Handmade Pottery + Ceramic Jewelry

Bowls

22 Photos

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The Colorado Potters Guild was formed in 1964 by a group of 18 people who had taken pottery classes and found themselves with no studio space to continue their clay exploration after exhausting every class available to them at the time.  Thanks to their efforts, the guild now owns the building where it’s housed on historic South Pearl St. in Denver and has been outfitted with equipment and materials which ensures that current and future members will always have a place to work and to be a part of a clay community.  The guild’s members have varied backgrounds – some with a formal education in ceramics  (like myself) and most who found clay through continuing education classes and fell in love the medium.

Last fall, I applied for membership to the Colorado Potters Guild and in late January, after a arduous application and interview process, was admitted along with 2 other potters.  I understand why the application process is difficult.  Membership is for life and standing members want to make sure that they like and can work with potential members before handing over a set of keys for 24-7 access.  Openings occur rarely, and generally happen when members leave the state, or can no longer work with clay because of advanced age.

This year was apparently unprecedented because three of us were accepted into the guild at the same time and I consider myself fortunate to have been chosen out of all the applicants that applied for membership.  The cool thing about having members of all ages – our oldest members are in their 80′s and 90′s -  is that there is such a range of work and experience.   Isn’t it wonderful that there is no defined age limit for working with clay?  I truly believe that that this keeps our older members young and hope that I will be in the same boat when I reach a riper age.  I don’t often get the chance to  see everyone at the same time, because our schedules are so varied.  At least 3 times a year, however, we do come together for our biannual sales/potlucks and our annual top to bottom cleaning day in June.

Last week, I popped over to the guild to return some books to the guild’s library and realized that I haven’t really used the space that much because I do a lot of my work in my home studio, which is primitive to say the least.  There are a number of improvements I’d like to make to my studio, but have delayed them because we might be moving next year to a different part of Denver and don’t want to spend the money until a decision is made.  What is on my wish list?

1. Solar panels to power my kilns and home.  I already have an estimate from REC Solar, but decided to hold off until we know whether or not we’re moving.  While there are a number of rebates and tax credits being offered, it’s still a substantial investment.  The cool thing about installing solar panels in Denver is that I would still be tied to the grid and in the event of insufficient battery charge due to a string of cloudy days, there would be no loss of power.  This was a big concern for me because it would be a bummer to have the kiln turn off before reaching temp.  And, if I accumulated extra power, the electric company would pay me a rebate!
2. A “Cink” like contraption for water and cleanup.  My friend, Jim Bridgeman, is making a homemade version of the Cink and I can’t wait to see what he comes up with.
3. Heat – oh it was so cold in there last winter, despite my portable heaters.  I can’t leave the portable ones on over night either (unattended they would be a fire hazard) which led to frozen clay and glazes in January.  I could temporarily move my glazes and favorite tools to the guild since I do have 5 shelves which I’m not making good use of right now.
4. Drywall the whole space – it’s insulated, but not completely drywalled which sort of makes the space feel temporary.
5. Additional windows/skylights – I only have one small window and the tiny window bank above the garage door.  During warmer months, I leave all the doors open for natural light.  In the winter, it’s dark and I depend on shop style lights.

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Since I don’t work a 9-5 job, I often find myself alone at the guild during the day and decided that this winter, I’m going to make use of the facilities since it’s fully equipped and HEATED.  It’s also within walking distance of my home which makes it very convenient.  The guild has a lot of equipment including an electric slab roller, spray booth, kick wheels, some motorized, and an electric wheel.   I’m such a creature of habit though, and don’t really like throwing on foreign wheels, preferring my own.  But, the truth is that I have been doing so much hand building lately, that I don’t really need to use the wheels at the guild.  The only piece of equipment I wish the guild had was a small gas kiln so that I could fire it myself without having to organize a group firing.  Overall, I can’t complain.

Hope you enjoyed the tour,

~Cynthia