News Archive

Jacob Miller

Brenda Soi

Holly Coley

Marienne Chapman

Christopher Parris

Drake Bialecki

Daniel Wooddell

Matt Vinci

From the very beginning of the Clay and Glass Festival, the ACGA has been raising money for the California Fund at CERF+ (Craft Emergency Relief Fund).

Jan Schachter, who along with James Aarons, has been leading the CERF+ fundraiser at the show recalls “Initially we gave out CERF info and sold CERF+ merchandise — tees, aprons, tote bags, notecards — and of course asked for donations. In 2000, someone suggested we make & sell millennial mugs, which we did. That started the process of our artists donating work to sell. Over the years other organizations have donated their members’ work to us to sell – Baulines Crafts Guild and CGAF Ceramics and Glass Foundations. We have also sold the work of collectors, who have donated pieces to us.”

Thanks to the ongoing generosity of artists at the ACGA Clay and Glass Festival who donate work to sell at the CERF+ booth at the show, these efforts have raised over $60,000 to support the California Fund at CERF+. With these funds, CERF+ is able to provide vital emergency relief funds to craft artists after fires, floods, illnesses, injuries, and more.

“Uncertain times and financial worries are a constant reminder of how difficult it is to be a professional artist, and after my car accident and cervical spine surgery, the reality was unimaginable. I am forever grateful that organizations like CERF+ exist and can offer help in times of need. I am on the road to recovery and still work at my art as a Glassblower!” – Paul Counts, San Marcos, California

To date, over one hundred craft artists have received emergency relief grants that include funds raised by ACGA members to support the California Fund at CERF+. “This fundraiser, driven by artists for artists, embodies the spirit of CERF+’s mutual aid origins,” notes CERF+ executive director, Ruby Lopez Harper. “This support is especially meaningful as we continue to support more artists every year who have been affected by climate-related disasters in California.”

To learn more about CERF+, visit www.cerfplus.org

Submitted by Carrie Cleveland, carrie@craftemergency.org

I came into ceramics because I wanted to take an easy class in college. Jim Wayne was the instructor. I was seventeen and I had no idea that it would be a life changing experience.

Jim was my mentor until I got drafted. After I served my time, I carved out a studio in my garage where I worked for five years until we moved where I developed my basement studio setting up kilns in the back yard.

While my wife, Cheryl, was working on her MFA at San Jose State I was introduced to Stan Welsh. I ended up working with Stan for the next twenty years there. Able to retire from my day job in 2000, I was then able to do my pottery full time. I started expanding doing shows and teaching a various venues, including Palo Alto Art Center, Higher Fire, Mother Earth, and Cabrillo College. I’m still at SJSU as a resident artist.

I fine tuned my pit firing skills with San Jose State and got to give pit fire workshops from Ocean Beach to Orlando, Florida.

Joining ACGA was a step in the direction of becoming a professional potter for me. Being able to be with other career, ceramic artists has meant a lot to me for the past thirty years.
One of my greatest joys was being able to throw pots for James Lovera when age kept him away from his potter’s wheel.

Submitted by Joe Battiato, Festival Committee

Sally Jackson, Three Books, 2023

The Art of a Story

13th Annual Juried Exhibition
Village Theater & Art Gallery
233 Front Street, Danville, CA 94526
June 9-August 11, 2023
Three ceramic pieces by Sally Jackson are included in this multi-media exhibition, which features art inspired by books, stories, and literary themes. Open Monday and Tuesday by appointment, Wednesday-Friday 12 – 5 pm, and Saturday 11 – 3 pm. Stop by if you’re in Danville — the gallery is close to I-680 just off Diablo Drive.

Click here for more details: Village Theater and Art Gallery

Majolica Garden – Ceramics by Liz Lauter

The San Geronimo Valley Community Center debuts Liz Lauter’s Tree of Life solo ceramics collection July 3-28. Her recent work features elaborately embellished Arbol de la Vida candelabra forms, wall mounted sculptures and “istoriato” painted platters with narrative themes of Adam & Eve in the Garden of Eden as seen from Eve’s perspective. She uses the traditional Italian majolica technique of terra cotta clay, tin glaze and vibrant hand painted overglaze colors.

Liz’s clay artwork weaves threads of Mexican folk art, Islamic design, and botanical illustration into her own form of expression which is new at the same time familiar. They all meet in her Garden of Eden.

Gallery Hours: 12-5 and M-F from 10-5
Artist Reception Sunday, July 9th from 4-7

Liz Lauter

GET INSIDE ART – JULY 29-30
THE DOONART ANNUAL STUDIO TOUR

Chris Johnson Glass will again be participating in this unique event in which artists in the Santa Cruz Mountains and in the village of Davenport open their studios to the public. ​Hidden within the majestic redwood forests of Bonny Doon and on the Pacific Coast in the historic village of Davenport you will discover the wonderful art created in this quiet and inspiring environment.
For more details and a list of the participating artists, please visit
http://www.doonarttour.com/index.html

Submitted by Chris Johnson

ONGOING: Landscape Perspectives

June 2–July 22, 2023
June 9, 5–8pm: Reception and Art Walk
July 14, 5–8pm: Reception and Art Walk

Artworks Downtown Marin
Gallery 1337

The exhibit, Landscape Perspectives, reimagines and celebrates traditional landscape-based artwork by offering a diverse collection of expressions, approaches, and interpretations. From realism to surrealism, to abstraction, and beyond; viewers will surely enjoy this multi-dimensional experience. Features works by ACGA members Emil Yanos and Kathy Pallie.

