallery registrar, the building committee and the committee placement chair. This position will be working with Carol Lebreton, the current chair.

-WRAPPING CO-CHAIR (retiring chair Kathy Knowles 503-538-5935, co-chair Gay Liebert 503-658-4457). Set up and tear down the wrapping area. Purchase and coordinate supplies for wrapping. Supervise the wrapping workshift people. Must be available throughout the show to be at the wrapping stations.

SHOWCASE POSTERS: The Poster Committee Chairs want to thank all of those who did such a great job posting flyers this year. We would like to recognize Renee O'Conner for doing an exceptional job this year, posting over 160 posters along the Oregon and Washington Coast! Thanks again to everyone! -Victoria Shaw & Natalie Warrens, Poster Chairs

NEXT STEERING COMMITTEE MEETING: 6pm, Tuesday July 20th at Margie Adam's house, 4011 SE Taggart in Portland. The meeting after that is tentatively scheduled for August 21st at 2pm at Ramona Searle's newly-built house in Lyle, WA (come and see the hay-bale construction!)

NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF INDEPENDENT ARTISTS (NAIA) is an organization which advocates for the economic and professional well-being of artists. They have been very active in lobbying craft and art festivals for standardization of show entry requirements (same slides labeling procedures for all shows, booth fees required upon acceptance rather than with application...). Their survey of members who do art shows/festivals was interesting. 77% also show in galleries (22% in 1-2; 44% in 3-5; 22% in 6-10; 6% in 11-20; 6% in over 20 galleries). 41% wholesale their work, with 20 recommending the Baltimore ACE Show, 8 recommending Rosen Shows, 3 recommending Art Buyers Caravan and 3 recommending Art Expo. 63% have exhibited in Museum/University Shows. Main concerns of their membership were that there are too many mediocre & low quality shows, too much mass produced work passed off as original work, too many reproductions allowed in shows without labeling them as reproductions. The NAIA gather information about materials and supplies. Their recent newsletter covers wireless credit card terminals, if you are looking for those. In addition, some tips from their members are covered below:

ELECTRICITY: For electricity at shows which do not have it, a Power Pack, used to start dead car batteries, is about $130 at auto parts stores and can recharge through household current or while driving.

VELCRO CABLE TIES work like nylon ties. Found in hardware stores in electrical section. Come in colors

WINTER HAND CREAM: Bee Balm Beeswax, from Bee Balm Lotions, 406-726-3480

SLIDE LABELING: Colored Sharpie pen ink can be removed with a Q-tip dipped in nail polish remover, so you can re-label your slides

THE WHOLESALE BARGAINS AND FREE STUFF GUIDE is an extensive list of businesses which sell wholesale, Alpha Publishing, PO Box 747, Walnut CA 91789

BOOKS ON TAPE can be purchased at Cracker Barrel Restaurants, purchase at one restaurant, you can return it at any other restaurant in the country for a refund less $2 or $3. (Your editor has found a great selection at the local library, too. Great for the studio or long drives.)

NAIA membership is $40-65/year. It is open to artists who design and produce their own work and derive a significant portion of their income from the sale of their art. Contact them at PO Box 334, Dundee IL 60118-0334, http://naia-artists.org (if you subscribe to the Crafts Report, the NAIA was profiled in the May issue)

NATIONAL ARTISTS SURVEY results were summarized in the June-August Ceramics Monthly. 2275 artists responded. 40% had college degrees, 38% had graduate degrees, 62% earned less than $30,000/yr (including income from other jobs), 26-30% earned the majority of their income from art, while 89% consider themselves to be professional artists. 3/4 own computers, about half use electronic media in the production of their work. Most have some type of insurance, but 14-16% do not receive routine health care. 55-59% had retirement plans. About 2/3 volunteer, and most of them vote.

WAX DIP FOR HANDS & ELBOWS: OPA member Pamela Mattson-McDonald recommends this for your chapped skin: Melt in a crock pot (available cheaply at thrift stores): 1 lb beeswax; 4 lb paraffin; 1/4 oz eucalyptus oil; 1/2 oz arnica oil. Melt all at low heat and mix thoroughly. Make sure that it is a comfortable temperature. Dip hands into wax and let set part way. Dip twice more. Let harden and wrap each hand in a small towel. Relax for 20 minutes. Hands will feel renewed and nourished!

WAX RESIST TIPS: To remove hot wax that has dripped where you don't want it, Corinne Null from the BC Potters Guild puts the piece in the microwave on a paper towel. Someone on the Clayart site recommends applying soap (Murphy's Oil soap works well) to your brush bristles before waxing pots. The brush cleans up perfectly.

