6pm: Pre-Meeting Discussion Group: If you would like to meet to talk about future OPA workshops, please meet with this group for 30 minutes prior to the OPA Meeting. Do you have suggestions for the coming year? At the last board meeting it was suggested that the budget be spent on one big, nationally known person and several smaller workshops using our local talent.

6:30pm: OPA General Meeting: We will be electing our new OPA board at this meeting. Please see the election info later in the Newsletter. If you have items for the agenda, contact our new 2005 President, Larry Nelson, in advance: nelson@chehalemmountainpottery.com. Bring items for the swap table and snacks to share.

7:30pm Program: January 14th's program, barring ice storms, will finally feature Jim Robinson and David Waln sharing their copious knowledge and enthusiasm for glaze and clay science. Any questions you have about glaze fit, modifying glazes, compression testing, formulation or problem solving, please bring them or contact Jim or David in advance, and they will format their talk and slides to answer them. There will be time for spontaneous questions during the second part. This program will be videotaped but you don't want to miss the fun. I wish glaze chemistry had been this exciting when I was a college student. (Questions? Laurie at:, childers@peak.org)

OPA BUSINESS

OPA 25^TH ANNIVERSARY PARTY: Plans are underway for our big, whopping 25^th anniversary celebration. Some people have suggested an "all fired up" theme, with fire dancers, fire walking, fireworks and more. Want to help plan a pyrotechnic extravaganza? Come to the next couple of board meetings, or contact your 2005 President, Larry Nelson.

MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT: "It has been a pleasure serving OPA with you and I want to extend my thanks for your hard work this last year. I will be preparing the ballot for the January election on Thursday, January 13th. Please call me or email me by Wednesday night if you are interested in running for a position. Below you will find the list that I have at this point. I wish everyone a very happy holiday and see you in January!"

THANKS ANNIE STECKER, our 2004 President, for doing such a great job. We have had a great board and a great leader in 2004. Thanks also to Larry Nelson for volunteering to take over this job in 2005, it sounds like we will have another good year!

E-NEWSLETTER: Would you like to get your OPA Newsletter electronically? Starting in 2005, we will begin emailing them to anyone who would prefer them that way. This will save OPA quite a bit of money, so we encourage you to say "yes" to the E-version. We will contact members soon to ask them their preferences.

CLAY IN EDUCATION: We are still looking for people to do some Clay in Ed projects. If you know of a Senior Citizens Center where you would like to teach, or have an idea for a Children’s program, you could get paid by the OPA to teach a class or workshop. The way this works is you find a place that needs a ceramics class or workshop, especially a place that might otherwise not have access to this type of thing, you approach them and ask if they would be interested, then you call the Clay in Ed Chair and ask if you can do this teaching project. You are paid by the OPA for every hour you spend actually teaching (no pay for prep time). Interested? Contact Nancy Hart, nancyjohart@yahoo.com

OPA BOARD ELECTIONS: Have you been wanting to get more involved in the clay community? Looking for a few new friends to chat with about spodumene or gerstley borate? Maybe you enjoy organizing a few clay related events. Here’s your chance! Run for a position on the OPA board for 2005! This is not only a great way to get involved with OPA, it also earns some points. The election will be at the January, 2005 General Meeting. The President has already been elected (That is last year’s President-Elect, Larry Nelson). All other positions are available. Positions marked with an asterisk (*) already have at least one nominee. Chairs must submit reports written or in person to the six board meetings, members at large must attend four of six board meetings and take on board assignments as needed. Positions open for election

President Elect (becomes President in 2006, 24 points over 2 years). This person will be the president in 2006 when NCECA is in Portland. We need a president who has substantial history with OPA and can be a dynamic representative. Please think about who you think would best represent OPA and ask that person to run for the position.

