Mixed news

Welcome to 2013! The month rapidly drawing toward a close. I spent the early part of January at lovely Curaumilla Arts Center, about 45 minutes from Valparaiso, Chile, on a bluff over the Pacific Ocean, making pots with a lovely group of people who included Suze Lindsay and Kent McLaughlin, Randy Johnston and Jan McKeachie Johnston, and Doug Casebeer. A great time! Chilean potter Pelusa Rosenthal and her husband, Andres,  founded this place 6 years ago, and it’s a dream made real. NCECA has partnered with them to offer a sponsored residency at Curaumilla. Info at http://www.nceca.net/static/conference_symposia.php 

Deadline to apply is Feb. 1, coming right up!

Curaumilla pictures are in an album on my Facebook page. You’ll have to friend me to see them. It’s remote, so beautiful, and has a wood and a soda kiln. It’s off the grid with power by generator and right on the ocean. People there are welcoming and helpful. A great residency if you want to do wood and soda. I loved the people, the place, and the time there.

Curaumilla Arts Center studio, made from recycled shipping containers.
Curaumilla Arts Center studio, made from recycled shipping containers.

I haven’t been in my own studio much. Holiday break was spent catching up and trying to prep things for school, which began spring term w/o me – thanks to my excellent colleagues Nan Smith, Anna Calluori Holcombe, our invaluable tech Ray Gonzales, and the energetic TAs who took over my classes for the first 2 weeks, Marty Fielding and Cheyenne Rudolph. Both are accomplished potters with studio experience before returning to grad school.

I’m thinking about upcoming workshops, and the loss of my go-to majolica decorating product, AMACO GDC colors, discontinued last December. Some are still available from AMACO’s outlet, Brickyard, but they will be extinct eventually.  I did find an article written by David Gamble earlier about majolica decorating colors, on Ceramic Arts Daily:
http://www.ceramicartdaily.net/booksales/Electric_Gamble2.pdf

I’m working on getting some of the A.R.T. products, but spring term is crazymadbusy, and I’m 2 weeks behind. On the personal front, I’m still pursuing a cure for my persistent Lyme disease, now going on over a year. I’m seeing a specialist in Tampa, 2 hours away, and he seems well-informed and plans to have me back on I.V. antibiotics soon. Not hard, but it all takes more time. So, the results of product testing will be slow in coming, but I’ll post when I get there.

I hope anyone with other news on solutions will comment. I’m thinking I just need to mix so I don’t have to change again if a product disappears, but for workshops, the commercial products are so easy.

By arbuck

Potter, Professor Emerita, Ceramics at University of FL, Gainesville.

2 comments

  1. There is no known evidence for Japanese knotweed’s effectiveness for nerve damage of any type. It DOES have laxative properties, so if you need help there, it might be of some use.
    In everywhere except Japan, this plant is classed as an invasive species, so promoting its use will only help to further destroy native species everywhere.
    I hope you will recover soon Linda – I have enjoyed your art for the last few years, and find your blog informative and helpful -.
    The best of luck with clay, and life!!

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