PACKING MATERIALS FOR SHIPPING: At the last OPA meeting we had a demonstration from the Instapak Quick Foam people. You have probably encountered their stuff as a somewhat stiff foam which is in a plastic bag, molded around a fragile item that has been shipped to you. Their product looks like it would make some shipping much easier than using loose fill (it stores in very small spaces and never gets all over the floor!). The foam is contained in tiny little bags which, upon pressing on a pocket in the bag, expand into big, foamy pads which can be molded around a fragile piece, then after a minutes they become stiff and protect the piece during shipping. Each bag costs $1.60 to $3 (depending on the bag size), and the system requires one "bag warmer" unit which costs $250-$350. If you ship a lot, this could save enough time and space to be useful. Distributed by Portland Packaging Co, 800-801-7158, 503-288-6531. If you are planning to do more shipping, but are not familiar with different carriers, you might want to read the "Comparison Shopping for Shipping" article in the June Crafts Report

KILN REPAIR: Lately, a lot of people have been calling to ask who fixes electric kilns? The old standby has been M&D Kiln Repair, 503-286-0022 or 786-1869. Also OPA member Richey Bellinger has been doing kiln repair, 503-286-7072. These are both Portland-based. Does anyone have suggestions for other people who work in other areas? How about people who repair other types of equipment?

CLAY ON THE INTERNET: Both Mark Heimann and the Assoc. of Clay & Glass Artists (California) have recently compiled lists of clay-related sites on the Internet:

-Clay Art Archives:
http://www.potters.org/categories.htm
-CeramicsWeb:
http://art.sdsu.edu/ceramicsweb/
-NCECA:
http://www.nceca.net/
-University Library/Guide to pottery resources on the Web:
http://libweb.ucsc.edu/pottery/index.html
-Raku glazes (3 sites):
http://www.digitalfire.com/education/glaze/buckraku.htm
and http://netnow.micron.net/~gafergus/rakuglaz.htm
and http://www.utpb.edu/artsci/art/ceramics/glazes/raku.htm

-Claynet: http://home.vicnet.net.au/~claynet

-WWW Virtual Library: http://www.ikts.fhg.de/VLartistic.ceramics.html

-The Mining Co Ceramics: http://ceramics.miningco.com

-Aftosa: http://www.aftosa.com

-Claymedia: http://www.claymedia.com

POTTERS IN SPAIN: The June-August Ceramics Monthly has an article about potters from the town of Alhabia in Spain. If you are planning to travel to Spain, take a look at this article.

GLAZE FORMULATION: Several articles have appeared recently about glazes. The June-August Ceramics Monthly has an interesting one which covers formulating glaze, how the oxides work at different temperatures, glaze preparation (including deflocculating) and plenty of other information. The May Ceramics Monthly has a nifty article on electric kiln copper reds at cone 6. This is an update on an article from the Nov 1977 Ceramics Monthly. They both cover reds using a mixture of copper, tin, custer feldspar (or flint) and silicon carbide in different glaze bases. The May/June Clay Times has a very basic article about glaze calculation using simple steps. While you're reading that, they also have an article about clay mixing safety (the author is recommending not mixing your own clays- for your safety, because you gain space, less cleaning, more time, etc. They operate on the principle called "let George do it", with George being the guy who runs the local clay mixing company. If you buy Hair of the Dog Clay, you know who our George is). The March Pottery in Australia has an article about what makes a good glaze. Their three parameters are: 1. Reliable glaze formula & its preparation, 2. Glaze application, 3. Firing schedule & conditions.

MARKETING YOUR WORK: Several recent articles cover marketing. The March Pottery in Australia discusses artists and their public relations ("the most successful artists are not necessarily the best, but those who have the best public relations"). It has a step-by-step plan to identify what you sell, what are your principal assets, formulating a 12-month PR plan, using simple PR tools, engaging a publicist. The May/June Clay Times has an article on selling your work in different ways- through your studio, through commissions, catalogs, and sales reps. The Crafts Report has an article for people who are considering wholesaling in their June issue (getting started, pricing, dealing with volume of orders...), and an article on pricing in their May issue. They point out that you must factor in materials, labor costs, indirect costs (costs of doing business: electricity, rent, insurance, etc factored out over time), plus desired profit. This article was partially exerted from Basic Guide to Pricing your Craftwork, $16.45 includes s/h, 800-235-6570, W Snow Publishers, box 75, Torreon NM 87061.