Clay in Education, Coordinates teachers and programs needing teachers for the OPA funded clay classes and events (6 points), *

Data Coordinator, This person helps solve electronic and computer compatibility issues, sends out emails to OPA membership and is the general electronic handyman. (9 points)

Empty Bowls, Coordinates the large July Empty Bowls fundraiser at the Blues Festival (12 points)*

Finance Committee, Three positions. These positions are one, two, or three year commitments (please specify which you are running for). This new committee works closely with the Treasurers, examines the OPA budget and makes recommendations to the OPA Board. (6 points each)

Hospitality, Makes coffee and supplies snacks to OPA General Meetings (6 points)*

Justice Center Windows, Coordinates displays in the downtown Portland Justice Center (6 points)

Membership, Keeps track of new, current, and renewing members (9 points)*

Mentor, Helps emerging ceramicists who are trying to get started professionally (6 points)*

Newsletter Editor, Writes six newsletters per year (15 points)*

Picnic, Coordinates annual OPA picnic (6 points, no nominees)

Programs, Coordinates the post-meeting Progams for OPA General Meetings, these are usually slide shows, demonstrations or other informative talks (9 points)*

Secretary, Takes notes at meetings and distributes them. Keeps general OPA records. (9 points)*

Treasurer, Position #2, OPA and Showcase share two Treasurers, each is a four year position. The Treasurers alternate between working for OPA and working for Showcase. Deborah Bouchette is Treasurer in Position #1 and will work with the new Treasurer #2 to get them up to speed (15 points).*

Webmaster, Maintains the OPA and Showcase web sites (9 points)*

Workshops, Organizes workshops of interest to our membership (6 points, no nominees)

Voice mailbox, Checks OPA voice mail regularly and returns calls (6 points)

Members at Large: 12 people are Members At Large, they take on responsibilities as they are needed. There are a few nominees already (6 points).

Any member may run for any position.  Please contact the current chair for information as to what the job entails and contact Anne Stecker if you want to be included on the ballot:  email annestecker@comcast.net. The deadline for nominations for these positions is Wednesday, January 12^th and elections will be Friday, January 14^th. Please bring a bio and a photo of yourself to hang on the wall at the Jan. 14^th meeting if you are running for a position. People may share some of these positions (share both the responsibilities and the points). If you would like to split a position with a friend, ask Anne if it would be appropriate.

NEW LATE FEE POLICY: It is not too late to apply for Showcase 2005. However, because it is now more than two weeks past the November 15th, 2004 deadline, a $100 late fee will apply in addition to regular booth fees AND your position will land you at the bottom of the waiting list. (Points will not apply). If you do not move up the waiting list to get into Showcase group booth, etc. you will receive a full refund.

NEW THIS YEAR: At Showcase there will be a High School student juried show and a display of work by three or four Japanese Hokkaido potters. The show layout should be more balanced than last year.

DATES FOR SHOWCASE will be April 22-24, 2005. In 2006 we should be back to our favorite dates, May 4-6.

STEERING COMMITTEE MEETING: The next Steering Committee meeting will be Tuesday Jan 11, 6:30pm at Contemporary Crafts Museum & Gallery, 3934 SW Corbett in Portland

CALL FOR MAILING LISTS! Get your customers to Showcase! Send ASAP! Please submit your mailing list for addition to the master Showcase list to Beverly Curtis. The preferred format is electronic, as this will save us lots of $$! Most spreadsheets or data bases are acceptable. Names, street addresses, city, state and zip should each be in separate columns or cells. If your list is not in electronic format, you may mail a hard copy. Please send lists to: bj_curtis@excite.com or Beverly Curtis, 935 NW 6th St., Gresham, OR 97030

NCECA NEWS

NCECA 2006: In 2006 NCECA will be March 8-11^th here in Portland. The theme will be "Explorations; Navigations: The Resonance of Place." "Like the explorers of the 19th century, the artist travels an unmapped journey of discovery. Responding to internal as well as external stimuli we proceed from the known to the imagined. Similarly, the need to orient oneself in the world is an essential part of awareness. As the character of clay affects our work, the nature of the environment affects our consciousness. Celebrating NCECA’s 40th anniversary in Portland reminds us of the influence of our material and surroundings, as well as the environment of dialog and visual exchange fostered throughout NCECA’s four decades." It will be the 40^th annual conference. They are calling for proposals for lectures and panel discussions relating to issues of exploration, discovery and the relevance of site, location and environment. As always, they also welcome proposals on all subjects relevant to our field. Formats for presentations include 30 minute and 60-minute lectures (good for presenting specific information and ideas) and 90 minute panel discussion (good for investigating topics informed by varied perspectives). The On-Site Coordinators for NCECA are Ted Vogel vogel@lclark.edu and Thomas Orr torr@ocac.edu

OPA SHOWS AT NCECA: The OPA will sponsor three exhibits at the Portland NCECA. One will be a juried show of people who are currently or have in the past been members of clay guilds in Oregon (OPA, Local Clay, Clayfolk). This show will be juried by a team of five jurors, all of whom have won Showcase Best of Show awards in the last five years: Ron Linn; Kathryn Finnerty; Hsin-Yi Huang; Natalie Warrens and Craig Martell. The other shows will be two views of the teapot. One will feature functional teapots and be juried by Don Sprague and Craig Martell. The other will feature teapots that are sculptural, whimsical, fun or funky and be juried by Patrick Horsley and Jim Koudelka. The shows will be at the Skutt warehouse.

