This last week has been smoky. While this alone put a damper on things, the plumbing issues also did their best to dampen our spirits, but in the end, the plumbing deities smiled kindly on Burnish and all issues cleared in time for the studio to be fully functional for the weekend! Thank you all for your patience.
Speaking of which, it is the last week of classes, (classes end on the 31st), and as such, all students must make sure their work has been placed on the greenware shelves at the very least, and moved through bisque and glaze firings ideally. While there was not as much work moving through the studio this summer, we did experience somewhat of a late-session bump in activity in the studio which created a bit of a log jam with the kilns. 
​The last bisque of the session will be loaded by Mon-Tues and will be unloaded Thurs.-Fri., so please move your work to the greenware shelf, ASAP. The staff will be cleaning out shelves and preparing for the fall session which starts September 11th. When clearing your ware boards, please do wash them off into the large buckets in the sink. As a reminder, do not pour any water down the sink, but rather, into the five gallon buckets in the sinks so that whatever is in them can filter through Burnish's handy dandy filtration system. 

If you have signed up for classes next session, you do not have to empty your cubbie. If you haven't signed up for classes, please clean your cubbie out by the end of the session, August 31st.

Critique club is this Tuesday evening, August 29th, at 6 pm. Our last club was a rousing success, and we are hoping to see more people there each time. Please bring any work about which you have questions, and your best and most supportive attitude so we can help each other improve and develop as artists.

As we all know, Dylan is the best dog in the wide world. He proves it with his wacky demeanor and his goofy smile. Not to mention his boundless energy for free snacks. Speaking of which, once Dylan gets something in his mouth, it's best to go ahead and let him have it. He loves eating paper, tissue, sometimes even plastic if it smells like food, so let's do everything we can to keep this stuff away from him. He only moves slowly when food isn't on the line, and once it is, he is like greased lightning! 

When first attempting to throw larger forms, it is best to throw a cylinder first, and save the shaping for the last few moves on your pot. Moving the clay in one direction at a time will keep the walls of the pot stronger and will allow you to focus on more even and consistent pulls. Remember, the goal is to get where you are going in little time with as few moves as possible, so have a good idea where you're going when you start to throw your pottery, and you will get there much more quickly.

2023 Foundwork Artist Prize: International Open Call
Deadline: September 26, 2023 at 5PM PT
Prize: Unrestricted $10,000 grant
The Foundwork Artist Prize is an annual juried award to recognize outstanding practice by emerging and mid-career artists working in any media. The 2023 honoree will receive an unrestricted $10,000 grant and studio visits with each of this year’s distinguished jurors. In addition, the honoree and three shortlisted artists will be invited for interviews as part of the Foundwork Dialogues program to further public engagement with their practices. 
The jury for the 2023 Foundwork Artist Prize includes esteemed curators, gallerists, and artists: Alex Gartenfeld, Artistic Director, Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA), Miami; Davida Nemeroff, Founder, Night Gallery, Los Angeles; Shinique Smith, Multidisciplinary Artist, Los Angeles; Emiliano Valdés, Chief Curator, Medellín Museum of Modern Art, Medellín; and Nicola Vassell, Founder, Nicola Vassell Gallery, New York. 



Bryn Du’s Artist in Residence Program
Deadline: August 31, 2023
The focus of this residency is to enhance local awareness and engagement in the arts by introducing new and varied artists to the Granville community throughout the calendar year. The residency is open nationwide for artists of all disciplines to apply including but not limited to those in the fields of visual arts, literature, music, theater, fashion, dance, storytelling and audiovisual studies. Stipends include $2000 for an 8 week residency and $3000 for a 12 week residency. Fee: $15.



Corning Museum of Glass BIPOC Residency
Deadline: August 31, 2023
The BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and people of color) Residency allows artists to spend a month at The Corning Museum Studio exploring new directions in glassmaking or expanding on their current bodies of work while using the immense resources of the world’s leading glass museum.



Polar STEAM Open Call: Antarctic Artists & Writers Program
Deadline: August 31, 2023
This program facilitates deployments to the Antarctic for creative practitioners within the arts and humanities. Collaborations between polar researchers and artists & writers help increase the public’s understanding of and appreciation for human and scientific endeavors in Antarctica through the resulting works.