AN ARTIST'S GUIDE TO THE CERAMIC MUSEUMS OF EUROPE was reviewed in the Assoc of Clay & Glass Artists newsletter. It is a great paperback (small enough to carry with you). It lists museums with ceramics, hotel & restaurant tips. It has a history of ceramics in Europe. 800-545-2005, $13.95 +$4 shipping, or order online from Amazon, Barnes & Noble or Borders.

EGYPTIAN PASTES (you know, those self-glazing clays... you probably think of turquoise blue clay beads) are the subject of an article in the May/June Ceramic Review. It gives formulas for self-glazing clays in the mid stoneware range (around cone 6). This could be kind of fun to mess around with!

SCHOLARSHIP AVAILABLE: Actually, it's too late for this, but we never receive the info in time for our April newsletter. If you are interested for next year, Clayfolk gives a $1000 scholarship for the study of ceramic art to a resident of Oregon or Northern California. Applications are due June 15, for info write to Ellice T Johnston Scholarship, PO box 274, Talent, OR 97540,

GRANT AVAILABLE: Twelve Flintridge Biennial Awards of $25,000 each are available to mature visual artists (with over 20 years in a mature phase of art making), must be residents of Oregon, Washington or California. Send name, address, email to: Flintridge Foundation Visual Artists Awards, 1040 Lincoln Ave, suite 100, Pasadena CA 91103, fax 626-744-9256, FFVAA@JLMoseleyCo.com

CERAMICS INSTRUCTOR WANTED: Grossmont-Cuyamaca College, El Cajon CA, full time, tenure track, June 30 deadline, $32,739-$48,460, http://www.gcccd.net, 619-644-7637

ARTISTS WANTED: Lill Street Gallery in Chicago is looking for functional and sculptural ceramic artists for their gallery. Please send slides, resume and a price sheet to Laurie Shaman, director, Lill Street Gallery, 1021 W Lill, Chicago IL 60614, 773-477-6185 (OPA member Natalie Warrens shows with them and recommends them highly)

CALL FOR ENTRIES: Y2Clay Virtual Exhibition, Deadline July 15, sponsored by DeAnza College Ceramics. This exhibit will exist solely on the internet. Send slides to DeAnza College Ceramics, Y2Clay Exhibition, 21250 Stevens Creek Blvd, Cupertino CA 95014. Slides will not be returned. (Jury fees are not mentioned...)

CALL FOR ENTRIES: USA Craft Today, deadline June 21, exhibit Sept 12-Oct 8. $25 jury fee for 3 slides. Contact Silvermine Art Center, 1037 Silvermine Rd, New Canaan CT 06840, 203-966-2613

CALL FOR ENTRIES: Functional Fire, Woodfired Cup Show (in conjunction with the woodfire conference in Iowa in September), July 10 deadline, show Sept 16-Oct 1, $25 jury fee for 3 slides, Iowa Artisans Gallery, 117 E College St, Iowa City IA 52240, cups not to exceed $50 each.

The below workshops will be held at Architektura, c/0 Barbra Kates, PO Box 1431, Yelm WA 98597, 360-894-7527, au1000@earthlink.net (45 minutes south of Tacoma)

JOE BRECHA & BARBRA KATES: Smoke & Fire, includes naked raku, horsehair & pit firing, two days of intensive firing. $120, June 26-27

JOHN HARRIS: 25 Years of Techniques: Constructing Large Scale Vessels. July 31, $55. John will demonstrate his unique combination of throwing and slab building to construct large forms easily.

PETER KING: Architectural Ceramics, Aug 14-15 or 17-18, $175 per session. He is a pioneer of large-scale architectural ceramics using handbuilding methods.

JOHN HARRIS: Hands on Raku: Sept 18, $60. John will show his glazing & firing techniques, including unique brushwork and making glaze "halos"

LANA WILSON: Shape & Surface-Innovative Handbuilding Techniques. Nov 13-14, $160. Lana will make simple and complex forms such as teapots, boxes, drawers, cups & vessels with specific focus on handles, as well as her surface effects with many, multi fired layers of glazes.