Submitted by Emil Yanos

Emil Yanos, Outcropping, 2023. Ceramic wall sculpture, thrown, carved and altered. Underglazes, fired to cone 5. 10.75″h x 10.75″w x 3.25″d

ONGOING: NY2CA Gallery Presents “Reciprocity”

NY2CA Gallery Presents “Reciprocity”

A Two Person Exhibition
by Melina Meza
and Melissa Woodburn

June 8 – Aug. 6
Artists’ Reception June 10, 3–6pm
617 – 1st Street, Benicia, CA

Immerse yourself in the beauty of artistic expressions and celebrate the reciprocal relationship between art, nature, and the human spirit. At the reception for artists, experience visual delight, harmonious sounds, and culinary pleasures as they seamlessly come together at this extraordinary exhibition.

Submitted by Melissa Woodburn

Our communications tools now allow members to post their news items directly to the ACGA News Blog, for daily publication. Posts must be admin-approved and may take up to 48 hours to appear in the blog. Incomplete submissions may take longer. The web-based news blog is a living document and posts items in the order they are published. You can scroll through the entire history of the ACGA News here: https://acga.net/acga-news/.

In addition, our monthly ACGA newsletter is emailed to approximately 5500 subscribers. This news is less time-sensitive than more immediate forms of communication such as the news blog and our social media accounts on Instagram and Facebook.

Social media is the most effective and most instantaneous way to reach your audience, provide a platform that can be posted to repeatedly and often. We encourage members to cultivate their own social media accounts on facebook and instagram, to build your own audience and market your wares. We are happy to amplify your message to our followers from time to time when the following conditions are met:

• Captions must include who, what, where, when details.
• Posts must relate to something a collector or student can engage with such as a gallery event, an open studio, or an upcoming sale. Posts that lack context will not be reposted.
• We will not repost items projecting more than 2 weeks in the future.
• Posts should be tagged @theacga to ensure we can find them

ACGA social media accounts have more than 17,000 followers, so following these guidelines could be valuable to you. News items must be written in grammatically correct form, include all details including names (first and last) of members involved, links to artist websites or social media, studio or gallery locations and hours of operation.

Be aware that we have over 350 members and will strive to be fair and equitable, and to showcase the wide variety of accomplished artists who comprise our group. Publication is not guaranteed, and is not a perquisite of membership. If you have an event with frequent updates or an extended window of time, we expect you to manage your news on your end and we may or may not repost at our discretion.

CLICK HERE FOR SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS

Taka Unno

I am a ceramicist based in San Francisco. I am fascinated by the concept of beauty in imperfection. My ultimate goal is to reflect the concept in my ceramic design and create flow and harmony.

I hope you will enjoy my works.

Taka Unno

Cory Ballis

I work with hand blown glass that is melted in a furnace.  Before I start blowing glass I will hand mix 10+ colors that I will use throughout my body of work. Once I have the correct amount of glass I will add color to the outside of the vessel.  This gives the glass a textured finish.  This texture is achieved by different colors stretching and expanding at different rates and it feels very nice in the hand.  The vessel is then blown to shape.  For my drinkware I use blow molds to achieve roughly a common shape.

Cory Ballis

Fred Stodder

Fred Stodder grew up in Laguna Beach California and began seriously studying ceramics at age 16. By the time he was 18 he was exhibiting his ceramic work. He went on to receive a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of California, Irvine.

His ceramic art is regularly exhibited in galleries and museums throughout the country. He is the recipient of numerous awards, appears in many important collections and has been featured in Ceramics Monthly as well as other national arts publications. Fred has exhibited at the Festival of Arts for at least 30 years.

Fred Stodder

Tamara Danoyan

I am inspired by lithop and conophytum plants, which grow in South Africa and Namibia. I am inspired by their size, coloring, and button-like shape. Another body of work would be sculptural vessels. These pieces are bisqued and then printed on with various leaves and flowers. The process is called eco printing or botanical printing. The plants leave their imprints and give their pigment to clay. You never know for sure what you are going to get. The transformation continues as the moisture dissipates: certain colors fade, others appear, new shapes come through.

Tamara Danoyan

ACGA: Tell us about your journey with Glass. How old were you when you began and when did you first know you wanted it to be your profession?
I found my life’s work, inadvertently- seeing hot glass action across the hall from the ceramics studios at San Jose State where I was an avid student, then at Old Town, Los Gatos, where the self-styled pirate Rick Strini had built a rudimentary furnace. Then, fortuitously, during the Italian section of my post-college European tour, hopelessly lost, November, cold and wet, in the Venetian maze, I boarded the wrong vaporetto and ended up out on Murano where I strolled past a dozen glass studios; furnaces blazing, alive with hot glass activity.  One particular shop seemed welcoming, and I warmed myself, shared some of my American cigarettes, and watched them make some generic tourist ware.

