6:30pm: Call Michael Fromme, 541-933-2678 to put items on the agenda. Bring items for the swap table, snacks for the hospitality table, Empty Bowls donations, announcements for the room divider

7:15pm: Program. The program will be a demonstration by our own Faith Rahill, whose handbuilt plates, lamps, bowls, and boxes with marvelous inlaid colored clay patterns you have seen and admired at Showcase and ClayFest. She will demonstrate the various steps in her process and divulge her methods and tools.

***Mark your calendar for future OPA general meetings: March 21*, May 16, July 11, Nov 14, 2003. ***

*the March meeting is not scheduled for it’s normal date, the 2^nd Friday of the month. Please excuse this scheduling change.

NEXT NEWSLETTER DEADLINE: Feb 10, 2003. Submit any info in writing to 2315 SE 47^th, Portland OR 97215, janetbuskirk@yahoo.com.

NEXT BOARD MEETING: Feb 3, 2003, 6:30pm at Janet Buskirk’s house, 2315 SE 47^th St in Portland (this is a new address!), located between SE Hawthorne and Division St.

The elections for the 2003 board will be at the January meeting. We already have many new nominees or incumbents who wish to serve longer. Positions marked with an asterix (*) already have at least one nominee (we can always have more than one nominee for a position!). A few positions are 2-year terms and already are full. Please call Ginger Steele  (petunia@smartwire.net) by January 5^th, 2002 if you are interested in any of the positions below.

President (Michael Fromme, voted in last year)

Treasurer (two year position) *

President Emeritus (Ginger Steele, last year’s President)

Board Member at Large (12 positions available) (8 nominees so far)

EMPTY BOWLS IN EUGENE will be in March. Last year this event raised $14,000, an amount that can distribute 56,000 lbs of food for 28,000 meals. Wow! This year, with the economic downturns, hunger is rising. Would you like to donate pieces and/or participate in a throw-a-thon at Club Mud or at Georgie’s in Eugene? Please contact Mary Hindman, Local Clay/Empty Bowls Chair.

LOCAL CLAY/CLAYFEST BUSINESS

COMMITTEE CHAIR OPENINGS FOR THE 2003 CLAYFEST SHOW:
CHAIR Position
Secretary: Babara Hadad

CHAIR and/or TRAINEE
(These positions are open for either a Chair or the current Chair will accept a trainee)
Chairperson: Don Clarke
Building: Gordon Ward
Gallery Physical (Set-Up): Kent Willocks
Registrar: Joe Davis

TRAINEE
Bookkeeper: Cheryl Kempner
Gallery Check-In and Display: Skye Etesami
Pipe and Drape: Tom Rohr
Poster: Frank Gosar
Sales: Tracie Manso

If you are interested in one of these positions, please contact either Don Clarke (541.683.6330 or information@clayfest.org) or the current Chair whose name is listed next to each opening. The current Chair's phone number and/or email address is available in the Local Clay and/or OPA directory. After contacting the current chair, interested people must contact the current Show Chair (Don Clarke) for further details on application and selection process.

CERAMIC SHOWCASE 2003

NEXT STEERING COMMITTEE MEETING: January 7, 6:30pm at Margie Adams’ house, 4011 SE Taggart in Portland

TIME PAYMENTS: The Showcase Policies in the October newsletter had a mistake in them regarding Time Payments at Showcase. The trial program that began last year will continue, with time payments being allowed providing that the customer pays Showcase it’s percentage at the show, and the amount of money changing hands is a minimum of $100.

PORTFOLIO NOTEBOOK: Please help update the OPA Portfolio Notebook. This resides at the Info Booth at Showcase so customers can get an "at-a-glance" look at the quality work of our members. The Portfolio is currently very out of date. Send 8-1/2" x 11" sized resume, artist statement and/or photos (two pages maximum), to Cynthia Spencer, 1105 NW 30th Street, Corvallis, OR  97330.

EXPENSES FROM SHOWCASE 2002: If you have not yet submitted expenses from Showcase 2002, the deadline is Dec 20. If Ramona Searle does not have your receipts by then, you will not be reimbursed.

MAILING LISTS: Please submit copies of your mailing list to Mail List Chair Ginger Steele, 3285 N. W. Susbauer Road, Cornelius, Oregon 97113, or email to ginger@insomniapottery.com. Your customers will then be mailed a copy of the Showcase poster. Our 34,000-person mailing list brings in 25 to 35% of all of our customers. We do not share this list with other organizations. Please help us keep it up to date.