Breck Creek Artist-in-Residence Program
Deadline: September 1, 2023
Open to regional and national artists of all disciplines, Artists-in-Residence spend 2-4 months in a live/work studio in cozy downtown Breckenridge, Colorado. Artists receive a biweekly stipend of $600.



Kimmel Harding Nelson Center for the Arts Residency
Deadline: September 1, 2023
The Center awards up to seventy juried residencies per year to established and emerging visual artists, writers, composers, and interdisciplinary artists from across the country and the world. Residencies are available for 2 to 8 weeks. Each resident receives a $175 stipend per week, free housing, and a private studio. Fee: $35
Bloedel Reserve Creative Residency
Deadline: September 1, 2023
This residency provides artists in Visual Arts, Performance, Film & Composition, Poetry, Prose Fiction and Nonfiction, and Research & Design with a three-week stay in a well-appointed home on Bainbridge Island, WA, with unlimited access to the Reserve’s 140 acres of sculpted gardens, forests, meadows, and wildlife habitats.The fellowship is supported by a $2,000 stipend.



Ox-Bow Residence Evil
Deadline: September 13, 2023
Since 2019 Ox-Bow has produced Halloween events open to the public and for all ages. Artists, or “creeps-in-residence,” will participate in a residency in preparation for Ox-Bow Goes to Hell 2022, producing at least one of many creepy, beautiful, and bizarre scenes for the weekend of October 28th and 29th.



Dry Tortuga National Park Artist in Residence Program
Deadline: September 29, 2023
This one- month artist residency and $4,000 stipend is open to artists across all disciplines and takes place in a historic lighthouse keepers house on Loggerhead Key, an islet in the Florida Keys.



Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park May 2024 Artist in Residence Program
Deadline: September 30, 2023
Opening September 1, The National Parks Arts Foundation invites artists in all artistic media to join their 2024 artist-in-residency programs at Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park, which offers a $4,000 stipend, housing, and artist events.



Grants with rolling deadlines-
Pollock Krasner – Rotating, No deadline – Information here.
Awesome foundation – No deadline – Information here.
One Grant Library for Research Online- Foundation Center.
Foundation for Contemporary Arts Emergency Grants – Information here
CES Artslink U.S. and International Grant Opportunities – Information here

Believe it or not, there are still some spots available in the fall class schedule! If you wanted to sign up for classes and didn't get a chance, there were some last minute cancellations. You can go to the sign up page HERE.

The sink is unclogged. I know. Sexy. We are still waiting on a faucet delivery for our third sink, but when we do get it in, we will be full-on three sink action again, so, in order to preserve peace and order in the galaxy, please remember to pour your buckets of clay water into the buckets in the sink, and put your clay chunks into the larger buckets next to the sink. It will help everyone out. 

As you might be able to tell from these pictures, the bisque shelf is BRIMMING with work, and the glaze fire shelf is looking a bit...anemic. You know what to do- get into the studio and glaze, glaze, glaze. If not now, when, and if not here, where? I myself glazed all the work I had on the bisque shelves this morning. Of course, I only had two things to glaze...but...

Fall Session starts September 11th, so if you are in summer session, but not doing fall session, remember to clean out your cubbie of all its various bits of ceramical wonder, in addition to your sticker. That will help the studio staff get the place in shape in the very little bit of time they have. 

The Critique Club is on the 29th! 6:00 pm! It was amazing last month, with many people asking for more monthly clubs. We are sticking to one, but keeping space open for more in the future with a possible zoom critique schedule. We are also toying with a professional practices workshop. It's all happening.  Most likely, anyway, so make sure you are signed up for the Burnish Newsletter. That's where you will find out first.

If you have spent any time at all in Burnish Clay Studio, you know that the staff is committed to making the space as welcoming and inclusive as possible. We know that any type of space is a better one when everyone there feels comfortable enough to be themselves, and feels seen and appreciated for who they are. We also know that in a creative space, it is especially important for everyone to feel safe to express.

At the beginning of first week classes, the instructors ask everyone to put their names and their pronouns on their name tags, and when speaking to people, we do our best to not assume pronouns.
We are all learning, (I myself have had quite a learning curve), and know that it is everyone's responsibility to ensure that everyone in the studio is treated respectfully, which includes respecting their pronouns. To that end, as someone who has myself struggled from time to time with the use of pronouns, I thought it might be timely to review Burnish's standards for pronoun use. 

• It is our goal not to assume pronouns. When we don't know, we ask.
• We speak out for each other. When we hear people use the wrong pronouns, we speak up and correct the mistake in a kind and direct way.

