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Announcing Bracker’s Consulting Services!

Announcing Bracker’s Consulting Services!

by claygirl | Sep 18, 2020 | Education, opportunities, Featured, News, Service

With the pandemic raging on, we have found that many ceramic enthusiasts have been left without access to teachers and instruction. We are excited to help fill that gap with our new Custom Consulting Services Even before Covid-19 shut down many clay centers, we were...
Clay: Yes // Covid: No, part two…research & resources

Clay: Yes // Covid: No, part two…research & resources

by claygirl | Aug 31, 2020 | Community, Education, opportunities, Featured, News, Service

Here at Brackers, we continue to study & research the relationship between the COVID-19 virus and how it may affect ceramics studios and classrooms.  While none of us here are microbiologists or epidemiologists or experts in any way, we do feel strongly that it is...
Announcing New Ceramics Lesson Plans

Announcing New Ceramics Lesson Plans

by claygirl | Aug 10, 2020 | Education, opportunities, Featured, Lesson Plans, News

Many of you have been following our instagram posts sharing the work of artists of color for the last couple of months.  We started to feature these ceramic artists in the wake of the murder of George Floyd, which brought on the most recent surge in the Black Lives...
Clay: yes! Covid: no ….safety in the ceramics studio

Clay: yes! Covid: no ….safety in the ceramics studio

by claygirl | Jul 22, 2020 | Community, Education, opportunities, Featured, News

It used to be when we talked about safety in the ceramics studio we were refering to various glaze chemicals, maybe some airborne silica.  Or maybe we were referring to body strain from sitting a potter’s wheel or fatigue in the muscles of our hands.  Now it...
Throwing at Home: a video collection on YouTube

Throwing at Home: a video collection on YouTube

by David Sturm | May 8, 2020 | Community, Featured, Lesson Plans, Products, Videos, Wheels

“Wheels will always turn full circle.”     ― Anthony T. Hincks   Even as many states start to re-open their economies, community art centers remain closed for the time being.   This leaves many of us still disconnected from the people, places, and implements...
Clay at Home: 2 Tile Projects Kit

Clay at Home: 2 Tile Projects Kit

by claygirl | May 6, 2020 | Education, opportunities, Family, Featured, Lesson Plans, News, Specials, Sales