NCECA 2005 will be March 16-19 in Baltimore, MD. The theme is "Centering: Community, Clay & Culture." If you are planning to go, call immediately to reserve a hotel room since they go fast. For more info, contact NCECA, www.nceca.net, 866-266-2322.

POTTERY NEWS

SELLING ART WORK ON THE INTERNET: In the last newsletter, members were asked about their experiences selling work online. The OPA is constantly being approached by people who want to market our members’ work online and your editor is almost always suspicious of them. Cynthia Spencer wrote the following piece about her experiences and advice.

After participating in the 1999 ACC Baltimore Craft Market, I was approached by the not yet up and running Guild.com to apply for their website. Since it came from the very reputable The Guild, cost nothing that first time to jury, and would not cost me anything in the way of start-up fees or webpage design fees, I applied. The only requirements were that I have a computer that could send and accept email, and have a back stock of work to ship within a week’s time. The commission fee was only 25% and they paid shipping. I had to agree to use all new packing materials and their fancy labels and receipts. It got me to bulk order boxes and learned that having the stuff on hand really cuts down in packing/shipping times.

Fifteen of my pieces were put on my webpage. I rarely went onto the internet in those days because my computer was old and crashed a lot. I hadn’t even seen my webpage on Guild.com when I received my first order for a small watering can. I shipped it off, and later found out that that piece was Guild.com’s very first order. (They now use one of my watering cans as a rotating employee incentive award, and they periodically order a couple for special awards.)

The first year I shipped about $1000 worth of work, one piece at a time. The second year they raised their commission to 35%, so I raised my prices and stuck with them and doubled my earnings. They started producing a mail order catalog and orders would always increase when the new catalogs came out. I was lucky to be chosen to be in several of them over the years and this boosted my sales tremendously. The third year their profitability made them a desirable web company and they were bought out. To stay with them I had to purchase stock options and allow their commission to be raised to 50%. Unfortunately, this was at the beginning of the stock market bust, so my earned me a whopping $20 (minus sales commission) when I had to turn them back in when The Guild bought back Guild.com. I was an unwitting firsthand witness to the internet boom and bust.

Over the years, Guild.com has sometimes been my "best wholesale gallery". I’ve not had a chance to develop as many new pieces for them as I should. But usually at least one or two pieces gets picked up in a catalog, and gives me a boost for a month or two of orders. The 50% commission is a little steep, but one cannot argue with the visibility that comes with being a Guild.com artist. They spend a lot of $$ on advertising in the best magazines, are frequently voted one of the best retail websites, and have stayed in business for 5 years. I’ve shipped all over the United States and out of the country, and have established good relationships with the folks back in Wisconsin who seem to be there 24/7 doing customer service.

My advice for getting involved with retail on the web is this: do not do it with a company if there are a lot of upfront costs. So many of them have come and gone. It almost seems like some web businesses have a "pyramid scheme" element to them. See how they advertise their website, and to whom they are advertising. It is quite hard to attract business to one’s solo webpage for sales, unless you have a unique item (like Jim Sloss does) and know how to get your website to come up on all the browsers. My own self-made website www.cmug.com/~cynthia_spencer/index.html. has been useful for sales to customers I already have, and lets them see new work and shop for gifts, but I do not have a big enough advertising budget to get it in front of a lot of other people.