ACGA: What were the most important things you learned that prepared you for life as a glass artist?
By the next year, at age 24, I caught the wave of 1970s, post-college, baby-boom entrepreneurial energy, and landed a hot glass job in Santa Cruz making stems, feet, and punties (for about $8 per hour, and working the booth at the Renaissance Fairs in Novato and L.A., bringing our early goblets and art vessels directly to the market.

This early to mid-70s era was the perfect environment for self invention. Without tradition, and with a scarcity of technique, information, materials, tools, etc. aspiring “glass artists” had to build it themselves.  We salvaged, scavenged, re-purposed, repaired, and “appropriated” when necessary. We spent more time in scrap metal yards than in museums. I traded my sports car for a pickup, grew a beard to look older, learned some very basic combustion engineering and safety systems, got a permit, and built my own studio at the Santa Cruz Art Center.

I need to mention that many of us who worked hot glass in California owe some of our technique, work ethic, and general “hot shop” culture to the young Mexican glass blowers from Guadalajara who worked with us here.

ACGA: What prepared you for a life in glass?

I was a decent ceramicist, I could build things (my dad was a craftsman, a draftsman, and a general contractor), I surfed with my future boss, was enamored of his girlfriend, was ambidextrous with good depth perception. I was attracted to the intense heat, and was generally available.

ACGA:  How Do You Determine Pricing? 

I’ve used the intuitive method. Pricing in just enough profit to maintain a decent lifestyle in our desirable location. There’s a sweet spot in pricing a functional glass or decorative art vessel, a price point that’s reasonable to our customers, but covers the considerable overhead (energy, labor, materials, equipment, shipping, insurance, coffee, etc.).  These days, later in my career, I’m more inclined to hold on to pieces that may represent my work in a future historic collection.

ACGA:  What do you love most? 

Initially I was attracted to the rhythm, choreography, and immediacy of glass making, and I still enjoy the meditative repetition of a productive day.  I’m proud to identify as artigiano, working with traditional techniques, guided by my own design sensibility. On rare occasions, I’ll wander into the studio and be inadvertently  surprised by my own work- the shapes, colors, the iridescence, the textures, and patterns; as if someone else had made them, with myself as medium, briefly communicating with long-forgotten glass masters.

ACGA:  What is your advice to someone considering a career in the crafts? 

Dive deeply into your chosen medium, specialize, master at least one technique, experiment (and record the data), change the formula, break the mold, be alert for the felix culpa, find your own voice. Know your audience and make something they absolutely can’t resist.

ACGA:  People would be surprised to know that…

The late, esteemed Czech glass luminary and master Stanislav Libenský once asked me, across the table at Pilchuck Glass School, to “Please pass the salt”.

Submitted by Cheryl Costantini for Peter Vizzuzi

I came to glass through a convoluted process– not through college or employment, but through curiosity. I was pursuing blacksmithing when I was first exposed to glassblowing at the Northern California Renaissance Faire in 1991. I started learning how to work with the medium for a couple of seasons, and really enjoyed it. But then life took over and I didn’t get back to glassblowing for 7 years. In the meantime I enrolled in San Francisco State, where I studied film, print and color management on desktop computers. It turned out that all of that work helped to inform my direction in the medium of glass. During that time I developed a sense of design, and more crucially, color, which is now a central focus for me in my glass art. Another factor that  contributed to being able to pursue glass was the years I had been working as a general contractor, which also provided me with a useful skill set that served me well when it came time  to build my own shop.

In 1999 I was  offered an apprenticeship with Art Ramos, of J. Fine Glass. After a couple of years with Art,  I got a job as the glass studio manager  at the Bay Area Glass Institute (BAGI, and ) a few years later I was hired by Clifford Rainey at The California College of Arts and Crafts (now CCA). I have also taught at MIT and San Jose State University. The time at CCA was invaluable; my time as studio manager allowed me to deepen my knowledge of the craft and learned a wide range of techniques (including fusing and slumping, kiln casting, and cold working)  as well as how to build and maintain a hot shop. I also learned how to manage and mentor a large shop full of college students. This experience at CCA helped me develop and refine my skills, and prepared me to design and build my own hot shop a few years later.

Ultimately I took up glass because it’s potential fascinated me. And I like hot things.

I always figured that when you look at a piece of glass that the first thing you see Is the color; the second thing you see is the shape. I believe that color speaks to us on a very direct level, and has the ability to awaken and energize our awareness. There is no other medium besides glass that places color in such a relationship to light, and it is only by light that we perceive color. Because of the ability of light to pass through and illuminate the glass, we can experience color at its most beautiful intensity. My goal is to continually push the boundaries of the medium in order to explore new possibilities for color so that I can offer truly original pieces that surprise and delight. Though I am always reaching for the new, my work is rooted in an artisan tradition that dates back over two millennia, a tradition I am proud to be a part of. I create each of my pieces — drinking glasses, vases, lighting bells, and sculpture—by hand, using only hand tools and the blowpipe.