We use non-gendered addresses:

• ​Folks
• Friends
• Everyone
• You All
• Y'all

We apologize when we mess up:

• "Oops, I'm sorry."
• Oh shoot, I'm still wrapping my head around all this but I'm going to get better. Please correct me if I mess up again."

We practice asking about people's pronouns:

• "Hi. I'm Sara and I use she/her pronouns, what about you?
• "What pronouns do you all use?"
• "Let's all go around and say our names and pronouns."

We understand that it will take some time for some people to catch on, and during that time, we will continue to remind them to improve.

As we strive to make Burnish Clay Studio and events as inclusive and welcoming as possible, we will expect our community to come along with us.
Here are some resources that might be helpful:
www.everoneisgay.com
www.them.us
www.autostraddle.com
www.minus18.org.au
www.scarleteen.com

And you can check out A Quick & Easy Guide to They/Them Pronouns by Archie Bongiovanni & Tristan Jimerson in the Burnish Library section on top of the library bookshelf.

Our weekly tip is for throwing. Though it is not standard practice, there are times when a person wants to trim the lip of their pot. I know. It's weird, but it does happen. The best way to do this is not with a trimming tool, but with a wooden rib or stick. This is assuming your piece is not bone dry. If it's bone dry, please don't. Just...don't. When trimming your lip, it is wise to use a wooden tool because the wooden tool will more delicately take off the clay you need to abandon, as well as compress the clay that is left on the pot, creating a situation where the trimmed pot is less likely to crack or fall apart after it has been trimmed.

One of the best ways to appear professional as an artist is to use complete words and sentences in all of your documentation. It might seem obvious, but if you are hoping to get into a show, a gallery, or a gift shop, reaching out with an email that is spell-checked, accurate, and well researched will up your chances of having a conversation with the decision maker at the organization you are hoping to get into. 
If you want to make this less grueling, have a template ready for your artist statement, bio, CV or resume, and your goals as an artist. That way, when you are ready to send out your information, it is less painful and easier to do. Update these things at least once a year, or every time your work changes, and you will be on the road to international fame, fortune, and stardom!!! 

Just kidding, most likely not. But being an artist will be a bit less painful if you have all of your professional information locked and loaded. 

Hello and welcome to the Burnish Studio Blog. It is the end of week six in the studio, so that means there is a big push to start glazing all the work you have been making this summer. There are only about ten days between sessions this time, so please get your work finished and out by the end of the first week of September so that we will be ready to roll when the fall session starts.

Thank you for your patience with the clogged sink. We will be fixing it as soon as possible so that it is working well again. When it does get working, remember to never put your clay in the sink, only in the buckets, so we can avoid this type of problem in the future.

If you are looking to improve at throwing, there is nothing like practice. It doesn't matter how long you have been working with clay, or who you have studied with or learned from, practice is the one thing that will always up your throwing game. One of the most efficient ways to practice is to practice with purpose. This means that when you sit down at the wheel, you have a solid idea of what you are hoping to make there. Similarly, sitting behind the wheel of a car, hoping to go somewhere but not really knowing where you are going or the route you will take to get there will not garner very good results. Usually. 
It is much the same with throwing. If you sit down at the potter's wheel, and you are just wanting to "see what happens", not only will improvement be a challenge, it will also be difficult to measure any improvement that does end up happening.
Practice with structure. If you are hoping to make something you have never made before, sit down at the wheel with at least five balls of clay so that you can approach the project in different ways. When you notice yourself improving, acknowledge it and do not belittle any improvement you make. Finally, try not to compare yourself negatively with other potters. We are all on our own throwing journeys. Spending energy comparing yourself to people who are sitting next to you distracts from actually improving. 
And remember- have fun. Clay is awesome. You could spend your whole life working with it and still have tons of clay avenues left un-ventured.

When it comes to glazing, there are a couple things you can do to ensure that the glaze goes on your pot well. One is to either dunk the bisqued piece in water or run water over it. When you allow your bisque ware to soak up water before you glaze it, the pot will take the glazes on in a more even and balanced way. Remember to let your bisque ware dry before glazing, though. 
Another thing is to glaze the insides of your pots first. This way, when you glaze the outside, you wont have to worry about any of the inside glaze dripping on your carefully dipped outer glazes.

