November 16, 2007
Potters Talk welcomes guest columnist Paul Frehe. Paul has an extensive background in pottery and has been a trusted figure at Odyssey since 1998.
Paul will write tech tips for our readers, drawing on his long experiences at Odyssey classes and workshops. "Being a Studio Tech at Odyssey gives me the opportunity to pass along what I've learned. The sharing between potters is one of the best things about the ceramic community,” says Paul.
Special Parsonage Package for Potters Talk Readers
The doors are always open for the Highwater family.
We are offering a special discount to The Parsonage – our guesthouse – from October 15, 2007 to February 16, 2008. Within walking distance of Odyssey, the River Arts District and a short drive from downtown Asheville, The Parsonage is perfectly suited for potters.Decorated in an eclectic mix of antiques, pottery, sculpture and unique furnishings, the 100-year-old building is charming, warm and unique.
There’s no place like Asheville in the autumn and winter. Come to the Paris of the South to see how many colors Mother Nature has in her pallet, explore legendary Cold Mountain, or just kick back at one of the area’s luxurious restaurants or day spas.
Potters Talk readers get one night stay for just $50. This price includes a breakfast and discounted tickets to Biltmore Estate. (We are offering Biltmore tickets for $36 per person compared to the estate’s normal $55 per person.) E-mail Highwater Clays’ co-founder Gail McCarthy for more information.
Highwater Clays Gets Around
And Around, And Around...
Bonnie Smith of Greenville, SC, won our last Highwater Clays’ Gets Around Contest. The last mystery photo was taken at Haleakala Observatory, on the island of Maui. Living only 45 minutes from Asheville, Bonnie is a frequent visitor to our retail store, and appears in Lark Book’s “500 Tiles.”
“Highwater is as much part of my life as the grocery store, the library or my bank,” she said, adding that she has taken classes at Odyssey and visited several Highwater Clays’ Open Houses. A lifelong fan of Highwater, Bonnie even named her kitten Trina Buff.
Click on the photo to visit Bonnie’s Web site.
We are also still accepting digital media files for our “Be Part of the Highwater Picture” contest. Share your video – Media Window Player, Quicktime or AVI file – and win a Highwater Clays’ hat, apron or T-shirt. You may provide a link if your video is too large to send via e-mail.
Everyone Knows Santa
is a Potter
Highwater is reducing prices on select items this holiday season to help make your holiday shopping easy whether you’re looking for big-ticket items or stocking stuffers.
“The Scott Creek Extruders are nice because expansion sets are available so that potters don’t necessarily have to buy a larger extruder when they want something bigger,” said Highwater Technician Jennifer Hoolihan. “The circle shape of the barrel makes extruding easy and they’re made of aluminum, which means they won’t rust,” she said.
We’re discounting both 4” and 5” extruders while supplies last. The 4” extruder was $339 and is now $270 and the 5” was $395 and is now $315. The Glaze Geyser is another unique item that potters aren’t likely to find elsewhere. It allows you to quickly switch between glazes. Requiring less than one gallon to operate, this is a great tool for glazing the interior of large and small pots and cleans up very easily.
“It’s very convenient, especially for prolific potters who glaze a lot of small and large items – and we only have one left!” One last Geyser is on sale for just $180, discounted from $225.
Santa’s little helpers will appreciate the reduced prices on the Sherrill Mud Tool Carving Bow and the Red Ox Tail Brush. Order your bow with a 10% discount ($22.46) or the brush at a whopping 30 percent discount ($25) while supplies last.
Check out our special sale Web page for more deals. 
Instant Repairs of Broken Creenware
(Lessons learned from the Kathy King class) 
Mix toilet paper with your slip and use it as a glue to re- attach broken handles, spouts and knobs.
Tear off little bits of toilet paper and mix them into your slip. We used about one square of two-ply tissue per heaping tablespoon of slip. Just add the toilet paper to the slip and stir it in thoroughly and it is ready to use (in her studio Kathy King mixes a batch in a blender and keeps it on hand).
I've used it to fix long cracks in the bottom of porcelain casseroles and cracking at handle attachments. While loading a bisque kiln in the workshop, I broke the corner off a student's slab piece. I quickly mixed a little slip with toilet paper, glued the broken piece back on and fired it immediately. Viola! When it came out of the kiln, you'd never know it had suffered at the hands of the kiln loader.
Confused by your kiln? Threatened by thermocouples? Confounded by cones? Read our quick kiln tips.
Sneak peak: Get the inside scoop on Odyssey's Winter Classes!
In Asheville
Empty Bowls celebrated its 25th year in Asheville at a lunch benefit held at the Doubletree Hotel on October 16.
The event in Asheville drew more than 800 people to help provide support for food banks, soup kitchens, and other organizations that fight hunger. Participants paid $25 and received a bowl and meal provided by local restaurants, including River Arts District sensation 12 Bones. Odyssey Studio artists donated some 300 bowls of the 500 donated. “It was a fantastic success and we’re proud of Odyssey and the effort Lori Theriault and Heather Tinnaro put in,” said Highwater co-founder Brian McCarthy. (Theriault is an Odyssey instructor, resident and the manager of The Parsonage, and Tinnaro is teaching a class during the Winter Class session. – ed.)
The Empty Bowls class held at Odyssey was a big hit agreed Odyssey Managing Director Cynthia Lee. “With 23 students motivated by the creator of the program, John Hartom, and invited guest artists like Nick Joerling, Claudia Dunaway and David Voorhees, over 100 of bowls were made,” she said. “This is Odyssey's second year to offer an Empty Bowls class and we hope to continue a wonderful tradition,” Lee said.
Read the article that appeared in the Asheville Citizen-Times.
BONUS! Hear Lori Therault discuss the Empty Bowl project.
(Click player icon.)
Skutt's new DVD
Skutt Kiln has completed an all-new DVD that will ship with all KM kilns. The video includes segments on:
- Setting up a kiln
- Loading
- Programming
- Maintenance
- Repair.
The DVD allows users to skip to chapters they have an interest in and Potters Talk will link to a sample online when it’s available.
The new Highwater Clays’ Web site was launched successfully on Jan. 2. We received 12 times our normal visitors within the first 24 hours and Web orders have poured in. thank you to all who have aken the time to give us your feedback.
You won’t find this hand-made wheel on Ebay or at youraverage ceramic potteryretail store. A real piece of history, this English Leach style kick-wheel has a geared crank, which allows the potter to drive the flywheel by pushing a horizontal bar backwards and forwards by foot. 
Top-caliber teachers are in high demand, and Odyssey Center for Ceramic Arts scours the globe looking for exemplary instructors.
