Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 6, 2015)
Peninsula Clay Artists Show and Sale Opening Reception 5 to 8 p.m. Friday, Aug. 7 • 25902 Vernon Ave. • Ocean Park, Washington 360-665-5200 • Free Workshops For a complete workshop schedule, photos of clay art, and a registration form, see the Peninsula Clay Artists Facebook site: www.facebook.com/peninsulaclayartists Workshop prices range from $35 to $95, including materials. Come make jewelry; craft a clay fl ower; throw, glaze and fi re a pot or vase; create clay garden mushrooms, totem animals or sprites; or join the mosaic group. Pre-registration is required. Demonstrations See a variety of diff erent ceramic fi ring techniques including: Raku • Paper kiln • Barrel fi ring • Pit fi ring Photo by Joshua Bessex Photo by Joshua Bessex Photo by Joshua Bessex From left: Vicki Sullivan, Susan Raymond and Linda Marsh stand in Bay Avenue Gallery in Ocean Park, Washington. All three artists will lead workshops during the Peninsula Clay Artists Show and Sale Aug. 7 to 15. A community mosaic from a workshop two years ago is displayed in the backyard of Bay Avenue Gallery. About 25 people worked on the mosaic, which was sponsored by Sue Raymond, during the fi fth Peninsula Clay Artists Show and Sale. This year, people in the mosaic class will be working on a pair of benches. Art from Shelley Curtis Weaver, Karen Brownlee, Vicki Sullivan, Danni Pederson, and Michael Sullivan will be on display during the Peninsu- la Clay Artists Show and Sale. Photo by Cate Gable Jan Richardson, co-founder of the Peninsula Clay Artists and founder of Windy Meadows Pottery, is known for her unique hand-built cottages. Peninsula Clay Artists throw down Get some clay in your hands during this seventh annual Long Beach Peninsula art show and sale, featuring open studio time, 12 workshops and nine art-fi lled days Aug. 7 to 15 S But she still insists it was all Jan Richardson, who was the founder of Windy Meadows Pottery. Jan is na- Sue Raymond, co-founder of the Bay Avenue tionally known for her meticulously hand-built ceram- Gallery in Ocean Park, Washington, is the engine ic cottages, with details like window sills and shutters, behind the Peninsula Clay Artists. She’s like the stone WLQ\SRWVZLWKÀRZHUVLQWKHPLQGLYLGXDOWLOHVRQWKH WKURZQLQWRWKHED\WKDWFDXVHVULSSOHVWRÀRZRXWLQ roofs, and carved doorways. all directions, though she claims, “I would have sunk (See www.windymeadow- without Jan Richardson.” spottery.com) “When I came to the Peninsula,” Sue says, “I was These two woman used to a really strong clay group like the one I had together created both the in Arizona. I thought everyone worked together like membership organization that. But it wasn’t happening here. I tried out the idea of Peninsula Clay Artists on a couple people, and I think they were scared of and, in their second year me — like, ‘Who is this person?’ But when I spoke together, the tradition of a to Jan about it, she got it right away. She literally week’s gathering of clay knocked on doors and said, ‘We can do this — we are artists, workshops, demon- going to do this!’” strations, sales and exhi- Sue has two under graduate degrees (in art and bitions of ceramic work. K-12 education), a Master of Arts in art education, They not only brought together the talented ceramics and a Ph.D. in arts education — her passion is ce- already working on the Long Beach Peninsula but ramics and teaching. With her unstoppable buzz of nurtured the talent of many newbies. energy, she’s created a one-woman art phenomenon New location, same great art at her gallery on the north end of the Long Beach “Most ceramics studios charge you by the hour to Peninsula. Locals and visitors alike gather to throw, shape, build, carve, glaze and otherwise have fun work,” Sue said the other day at the studio surrounded E\HQRUPRXVFOD\JDUGHQÀRZHUV³%XWWKDWGRHVQ¶W with clay. Story by CATE GABLE Photo by Joshua Bessex Some of Sue Raymond’s unfi nished clay pieces sit on a work table in the Bay Avenue Gallery Studio. The pieces will be fi nished and on display for the Peninsula Clay Artists Show and Sale. 12 | August 6, 2015 | coastweekend.com make sense in our area. I say, ‘Tell me what you want to do, and I’ll give you a price. Then you can work as long as you want.’” This approach has created both a vast array of ar- resting art and a band of ceramicists. “Everybody in PCA is expert in something, but LQ WKH FHUDPLFV ¿HOG \RX never can learn it all,” Sue continues, “so we all