Bonus: As always, experiment glazing on lesser pots before you get to the ones you really care about. Knowing how you want to glaze your prized pieces before you start glazing will save you time, energy, and stress. Glazing should not be stressful, but fun. Make sure you give yourself every opportunity to be successful with it.

Crysalis Emerging Artists Institute offers a three-tiered residency program. Up to 16 artists will be invited to participate in the 2023 hybrid residency program. This is a well-supported opportunity that offers both virtual and in-person components. For more information and to apply, visit the website. Deadline for applications is August 25.
Artists are invited to apply for residency at 500 Capp Street. This five-month program in San Francisco, CA runs from fall 2023 to spring 2024. The focus of the program this year is to create work illuminating experimentation around the boundaries of genre, medium and material. To learn more, visit the website. Application deadline is August 30.
The Bryn Du Artist in Residence program is accepting applications for its next cycle. This 8-12 week program is intended to offer an inspirational setting for artists while introducing them to the Granville, Ohio, community. Each opportunity comes with a stipend. To learn more and to apply, visit the website. Deadline is August 31.

Welcome, once again to the Burnish Studio blog, where we will let you know about what has happened, is happening, and what is coming up around the bend.

This last week we unloaded a gorgeous cone 10 soda firing. We also launched the registration for the fall session, so if you are planning on signing up, do so by Tuesday, August 8th, at noon. 
ALSO: the next Critique Club is August 29th.

Additionally, we have some pretty great workshops coming up, including a BIPOC cone 10 soda firing with visiting artist, Dwayne Sackey! 

Burnish Clay Studio is excited to offer what we hope will be the 1st of many Annual Soda Firing for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) participants. This Cone 10 firing will be led by Will Jenkins Abraham, and featuring Dwayne Sackey as the Visiting Artist from Portland OR.
Sackey earned his BFA from Oregon College of Art and Craft in 2019. Merit-based scholarships supported him: the Gregori Jakovina & Larry McDonald Scholarship, the Ellice T. Johnston Scholarship, and the OCAC Community College Scholarship. In 2019 Sackey showed at the Multnomah County Justice Center & in 2021 he showed at the governor’s mansion. Sackey was a recipient of the 2021 studio potter grant for apprenticeship alongside his mentor Chris Baskin. Sackey published 3 articles in pottery making illustrated, one in 2021 & two in 2023. Sackey taught a workshop at clay by the bay in 2022 and demonstrated at NCECA in 2022.
@dwaynespots

Check out the details on the Burnish Website. Pass this along to anyone who you think might be interested. Share to your networks.

Meet Sara Young! Burnish’s own social media/blog master/instructor of children and adults alike. She sculpts, she pots, she writes, and in her spare time, she finds new and interesting ways to stick it to the man. She was educated on the mean streets of the village of Oak Park, and from there, found her way to Portland, where she earned three educational degrees, garnered many accolades for subverting the dominant paradigm, and slowly but surely found her way to Bellingham. She is an old soul in a middle aged woman’s body with an appetite for destruction and a deep need for community and harmony. She keeps her feet on the ground while she reaches for the stars. She is prone to hyperbole in her own humble way. She loves dogs and Dylan Mc Drooleyface in particular. She is ecstatic to be a part of the Burnish community of all-stars, where she teaches kids pottery and hand building, and adult wheel and sculpture class. If you want to get the full scope of Sara’s work go to spikeofalltrades.com

Clay is all about timing, so it is important to know when to do what so that the piece you are working on can withstand the pushing, carving, and shaping it is having to endure. 

• When poking holes in your flower/garden pots, wait until the pot is just about leather dry. this will give you the ability to get a clean cut without smashing the clay wall.
• When attempting Scraffito, paint the slip/underglaze on when the pot is at least leather hard, (leather hard for slip, harder for underglaze), so that the boogers that result will be dry and easily be brushed away. Wait until the slip on pot also dries to leather hard.
• After you have attached handles, leave your mug/teapot/pitcher covered under plastic overnight to dry in order for the handle and the mug to even out in terms of dryness. This will eliminate much of the propensity of the handle to crack off of the mug.
• When carving through your clay, just around leather hard is best, and if it is a tall piece, it is best to work from the top to the bottom.
• When spouting a pitcher, it is best to wait for the clay to set up a bit after throwing before pushing/pulling out the pour spout. The clay is usually a bit too unstable right after the pot is thrown to endure the spout treatment.