The world of clay on Wednesday

Well, it's been many Wednesdays since I last posted. This fall season has been very busy here and I figured people would rather get their orders than read my ramblings. Somehow, I seem to be caught up at the moment, so I thought I'd post something.
Today marks the one week anniversary of Lou's last day. (He is majoring in Mechanical Engineering at KU and his class schedule would not allow him to continue working here) Lou was our shipping clerk for 2 years, 2 months and 2 days. (Pretty cute, huh? Totally unplanned even!) Over that time, I came to rely heavily on him. So far, I've been getting by ok. We hired Jeanette to take over and she's coming right along and doing quite well. BUT, I thought Lou needed to be honored here in my world of clay because he will always be a part of my world and the Bracker Family. Lou's last name is McKown. Note that his initials are LM. So, in his honor, all AMACO LM glazes will be on sale from now until I remember to take them off sale. (That could be awhile - Lou would have been the one to remind me to do that. *grin*) Lou, if you're reading this, we sure do miss you, but we wish you all the best!!!

Friday Five: July 20, 2007

1. First and most importantly, today is the birthday of Cindy Bracker Sturm! Happy Birthday sis, I love you. If you talk with Cindy today, please tell her Happy Birthday.
2. Website Update - I'm almost finished uploading the pictures of the new Spectrum 900 series Low Stone glazes. These low-fire (cone 06 - 04) glazes are unique and visually exciting and are perfect for experimenting by overlapping different colors. Check them out here.
3. I've finally added the information about The Steve Tool. Read all about it and see some pictures of wonderful examples of the textures you can create using The Steve Tool.
4. We have just hired three new staff members, all with ceramics experience. Jeanette will work in the shipping/receiving area, taking over for Lou. Brett and Nick will work in the warehouse and make deliveries. Jeanette and Brett have their BFA degrees and Nick will finish his this fall. We are really excited to be working with such a talented set of people.
And finally, 5. Steve Coburn is our featured customer today. Steve earned his BFA from Kansas State University and now makes wheel-thrown functional pottery in Salina, Kansas. His work can be seen at art fairs and in many gallerys throughout the Midwest, including The Phoenix Gallery right here in Lawrence. His website also offers a shopping cart. I'd encourage other artists to check out his website not only to view his great pottery, but also to explore how he's created a very successful online outlet to sell his pots. It's especially effective for customers from art fairs to place reorders to expand their set of dinnerware or buy a vase that is complimentary to their serving dishes. Not only is is work functional and beautiful, but it's also very useable. In fact, my everyday dishes are a set from Steve (given to me by Mom for Christmas and Birthday presents).

Friday Five: July 13, 2007

1. I know it seems like summer just started a few minutes ago, but here at Bracker's, we are gearing up for the back-to-school season. Our busiest time of the year comes between mid-July and the beginning of October. All of our teachers want their orders at the same time. We have been stocking up on moist clay, glazes, and tools for the big rush so we can hopefully fill your order when you need something, but the more notice you can give us, the more likely it is that we'll be able to fill your order completely. For example, if you think you'll need 500 pounds of Earthenware White in mid-August, give us a call and let us know to allocate that much for you. If you decide you only need 400 pounds by the time mid-August rolls around, or you decide you won't need it until September, it's no big deal. But we'll have it in stock for you just in case. We go through approximately 500,000 to one million pounds of moist clay in that July to October time frame, and clay goes out as soon as it comes in. It's actually quite amazing to see.
2. The Steve Branfman workshop will be October 13th & 14th this year. It won't be the traditional raku workshop, though. Steve will help us all explore ways to make your raku firings more consistent while exploring how different factors (reduction material, glaze thickness, etc.) can affect your results.
3. Other workshop news: Lana Wilson was originally tentatively scheduled for Spring 2008, but our schedules didn't quite mesh, so we've scheduled her for Spring 2009. Right now, we're talking with Angelica Pozo, sculptural clay and tile artist and author of the popular Lark book, "Making and Installing Handmade Tile" for the Spring 2008 workshop. Robin Hopper is still scheduled in Fall 2008.
4. Spectrum 900 series "Low Stone" glazes are in stock now, although I don't have the new ones on our website just quite yet. Until I have them online, check them out on the Spectrum Glaze website and give us a call to order them.
And finally, 5. I think I'm going to turn the 5th spot of my Friday 5 into a regular customer feature, whether it's a youtube video, a website, or just info on something cool one of our customers is doing right now. My inaugural 5 is Danny Meisinger, The Dophin Song Gallery & Spinning Earth Pottery. Danny has been a customer of ours since the beginning of his career in pottery. He is now a very accomplished potter, teacher, workshop presenter, and so much more. He was on the board of Accessible Arts, which has the following mission, "to champion the arts for children with disabilities and advocate access to the arts." Read more about Danny and see some of his amazing pottery in the Shopping section of his website. His glaze work is as impressive as his forms.