THE VISIONS GROUP will have a retreat on Jan 11 at Gingers Steele’s house (3285 NW Susbauer Rd, Cornelius), beginning at 9am. The purpose of this retreat is to discuss the history of and the future goals of Showcase. All members are welcome, please come with your most constructive ideas for the future of our show.

GROUP BOOTH PARTICIPANTS: The phone number for your fearless Chairman, David Fitzpatrick, was wrong in the last newsletter.

EXHIBITIONS OF INTEREST

CUP AND SAUCER INVITATIONAL SHOW: Feb 6 -March 7, Mt.Hood Community College. Featuring 22 nationally known potters and sculptors. Opening at 6:30pm, Linda McFarling (a North Carolina soda fire potter who is giving a workshop at MHCC) will give a slide talk at 7:30pm during the opening.

INFLUENCES, INTERPRETATIONS AND TRADITIONS FROM ASIAN CERAMICS at White Lotus Gallery, 767 Willamette St, Eugene. April 4 to May 17, gallery talk Janet Koplos (Senior Editor for Art in America) on Sat, April 5. Work by Rob Barnard, Warren Frederick, Randy Johnston, Kirk Mangus, John Neely, Jeff Oestreich, Hiroshi Ogawa, Joseph Pirog, Will Ruggles & Douglass Rankin, Dan Schmitt, Mark Shapiro, Ken Stevens, Catherine White, Malcolm Wright 

FIFTH ANNUAL CUP SHOW INVITATIONAL: at Fifth Element Gallery, 404 NW 10^th, suite 100 in Portland. Work by Dan Anderson, Tom Coleman, Marc Digeros, Jane Dillon, Jan Edwards, Chris Gum, Sarah Jaeger, Peg Malloy, George McCauley, Sequoia Miller, Dan Murphy, Justin Novak, David Pledge, David Regan, Irene Saito, Tamae Sawano, Akio Takamori, Al Tennant, Ted Vogel, Rosalie Wynkoop

HOLIDAY SHOW at Graystone Gallery, 3279 SE Hawthorne in Portland, featuring Teresa Aman, Gerry & Norma Morrell and many more.

OPPORTUNITIES

CALL FOR ENTRIES: "Oregon Biennial," open to artists currently working in Oregon or Vancouver/Clark County, WA. Juried from 4 slides & exhibition history, label slides w/ name, title of work, date, media, dimensions. Include SASE, no entry form required. Deadline Feb 1, show June-Sept. Send to Oregon Biennial, Portland Art Museum, 1219 SW Park Ave, Portland OR 97205

CALL FOR ENTRIES: "Strictly Functional Pottery National," juried from 3 slides, $20 fee, deadline Jan 15, show April/May. Market House Craft Center, PO Box 204, East Petersburg PA 17520-0204, 717-560-8816 (congratulations to Jim Koudelka who won first place last year and had his piece featured on their poster this year!)

CALL FOR ENTRIES: "Crafts National," deadline April 11, show Aug/Sept, send SASE to Lancaster Museum of Art, 135 N Lime St, Lancaster PA 17602, 717-394-3497

CALL FOR ENTRIES: "Feats of Clay," deadline Feb 21, show April 26-May 25, $15-30 jury fee, send SASE to Lincoln Arts, 540 F St, Lincoln CA 95648, www.lincolnarts.org

CALL FOR ENTRIES: "Ceramics 2003," 4^th Annual Biennial of North American Clay, juror Susan Peterson, deadline Feb 10, show July-Aug, jury fee $15, Guilford Handcraft Center, PO Box 589, Guilford CT 06437, www.handcraftcenter.org

CALL FOR ENTRIES: "2^nd Annual World Ceramic Biennale, Korea," deadline Jan13-Feb 7, show Sept/Oct. 2 categories: ceramics for use or ceramics for expression. Contact Office of International Competition, Exhibition Dept, WOCEF, Icheon World Ceramic Center, GwangodongSan 69-1, Icheon, Gyeonggi-do, So. Korea 467-020, www.ceramicbiennale.org

CALL FOR ENTRIES: "Baked, Mashed or Fried," a show that celebrates the potato, open to Washington state artists, deadline Jan 1, show Jan 24-Feb 28, Moses Lake Museum & Art Center, Moses Lake, WA, 509-766-9395

