Amy’s ceramic work has been shown nationally and can be seen in several books and magazines including Studio Potter magazine and the Lark 500 series books.

Amy is fascinated by Islamic Architecture, specifically their domes. She is translating the dome forms into double walled vessels. The interior wall is solid, while the exterior wall is pierced and cut. Some of her vessels are cup like, some serve as lids for jars. She uses a combination of throwing and plaster molds to create the forms. During Amy’s Second Saturday, she will demonstrate several methods of creating double and even triple walled forms.

But why wait until June?  Let’s start the celebration early with a fun little contest:

We need new shirts…And on our new shirts, we want a fresh 30th anniversary image (and optional slogan to accompany it).  So start your creative engines, because we will be accepting t-shirt designs from now until April 21st.  Winner of the contest (there *may* be more than one) gets a $50 Bracker’s Gift Certificate AND the shirt, autographed by Anne W. Bracker.

Submissions can be emailed, snail-mailed, hand-delivered, ftp’ed, esp’ed, or any other method you can think of (we do suggest that you confirm that we received your design)

While we don’t want to limit creativity, we do have a few suggestions:

• We are more likely to select an image that requires only one ink color.
• We are more likely to select an image intended for the back of the t-shirt only. (We will likely use the regular Bracker’s Logo for the heart print, although if you want to create a heart-print for the front and a full back…then hey, go for it!)
• If design is hand-drawn or not vector artwork, please submit by April 14th to allow extra time to computerize the design.
• If you are planning to use the Bracker’s logo in your design, please contact us and we can send you the artwork in the format that works best for you.

Official workshop announcement (click to download):

PREPARATION – Each 2 ounce RAC squeeze bottle comes with a separate metal tip.  Before using the pen unscrew the black plastic cap and remove the liner from inside the cap. After screwing the cap back on the bottle, take off the clear plastic cover. The black plastic tip has a small hole which can be used without modifications or, if you want to make thicker lines, carefully cut a small piece off the end of the tip with a sharp knife or scissors in order to enlarge the hole. If you want to attach the metal tip, in order to make finer lines, you will need to cut approximately ¼ inch off the end of the black tip. This will provide a fat enough end to screw the metal tip onto.

HOW TO USE THEM – Before using the pen on your ceramic piece, first shake the pen vigorously and then test the flow by squeezing some of the slip out on a piece of paper. This should remove any air bubbles and establish a consistent flow of slip. If the slip has become too thick to flow properly, unscrew the black plastic cap and pour 2 or 3 drops of water into the bottle. Then replace the cap and shake and test again. When you are using the pen on a piece of greenware or bisque, hold the pen tip in contact with the piece.  It makes it easier to control the writing than holding the tip above the piece and dropping the color onto the surface.  Also the slight scratching of the surface improves the bonding between the slip and the piece.  Do not hold the pen directly vertical while writing because this leaves no gap for the liquid to flow out of.  Hold the pen at an angle to the surface so that there is an opening for the slip to flow through.  Because the slip is quite thick you must write more slowly than with a pen. This allows time for the liquid to flow through the tip.  You can create a large variety of line thicknesses by varying finger pressure and writing speed.  The harder you press and the slower you write the thicker your lines will be.

HOW TO KEEP THE METAL TIP FROM PLUGGING – The liquid in an RAC pen is a type of colored slip and like any other slip it will harden in the pen tip unless you do something to prevent it. We recommend taking a staple from your stapler and straightening out one end to use as a reamer to push into the metal tip.  It is helpful to leave the staple in the tip when the pen is not in use to prevent clogging.  When you are finished using the pen for the day, the metal tip should be removed from the plastic nipple and the clear plastic cover replaced on the bottle to prevent the pen from drying out.  Also when you have an empty pen you should clean it out and fill it with water.  After you have finished using a metal tip you should screw it onto the pen filled with water and squeeze water through the tip to clean it out. Letting a used tip soak in water  will help prevent hardening and plugging.

HOW TO REFILL AN RAC PEN - In order to refill an RAC pen, you first unscrew the black plastic cap from the top of the bottle. Then using the 16 ounce RAC refill bottles you squeeze more of the same color slip into the bottle.  Since the slip is quite thick you may need to tap the bottle on a hard surface a few times as you refill it to get the liquid to settle to the bottom of the bottle.

Raised Accent Colours will fire from Cone 04 to Cone 10, however the hotter the temperature, the less noticeable the embossing effect.  This is more true in some colors than others.

Raised Accent Colours 2oz Pen Regular Price: $4.95

Bracker’s Glaze of the Month Price: $3.96

Hover over any picture’s description to expand it, or click any image to view at larger size

Raised Accent Colours Cone 05

Yellow RAC on Cone 04 Terra Blanc

Black RAC on Cone 04 Terra Blanc with Oxblood on top

Black RAC on Cone 04 Terra Blanc with O-54 on top

Yellow RAC on Cone 04 Terra Blanc with Pistachio over

Green RAC on Cone 04 Earthenware Red with Pistachio over

Green RAC on Cone 04 Earthenware Red with Pistachio over

Black RAC on Cone 5 Porcelain

Black RAC on Cone 5 Porcelain

Green RAC on Cone 5 Porcelain

Yellow RAC on Cone 5 Porcelain

PC 28 over Raised Accent Colors on Cone 5 Porcelain

© All rights reserved

Because AMACO Potter’s Choice glazes have proven to be so very popular, we are stocking many of them in gallons as well as pints, so this month, we have a special glaze of the month price for both sizes!