The Steve Tool

The Steve Tool creates unique textures in thrown and handbuilt pottery. This versatile tool includes five starburst-shaped wheels which you can combine in different patterns to change the effect as you wheel it across the clay. After applying the texture, continue stretching and forming the clay to further enhance the effect. Easy to use and cost effective at under $20! Click the blog title to follow the link to more pictures and information, as well as a small gallery of finished examples.

Friday Five: July 5, 2007

1. We are still looking for a few good people to work here. Lou is leaving Bracker's to finish his engineering degree full time, Scott is going to be teaching this fall, Kristin is already in Ecuador, and Mike just told us he's taking a graphic design job, which is appropriate because his degree was all about graphic design. We will miss them, but we're looking forward to teaching a whole new crop of employees our bad puns about clay (it's dirt cheap, don't ya' know!).
2. It's been a disjointed week for us around here since we were closed the first part of the week. It seem strange that it's already Friday - I almost forgot to post today!
3. Are you familiar with Clayart? It's a subscription-based email group that's all about clay. I used to be involved years ago and read it very diligently, but I got way too busy to keep up with it on a regular basis. However, the archives can provide a wealth of information and opinions on a variety of topics. Looking for that perfect floating blue glaze recipe? Wanting to find out how other potters price their pots? Researching a famous potter for a term paper? You can really find almost anything posted in the archives, and all the information comes from potters all over the world (primarily the USA & Canada). Check out the Clayart website for information on how to subscribe or to search the archives.
4. My YouTube video of the week comes from Bill & Maggie Finley of Finley Pots in Mico, Texas. I can't remember when I first came across their pots, but I loved them so much I actually got a few of their luminaries for Mom & Cindy a few years back. Mom got a Texas-themed one (she's originally from Texas) and Cindy got a music-themed luminary (she graduated from KU with a music degree). The pots look really cool in the video and online, but they're even better in person!



And finally, 5. I didn't have a chance to do two things this week: post the recipes for some of the yummy treats we had during our anniversary week and post information about The Steve Tool. I will try to get that done tomorrow, unless we're swamped with walk-in customers. I do want to update everyone that we finally have our shipment of 30 Thomas Stuart Prodigy wheels in. If you ordered one, someone should have already contacted you by now.
Come on in and get 'em soon!

The World of Clay on Wednesday: Potters or Pyromaniacs?

Well, it IS Wednesday, even though we are closed for the 4th. I guess I should try to blog something, but all I can think about is the fun fireworks I've been blowing up. Then I started thinking about Raku, and how much I enjoy that also and I wonder...Am I just fire crazy? I think that's a common question in the minds of potters, especially those that do any kind of atmospheric firing. So I thought it would be fun for everyone to share a favorite fire moment in honor of the fourth. Please post a comment with YOUR favorite story, either about firING or fireWORKS! Happy Independence Day!
Cindy

Anniversary Week

This has been a fun week for us. We had lots potters visit us from all over and everyone enjoyed lots of goodies (don't worry - I'll post a couple of the most-requested recipes sometime next week). Several visitors suggested that we do something similar next year, and we just might do that. Maybe make it an annual event to celebrate our anniversary and have a week of specials and goodies and visitors. Luckily, I have a full year to come up with other creative things to do for the next time. Even better, we had everyone who stopped by the store this week sign a canvas, which we'll hang in the store to commemorate this week. It is so cool to look at everyone who celebrated our anniversary with us this week. But for now, I'm going to pack up my stuff, munch on one of the last few mini blueberry muffins that remain (I think I baked 6 or 7 dozen for today!) and head home to relax until next week. Don't forget we're closed until Thursday, July 5th.

Friday Five: June 29, 2007

1. Birthday week has been so much fun! We've had tons of friends and customers stop by to take advantage of our specials, eat our goodies, and sign our canvas. Everyone who stops by this week is encouraged to sign a canvas we got to commemorate this week. We'll hang it in the showroom after this week.
2. We have found a new tool for our potters. I'll blog some more details next week to announce The Steve Tool!
3. Have you ever looked on YouTube to see if there are videos about potters? One of our customers recently mentioned that they found a cool video on Shoji Hamada! YouTube user SamKellyStudio has posted the video on Hamada as well as others on Michael Cardew, raku firing, and decorating. You should check it out. Below is the Hamada video.


