A bit of a slow week...

Clay for Kids wrote on the main page of their Edmonton website that The Clay Teacher was using their materials and ideas. They went on to say we were passing ourselves off as them. With our many years of experience with clay and teaching, I really want everyone to know who we are. I wrote in my last blog that we are very much The Clay Teacher and put a link to this blog on our front page so anyone that might have been confused or had any questions could read it. What I find interesting is that very few people read it. I guess they are not too confused. We are almost booked solid for the upcoming year and it is only September. Teachers know we are The Clay Teacher and they are booking us. We are looking forward to a busy fun year.

I played this week. I did make some new projects earlier in the week, some of them are online and we will get the rest up Sunday morning. Then I took some time and I played in the clay. I have joined the sculpture group at Harcourt House. We meet every Monday night and just sculpt. I really enjoy it. Here are a few pictures of what I was working on. When I made the Indian I was thinking about New Orleans and Mardi Gras and the lady is just a lady that is not all that happy. I will play tomorrow then I have to get to work before The Clay Teacher kicks in. We have two large wholesale orders to get out and three weeks to get it done because once we start Clay Teachering I don’t want to do the production after supper. … "The old grey mare just ain’t" …. well you know the how the song goes. I enjoyed playing with the faces, but they are not quite there yet. I have ordered an instructional DVD from this fellow, now he is a sculptor. http://philippefaraut.com/ Take a moment and check out his site. If you would like to see him sculpting, click through as if you were going to buy a DVD and you will find a series of little movies of him working. It's great to see.

Until the next time.

Cindy

The start of year two.

There is a rumour that we, The Clay Teacher, have been telling people we are Clay for Kids and that we have been using their materials. We have never said we are Clay for Kids and we have nothing that belongs to them! Before anyone believes everything they read on the internet they might want to get to the truth. Look at both companies, look at both web sites, talk to both sides, ask a few questions and form their own opinion.

I started playing with clay as a child, made my first pot when I was 12 on the potter’s wheel, worked and studied at that young age and started teaching adult night classes when I was 18. I have taught all ages from preschool to seniors for decades. In 1999 I became a production potter. My husband and I built our pottery business up to a studio that had almost 50 retail clients and we were producing about 10 tons of clay a year. It was hard work and now we have moved on to The Clay Teacher. We are potters, artists and teachers. Please check out our website http://www.outofthefirestudio.com/ and for a look at some of our art, please see our gallery page http://www.outofthefirestudio.com/photo_gallery.html .

Teachers who want to hire an artist to teach art to their students should consider The Clay Teacher. Again, check out the instructors available, their qualifications and clay experience, then choose the instructor that they feel is most qualified. We think they will choose The Clay Teacher for their clay education workshops.

Year number two as The Clay Teacher is well under way. We have a number of bookings and we are looking forward to a new year. This fall we are excited about our new air dry method. The projects are constructed and finished in a way that the finished product is both sturdy and water resistant. I ran a project through the rinse cycle of the dishwasher and it came out fine. It looked the same coming out as going in. The pictures taken for the website were taken AFTER it came out of the dishwasher. Don’t get me wrong, we are in no way recommending dishwasher safe for this method, but it just goes to show that end product will stand up for years as a decoration. This method offers a number of advantages to the teacher. First is price, it is $1.50 less per child. The actual workshop where we come in and the student works with the clay remains unchanged, but the project never leaves the classroom or the art room. This gives the teacher control over the timing of the finished project and the student is more connected to what they have made. They see and learn the drying process, how the clay changes from wet to dry and how it is controlled. After a week or so depending on the project, they are finished and ready to go home. There are no more weeks to wait, possible damage in travel and the student doesn’t for get about what he or she has made. We provide all the information required to finish each project, we are available if anyone has any questions and we provide key elements of the process. The teacher provides the paint.

The post below this one has pictures of the little white plate that made the run through the dishwasher.

Until next time,

Cindy

The Clay Teacher

Before and After

Here is the little dish that went through the rinse cycle of the dishwasher. It's hard to tell before and after, but they are in order. The top is before and the lower is after. The new method works as a viable option to the kiln.