We are excited to announce the official release of our Clay at Home Tile Project Kit.  We found two AMACO lesson plans that both use glazed tiles and teacher’s palette glazes.  We had a great time completing the projects ourselves at home while in quarantine....
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Lawrence, KS 66044
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Jordan Alexzandra is currently studying art at Mil Jordan Alexzandra is currently studying art at Millersville University. In addition to Ceramics and painting, she also studies psychology, anthropology, and English. “I’ve been an artist throughout my entire life, but it wasn’t until recently that I called myself a ceramicist. My work has gone through a long journey of finding the perfect medium, which is now clay,” she writes. She’s just starting her journey, taking her first ceramics class in high school, but I see so much promise in her. Her experiences with clay give her many teachable moments in patience, planning, and time management, which she applies to her full-time studies in Psychology. During a Summer break and away from the clay studio, she found herself without a rudder and focused her angst and her energy toward exploring naturally dyed silk and yarn. She found solace in the world of textiles and fiber art. Her minimalist pre-Columbian clay forms mesh well with the purity of cotton and silk. Her current body of work is titled, “Cotton.” In addition to the sampling of photos included in this profile, there are many more at her website (link in our bio). Jordan said, “I desire that this work also sparks conversation of African - American history. The embodiment of being one of the few Black students in college in most of my classes, it is a conversation that follows me. Clay as a direct connection to the multiple cultures that make me who I am, to cotton that cloaks not only a dark history but to the environmental costs of the plant.“ [by Anne]
Do we have any history buffs or non-fiction lovers Do we have any history buffs or non-fiction lovers following this book bonanza of a sale? Over the years Bracker's has encountered some great biographies which we'd like to share with everyone. The first set features some inspirational women potters and the second features impressive historical biographies. Click the images if you'd like to know more about each book!
Venezuelan artist Jose Sierra discovered ceramics Venezuelan artist Jose Sierra discovered ceramics at the University of the Andes in Merida, Venezuela, where he learned the basics of clay, glazes and wheel throwing. Afterwords he began working as a professional artist, moving to Iowa where his career began to take hold and eventually to New Mexico where the landscape, scenery, and culture more closely resembled what he grew up with in Venezuela. The landscapes and colors are his main inspiration for the work that he makes, along with pre-columbian and pre-hispanic aesthetics. Sierra says, “By altering wheel-thrown porcelain and stoneware, my work fuses organic and geometrical forms, in which I express both the fluidity and abruptness of the shapes and lines in the landscapes and architecture that surrounds me.” What I found most relatable with Jose was in the June/July/August 2017 Ceramics Monthly article when he talked about the slow, but constant progression of himself as an artist and his work. There is a point in an artists career where they reach a level of proficiency or mastery with their chosen medium in where they are able to shift the focus from craft and construction to concept. For many ceramic artists this happens when they are able to view the potter’s wheel as merely a tool to achieve a goal and not the goal itself. Sierra, “…in my earlier years, I was really dedicated to learning to transfer my conceptualized ideas to the form on the wheel. But now, the wheel is only a part of the process, as I am constantly distorting and manipulating the wheel-thrown pieces.” @josesierraceramics
We hope you are all staying warm and cozy during t We hope you are all staying warm and cozy during this cold weather! To help fight the chill, satin glazes are 20%OFF this month! Check out these beautiful examples for inspiration on how to use some of our discounted glazes. The sale includes Shinos, Low Stone 250s, and Low Fire Satins by Spectrum Glaze Co. as well as select Amaco and Coyote glaze series.
another day, another clay. We’ve been doing a l another day, another clay. We’ve been doing a lot of r&d lately, based on things YOU have told us you want! What you see here are the new amaco glazes shown on a new clay we are developing. (The last image shows the body glazed with clear on the top and white on the bottom, for reference. It doesn’t have a name yet. We’ll let you know). The other tiles were created by overlapping some of our potter’s choice favorites with the new glazes in that family. We used combinations of Seaweed, Sapphire Float, June Bug, Flambé, Vintage Gold, and Blue Spark. Check out our story to see the real beauty of these shown off in a short video created in natural light! Then experiment on your own!
When I first saw Brian Parris’s pots, I was inst When I first saw Brian Parris’s pots, I was instantly hooked. He makes these little wheel-thrown porcelain cups and tumblers that seem to jump off of the table and capture your attention. Raised in Washington State, Parris graduated with a BFA from Kennesaw State University in 2014. He also worked there as a visiting artist, and has spent time assisting with Salt Kilns at Arromont. He has shown in galleries across the Southeast United States.  He just started his own website: High on Pots, and sells through his Etsy site. His surfaces are created using the Hydro-abrasion technique. Essentially, a design is applied in wax or shellac to a thick-walled form.  A wet sponge is used to carefully remove clay from the places that the resist doesn’t cover.  Its a methodical and careful process that Parris wields masterfully, along with a contrasting underglaze. The end result is a bold, multi-layered surface that successfully merges art-deco with a distinctly modern flair. I also see his work as a metaphor for people. We all have many different facets to ourselves. Parris, for example, describes himself as a husband, dog dad, and lover of beer, tats, and knives. Those layers come together in harmony to make up a whole person. Like people, each piece is unique but relate to his other pieces. In my research I found a photo of him at an art fair, with all his pieces out on the table. It struck me that every piece is an ‘individual’, but can be grouped in a myriad of ways, to make collections that simply worked together. Now what if we apply that concept to our own lives. Strong, multi-layered individuals who work together to accentuate each other?  Each celebrating not only the differences, but also the similarities we have with each other.  What a world that would be.
