September 25, 2017
We introduced old and new members, discussed the budget for the year, and voted on changes to some bylaws.
October 23, 2017
Jaimianne is the executive director of the Creative Crafts Council, and also the owner and Curatorial Director of the Gray Gallery in Winchester, VA. She has been very active in the regional crafts community in several capacities: as Director of the Shenandoah Arts Council, a Trustee of Baltimore Clayworks, as marketing assistant and exhibitions advisor at Glen Echo, and as an independent curator. She currently serves a editor for the James Renwick Alliance Craft Quarterly as well as the JRA’s Programs and Marketing Manager. She has a BFA in Ceramics from Finlandia University and her masters degree in Curatorial Practice from MICA. Before moving to the DC region, she worked for American Art Marketing, a company with galleries in Manhattan that specialized in putting on art fairs across the east coast and she worked briefly at The Clay Art Center in Port Chester, NY.
Jaimianne will use her experiences to speak about the business of marketing and promoting your ceramics. The talk will include basic distribution channels and creative ways to market specific types of work. With knowledge in both the for-profit and non-profit fields, her talk will include exhibition proposals, juried shows and art fairs with time for questions and answers at the end. Bring your questions and your notebooks.
November 27, 2017 – Natalia Kormeluk (potter in Rockville, MD)
Water-etched Decoration and Cultural Crosscurrents
The presentation will consist of a slide show of Natalia’s recent visit to Opishne, Ukraine, the location of the National Museum of Ukrainian Pottery and The International Institute of Ceramics. Opishne is to pottery in Ukraine today, as Mashiko is to Japanese potters. She will share slides of traditional pottery and the collection of clay sculptures maintained in outdoor gardens from past International Symposiums. She will also bring her pieces to show the process of using shellac and water on porcelain to achieve a relief on the surface. Natalia will trace her interest in present-day techniques and materials and the influence of more traditional pottery on her work.
December 2017 — no meeting
January 22, 2018 – Joan Ulrich (Workhouse Art Center)
Joan is currently an instructor and resident artist at both the Workhouse Art Center in Lorton, and at the Torpedo Factory in Alexandria. Her distinctive functional work has won many awards for its elegant, sophisticated design. She will be showing her work and discussing her approach to her creative surface treatments. You can check out a preview of her work on her website: joanulrich.com
February 26, 2018 – Steve Yarnall (Potters’ Guild of Frederick)
Back in 2001 a friend of ours wanted to try a pottery class but didn’t want to go by themselves so I thought I would give it a try and join her. We signed up at Bill van Gilders’ Frederick Pottery School in Dec 2001. Our friend did one 6-week session and I’ve been at it for going on 17 years now.
I started out with one of the other instructors at the Frederick Pottery School but soon switched over to Bill van Gilders’ class and stayed there until the school closed in April 2013. It was during this time that I really came to enjoy pottery and working with clay. I have found making pottery to be an extension of the martial arts that I practiced for over 30 years. I find it relaxing and meditative yet challenging at the same time.
I moved over to the Frederick Clay Studio in May 2013 and started taking classes with Tim Sherman. Tim had substituted for Bill, at his school, a few times and I really enjoyed his teaching style it was an easy decision on which class to choose. I continue my studies, there, today and enjoy it more than ever.
I joined the Potters’ Guild of Frederick in 2013 and became an active participant in the Gallery in 2014. I had the privilege of being elected President of the Guild in 2015. I am in my second term as President. Being a part of the Guild has helped me grow, as a potter, and exposed me to a wonderful group of artists both in the Guild and the Frederick community.
I enjoy making functional pottery in various styles, shapes, and sizes — both wheel-thrown and hand-built. I enjoy working with various clay bodies and glaze combinations for various affects and colorations. Over the years, I have done serval different firing methods, but I have come to really enjoy wood-firing because of its’ natural and random look and feel. It’s always interesting to see how the wood, fire, and atmosphere of the kiln all interact and affect the outcome. The pieces, on display today, are from the most recent wood-fires I did with Tim Sherman. They represent, what I feel, is the very random nature of wood-firing. I hope you enjoy the display.
March 26, 2018 – Tameria Martinez (Frederick Clay Studio)
My interest in thrown clay began under the instruction of David Crane, ceramics professor at Virginia Tech. I then became an apprentice to Ken and Vicki Russel of KVR Pottery in North Carolina. My work now focuses on porcelain with ash and crystalline glazes, wild stoneware clay, and wood firing. I am always in pursuit of achieving clean, graceful forms adorned with crystals, layers of color, and depth of surface.
Tameria’s talk will focus on her life in clay, sharing with us her journey from her first childhood experiences, to becoming the owner and operator of a pottery retail store and adjoining teaching studio in Frederick. Tameria will also share with us a bit about her recent participation in Florida Heat.
April 23, 2018
Chris Landers will lead a discussion of how Montgomery Potters can best display ceramic work in a variety of different venues. We will explore ideas for new and aesthetically appealing displays for use in our spring and winter sales. The gallery committee will present recommendations about current opportunities in Ellicott City and Kensington, and we will discuss business models to support a gallery. If you are interested in promoting your pottery through Montgomery Potters, you don’t want to miss this meeting!
May 2018 TBD — possible potluck dinner and juried show event