I have always added some kind of random element to all of my designs. “Stochastic glass” is the term I use to describe my interest in chance operations in the creation of glass. From the Greek word for “random,” stochastic is a term most commonly used in mathematical probability theory, suggesting the deliberate incorporation of a random element into a set of known variables. The creation of art glass using Stochastic techniques depends upon the ability of the artist to respond to the combination of both unpredictable and known behaviors when molten glass is exposed to intense manipulation such as stretching, reheating, layering, cracking, and crimping. Each piece I create is the happy combination of design, skill, and serendipity.

For example, I have recently been developing a new effect that creates wispy lines and reticulated patterns in certain colors. I call it “fingerprinting.” This new effect complements an old line of work I call the turbulent series, which I am now revisiting, as well as being sufficiently interesting to stand on its own as a design.  It starts with radical manipulation of color prior to shaping the glass. This results in a 3-D like quality in these pieces and produces random designs that lead the viewer to find their own imagery in  each piece (example above).

I love sharing my knowledge of glass and frequently do (my partner claims I  talk about it incessantly). Fortunately I have an outlet; I spend a great deal of my time teaching glass both privately and through our local Cabrillo Community college art’s extension program. There is nothing like the joy expressed by someone’s first taste of working with this magical material. I am currently running lessons in glass blowing Wednesday nights with a group of continuing  students.

I joined the board of ACGA in order to deepen my professional ties to the arts community in our area, and to give back to the community that has supported me. As a board member it has been my privilege to run the jury that selects new members to join our Festival. I have been very proud to watch the jury take such care in discussing and considering each and every applicant with open minds and a critical eye. Every jury is different yet I have noticed one aspect they all share, which is that they all want to arrive at  a clean and bias free conclusion. Watching the deliberation has been wonderful and fascinating. They do not spare their opinions yet they all listen to each other in full measure. I would like to thank each and every juror for taking the many hours it takes to be on the jury and for their service to our group, and for welcoming new artists into the ACGA community.

Submitted by Chris Johnson, ACGA Festival Jury Coordinator @chrisjohnsonglass

WORKSHOPS

Wine Country Teapot Workshop with Miki Shim

Join Miki shim on this one-day teapot workshop and wine tasting in Sonoma Valley, California.

Participants will use hand-building techniques to design and construct functional and decorative teapots.
After the workshop, enjoy wood-fired pizza and wine tasting reception hosted by Quail Run Winery.

Fee: $325, includes all materials for the workshop, morning refreshments, lunch and evening wine tasting reception.
Register: www.mikisr.com

Submitted by Miki Shim

EXHIBITS

Landscape Perspectives

June 2–July 22, 2023
June 9, 5–8pm: Reception and Art Walk
July 14, 5–8pm: Reception and Art Walk

The exhibit, Landscape Perspectives, reimagines and celebrates traditional landscape-based artwork by offering a diverse collection of expressions, approaches, and interpretations. From realism to surrealism, to abstraction, and beyond; viewers will surely enjoy this multi-dimensional experience.

Exhibiting Artists: Chris Adessa, Sheldon Bachus, Barry Beach, Benjamin Benet, Debra Bibel, Jenny Blackburn, John Bucklin, Annette LeMay Burke, Morgan Carhart, Gail Caulfield, Dana Christensen, Patrick Cosgrove, Norma Dimaulo, Janey Fritsche, April Gavin, Wendy Goldberg, Lisa Gonzalves, Gail Gurman, Janet Jacobs, Clementine Keenan, Catherine Lee, Kathleen Lipinski, Liz Mamorsky, Michael Manente, Gary Marsh, Gail Morrison, Kathy Pallie, Cindy Pavlinac, Amrita Singhal, Sue Weil, Rusty Weston, Emil Yanos, June Yokell, Jeffrey Zalles

Juror: Kim Eagles-Smith, owner and director Kim Eagles-Smith Gallery, Mill Valley CA,

Juror Statement:
“In my selections for this exhibit I used the following guidelines:  The artist’s ambition, that they made a serious attempt to create a work of substance. That the artist exhibited a suitable rigor of craftmanship. I was also looking for examples  that began with a creative idea to express the theme of this show and was more than a simple depiction. I also was mindful of selecting as much diversity of media as the limits of selection and works submitted would allow.” —Kim Eagles-Smith

Submitted by Emil Yanos  @emilyanosdesign

NY2CA Gallery Presents “Reciprocity”

A Two Person Exhibition
by Melina Meza
and Melissa Woodburn

June 8 – Aug. 6
Artists’ Reception June 10, 3–6pm
617 – 1st Street, Benicia, CA

Immerse yourself in the beauty of artistic expressions and celebrate the reciprocal relationship between art, nature, and the human spirit. At the reception for artists, experience visual delight, harmonious sounds, and culinary pleasures as they seamlessly come together at this extraordinary exhibition.

Submitted by Melissa Woodburn

Delicious – Works Inspired by Food and Drink

Studio Gallery
June 8th – July 3rd, 2023
Opening Reception:
Sunday, June 11th, 2 – 5 pm
This is always a wonderful show of mostly small works from local artists in all media.  Melissa Woodburn is showing two ceramic sculptures from her persimmon series. To see the online galleries click here.