Needing some quiet time this week? We think some Needing some quiet time this week? We think some discount books could be just the ticket! Now is a great time to stock up on 4  of Cindy's "Studio Must Haves" or to center yourself and unwind with some nifty books about the spiritual side of making with clay. Learning polymer clay techniques can also be a great, low stress way to wind down and enjoy some color therapy. These are just our suggestions though, so feel free to mix and match with any book that catches your eye! If you'd like more info on any book shown here, just click the picture!
The first thing i noticed when researching Tiffany The first thing i noticed when researching Tiffany Thomas, was that she had been featured on The Potter's Cast podcast with Paul Blais, episode 383 (the last episode of 2017). She was also a howiAMACO instafeature, her work is ALL over pinterest and she is represented by the neema gallery. Basically, i am facepalming that I had previously never been exposed to her work. (links to all of this in social links in bio). I learned from the Potter's Cast that Tiffany has a brick and mortar business, which includes pottery, painting, online classes....and about the coolest "about us" page on her website...first you are met with a charming video of Tiffany and Simon showing off their fun personalities. It had me laughing out loud and smiling ear to ear and wanting to find out more (I actually think i watched the video 3 times). Tiffany was born and raised on a farm in South Carolina, and I can't help but wonder if/how these early experiences influenced her work. Both her ceramics and paintings are full of bright colors, (in deep contrast to her experience with the earthy colors of mud and straw and hay and whatever else one might typically find on a farm. But then also, I see the beauty of landscapes, sunsets and night skies that only someone raised on a plot of land out in the country away from any city lights can TRULY appreciate. Much of her work also features crystals, or the imagery of crystals, at least, with accents of gold or mother of pearl lustre. I had to google her home town of Florence to see how far it is from the beach, because this work of hers makes me feel like i am walking along the beach and just found an incredible treasure buried half in the sand, concealed in the foamy waves. The unifying feature across all of Tiffany's work is the injection of her bright personality. I encourage you to listen to her Potter's Cast episode and explore her and her work on her website! @tthomasarts
Jason Wesaw expresses his creativity through ceram Jason Wesaw expresses his creativity through ceramics, photography, and mixed media art. Although there are no strong influences or traditions working with clay among the living members of the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians, he's working to rekindle a connection.  He harmoniously blends more traditional tribal craft approaches to clay like digging and processing clay from near Lake Michigan with contemporary art styles and methods. His work echos the strong connection to nature by using indigo bunting feathers and dyed deer tails (much more durable than the delicate feathers).  “Deer tails have a way of softening pieces and draw people in,” he said. “You want to touch it to figure out what it is. If you think of human forms, we look at each other on the outside, what we look like, but don’t necessarily know what’s on the inside. That deer tail is like a person’s spirit emanating from inside that vessel. Certain colors go with men and women, young and old, different times of the year. It’s more about the colors than it is the geometrics." The urge to create with his hands reaches far beyond clay, “Our people always ornament things, such as clothing we wear for ceremonial dancing, with animals or shells and things from nature,” Wesaw said. His artwork is a graphic reinterpretation - using colors and metaphor - of the oral stories his elders shared with him and that in turn he shares with his three children. Since the pandemic began, the family has increased the size of their garden and used it as another teaching tool for his kids. They've had a very successful season of growth, nurturing traditional varieties of plants and medicines. This December, look for an exhibition of Great Lakes Native Art (including 7 new pieces by Jason) simultaneously showcased at Grand Valley State University & the Muskegon Museum of Art. Jason is also collaborating with the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago on a major new work for the renovation of their North American Hall opening in Spring 2021. Jason Wesaw’s first solo European show, scheduled for Spring 2021, will be comprised his new paper work at the Rainmaker Gallery in Bristol, England. [by Anne]
More testing happening here. This has promise as More testing happening here. This has promise as a seasonal body. I’m thinking of calling it New Year’s Eve Magic. What do you all think?
We were excited to help a high school teacher get We were excited to help a high school teacher get a new Soldner wheel for his school in Nebraska. He added a brent black splashpan and it looks soooo slick! Someone’s goona have a fun weekend!!! #soldner #potterywheel #clay #k12art @sutton_public_schools
It’s sad when the first thing that pops up while It’s sad when the first thing that pops up while starting a search of my weekly Artist of Color is an obituary. Born in 1962 in Colorado to Japanese-American parents, Robin Sue Chiyoko Furuta had an early fascination with dirt. She was fortunate enough to have encouraging high school art teachers who lead her to apply to the Kansas City Art Institute where she studied under the well known names of Ken Ferguson, Victor Babu, and George Timock. Robin then went on to CU Bolder and earned her M.A. from Regis Univ. From there she taught various places including the Art Students League of Denver, and Arapahoe Comm. College where she became the Ceramics Dept. Head. Robin died in Feb. of 2015. Though I wasn’t so fortunate to have met her, I’m glad I got to see a little of who she was through the eyes of the people who adored her. And though finding images of her work online was challenging, it was immediately obvious to me that Robin Furuta was a master of her craft. Her forms are simple, elegant, and graceful. Her glaze work clean and luscious. But don’t take my word for it, take the words of the people who did know her, and take a minute to click the link to the online book about the retrospective show that was put together by her loved ones. https://www.blurb.com/books/7360847-robin-furuta-a-legacy (check social links page in bio) “Robin was a consummate potter of fictional work. Her rims, the feet and the line, the slip-trailing, the waxing, the glazing and the firing - all demanded her attention and were the elements that, taken together, make up the beauty of her work, which was understated and elegant; quiet and profound; beautiful and approachable. Her pots are designed to be used daily and revered as treasures.” Bob Smith - Instructor Arapahoe Comm. College “Her opinion mattered, and she had a way of drawing out the best from her students. Their respect for her was mutual, and she held herself to her high standards.” Robin’s pots sing with an elegance and grace that reveal a life dedicated to perfecting her craft.” - Vicky Smith - Instructor Arapahoe Comm. College
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