CALL FOR ENTRIES: "National Juried Cup Show," deadline March 3, show May/June, Gallery 138, E Main St, Kent OH 44240, dept.kent.edu/art/gallery138

CALL FOR ENTRIES: On-line gallery on Georgies website. Email them digital photos of your work with a brief bio and your website link, gallery@georgies.com

EXHIBITION SPACE AVAILABLE: Clackamas Community College Pauling Gallery, February is available, send inquiries to Katy McFadden, 503-244-1351

SCHOLARSHIPS AVAILABLE: Georgies is offering 4 merit scholarships to high school and college students. Applications will be available Jan 1 at www.georgies.com

RESIDENT ARTIST POSITION AVAILABLE at UO Craft Center. Requirements are a BFA or equivalent Ceramic experience, knowledge of clays, wheel thrown and hand built work, glaze formulation, firing gas and electric kilns, and experience teaching adults. Benefits include studio privileges, small monthly stipend, several hourly-paid workshops to teach each term. For information and application packet call 541-346-4361

RESIDENCY AVAILABLE: deadline Jan 15, residency Aug-Sept, private studio space, Greenwich House Pottery, 16 Jones St, New York NY 10014, 212-242-4106

STUDIO ASSISTANTSHIPS AVAILABLE at Arrowmont School of Arts & Crafts, deadline Jan 15 for spring, deadline Feb 15 for summer, 11-month residencies also available, contact them at 556 Parkway, Gatlinburg TN 37738, www.arrowmont.org

FAIRS

BEST OF THE NORTHWEST: Seattle shows, April 26-28 and Aug 17-18. Deadline Dec 31, booths $275-600, jury fee $20-25, Northwest Craft Alliance, PO Box 1057, Clinton WA 98236, 360-221-6191, www.bestnwcrafts.com

MUSE FEST, in collaboration with Portland Body, Mind & Spirit Expo, May 9-11. No more info provided… contact Laurie Benson, Body Mind & Spirit Expo and Muse Fest, 541-482-3722, lauriel@bmse.net

BELLEVUE ART MUSEUN FAIR: deadline March 1, show July 25-27, jury fee $15, booth $20-30+ 25% commission, contact Bellevue Art Museum, 510 Bellevue Way NE, Bellevue WA 98004, 425-519-0742, www.bellevueart.org

ART IN BLOOM: Downtown Medford, deadline Feb 14 (late app deadline Feb 28), show May 9-11, juried from 4 slides + booth slide, $10 jury fee ($20 if late), booths $50-100, Rogue Valley Foundation, 101 E 8^th St, Medford OR 97501,

PORTLAND ARTS FESTIVAL: in the Portland State University South Park blocks, deadline Jan 31, show June 13-15, $35 jury fee, booths $350-400, contact Portland Arts Festival, 5603 SW Hood Ave, Portland OR 97239, 503-277-2681, www.rosefestival.org

POTTERY NEWS

TRADE DRESS By Kohel Haver. This is part of a series of articles about the business of being an artist. Mr. Haver is a Portland attorney who specializes in art law.

Copyright protection is for "original works of authorship" in any tangible form, which includes pictorial and sculptural works. Copyright will protect ceramic artwork; the copyright protection extends to expression of the art of a piece. There is no protection for functional aspects of your work just as there is no copyright protection for ideas or for facts. This presents a dilemma for ceramic artists; a lot of what a ceramicist creates is or is defined as functional. We know that no one person can own the idea of a plate, vase or cup. Copyright protection exists in that art which is separate from the function. Frequently the art is difficult to define although many will "know it when they see it." Anyone can put a river, coyote and tree on a cup but no one should be able to make their work look like yours and sell it to the public who might be deceived into thinking that it is yours. Does the law offer you an additional protection scheme for your work? Yes, because the consumer is entitled to have the product, as well as the source of the product, be as it is represented, trademark law comes into play. Copyright law has some tough legal cousins in unfair business practices and trade dress. 

Some history. Once there was a company that had put a lot of time, money and energy to create a unique look for its product. In litigation it was revealed that another company had appropriated the unique look claiming that the look was not copyrightable, and therefore OK to take. The court decided that some form of protection should be available in this type of situation and developed the doctrine known as "trade dress," which refers to the "dressing of a product up for trade." 

At first the courts held that trade dress applied to the "look and feel" of a product. Later the Supreme Court expanded the doctrine by holding that it even applies to the nonfunctional aspects such as the "look" of a fast food restaurant. In Two Pesos v. Taco Cabana, the Court held that appropriating the "look and feel" of the style of a Mexican restaurant

was a "trade dress" infringement. 