OREGON CONSIGNMENT LAWS: In the 1981 a group of artists in Oregon lobbied for legislation to govern consignment procedure for artwork (including crafts and ceramics). Recently it has come to your editor’s attention that many artists and galleries are no longer aware of our state laws. ORS359.200 to 359.255 state that if work is delivered to an art dealer (gallery) for consignment, it is covered by our laws. The artist is the actual owner of the work until the work is sold to another person, although the art dealer holds the work in trust until they have paid the artist for the work. The art dealer is required to have a written contract with the artist that states: the retail value of the work; the time within which the artist will be paid if the work is sold; the minimum price for the sale of the work; the fee or commission to be taken by the art dealer. The art dealer may only display the work (or photographs of the work) if they have consent of the artist and give the artist credit for the work.

Unless the artist agrees in writing to other conditions, the art dealer is required to pay the artist within 30 days of selling the work and if paid on installments, the art dealer must pay the artist their entire percentage prior to keeping any money themselves. Since the artist is the owner of the work until it sells, that work cannot be claimed by the art dealer’s creditors. The art dealer is liable for loss or damage to artwork that is in their possession (this is void if the artist was notified to retrieve the work and has waited for over 30 days to do so). The art dealer must, if asked, provide the artist with the name and address of any purchaser of work valued over $100.

There is, of course, a lot of fine print in the law. But it does cover the basics. Most other states have similar laws. Both the OPA and our local Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts group wrote sample blank consignment agreements at the time this law was passed and your Newsletter Editor still has them stashed in a file if anyone ever needs one.

NEW ART FAIR APPLICATION PROCEDURE: Many of the larger shows are now requiring artists to apply through www.ZAPPlications.org. The gist is that they are now viewing everything electronically, and if you apply with slides and a paper application, they have to digitalize it. So there is a two-tiered application fee, with electronic applications being the usual prices and old fashioned applications costing a lot more.

REFRACTORY BUYING: www.refractorydepot.com has a new website that is run by several groups aligned with the refractories market. They claim that they can give moderate and small buyers the high volume, steep discount pricing enjoyed by larger purchasers

STAINLESS STEEL PIN FROGS: A Canadian couple recently began manufacturing what they say is a better pinfrog. They have 7/8" and 1 1/8" frogs. Prices are $2.50 to 3.50 Canadian Dollars each (take off about 30% for US dollars). They are packaged in boxes of 10 and cost about $8 Canadian to ship a box of 20 or 30 of them here. 604-823-6544, vijaya1@telus.net.

GRAYSTONE GALLERY CLOSING: The Graystone Gallery in Portland will be closing it’s doors at the end of December. Started in the early 1980, owners by Bill Murray and Jackie West often have shown work by artists who have never exhibited anywhere before. Many of our members say that the Graystone was the first gallery to represent them. Bill will be having a closing party on December 31 from 1pm to 4pm. After the gallery closes, he plans to travel around the world. Would you like to donate to his travel fund? Send a check to Janet Buskirk, 4614 SE Salmon St, Portland OR 97215 and we will present him with one big check and a card on the 31^st. The business is still for sale if you know anyone who wants to own a gallery.

METAL LEACHING FROM GLAZES: Now and then, it seems like a good idea to revisit this topic. Since John Hesselberth and Ron Roy published their book Mastering Cone 6 Glazes and talked extensively about silica/alumina ratios in glaze and how to make a glaze truly food safe, there has been a lot more discussion about this subject in the ceramic community. Are your glazes safe? If you sell functional work, you should be aware that you are legally responsible if your glazes leach anything harmful into someone’s food. The two substances that are regulated by the government are lead and cadmium. Other metals (copper, chrome, manganese, zinc, to name a few) can be toxic as well but are not well tested and therefore not regulated.

A common misconception is that low fire glazes that are labeled "food safe" contain no lead. This is not necessarily true. If they have no lead, they generally are labeled "lead free." The food safe label can be given to glazes that leach less than the legal limit of lead when they are fired and tested at the factory. Since your kiln may be very different from the kiln in which they were tested, you cannot be sure that your pieces will meet legal standards. Both low-fire and high-fire glazes may also leach some of the non-regulated metals. While there are not legal standards for these, there are still levels at which they can injure people. If you have any suspicions about your glazes, get them tested. Hesselberth and Roy have described a simple home test where you make glaze test tiles of your common glazes, place them in a half-full jar in vinegar, seal the jar, leave them for a few days, and see if there is any difference in color or texture between the part that was immersed in vinegar and the part that was not. This is not a definitive test for leaching, but if any of your glazes change at all during this test, you know they should never contact food.