learn from each other. We totally respect each other’s work and respect boundaries. No one else makes clay houses for instance, because Jan does; that’s her territory.” For family reasons Jan has moved to Florida, but she returns to participate in this year’s clay artists’ event that she and Sue hatched up. Seven years run- ning and PCA is stronger than ever. In fact, this year Peninsula Clay Artists members will be conducting their annual show, sale and work- shop series in their own home town, Ocean Park. There are 12 workshops, more than in any other year. Many are at Bay Avenue Gallery, located at 1406 This year, Peninsula Clay Artists members have gone crazy for garden art. Colorful and realistic clay fl owers adorn the walls of the studio. Bay Ave., in the ceramics studio just adjacent to the gallery. Some of the workshops will be held in the artists’ own studios — so it’s a combination open studio, ZRUNVKRS VKRZ DQG VDOH IRU QLQH DUW¿OOHG GD\V from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Aug. 7 to 15. The main gallery show is at the Ketel Building, ZKLFK\RX¶OO¿QGDW9HUQRQ$YH7KHVKRZ and demonstrations are free and open to the public. Workshop fees vary but are in a reasonable range IURPWRLQFOXGLQJDOOPDWHULDOVVHHEHORZ Art for people One of the wonderful aspects of the gathering in past years is the beautiful mosaic panels that have been group projects, created under the professional eye of ceramicist Heather Richardson, Jan’s daughter. Mo- saics adorn Bay Avenue Gallery and the Artisan Gal- lery in Ilwaco. A beautiful rendition of the North Head /LJKWKRXVHJUDFHVWKH/RQJ%HDFK9LVLWRUV&HQWHU “Heather is a professional Mosaic Art Queen,” VD\V6XH³6KHLVDPD]LQJ,QWKH¿UVWPRVDLFZRUN shops the goal was for people to make their own mo- saics, but they had down time, so the idea was to use that time to work on a group piece for community spaces. We have several at the gallery now — a mer- Photo by Joshua Bessex Art from Linda Marsh and Susan Raymond will be on display during the Peninsula Clay Artists Show and Sale, which takes place Aug. 7 to 15. PDLGDQGP\DOOWLPHIDYRULWHD¿VK´ +HDWKHU WRRN RQH RI 6XH¶V ZKLPVLFDO ZDOO ¿VK blew up a visual of it and then had the group make it into a mosaic. Now it swims in the backyard of Bay Avenue Gallery. This year, Peninsula Clay Artists members have gone crazy for garden art. Colorful and realistic clay ÀRZHUVDGRUQWKHZDOOVRIWKHVWXGLR$QRWKHUJDUGHQ idea has many members making garden art “totems SROHV´ ² FHUDPLF ¿JXUHV RI DQLPDOV ÀRZHUV HYHQ vegetables are formed and glazed, then stacked togeth- er on specially treated rebar and placed in gardens. “We have a lot of repeat participants in our work- shops,” says Sue. “Because people say, ‘My mother wanted the piece I made so I gave it to her, and now I need to make one for myself,’ or ‘I brought my best friend because she saw my piece and wanted one.’” As Jan says, “Heather and I have loved creating public art so that people can become part of their community by creating things of beauty and living with them.” And that’s the point of art, isn’t it? To use your hands to create something of beauty to share. A special guest This year’s event will feature visiting ceramicist Richard Roth of Grand Prairie Designs Pottery in Winlock, Washington. He will be doing two demon- VWUDWLRQVDW%D\$YHQXH*DOOHU\WKH¿UVWZLOOIHDWXUH D FHUDPLF WHFKQLTXH FDOOHG VJUDI¿WR D SURFHVV RI scraping through one ceramic layer to reveal anoth- HULQDFRQWUDVWLQJFRORU7KHVJUDI¿WWRVRPHWLPHV VSHOOHGVFUDI¿WRGHPRQVWUDWLRQVZLOOEHIURPWR p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 12. Richard will be showing off his carving skills, and the pubic can come, watch and ask questions at the gallery. After a break, Richard returns from 5 to 8:30 p.m. Aug. 12 for an evening reception, and he will be throwing an “upside down bowl.” Even Sue isn’t sure exactly how this works, but she’s sure it will be exciting. “Richard is a master!” VKHVD\V³+H¶VDOVRDQH[SHUWLQSLW¿ULQJDQGZH¶OO be showing off that technique in a special workshop as well.” The concept of local clay artists forming, more- or-less, a potters guild to share space, expertise, techniques and group shows like this one is inspir- ing. Art by the people, for the people. So stop by for the kick-off evening reception from 5 to 8 p.m. Friday, Aug. 7 at the Ketel Build- LQJ9HUQRQ$YHLQ2FHDQ3DUNWRPHHWDOO the artists and see their wares. Or, even better, sign up for a workshop and get some clay in your hands. August 6, 2015 | coastweekend.com | 13