IAN CURRIE will present his glaze workshop at Mt Hood Community College Sept 4-5. This is sponsored by the OPA & MHCC Ceramic Club. According to Craig Martell, this is a must-see workshop for potters of all levels. Craig did this workshop with Ian last year and continues to use ideas from it as he composes and alters glazes. For more details, email Stephen Mickey at mickeys@teleport.com and mickeys@mhcc.cc.or.us. He will send Ian's workshop synopsis to you. 20 participants at $60 each will cover expenses. Check Ian's site http://ian.currie.list.to/index.html. Checks payable to MHCC Ceramics Club, send to Stephen Mickey, 26000 Stark St, Gresham OR 97030, 503-491-7149

DOWNTOWN VANCOUVER ASSOCIATION is having Art & Soul, Wednesday Sept 15-Sat Sept 18. 10x10 booths are available. Fees are $75, plus various late fees if application is received in June or July. Contact them at 609 Main St, Vancouver WA 98660

LILLIAN PITT: "The Spirits Keep Whistling in my Home" is a retrospective of Lillian's work at the Warm Springs Museum, opening July 16th (good eats at the reception 6-8pm), approximately 60 pieces including four installations. The show will travel to the Heard Museum, CN Gorman Museum, Denver Art Museum, as well as New Zealand & Germany. There will be 48 page catalogue, a Pendleton Blanket is designed and made for this show, as well as a limited edition poster and sterling silver cast jewelry specially for this show. For more info call the Museum 541-553-3331, 10am-5pm daily

DAVE & BONI DEAL will have a show of their raku work at the Real Mother Goose Gallery in downtown Portland Aug 5-Sept 30 (with Anthony Kahn, Fine Furniture). Opening reception Aug 5, 5:30-8:30pm

DOUG BOWMAN will be featured in show in collaboration with Wing Leong, as well as Rip Caswell and Jim Dimetro's bronze work at the Columbia Art Center in Vancouver WA (400 W Evergreen Blvd) beginning Sept 15th. This is part of "Art & Soul" Festival in Vancouver, for which Doug is a juror (for info on the show or on artists' booths in the festival, call 360-735-7806)

JOHN & VICKI BRIGDEN had a baby girl, Anna, on June 3rd. Congratulations!

MARILYN CONY & OWEN STEERE had a baby girl, Eloise, on May 27th. Congratulations!

MEMBERSHIP IN THE OPA is open to any serious studio potter in Oregon or southwest Washington. Membership is $35 per calendar year (Jan-Dec), and people who live over 100 miles from Portland and do not plan to use other membership benefits may subscribe to the newsletter for $10. Mail name, address, telephone #, & check to Sumi Wu, 5601 NE 45th St, Vancouver WA 98661

FOR SALE: 1980 Bluebird de-airing Pugmill, model 700SV, 3/4 horse motor, 3" nozzle, $1500. OHaus gram scale, $55. Donna Gettel's items, but call Tom & Ellen Currans, 503-538-5688

FOR SALE: Elder Lockerbie Wheel, heavy concrete flywheel, no wobble, heavy tubular steel frame, electric motor attachment, big deep splash pan, cool tractor seat, antique custom fit worktable. $175 Mark Heimann, 503-631-8686, markmann@teleport.com

FOR SALE: Down Draft gas kiln, 15 cu ft, 27hx32wx24d, $650. Olympic up-draft gas kiln, 27hx23 3/8w, includes posts & shelves, 25 gal propane tank, 6x6' metal shed, $600. Ball mill, hand made mahogany, beautiful & solid, 2'8"hx22"wx3'8"long, $400. Glazes & raw materials for cone 10 including 1 gallon wax resist, 1.5 lb cobalt ox, 5lb copper, 1 lb tin, 10lb mag carb, black & red iron, silica, gerstley borate, EPK, neph sy, talc, G-200, soda ash, spodumene, rutile, barium, etc, also gallons of cone ten glazes with recipes, $225. Clay: high fire, wheel throwing & sculpture, 10cents/lb, vacuum pugged but now needs water, Derek, 541-547-3450

FOR SALE Brent SR 14 Slab Roller, $200, good condition, with table, Leila 503-588-7613

FOR SALE Brent SR 14 Slab Roller, $500 360-834-6276, Ingeborg Foco. Also 47 shelves, 4'x1' (wooden?) $50 for the lot

FOR SALE Car Kiln, 62 sq ft stacking space, K26 brick inside, K23 brick outside, 4 TR8 Eclipse burners w/ valves & gauges. Includes shelves & furniture, $3500. Oxyprobe $300. Small clay mixer (70 lb batches) $250. Warecart $125. Homebuilt de-airing pugmill $500. Wedging table, bats, other odds & ends. Ken Pate 541-929-6310

JOB OR APPRENTICESHIP WANTED: Potter has recent degree in ceramics from Keene State College (New Hampshire), traveled in China, worked with local clay & glazes, built kilns, and would like to work with local potters. Contact Joe Williams 541-344-7484 (Eugene)

Warrens, Natalie 3625 NE 16th Ave Portland OR 97212 503-282-1092

June 19&20 Majolica Parties for Empty Bowls

July 2-5 Empty Bowls in Portland

July 9 OPA Meeting

July 20 Steering Committee Meeting