AMACO PC28 Frosted Turquoise:

PINT Regular Price: $9.95/pint

Bracker’s Glaze of the Month PINT Price: $8.00

GALLON Regular Price: $49.95/pint

Bracker’s Glaze of the Month GALLON Price: $40.00

Hover over any picture’s description to expand it, or click any image to view at larger size

PC-28_Frosted Turquoise_Sake Cup

PC 28 - 2 coats on top half

PC 28 on Cone 5 Porcelain

PC 28 over Raised Accent Colors on Cone 5 Porcelain

Deep Firebrick over PC 28

Deep Firebrick over PC 28

Odyssey Blue over PC 28

Opulence Pine Forest over PC 28

Patchwork Pot on Porcelain (PC28 and other glazes combined)

Patchwork Pot on Porcelain (PC28 and other glazes combined)

Patchwork Pot on Porcelain (PC28 and other glazes combined)

Patchwork Pot on Porcelain (PC28 and other glazes combined)

PC-28 over 29

pc28-over-pc59-cup-combo-pp

PC28 over Pine Forest

PC28 over Satin Black

PC28 over (l-r) Porcelain, Buff, Black, Hawaiian Red, B-3 Brown

© All rights reserved

Although AMACO® Opalescent Glazes may be used on any clay, they develop their greatest opalescence and most interesting textures when applied over red clays. Most of the AMACO® Opalescent Glazes have a high gloss similar to mother-of-pearl. Best results are achieved with three or four applications of glaze. On textured ware, the glaze flows thin on relief and thick in incised areas, giving an added dimension on the surface.

The technique of utilizing a base layer of Velvet underglazes, covered with an Opalescent glaze, brings out the true beauty of the Opalescent glazes. The technique is simple yet offers some wonderful results. The process consists of making a form, which can be either vigorously and deeply carved, or very subtly carved, with a low fire clay that is bisque fired to cone 04. The bisque fired piece is covered with a single good coat of the Velvet underglaze of choice, coated with 3 coats of the Opalescent glaze and glaze fired to cone 05. It is that simple a process but the results are spectacular.

The artist needs to consider three key things in putting these combinations (which are numerous) together to which I give guidance below:

Depth and sharpness of carving: The deeper and sharper the carving, the Opalescent glaze will get thinner on the sharp edges and will pool more in the low spots. This will result in sharp and dramatic contrasts between the Velvets and the Opalescent. A softer and less abrupt carving will result in a soft more subtle transition from the Velvet to the Opalescent. Consider how deep to carve the surfaces depending on whether the surface will be vertical (pitcher) or horizontal (tile).

The artist must consider what Velvets will look good in contrast with Opalescent glaze. AMACO has 58 different Velvets that span the rainbow as far as color and shade.  We always want to show off what our extended family makes with our products.

The Opalescent glazes give very different looks and intensities of the contrasting opalescent layer. Our featured glaze, Dusty Rose, is a very pale pink rose color.  The intensity of the color is adjustable with number of coats.  Fewer coats lends a more pearly color with a hint of rose while more coats brings out stronger pink tones.

AMACO® Opalescent Glazes are supplied in liquid, ready-to-use form in pint jars. They are applied on a mature Cone 04 (1971°F, 1077°C) bisque by brushing, dipping, or pouring. On red bisque, these glazes should be applied rather heavily, and a slow rather than fast firing is best. Recommended temperature is Cone 05 (1911°F, 1044°C).

AMACO O54 Dusty Rose Regular Price: $13.50

Bracker’s Glaze of the Month Price: $10.80

Hover over any picture’s description to expand it, or click any image to view at larger size

O-54_Dusty Rose

O54 on Earthenware White and Red

O-54 over Earthenware Red, textured with MKM roller

)-54 over Cinnamon Velvet

O-54 over various Velvet Underglazes

O-54 over Raised Accent Colours

O-54 over Royal Blue Underglaze

swipes of O 54 over Phoenix Red

O54 over Espresso

O-54 over 953 Espresso on red clay

© All rights reserved

Mitch Lyons earned his MFA degree in ceramics from Tyler School of Art, and his BFA degree in graphics from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia. His clay monoprints can be found in numerous private and public collections throughout the United States, including the Brooklyn Museum of Art, Woodmere Museum, American University, and the University of Delaware. Students will learn to pull clay monoprints from a slab of stoneware clay (matrix) by applying China clay mixed with colored clays, and pigments, not inks, to the slab. Mark making is encouraged by utilizing textures, stencils, and pastels, as well as many printmaking and ceramic techniques, to the soft clay. A wooden rolling pin (press) is rolled over a wet canvas/paper to remove a thin layer of colored clays. Because China clay is very inert and the pigments are permanent, this unique printing process using clay will remain light-fast and stable. Mitch will demonstrate his inventive printing process each day. This class if open to anyone — printmakers, ceramists, and painters — who wants to use clay in a very different way. Enroll in two printmaking workshops, get $10 off.

Min 6/Max 12  Fri, Mar 9, 6-7:30pm (demo) AND Sat-Sun, Mar 10-11, 10am-4pm (workshop), $210

CLICK HERE TO ENROLL

NOTE:  If the workshop fills completely, all participants will receive a partial refund for the fee, so sign up with a friend!