In addition to checking your glazes to see if they are stable formulas (read Hesselberth & Roy’s book for this), you can send your pots in to laboratories for testing. This is the most accurate way is to test your pots. There are two that do this:

Alfred Analytical Lab, 4964 Kenyon Rd

Alfred, NY 14803, 607-478-8074

Or:

Brandywine Science Center, 204 Line Rd

Kennett Square PA 19348

610-444-0850

You can also buy home lead test kits. These do not test very accurately at the low levels that are regulated by the EPA, but they can be helpful if you want to test a lot of work and identify a gross problem. You can contact:

Acc-U-Test, 1-617-337-5546

Lead/Check Swabs, 1-800-262-LEAD

The Lead Detective, 1-617-965-5653.

There are two sets of limits for lead and cadmium release. The Federal EPA limits are less strict than the limits imposed by the state of California for ware sold there. Limits are different for different types of pottery, depending on how long people are likely to store food in the pottery.

CURRENT FDA & CALIFORNIA GUIDELINES FOR MAXIMUM LEAD & CADMIUM RELEASE FROM CERAMIC FOODWARE (in micrograms per milliliter, which is equal to parts per million):

FDA lead Calif. FDA cadmium Calif. cadmium

Category: Limits lead limits limits limits

Flatware (less than 25mm deep) 3 0.226 0.5 3.154

Small hollowware (less than 1.1 liter) 2 0.1 0.5 0.322

Large hollowware (more than 1.1 liter) 1 0.1 0.25 0.084

Cups or mugs 0.5 0.1 0.5 0.084

Pitchers 0.5 0.1 0.25 0.084

If you would like more information, the Arts Crafts & Theater Safety organization (headed by Monona Rossol, an industrial hygienist who specializes in art studio safety) has a great booklet called "Ceramic Ware Hazards" that has good detailed information. They sell copies of this and many other similar safety booklets for about 25¢ per page. Contact them at 212-777-0062, www.caseweb.com/ACTS, actsnyc@cs.com.

LOCAL CLAY & CLAYFEST

CLAYFEST 2004 was a smashing success! Sales were up about 6% to $65,869 (although attendance was down 23%) and the work looked fantastic. The new showroom layout worked well and integrated the Demo area into the general flow much better.

The show opened with a large number of applicants still on the waiting list. As the show grows in popularity the number of applicants grows. Acceptance into the show is still based on application postmark date; however, there is always an opportunity to "jump to the head of the line" by volunteering to help manage the show. All Committee Chairs are guaranteed a space in the show so this is an avenue to get into the show and have to opportunity to work with a great group of other potters in making the show happen. Currently there are eleven Trainee positions available, so the opportunities to get involved are many. The listing of open positions is available at http://members.efn.org/~clayfest/clayfestnotes.htm. Hopefully we can attract some interested volunteers who not only want to guarantee their place in the show (and get a reduced commission rate), but learn the ins-and-outs of putting on a fabulous show.

Don Clarke, ClayFest Chair, would like to thank all the Committee Chairs for their lively input, strong opinions, hard work, and unequaled enthusiasm in making ClayFest 2004 the success it was.

ClayFest 2005 will be October 15th and 16^th.

LOCAL CLAY MEMBERSHIP If you would like to become a member of Local Clay, the Eugene area potters association, membership applications are available at http://members.efn.org/~clayfest/localnotes.htm or by emailing localclay@clayfest.org. Membership is $10 per year. Their next meeting is January 13^th at Georgies in Eugene. Local Clay is planning several workshops in the Eugene area. In January there will be a workshop on how slides are juried. In Februay Lillian Pitt will give a workshop.

WORKSHOPS, CLASSES & LECTURES

OWEN RYE: There will be two Owen Rye workshops in April 2005.

At Mount Hood Community College, 26000 SE Stark, Gresham OR 97030, send checks c/o Stephen Mickey, Visual Arts Dept: He will demonstrate throwing techniques oriented toward woodfiring. He will make miniature pots 2 inches high and large ones 3 feet high using the coil and throw technique. He will also make setters for the large pots; these are used to overcome problems of ash and glaze running down the pots during the firing. $100, April 8-10. Free slide show Friday, April 8.