Submitted by Melissa Woodburn

Majolica Garden
Ceramics by Liz Lauter

The San Geronimo Valley Community Center debuts Liz Lauter’s Tree of Life solo ceramics collection. Her recent work features elaborately embellished Arbol de la Vida candelabra forms, wall mounted sculptures and “istoriato” painted platters with narrative themes of Adam & Eve in the Garden of Eden as seen from Eve’s perspective. She uses the traditional Italian majolica technique of terra cotta clay, tin glaze and vibrant hand painted overglaze colors.

Liz’s clay artwork weaves threads of Mexican folk art, Islamic design, and botanical illustration into her own form of expression which is new at the same time familiar. They all meet in her Garden of Eden.

Gallery hours: 12-5 and M-F from 10-5

Artist Reception with Liz Sunday, July 9th from 4-7

Visions in Clay Call for Entries

Entry is open now through June 26, 2023
Exhibition Juror:
Joan Takayama-Ogawa, Professor of Ceramics and Product Design, Otis College of Art & Design, Los Angeles,California

Gallery & Online Exhibition:
August 28 – September 21, 2023
August 31, 5:00-7:00p.m.

Gallery Awards
$800 | $600 | $400
San Joaquin Potters Guild Founders Award ~ $300
Regional Artist Award $800

Entry Fees:
$30 for 3 entries / $45 up to 6 entries
For the complete Prospectus Guidelines and to enter go to:
gallery.deltacollege.edu

– Call for entries
LH Horton Jr. Gallery, San Joaquin Delta College
5151 Pacific Ave.
Stockton, CA

Our communications tools now allow members to post their news items directly to the ACGA News Blog, for daily publication. Posts must be admin-approved and may take up to 48 hours to appear in the blog. Incomplete submissions may take longer. The web-based news blog is a living document and posts items in the order they are published. You can scroll through the entire history of the ACGA News here: https://acga.net/acga-news/.

In addition, our monthly ACGA newsletter is emailed to approximately 5500 subscribers. This news is less time-sensitive than more immediate forms of communication such as the news blog and our social media accounts on Instagram and Facebook.

Social media is the most effective and most instantaneous way to reach your audience, provide a platform that can be posted to repeatedly and often. We encourage members to cultivate their own social media accounts on facebook and instagram, to build your own audience and market your wares. We are happy to amplify your message to our followers from time to time when the following conditions are met:

• Captions must include who, what, where, when details.
• Posts must relate to something a collector or student can engage with such as a gallery event, an open studio, or an upcoming sale. Posts that lack context will not be reposted.
• We will not repost items projecting more than 2 weeks in the future.
• Posts should be tagged @theacga to ensure we can find them

ACGA social media accounts have more than 17,000 followers, so following these guidelines could be valuable to you. News items must be written in grammatically correct form, include all details including names (first and last) of members involved, links to artist websites or social media, studio or gallery locations and hours of operation.

Be aware that we have over 350 members and will strive to be fair and equitable, and to showcase the wide variety of accomplished artists who comprise our group. Publication is not guaranteed, and is not a perquisite of membership. If you have an event with frequent updates or an extended window of time, we expect you to manage your news on your end and we may or may not repost at our discretion.

CLICK HERE FOR SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS

GLENN EVANS

I am drawn by the juxtaposition of precise geometric forms with natural, organic ones. When I look at the Golden Gate Bridge I see the triangles, rectangles and parabolas that create its strength, resilience, and stability. Simultaneously, I see the sparkle, reflections, shadows, and movement of the environs that no human designed yet are intrinsic to its beauty and to my aesthetic experience. I am guided by the same principles in creating fused glass – precisely executed geometric forms integrated with organic shapes and color.

Over the last year or so I have been particularly fascinated by the transformation of precise geometric arrangements into intricate organic patterns using drop rings of various sizes. For this submission I have focused on a recent series which uses a variety of pattern-bar-like components as the starting point for each piece. This approach demands exactitude in the assembly and cold work, yet the final result depends equally on the serendipity that happens in the unseen red glow of the kiln.

Glenn Evans

RACHEL COX

Growing up in an artistic family in Atlanta, Georgia, I always had art supplies at hand and was encouraged to play and experiment. When I settled in San Francisco, California as a young adult, I discovered my love of ceramics at City College of San Francisco. I studied the medium independently while traveling in Mexico and Central America, and later earned an MFA in Applied Craft and Design from Pacific Northwest College of Art / Oregon College of Art and Craft. I also hold a BA in Sociology from Brandeis University.

Spiritual traditions of various cultures and archetypal symbols have long interested me. Over the years, I’ve integrated those visual elements in my art while applying contemporary designs and patterns. I have exhibited art in San Francisco, Pacifica, Oakland, Portland, and Seattle. After a long hiatus from exhibiting while working in academia, I reemerged in several art shows in 2022. I make my work at a community ceramics studio and at my kitchen table in San Francisco.

Rachel Cox

KEVIN SCHEER

Although my strongest passion lies in the ceramic arts, I have spent over 30 years in a variety of disciplines ranging from photography and jewelry, to studying acoustic guitar and publishing photo-realistic art. I feel that my diverse interests have provided me with a broader understanding of how we all interact with and truly need art in our daily lives to nourish ourselves.

Having taken ceramic courses at a variety of facilities and having my own studio, I consider myself mostly self-taught. I do enjoy studying work from students of the Leach/Hamada tradition and have currently been influenced by those who studied under these two great craftsmen. I believe I am continually on my journey of working toward my own aesthetic and individual style, further defining myself as a unique ceramic artist.