Later cases suggest that this concept would apply to the application of the distinctive style of an artist. Given that the doctrine was judicially created, questions remain regarding what qualifies as an infringement of trade dress. Generally, you must prove that the infringer appropriated the "look and feel" of the protected item; unfortunately there are no simple rules. 

The Court held that there must be "a likelihood" of confusion rather than a mere possibility and consideration would be given to the sophistication of the purchasers. We know that tough legal questions can lead to expensive litigation. Sharing information about trade dress and what can be protectable about a certain working style, especially a style that can indicate to the public the source of the goods should help avoid the situation where one person borrows the "look and feel" of another. The general rule could be "if it's done to confuse the public and gain an advantage in the marketplace, that could be unfair business practices." Imitation is not always a form of flattery. 

The manner in which your work is exhibited, or packaged, and other unique features of your work may also enjoy trade dress protection. If you are in the process of adopting the "look and feel of a presentation, product or display that you saw somewhere else, it is important for you to determine whether that work is protected, what you might be able to use and what you should not. Your unauthorized appropriation could be considered a trade dress infringement.  

It is a good idea to consider working with an experienced intellectual property attorney to determine the scope of protection before a problem arises. Litigation is expensive.  

In conclusion, try to recognize trade dress issues which may not only help you avoid infringing upon another party's trade dress and the related disputes, but may also give you information about aspects of your work which are protectable, to limit unauthorized appropriation of your work

ITEMS OF INTEREST FROM CLAY ART CENTER: They have a large number of 21" full round kiln shelves, these fit 23" wide electric kilns, $18 each (regularly $30 each). Their fall sale on wheels goes through the end of December. They also now carry the rare earth oxides (see the recent article in Ceramics Monthly), call them for their prices on erbium, neodymium & praseodinium. 253-922-5342, www.clayartcenter.com

CHANGES AT FIFTH ELEMENT GALLERY & STUDIO: After several fruitful years, Devon Simpson will be leaving Fifth Element Gallery. She will turn her portion of the gallery and studio over to her long-time business partner, Cynthia Taylor. Cynthia plans to continue showing the same great quality work.

BUCKETS are often available from the guy who does all of the recycling for the McMenamins brew pubs. He has different types of buckets available at different times, and sometimes he has none. His name is Scott, pager # 503-441-8596

TILE SETTING: There is a good article by Lana Wilson in the Nov issue of Clay Times. It covers basic tile setting procedure, backing tile with different types of cement boards, what type of thinset or mastic to use, what type of grout to use, etc.

RADIO COMEDY ABOUT CLAY: Apparently BBC radio in England has been broadcasting a show called "Night Class" about an adult education ceramics class. The show features comedian Johnny Vegas who plays a middle aged homeless alcoholic who arrives in town to take a temporary job as a pottery instructor. It is supposed to be pretty funny, and if anyone around here ever gets their hands on a copy of a tape, could they share it with all of us? (See a longer description of this in Ceramic Review, Nov/Dec 2002)

LASER PRINTING ON CERAMICS is the subject of an article in the winter 2002 Pottery in Australia. It has some interesting ways to use your old laser printer to make ceramic decals or for offset printing. The author, Chris Walker, can be emailed at chrisbrw@sydneypc.com

THIN, FLEXIBLE CERAMIC SHEETS were shown recently at a ceramic machinery show, according to Global Ceramic Review magazine. These sheets of ceramic material were 3mm thick and 1x3 meters wide. They are made by some sort of extrusion process, then are compacted in a 15,000 ton compactor, then fired very fast to about cone 5. The whole process takes about 20 minutes, and they can be bent to form the interior walls of tunnels.

CRYSTAL GLAZES are in the news this month. The Nov/Dec Pottery Making Illustrated had a long article about them, as did the recent Georgies Newsletter. Both included formulas and information on firing cycles. Laguna now makes commercial cone 5 crystal glazes, and Georgies carries these.

THE BAD CHECK By Kohel Haver 

It's happened to everyone, checks come back from the bank deposit marked insufficient funds. That NSF check can be a real annoyance for small businesses. Most banks charge the writer a fee and deduct the amount previously credited to your account. Now you have the job of collecting funds from someone who has written you a bad check.  

Personal checks are the second most popular form of payment, behind cash, in retail. Banks do not charge the business a fee or service charge, like the credit card companies do; so more money gets into your hands. But there are some dangers in accepting checks. 

According to the Federal Reserve, check fraud and counterfeiting are becoming the fastest growing problems affecting the national financial system - estimated annual losses exceed $5 billion dollars. These include forged signatures (real check but not the account holders signature); forged endorsements (usually involving theft of a legitimate check); counterfeit checks (the only thing real about them is the account number); altered checks (initially written as a real check but the amount or payee has been changed) and check kiting (a good account, but filled with phantom money depositing a known bad check into a second bank to get the good credit of the second bank). 

It’s a national problem amounting to hundreds of millions of bad checks written in the United States last year. That number includes innocent record keeping errors to outright fraud. Either way the effect on you is the same, and you don't have your money - what can you do? 

Writing a bad check is a crime in every state. There are both civil and sometimes criminal penalties for running afoul of these laws. In Oregon there are civil penalties for writing a bad check. Under ORS 30.701 you can recover $100 or triple the amount of the check, you may also recover the attorney fees. If you are concerned that there may be criminal activity you should immediately report the incident to the authorities.  

Following a few common sense rules should help reduce the number of bad checks you receive.  

Make sure you have the current home street address for the check writer, when the payment is made in person take the time to check the picture ID.

  Put the writer's driver's license number on the check as well, or confirm that it matches what is on the check.

Don’t accept third party checks.

Examine the check if it's drawn on a non-local bank. Does it look like real bank check paper? Most checks are perforated on one side.

Make sure all the information is legible.

Be careful if the check has a low number. I am told that 90% of returned checks have numbers less than 500.

Consider taking debit transactions. They allow a direct connection to the bank to withdraw the funds.

Make photocopies of all checks for your records.

Deposit checks right away.

What do you do when a check bounces? Contact the bank. Explain the situation. Their customer might have deposited funds to cover the check the day after the check came through and the simple solution would be to redeposit the check. Call your customer to explain that the check was returned. There may have been a mistake and again you might be able to simply redeposit the check. (Keep notes including the time, day and content of this conversation with the customer), If you can't reach them by phone, or if the telephone does not get you the result you want, write a short letter by regular and certified mail requesting payment for the bad check. While this is called a demand letter you are better off not making threats, yet. You might want to develop a form letter for these situations it makes keeping these records easier. Finally, if you have no satisfaction you might consider small claims court, or, if the amount in question warrants it, hiring an attorney. In some cases the costs of the attorney and the filing fees can be recovered in a lawsuit. Of course, collecting the judgment from someone who has written a bad check and has lost in trial might present its own difficulties. But that’s another story. 

Thank you to Kevin Lucey, Attorney, for his helpful comments and review of the law.

WORKSHOPS/ LECTURES/ CONFERENCES

JIM ROBINSON: Extensive materials workshop, learn about raw clay bodies, materials, and everything else. Mon-Fri, Feb 10-14, $250, Georgies in Portland, 503-283-1353, 800-999-CLAY, classes@georgies.com.

KATY McFADDEN: Slab building & hollow construction for outdoor use, forming, decorating, firing & installation of larger work. Joined by poet Kate Gray, at Club Mud in Eugene, Jan 25-26, $25 for OPA, Club Mud, Local Clay members, $35 for others, contact Rhoda Fleischman, 541-466-5635

FRANK GOSAR: Brushmaking, late February, at Club Mud in Eugene. For more info contact Rhoda Fleischman, 541-466-5635

VINCE PITELKA: "Ancient Clay," July 21st through 25^th, handbuilding techniques, decoration, terra-sigilatta, burnishing/polishing, bonfire-firing of ancient/tribal vessels/sculpture. $300, contact Michael McDowell, PO Box 960, Ferndale WA 98248, 360/384-2543, michael@mcdowellpottery.com

DOUG HIVELY: "Exploring Plaster Molds & Slip Casts," demonstration of step by step plaster & slip casting mold making. $35, Sat Feb 8, 9:30-4pm, Salem Art Assoc, 1220 12^th St SE, Salem, 97302, 503-581-7275, www.salemart.org

SEQUOIA MILLER: March 1, contact Gina Kallman, Moshier Community Art Center/Burien Parks & Recreation, 206-988-3700, 206-242-7752

LINDA McFARLING: Feb 7-8. First day will be demo of throwing, trimming, spouts & handles. 2^nd day will be hands-on class about "Vessels that Pour," and will include soda firing. $30 for Saturday only, $65 for both days (add $5 if not an OPA member or student). See Jan 2002 Clay Times. Email Stephen Mickey for more info, mickeys@mhcc.edu, at Mt Hood Community College, 26000 SE Stark St, Gresham OR 97030. Make checks to MHCC Ceramics.