At Clatsop Community College and the Astoria Dragon Kiln in Astoria, OR: Six day workshop involving loading and firing of Astoria’s 19-year-old Anagama kiln, with particular emphasis on his exploration in cooling techniques. Also discussion of design and firing of other wood kilns. April 12-17, unloading April 23. $200 includes accommodations. Contact Richard Rowland email at rrowland@clatsopcc.edu

GAIL KENDALL: "Handbuilding Functional Pots." Demonstrations of coil, slab and drape molding for constructing functional pots. Discussion of surface technique and glazing. April 9 & 10, $75 (OPA members $60) at Oregon College of Art & Craft, 8245 SW Barnes Rd, Portland 97225, 503-297-5544, www.ocac.edu.

WORKSHOPS IN GREECE: Spend your summer on Skopelos Island studying clay monoprinting with Mitch Lyons or water based ceramic screen printing with Dave Fortune. Check www.skopart.org, click on "programs."

NATALIE WARRENS: "Low Fire Terra Cotta." Jan 3-March 12, Mon/Wed 6-9pm, at Mt Hood Community College, sign up by phone or web.

OPPORTUNITIES

PHOTOS WANTED: For new book from Lark Books, 500 Pitchers, they are looking for transparencies, 35mm slides and high resolution digital images. Traditional to altered forms, all firing processes. No entry fee. Full artists credit & comp copy. Deadline April 1, 2005. Send SASE to 500 Pitchers, Lark Books, 67 Broadway, Asheville, NC 28801, www.larkbooks.com.

CALL FOR ARTISTS: Buckman Arts Magnet School’s annual Art Show & Sell, April 8-9, application deadline Jan 22, 25-30% commission goes to Buckman school, request application form from namita_wiggers@yahoo.com 

CALL FOR ARTISTS: The Glenn & Viola Walters Cultural Arts Center (Hillsboro, OR) is accepting submissions from artists for the exhibition season March 05 through Feb 06.  Submission information available at the Cultural Arts Center or www.ci.hillsboro.or.us/wcac deadline Dec 20.

CALL FOR ENTRIES: "Feats of Clay," juror Rodney Mott, deadline Feb 11, show April-May, $15-30 jury fee, 35% commission, Lincoln Arts, www.lincolnarts.org

CALL FOR ENTRIES: "Ceramics 2005," juror Chris Gustin, deadline Jan 24, show June-July, $35 jury fee, Guilford Handcraft Center, Guilford, CT, www.handcraftcenter.org

CALL FOR ENTRIES: "Forms and Shapes: The Narrative Vessel," juror Dan Anderson, pieces should use surface imagery to tell a story, deadline Feb 1 (March 1 w/ late fee), show April-July, $35 jury fee, price not to exceed $1000, 50% commission, AKAR, www.akardesign.com,

CALL FOR ENTRIES: "International Ceramics Competition: A Set of Three Plates," open to functional ceramics, deadline March 31, show June, Musee de la Faience, France, sarregueminesmuseum@wanadoo.fr, www.sarregueminesmuseum.com

CALL FOR ENTRIES: "The Clay Cup," open to work addressing the cup, juror Virginia Scotchie, deadline Feb 14, show March-May, $25 jury fee, School of Art & Design, Southern Illinois University Carbondale IL 62901-4301, greenearthworks@hotmail.com.

CALL FOR ENTRIES: "Strictly Functional Pottery National," juror John Glick, deadline Jan 10, show April-May, $20 jury fee, price not to exceed $600, 35% commission, Market House Craft Center, 717-560-8816, PO Box 204, East Petersburg PA 17520-0204

CALL FOR ENTRIES: "National Juried Cup Show," juror Renee Fairchild, deadline March 4, show April-June, $20 jury fee, Gallery 138, 138 E Main St, Kent OH 44240, gallery138@kent.edu.

CALL FOR ENTRIES: "It’s Only Clay," deadline April 1, show July, $25 jury fee, Bemidji Community Arts Council, 426 Bemidji Ave N, Bemidji MN 56601, www.bcac-mn.org.

ARTIST IN RESIDENCY: Oregon College of Art & Craft has both Junior (recent graduate) and Senior (mid-career) residencies. Junior residency in clay is Jan-April 2006, application deadline April 1, 2005. Senior residency is June-August 2006, application deadline April 1, 2006. Residents receive stipend and money toward supplies. Applications available at www.ocac.edu.