Kevin Scheer

MORAN NHEL

Moran was born in Cambodia, near the border of Vietnam.  Cambodian art & culture, Angkor Wat, and the natural tropical landscapes (forests, rivers & the great lake Tonle Sap) influenced his artistic mind.  As a boy, he entertained himself by making figures of animals & people from clay found in the riverbanks.  As the Vietnam War came to an end, the Cambodian Genocide by the Khmer Rouge began.  Moran was separated from his family as a teen during the brutal Khmer Rouge regime. In 1975 he escaped and made his way to a refugee camp in Thailand. A year later, he arrived in San Bernardino, California as part of a US refugee program.  After learning English and earning his GED, Moran started college at Cal State San Bernardino in 1978.  In 1980, he studied abroad for a semester at the University of Paris.  The art and culture in France changed his outlook and his major.  During college Moran showed his work in Southern California art festivals such as Burbank – 1985, La Quinta – 1985, & Beverly Hills – 1986.  Moran earned a Dual Bachelor’s Degree in French and Fine Arts, with an emphasis in glass sculpture at Cal State University, San Bernardino in 1986.  Over the years, his style has changed from sculpting a single subject in one material – stone, bronze, glass or ceramics; to incorporating a mixture of those media in order to create a complete artistic idea.  Currently, Moran is focusing on fused glass art.

Moran Nhel

Mari Emori “Celestial” – 19″H x 13″W x9″D – 2022

Mari Emori Awarded 1st Place

Mari was awarded 1st placefor her sculpture “Celestial” in OFF CENTER, An International Ceramic Art Competition, by juror Garth Johnson, Paul Phillips and Sharon Sullivan Curator of Ceramics at the Everson Museum of Art in Syracuse, New York.

“My “Drop Series” is deeply inspired by nature, both its beauty and the destructive power of its forces, as a single drop of water signifies life and the environment. I create pieces that reflect my connection to the natural world. When I’m not in the studio, I love to spend time in nature, hiking and wandering, always taking in new impressions that find their way into my work.

“Most recently, I have been looking toward the night sky, inspired by a renewed interest in space exploration. I have expanded my “Drop Series” and created variations representing our universe and its beauty. “Celestial” represents the vastness of our universe, inspired by our galaxy. Wispy arms of stars reach out amidst a sea of emptiness while a mass of heavenly bodies cluster around a center that could be a black hole or a portal to the unknown.”

OFF CENTER: April 8 – May 20, 2023

www.bluelinearts.org/off-center-2023

Blue Line Arts: 405 Vernon St #100, Roseville, CA 95678  gallery@bluelinearts.org

Submitted by Mari Emori  @emoriceramics

Second Saturday Art Walks May 13, open through 8pm and online at

https://brumfieldgallery.com/show/brumfield-gallery-deborah-bridges

‘Persona’ is an ongoing series of works by Deborah Bridges. The exploration of an idea in a piece is central to Deborah’s art. She works in a series until the idea is exhausted within the form.  This current body of work, “Persona”,  began in 2018. When asked what is it that she is expressing in these serious faces with masks and puppet-like bodies?  She says,  “I love the incongruity of them. I love the complicated and mysterious humanity of them.  My figures are grappling with the full range of human experience, the dark as well as the light. The face paint points to the masks we wear as we try to hold on to the stories of our apparent separate selfhood, our personas.”

Reposted from https://brumfieldgallery.com/show/brumfield-gallery-deborah-bridges

WORKSHOPS

Saturday June 10th, 10am -4pm

Non Student Rate $70 Student Rate $50

Register at this address: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/press-mold-and-paper-clay-technique-with-wesley-wright-and-malia-landis-tickets-607701450397

Join Wes and Malia for a collaborative workshop with hands on demonstrations! The workshop will begin with lectures discussing the broader applications of their process, followed by concurrent demonstrations.

Wesley will use larger press molds to construct an animal totem while Malia will construct flower and plant forms in paper clay to be added to the totem toward the end of the demonstration.

Attendees will have the opportunity to participate in the hands on demonstration and work alongside each artist. Use of press molds, ceramic sculpting techniques and how to approach working with paper clay will all be covered…. plus so much more!

Join us for the fun.

Malia Landis @malialandis, malialandis.com

Wesley Wright  @wesleytwrightart, wesleytwright.com

Reposted from Wesley Wright Instagram

Submitted by Chris Johnson chris@chrisjohnsonglass.com, @chrisjohnsonglass

WORKSHOP WITH ROCKY LEWYCKY

LOCATION: Mendocino Art Center

INSTRUCTOR: Rocky Lewycky
CLASS TITLE: Alternative Materials and Finishes: Stretching the Creative Process
DATE(S):  August 21 – 27, 2023
DAYS OF WEEK: Monday – Sunday
HOURS: 9:30 am to 4:30 pm
SKILL LEVEL: Intermediate/Advanced

COST: $1155

The heart of this workshop is in the exploration of alternative firings. We will be working and exploring everyday with new firing techniques and processes. Students will bring both greenware and bisqueware to the workshop to fulfill each process. You can visit my website and click on “workshops” to see examples of what you will be learning in the workshop. Below is a list of firings that we will be exploring:

