Potters Talk: Winter Sale, New Products, Contest

October 26, 2007

Welcome to Potters Talk, Highwater Clays’ e-newsletter! Potters Talk was designed to give customers up-to-the-minute information on sales and new products while sharing information and tips.

Highwater Clays’ Cool Winter Sale

This winter Highwater cuts prices on the following models:

KM 1027 (7 cubic-foot Kilnmaster)

KM 1227 (9.9 cubic-foot Kilnmaster)

KS 1227 (9.9 cubic-foot kiln with sitter and timer)

KS 1027 (7 cubic-foot kiln with sitter and timer)

KM1227PK (9.9 cubic-foot, three-phase production kiln with Kilnmaster Controller)

These energy-saving, electric kilns come with stainless steel jackets.
The 1227 series comes equipped with three-inch firebrick that provides
additional insulation while saving even more energy.

Highwater is also discounting our Brent Wheels and Shimpo Wheels.

These products are on sale from November 12 to december 22.

See the latest Highwater Clays’ catalog or call our customer service
specialists at 828.252.6033 for more information. Mention you saw this discount in
Potters’ Talk to hear about special prices on select books.

Highwater Clays’ Gets Around

And Around, And Around...

Our Highwater family keeps growing.

In this second installment of our “Highwater Clays Gets Around Contest” Mary Jane Harrison contributed a picture of herself wearing a vintage Highwater Clays T-shirt. (You know you have a lifelong friend when they’re still wearing a branded shirt 10 years after buying it.)

The first person identifying the location where this shot was taken wins a shirt or cap of his or her own. Click image to load a bigger picture for careful investigation. Please send your best guess to us at randy@highwaterclays.com.

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.

Holy Gripper! (Batman)

Highwater Clays is pleased to offer a new bat-gripper.

This gripper allows you to hold down all those loose worn bats and keep them from wiggling or flying off your wheel head.

Just wet it, place it over your bat pins, and forget it! Developed from a special material that applies gripping power to hold down your old bats, this is an excellent tool to use when bat pin holes have enlarged and can no longer hold down a bat.

This material is durable and will not crack or become brittle when it dries out. All you need to do is add water and away you go! This gripper is available in both 12" and 14" to accommodate different sized bats.

E-mail our customer service representatives to order or ask more questions. Download more information.

De-mystify Mason Stains! Download our brief PDF Guide!

Wheel of Wow

Choice is a good thing.

Customers buying a Shimpo RK or VL Whisper wheel from Oct. 15 to Dec. 31 will receive one of three free gifts.

A copy of “Modern Japanese Ceramics: Pathways of Innovation & Tradition” by Saeko Ito.

A Shimpo Hand Extruder (including dies) with a 2 1/4" barrel and six dies, including one blank one to make your own custom shape.

A $25 donation to CERF, the Empty Bowls Project, or the National K12 Ceramic Exhibition Foundation.

Call or e-mail our customer service specialists to order your wheel today.

Things are RAD in Asheville in November!

Studio Stroll!

Get an inside look at over 50 working artist studios during the fall River Artists District Studio Stroll, Nov. 10 and 11. Mingle with, potters, jewelers, sculptors, photographers, musicians, quilters, fabric artists, woodworkers, and glass artists.Odyssey studio potters will be demonstrating their work throughout the weekend, so stop in to say hello.

Twenty-two Odyssey studio artists will be participating in the Studio Stroll.

The school and studio will be transformed into a lovely gallery space and artists will display everything from sculpture to functional dinnerware. Odyssey will be demonstrating both in the studio and in the school, food and refreshments will be available, and kids’ activities are scheduled throughout the event.

Highwater Clays and Odyssey Center for the Ceramic Arts will be demonstrating this year at the American Craft Show in Charlotte from Nov. 2 to Nov. 4.

This is the 13th year that the American Craft Council has held this event and organizer expect more than 220 of the nations leading artist to be there. The show also features jewelry, furniture, clothing, home décor and other crafts in addition to pottery.

There will be daily raffles, giving visitors the chance to win gift certificates to redeem at the show every day.

Doors open Friday, Nov. 2, from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 3, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday, Nov. 4, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tickets are $12 for a one-day pass and $18 for a two-day pass. Children 12 and under and American Craft Council members are admitted free.