PORTLAND OPEN STUDIOS: A tour of artists’ studios in Portland metro area. Two weekends, east side of Willamette river Oct 8-9 2005, west side October 15-16 2005. Deadline March 15, $160 plus some volunteer work. Applications available on website in February or send SASE to 16055 SW Walker Rd #242, Beaverton OR 97006, www.portlandopenstudios.com.

TILE DESIGN COMPETITION: "Ceramic Tiles of Italy Design Competition," recognizes achievement by architects and designers working with Italian tile. Award money. Deadline Jan 30. For info check www.italiatiles.com, www.italytile.com, info@novitapr.com.

MEMBER NEWS

JEANNE HENRY will be featured on OPB’s Oregon Art Beat on Dec 16^th at 8pm (repeated Sun, Dec 19^th at 6pm & 2am)

STEPHEN MICKEY had 4 woodfired teabowls in "Small Treasures," a show of work smaller than 6x6x6" at Lil Street Gallery in Chicago in December

LESLIE GREEN will have work included in the new Lark Book Making & Installing Handmade Tiles due out next spring

JAN EDWARDS will be resident artist at a pottery studio near Certaldo, Italy in January & February, then she will wander around Italy for a while looking for Etruscan claywork

DENNIS MEINERS, FAYE NAKAMURA & BETSY WOLFSTON have work in the Holiday Show at Karin Clarke Gallery in Eugene through Jan. 1.

THOMAS ORR and Oregon College of Art & Craft were the subjects of an article in Ceramic Review, Nov/Dec 2004.

RICHEY BELLINGER, JAN EDWARDS, HANK MURROW, FRANK BOYDEN and maybe a few more Oregon potters have had work featured in the new Robin Hopper book, Making Marks

FAIRS

NORTHWEST FOLKLIFE FESTIVAL: May 27-30, deadline Jan 7, in Seattle. Work juried by slides or actual pieces, booths $225-300, www.nwfolklife.org/folklife/.

PORTLAND ARTS FESTIVAL: June 17-19, deadline Jan 31, in south park blocks in Portland. $35 jury fee, booths $400-450, www.rosefestival.org.

SHAMELESS ADVERTISING

FOR SALE: Great Christmas present! Gas fired updraft kiln, like new, approx. 18"wx30" d, 4 burners, electric starter ignition, either propane or natural gas, $800 obo, can send pics on web, Hope at hope@seasurf.net

FOR SALE: Two gas kilns, one is 48x48x48" interior dimensions, swing door, 9" soft brick walls, 4 eclipse burners, downdraft, $2300 obo. Other kiln is 29"hx36wx27d, swing door, 10 small burners, 14" thick soft brick walls, downdraft, natural gas, never been fired, $2000 obo. Extruder, home made, with dies, make offer. 5 Crystar kiln shelves, 12x24", $100 each. Shelves and elements for Skutt 818 kiln, elements $15/set, shelves $5 for each half shelf. Clasons air compressor, dual pistons, heavy duty, $150. Large ball mill, $200 obo. This is equipment from Chris Gum’s estate in Springfield. Contact Nancy Hart.

FREE: Plaster bats, 7@16", 12@12". Old Skutt 231 electric kiln. Located in Eugene, Contact Nancy Hart

STUDIO FOR SALE: Fully equipped studio in Berkeley, CA available March 1st. The Berkeley

Potters Guild is a group of 20 members with a 34 yr history of established retail sales. For details on rent/purchase options see www.berkeleypotters.com, select Guild Members, select Barbara Bobes, or call Barbara

FREE: One ton hard cone 6 porcelain, still in original bags. Gary Slone

FOR SALE: Gas kiln, hardbrick exterior, insulating brick interior. 6 Alfred burners, sliding metal framed fiber door, 11x28" silicon carbide shelves, posts, metal kiln shed. Also glazes and glaze materials, cones and shelving. Must sell all or part. Michael

FOR SALE: Electric kiln, 28wx27h" Olympic, 3" thick walls, work great, needs timer, $400, Michael.

DATES TO REMEMBER:

Jan. 11: Showcase Steering Committee meeting

Jan. 12: 2005 OPA Board nominations due

Jan. 14: OPA General Meeting

Jan. 30: Showcase Gallery application deadline

Feb. 3: OPA Board Meeting

Feb. 10: Newsletter deadline

April: Workshops with Owen Rye & Gail Kendall