–   Ferric Chloride Saggar Burritos
–   Ferric Chloride Spray Over Clear Crackle
–   Pit Fire over Greenware Terra-Sigillata Base
–   Pit Fire over Bisqueware Terra-Sigillata with Mica Colorants Base
–   Horse Hair/Feather Firing with GreenwareTerra-Sigillata Base
–   Cone 7 Seashell Side-Fire with Matte Crystal Glazes (Oxidation)
–   Cone 11 Side-Fire Shino with Wood Ash (Reduction)

Along with our exploration of alternative firing techniques, we will also spend some time experimenting with alternative materials and surface treatments.  will demonstrate how to make and use the following:

–   Greenware Greek Style Terra Sigillata (Greenware)
–   Greenware Terra-Sigillata with Mason Stain Colorants
–   Bisqueware Terra Sigillata with Mica Colorants
–   Paper Clay with Burnout Legumes
–   Feldspar Inclusions
–   Micaceous Clay

Finally, I will teach you how to clean and finish your pots with the following techniques:
–   Dremel Tool Sanding of Side Fire Wares
–   Wax Sealing of Low Fire Wares
–   Introduction to Gold Leafing Materials and Sizing Demo

**Please note that you will need to purchase an organic vapor mask to participate in the Ferric Chloride processes  (~$45). In preparation for the workshop, you will need approximately 20-40 small to medium pieces at various stages of completion. Please allow enough time for this planning. Detailed information will be provided upon registration.

Mendocino Art Center Website

https://www.mendocinoartcenter.org/classes-1/alternative-materials-and-finishes-stretching-the-creative-process

Rocky Lewycky Website

http://www.rocksart.com/workshops-2

Submitted by Rocky Lewycky @rockylewycky

EXHIBITS

Painterly – characterized by qualities of color, stroke, or texture perceived as distinctive to the art of painting, especially the rendering of forms and images in terms of color or tonal relations rather than of contour or line.

This show features works by Josie Jurczenia @josiejurczeniaclay, David Swenson, Lisa Orr, Masayuki Miyajima, Ron Meyers, Bede Clarke, Hayne Bayless, and more.

Reposted from Schaller Gallery

May 13+14, May 20+21,
11 am – 5 pm

East Bay Open Studios is almost here! Over 185 artists across the East Bay will open their studios to the public so you can discover art where it happens.

EBOS is an opportunity to connect to the fabulous artists who live in your cities and neighborhoods. Meet artists, see or purchase their artwork, and build community. The event is free and family-friendly.

EBOS is self-guided and you can visit as many studios as you want. You can use the map on our website to locate studios or download Vibemap to participate in a Treasure Hunt and win prizes. If you need help getting oriented, start at one of our Community Hubs or RSVP to our Opening Celebration and Exhibition at Uptown Station on Friday, May 12. We can’t wait to see you there!

East Bay Open Studios

https://eastbayopenstudios.com

@eastbayopenartstudios

East Bay Open Studios is a program of Oakland Art Murmur www.oaklandartmurmur.org

Deb Sullivan (clay)

3234 Fernside Boulevard, Alameda

www.debsullivanpottery.com

Itsuko Zenitani (clay)

731 Jones Street, Berkeley

www.berkeleypotters.com/artist/itsuko-zenitani

Mari Emori (clay)

731 Jones Street, Berkeley

www.berkeleypotters.com/artist/mari-emori

Javier Perez (clay)

8001 Terrace Drive, El Cerrito

www.Javierperezstudio.com

Vivien Hart (glass)

894 Dewing Avenue, Lafayette

www.glasshart.com

Submitted by Mari Emori  @emoriceramics

Glass Hart Studio opens its doors to visitors during the 2nd weekend of east bay open studios,
May 20-21, 2023, Sat. & Sun. 11-5pm.
Glass Hart Studio is a working kiln-forming glass studio based near downtown Lafayette. You can find glass wall art, sculptural bowls and small gifts. Light refreshments will be served. A convenient 10 minute walk from Lafayette bart. You can also find street parking nearby.

Look forward to seeing you then!

Submitted by Vivien Hart

Website: www.glasshart.com

IG: @vivienhart

The San Joaquin Clay & Glass Spring Festival will be on the grounds of Redeemer Lutheran Church, 1084 W Bullard in Fresno, Saturday, May 13, 10am – 3pm.

The Central Valley’s best clay and glass artists will be presenting their latest fine, fun, and functional works just in time for Mother’s Day. Exhibiting artists include ACGA members Kliss Glass @klissglass, Hannah Witter @hannah.rose_ceramics and Ren Lee @renleestudio will be on hand along with 25 other accomplished local artisans working in clay and glass.

Please like and follow @sanjoaquinclayandglass on Instagram.

Posted by Ren Lee @renleestudio/renlee000@gmail.com

The much-anticipated 25 th Anniversary North Auburn Artists’ Studio Tour will be held Mother’s Day weekend, May 13th &14th. Twenty-one well-known North Auburn artists will be showing their art at 14 different studios. The FREE tour is open to the public on Saturday and Sunday from 10:00 AM until 5:00 PM.