VIRGINIA CARTWRIGHT: Jan 25-26, SOU in Ashland, contact Dennis Meiners, 541-899-7045

ADRIENNE STACEY: January pottery classes, beginners on up, Friday evenings Jan 3-Feb 7, Saturday mornings Jan 4-Feb 8, six sessions for $150 includes everything, 503-232-4393 (SE Portland)

PAUL LEWING: Glaze Chemistry, Feb 8-9, explore ceramic glazes. First day explores color response, surface characteristics, glaze faults, effects of oxidation & reduction. Emphasis on cone 10 reduction and cone 5-6 oxidation. Second day focuses on Seger method of analyzing glaze formulas, including mathematical calculations and use of 3 different computer glaze calculation programs. Lower Columbia Community College, Longview, WA. Contact Trudy Woods, 360-442-2510, twoods@lcc.ctc.edu

NCECA CONFERENCE: NCECA will be held in San Diego this year, March 12-15. To register, contact them at 866-266-2322, www.nceca.net. The hotel at conference headquarters is filling up fast, but OPA member Laurie Childers is looking for a roommate (see her ad at end of newsletter)

JOEL COTTET, 1948-2002. We all lament the passing away of our friend Joel Cottet. Joel died on November 15 of complications from spinal cancer. Known for working on an enormous scale, Joel made a variety of architectural work, furniture, full-sized thrown hot tubs and 20-foot tall outdoor installations. He fired these pieces in a kiln that was large enough to drive a truck into.

Working in clay for over 30 years, Joel was generous with his knowledge and skills. He has touched many of us, and will be missed.

Joel is survived by his son, Gabe. Donations may be made in Joel’s name to an art scholarship fund at his former high school, the WF West High School in Chehalis, Washington.

VICTORIA SHAW just completed her largest piece yet, a 14-ft hanging totem that was commissioned by "Fresh," a restaurant in Del Mar, CA.

CANCER SURVIVORS WORK from a show at Fire’s Eye gallery was featured in the UP Front section of Ceramics Monthly in December.

DENNIS MEINERS had a piece featured in the December Ceramics Monthly. His piece was one of the pieces that was considered for the cover of that issue.

SHAMELESS ADVERTISING

COMPUTER AVAILABLE: Beginning computer opportunity, Purchased used by Showcase 10 years ago (?), Power Mac 6100 Computer- monitor & CPU Crashed & completely deleted all software. Was totally reworked & brought back by Mary Orcutt. Please call Linda Haworth if you could use this. If no one from OPA calls by Feb. 1, 2003, It will be donated to Freegeek.org (a non-profit group who teaches low income people to understand, use & repair computers).

STUDIO SPACE AVAILABLE: Thurman Street Studios has space for rent. We are located at 2774 NW Thurman, Portland, 97210, Please call: Barbara, Jere or Dale for information.

STUDIO SPACE AVAILABLE: Contact Katy McFadden, 503-244-1351, $150/mo (Portland)

STUDIO SPACE AVAILABLE in private home/basement in Albert arts area (Portland), $80/mo, Victoria Shaw.

STUDIO ASSISTANT POSITION AVAILABLE: Looking for a part-time studio assistant for a production studio. Job offers lots of opportunities for learning about running a production studio. All facets of studio work involved. Must be able to throw. For more information, call Shirl Lipkin.

STARVING ARTIST SEEKING WORK: 10 years experienced potter, new in town from Louisiana, accepted to OCAC, looking for studio work and/or low $ living space. Barter or work exchange ok, Adel.

ROOMMATE SOUGHT FOR NCECA: Want to share a room with me and save on expenses? I booked one of the last rooms at Town and Country, if four of us share the 2 queen beds it will be less than $40/night per person including tax. It is a larger room with balcony & is closest to the convention area. Laurie Childers 541-757-9025, childers@peak.org

CREATE HOLIDAY GIFTS IN MY STUDIO: Mon-Sat, 3-8pm until Dec 21. Birthday parties, classes & workshops also available. Call for appointment, Adrienne Stacey, 3434 SE Brooklyn, Portland.