Stop by the Charlotte Convention Center or visit http://www.craftcouncil.org/charlotte/ for more information.

Making History Matter

Highwater is a sponsor for an exhibition exploring functional work by potters who studied at Black Mountain College in the 1950s. this exhibit is open until January 19, 2008.

Events run from Oct. 3 until Nov. 30 and include the following:

Saturday, Nov. 10, 10 a.m.– 4 p.m. - How to love this world: Poetry by Hand and Heart a workshop with Paulus Berensohn.

Friday, Nov. 30, 8 p.m. – A Dialogue with David Weinrib, Black Mountain College Potter.

A rare opportunity to hear first-hand about the Black Mountain College pottery program and the amazing artists who worked at the school in the early 1950s as well as the post-BMC experimental community at Stony Point, NY.

Potters Talk: New Contest, Open House images, More

September 21, 2007

Highwater Family Reunion a Big Hit

Open House Draws Visitors from Around the Country

Friends, neighbors and fellow potters gathered on the banks of the French Broad River last week to celebrate a milestone birthday, reconnect with old friends, and meet new ones.

Highwater Clays’ annual Open House featured demos by Jim Skutt of Skutt Kiln, Po-Wen Liu representing Nidec-Shimpo, Diana Farris from Amaco, and Richard Arnfield from Spectrum Glazes. Po’s demonstration was so popular that many people stayed afterward to talk to him about issues he touched on during his talk.

“I think this was one of my best demo ever,” he said, adding that he enjoyed talking with Highwater customers and meeting staff. “It turned out great.”

“Both of my sessions were the largest I’ve conducted,” said Jim Skutt. “I received a lot of compliments fom your great customers and enjoyed talking to everyone,” he said, adding that both customers and Highwater staff were very kind.

“It was wonderful to see everyone,” Highwater co-founder Brian McCarthy said. “I think everyone had a great time and people are already getting excited about next year.”

“Nick is a real crowd pleaser,” Brian said of Nick Joerling’s demonstration. “He’s very funny and has been a great friend of Highwater for years … we really appreciate his participation.”

(Photo: Past Odyssey instructor and Highwater favorite Nick Joerling captivated a near capacity room on Sept. 15. Click photo to see larger version.) Read a recent story about the Highwater family that appeared in the Asheville Citizen Times.

New Colors for Cone 10

Highwater Clays tests all new glazes on its own clays to ensure customers know how their work will turn out.

The new cone 10 glazes from Spectrum offer customers a much wider range of colors and textures than have been available in the past, declares Highwater customer service specialist Hayley Smith.

“They even look better in real life than in the color chart,” said Highwater technician Jennifer Hoolihan. The glazes come in gloss finish, satin and matte.

The glazes have been tested on Highwater’s Helios porcelain in oxidation and Hoolihan said she was impressed with the glazes’ rich pallet.

“It’s really nice that they’re offered in pint sizes since a lot of potters will want to use these glazes for accents,” she said. Three coats of glazes have been applied to all test tiles.

E-mail our customer service representatives to order or ask more questions.

Wheel of Fortune

We received a wining guess for the Highwater Clays’ Gets Around Contest. Readers from around the United States played along with us, though the winner is local potter Marian Parkes (pictured with owner Jonathan St. Onge at our Highwater store).

Marian has taken classes at Odyssey and nearby Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College.

 

 

 

 

Be Part of the Highwater Picture

Share your video – Media Window Player, Quicktime or AVI file – and win a Highwater Clays’ hat, apron or T-shirt.

Only customers using one of the products we carry are eligible. The winning video will be featured on Highwater Clay’s Web site with a link back to your site. This is a great opportunity to showcase your work.

Send your video to randy@highwaterclays.com

Other Happenings!

Highwater is a major sponsor for an exhibition exploring functional work by potters who studied at Black Mountain College in the 1950s.

Events run from Oct. 3 until Nov. 30 and include the following:

Wednesday, Oct. 3 - An Uneasy Relationship: The Leach School, Black Mountain, and Traditional North Carolina Pottery, a presentation by Mark Hewitt, North Carolina potter and writer.

Thursday, Oct. 25, 7 p.m. – Filmmaker Lucy Phenix presents a Sneak Preview of her new documentary From the Inside: The Work of Karen Karnes. (See Photo to the right.)

Saturday, Nov. 10, 10 a.m.– 4 p.m. - How to love this world: Poetry by Hand and Heart a workshop with Paulus Berensohn.

Friday, Nov. 30, 8 p.m. – A Dialogue with David Weinrib, Black Mountain College Potter.

A rare opportunity to hear first-hand about the Black Mountain College pottery program and the amazing artists who worked at the school in the early 1950s as well as the post-BMC experimental community at Stony Point, NY.

(See Warren MacKenzie's "Box" to the left)

Turn Over a New Leaf at Odyssey’s Fall Classes

Asheville – Odyssey Center for the Ceramic Arts offers fall classes to fit your needs, whether you’re new to pottery, a longtime ceramic artist interested in a challenge or a parent looking to start your kids on a new, exciting art form.

“We have classes for both beginners and experts,” said managing Odyssey Director Cynthia Lee. “Students have unique opportunities to learn very specialized skills from ceramic artists like mosaic artist Pam Brewer, for beginners, try both handbuilding and throwing with Lori [Theriault], or hone skills with longtime favorite Becca Floyd.

“Parents are going to love our selection this fall, which features classes that fit their busy schedules … I think moms and dads will be excited to see Mary Ellis back. She wrote ‘Ceramics for Kids.’ And will be teaching ‘Clay for Kids.’

Beginner potters will appreciate Start with Handbuilding with Heather Knight and Try It Out: A Little of This…A Little of That 
with Lori Theriault, while continuing students can choose from Eric Knoche’s handbuilding class, 
Becca Floyd’s Surface Patterns, Wet & Dry or Joy Tanner’s Reed Handles for Wheel Thrown Pottery.

Odyssey brings tile, textile and mosaic expert Pam Brewer to Asheville for Parts & Pieces; Chaos to Order. Brewer originally began teaching because she felt frustrated as a student herself with the scarcity of mentors in the field. “I couldn’t find anyone to teach me … in this country it’s difficult to find instructors who understand the medium of mosaics.

In fact, many students bring Brewer into their homes for instruction. Some of this is due to the nature of tile work – have you ever tried to relocate a shower wall or countertop? – but much of this demand can be ascribed to the rarity of qualified mosaic artists.

“People come from as far away as Charlotte to take my classes offered at Boone,” she said.

“This is going to be a great season for Asheville-area potters and ceramic artists,” said Lee.
For more information call Odyssey at 828.285.0210, e-mail odyssey@highwaterclays.com stop by at 236 Clingman Ave. or visit Odyssey’s Web site at http://www.highwaterclays.com/odyssey/classes/fall07.html

Open House Details!

Highwater Clays' Open House is september 14 and 15 at 600 Riverside Drive, Asheville, NC!

Brian's Corner

We’re in the business of making the Earth’s Best Clays, which also means we’re in the business of winning customers and making friends. We’ve been forging winning partnerships for almost 30 years.

We want you to glaze and fire your work with complete confidence and with the expectation that when you open your kiln door there will be a big smile on your face.

The manufacturers we work with always deliver the goods. People like Jim Skutt, whose company has developed the best electric kilns in the business, is a perfect example.

Our success is yours, too, because we don’t look good unless you look good. We’ve been building this dream one pound of clay at a time for nearly 30 years and none of it would have been possible without you.

Thanks for taking the journey with us,

Easy Bake Pots

A kiln that fits in your microwave? Science fiction, right?

Not anymore. Richard Arnfield will be demonstrating Spectrum’s new microwave kiln at the Open House. This kiln can fire glass, ceramics, and precious metals in a medium-sized microwave oven.

“It’s very cool,” said Highwater Technician Jennifer Hoolihan. “It’s accessible to everyone and you don’t need a lot of space.” The MicroKiln will be for sale at the event.

Arnfield will also be demonstrating glaze pens on glass and as an over glaze.

Download a PDF describing Spectrum’s exciting MicroKiln and read more about their new line of glaze pens.

King of the Kiln

Jim Skutt usually lets his product do the talking. You don’t need to boast when you make some of the best electric kilns in the world.

Like Highwater, Skutt is a family run business. ”Jim is continuing in his grandfather and father’s footsteps,” said co-founder Gail McCarthy. “Skutt offers a great product and has excellent customer service … that’s why we’ve been carrying them for decades.”

Gail says that Jim is a “high energy” person who enjoys talking to potters. “People love his presentations,” she said.

Skutt will be discussing best practices in loading and firing and troubleshooting using onboard or built-in diagnostic tools both Friday and Saturday at 9:45 a.m. He will also be available for questions and answers both days.

Dancing Clay

“I just love his style,” says Odyssey Studio Manager Dawn Dalto about Nick Joerling, who will be demonstrating wheel throwing and altering at 1 p.m. on Saturday.

Joerling is certainly no stranger to Highwater. His last workshop at Odyssey was in the summer of 2006. “It was so much fun to watch him throw a piece, take it off the wheel and then give it a calculated bonk on the table to change the shape,” Dalto said.

Joerling is a full-time potter with a studio in Penland. He has exhibited widely and taught workshops throughout the country and overseas.

In his artist statement he says, “I want to stay in the pot's world ... In my studio what I hope for are pots that have qualities of sensuality, compassion, humor, and risk.”

Taiwanese Wheel Throwing

Nidec-Shimpo will be represented by Po-Wen Liu, who will be demonstrating throwing. He has taught throughout the world and is an expert in clay bodies and glazes.

"We have been working with Highwater Clays for many years and have always appreciated their support as one of our dealers,” said Bob Erickson, General Manager of Shimpo’s Ceramics Division.

“When the opportunity to participate in Highwater Clays’ Open House arose, we didn't hesitate to attend and provide an educational demo. It is also a great time to meet with Highwater’s friends and customers.”

Other Events

Diana Farris from Amaco will also be demonstrating the use of Amaco glazes throughout the two-day event.

Highwater staff will answer to questions, there will be discounts on select glazes and books as well as door prizes.

Highwater Clays' Open House!

It began with a dream, a dough mixer and a couple of idealists. Today’s it’s a cornerstone business in the thriving River Arts District and an Asheville success story.

Highwater Clays will hold its annual Open House on September 14 and 15 with demonstrations, door prizes, product give-aways, and more.

Highwater Clays has a uniquely Asheville origin. In 1979 Brian and Gail McCarthy arrived in Asheville in a pick-up truck, toting two kids and a tent. The dream? To make the Earth’s best clays amid the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains.

The couple started mixing clay in an artists’ cooperative along the Swannanoa River, then moved to a warehouse along the French Broad River, eventually setting roots in Clingman Avenue in 1994. Later that year Odyssey Center for Ceramic Arts opened while the clay business continued to grow.

“Asheville has been good to us and we appreciate all the support local artists have given us over the years,” said Brian McCarthy.

Highwater maintains a presence on Clingman Avenue through Odyssey and the nearby Parsonage, an open-style B&B, but the retail business, mixing operation, and warehouse moved to its present location at 600 Riverside Drive in 2002.

The company celebrates 28 years of business in September with an Open House featuring demonstrations by Jim Skutt of Skutt Kilns, Po-Wen Liu from Nidec Shimpo, Diana Farris from Amaco and Richard Arnfield from Spectrum Glazes.

For more information visit Highwater Clays’ Web site www.highwaterclays.com, e-mail clays@highaterclays.com, call 828.252-6033 or stop in at the retail store at 600 Riverside Drive Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. or Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Schedule of Events
Friday, September 14
9:45 a.m. Jim Skutt discusses loading and firing practices, troubleshooting, diagnostics, and Q&A with guests.

11 a.m. Po-Wen Liu from Shimpo demonstrates throwing and handbuilding

Saturday, September 15
10:30 a.m. Jim Skutt discusses loading and firing practices, troubleshooting, diagnostics, and Q&A with guests.

1:00 p.m. Wheel throwing and altering with Nick Joerling

Diana Farris from Amaco and Richard Arnfield from Spectrum will demonstrate both days. Arnfield will be using two types of glaze pens.

Select glazes, book, kilns and wheels will be on sale throughout the Open House. With a purchase of $50 or more, customers will receive a free Highwater Clays T-shirt.