There are sculptors, ceramic artists, painters, photographers, glass artisans, wood workers, jewelry, textile and fiber artists on the tour. This is an opportunity to watch the artists working in their studios and ask questions about the medium they create in. This is an event that will interest and please the whole family. You may also purchase and take-home original works of art, cards or prints from the studios. An online tour guide is available at the
website www.northauburnartists.com

Submitted by Hannah & Alana Nicholson van Altena

BARBARA GLYNN PRODANIUK’S SPRING OPEN STUDIO

June 2,3 &4
10 am-5 pm each day
15576 Waterloo Circle
Truckee, Ca 96161

Come enjoy a lovely day in Truckee,
browse a wide selection of functional
pottery and sculptural pieces in both an
outdoor garden setting and inside my potterystudio.
Posted by Barbara Glynn Prodaniuk
https://bgppottery.com/
@bgprodaniuk

Visions in Clay Call for Entries

Entry is open now through June 26, 2023
Exhibition Juror:
Joan Takayama-Ogawa, Professor of Ceramics and Product Design, Otis College of Art & Design, Los Angeles,California

Gallery & Online Exhibition:
August 28 – September 21, 2023
August 31, 5:00-7:00p.m.

Gallery Awards
$800 | $600 | $400
San Joaquin Potters Guild Founders Award ~ $300
Regional Artist Award $800

Entry Fees:
$30 for 3 entries / $45 up to 6 entries
For the complete Prospectus Guidelines and to enter go to:
gallery.deltacollege.edu

– Call for entries
LH Horton Jr. Gallery, San Joaquin Delta College
5151 Pacific Ave.
Stockton, CA

Delicious – A visual art exhibit about culinary delights

Art Works Downtown – Delicious 1337 Fourth Street, San Rafael

April 7–May 20, 2023   Thursday–Saturday, 1–8pm April 14, 5–8pm

OFF CENTER 2023: An International Ceramic Art Competition

April 8 – May 20

Blue Line Arts 405 Vernon St #100, Roseville

OFF CENTER is Blue Line Arts’ annual ceramic art competition, juried each year from entries from across the nation and abroad. The exhibition hosts work from 41 different artists working in a variety of styles, from functional studio pottery to imaginative installations. Alongside OFF CENTER, you can also catch solo exhibitions in different mediums for Nina Temple, Robert Obier, and Brooke Aruffo. Blue Line Arts @bluelinearts www.bluelinearts.org, 405 Vernon St #100, Roseville, CA 95678.  Open Tuesday through Saturday from 11–5 pm or by appointment.

ACGA Members Showing

Mary Catherine Bassett: @mcrathergather www.marycatherinebassett.com,

Michele Collier: @burningclay www.burningclay.blogspot.com,

Mari Emori: @emoriceramics www.berkeleypotters.com,

Vince Montague: @vincemontague www.vincemontague.com,

Jan Schachter: @janschachter www.janschachter.com

Clay & Earth . Where We Stand . NY2CA Gallery

April 20  – June 4

Vicki Gunter exhibits 16 eco-justice ceramic sculptures, as the first invited artist to NY2CA, a new Gallery in Benicia, CA. A Percentage of all Vicki’s sales will equally benefit SFBaykeeper and Sogorea Te’ Land Trust. She is collaborating with Greenpeace creating QR codes for visitors to further explore and contextualize each sculpture. This is a Dual exhibition with NY2CA co-owner and painter Terry Twigg. Your purchase can support art, the SF Bay watershed, Indigenous Ohlone, a new gallery, your joy and sanity!

Our communications tools now allow members to post their news items directly to the ACGA News Blog, for daily publication. Posts must be admin-approved and may take up to 48 hours to appear in the blog. Incomplete submissions may take longer. The web-based news blog is a living document and posts items in the order they are published. You can scroll through the entire history of the ACGA News here: https://acga.net/acga-news/.

In addition, our monthly ACGA newsletter is emailed to approximately 5500 subscribers. This news is less time-sensitive than more immediate forms of communication such as the news blog and our social media accounts on Instagram and Facebook.

Social media is the most effective and most instantaneous way to reach your audience, provide a platform that can be posted to repeatedly and often. We encourage members to cultivate their own social media accounts on facebook and instagram, to build your own audience and market your wares. We are happy to amplify your message to our followers from time to time when the following conditions are met:

• Captions must include who, what, where, when details.
• Posts must relate to something a collector or student can engage with such as a gallery event, an open studio, or an upcoming sale. Posts that lack context will not be reposted.
• We will not repost items projecting more than 2 weeks in the future.
• Posts should be tagged @theacga to ensure we can find them

ACGA social media accounts have more than 17,000 followers, so following these guidelines could be valuable to you. News items must be written in grammatically correct form, include all details including names (first and last) of members involved, links to artist websites or social media, studio or gallery locations and hours of operation.

Be aware that we have over 350 members and will strive to be fair and equitable, and to showcase the wide variety of accomplished artists who comprise our group. Publication is not guaranteed, and is not a perquisite of membership. If you have an event with frequent updates or an extended window of time, we expect you to manage your news on your end and we may or may not repost at our discretion.

CLICK HERE FOR SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS