Burnish Clay Studio Blog

Studio Updates

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! 

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BIPOC Cone 10 Soda Firing

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.

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Meet the Face Behind the Blog

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

Weekly Tip!

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.

Artist Resources

e-artnow – Jobs, Grants, Competitions, Open Calls, Exhibitions, Residencies (Artists, Critics, Curators)
New York Foundation for the Arts – Jobs, Grants, Open Calls, Studio Listings
TransArtists – Worldwide Residency Search
​Barcelona Residencies – Jiwar Creation and Society
Res Artis – Worldwide Residency Search
Call for….. – Worldwide Open Calls
Callforentry – Open calls with a management system for applying
Center for Emerging Visual Artists – Artist Services, Open Calls
Art Insight – Artist Services, Open Calls, Opportunities, Directory
How’s My Dealing? 2.0 – A website where artists can review galleries, art fairs, and mail scams that take advantage of artists by charging them or being an outright rip-off.
Art Rabbit – International Art Exhibitions & Events, Open Calls
Biennial Directory – Global art exhibitions
Grants – GrantSpace
FAQs about Grants
Elizabeth Greenshields Foundation
Representational Art Only
Joan Mitchell Foundation – Painters, Sculptors
Pollock-Krasner Foundation – Painters, Sculptors, Printmakers
Harpo Foundation – Visual Artists
National Sculpture Society – Competitions, Programs, Awards
Mayer Foundation – Emergency Funding
Puffin Foundation – Socially Conscious
Job Listings – The Art Newspaper