4. Do you have any cool memories about Bracker's from the past 25 years? We'd love to hear about them. Please share your memories by email to blog@brackers.com

5. We are going to take a little bit of an extended weekend to celebrate Independence Day. We will be closed Tuesday, July 3rd and Wednesday, July 4th. Have a great weekend and a safe holiday everyone! We will resume our normal business hours at 9 am, Thursday, July 5th. See you then!

The world of clay on Wednesday

OK, to get the rhyme on that to work, you have to say Wednesday the way a kid trying to spell it says it. But, Anne already took the cool friday five thing. I thought about doing a Saturday Six, but there's just no way I can commit myself to blogging about 6 different things every Saturday. So here we go. It may not happen EVERY Wednesday, in fact it might not even be a Wednesday at all when I get around to posting something on this blog. But Anne asked me to have some sort of "column" so here we go. Today, I'm writing about books, Inexpensive books, to be exact. I found some really good deals on some really great books:
Functional Pottery by Robin Hopper, retail price $44.95, special: $15.00
Ceramic Form by Peter Lane, retail price $45.00, special: $20.00
Raku by Tim Andrews (Now out of print), retail price $34.99, special: $25.00
Extruded Ceramics by Diana Pancioli, retail price $27.95, special: $15.00
Clays & Glazes in Studio Ceramics, by David Scott, retail price $50.00, special: $30.00

New Website: Ceramic Arts Daily

"CeramicArtsDaily.org is an online community serving active potters and ceramic artists worldwide, as well as those who are interested in finding out more about this craft. CeramicArtsDaily.org provides a wide array of tools for learning about and improving skills, and a place for artists to display their work and to share ideas and perspectives about how their art and life interact to shape each other."

"CeramicArtsDaily.org provides a free daily newsletter, access to Ceramics Monthly and Pottery Making Illustrated magazines and the Potters Council, as well as linking you to all the related products and services that these groups offer."

"CeramicArtsDaily.org is produced by the Ceramic Publications Company, a wholly owned subsidiary of The American Ceramic Society, a 110 year-old non-profit organization that promotes the professional needs of the international ceramics community."
-From the "About Us" section of the Ceramic Arts Daily website

Friday Five: June 22, 2007

1. Okay, so the Friday Five is a day late. Oops. It was an uncommonly busy Friday for the middle of June. Speaking of June, the 22nd was Cindy & Dave's 5 year wedding anniversary! They are celebrating by spending a fun-filled weekend in Wichita with the kids and Dave's parents. I'm guessing a trip to the zoo might be on their agenda.
2. Anne W. and the warehouse guys have been working hard all week to get some new plants planted in front of the store. They tilled, composted, planted, and mulched 'til they couldn't mulch no more. But it looks beautiful. I'll probably post a picture next week some time.
3. Did you know that there are other uses for clay? Yes, really! It's not just for pots anymore. If you visit Salon Di Marco & Day Spa here in Lawrence and get a facial, chances are you're being slathered by clay they got right here at Bracker's! If you visit them, ask for Alex - she gives a dynamite facial. You can just feel the stress melting away as she brushes the cool clay over your skin.
4. Former Bracker's employee update: Fritz Keel worked here while attending KU, then left us when the Army commissioned him as an officer when he graduated. He's now living in Oklahoma with his wife, Kelly, and his handsome son, Jesse. He's stationed at Fort Sill where he mentors and instructs young lieutenants to be great leaders.
And finally, 5. I saved the best former Bracker's employee update for last (no offense, Fritz, we still love you!): Dave Root will always hold a special place of honor at Bracker's. He's like the son my parents never had. He started working here right out of high school and through college. He was working with us around the time Dad was diagnosed with lymphoma and passed away, and we couldn't have made it through those tough times without him. Dave has since moved on and started his own business, Atlas Archimedes, creating custom cast concrete features, including some amazing terrazzo applications and unique sculptures. After years of searching, he finally found the right woman for him. Dave and Paige were married a few years ago in Las Vegas, and they recently expanded the family to include their daughter, Poppy. The family visited Bracker's recently so we could all meet the youngest Root.

"Teapots. Teapots. Teapots." show opens June 29

"For more than ten years my work has been focused on Miniature Teapots. The teapot form continues to challenge and fascinate me. The work shown in this gallery is the result of over a decade of evolution in color, design and form. I invite you into that place."

-Fong Choo

There will be a Gallery Opening of Fong’s work in the AMACO/Brent Contemporary Clay Gallery, Indianapolis, Indiana, from 5:00-7:00pm, Friday, June 29th.

Please call for reservations as seating is limited.
800-677-3289 or 317-244-5230

"Beyond Mimesis - Contemporary Realism" - show opens June 22

Image at left:
Linda Ganstrom, "Tiara: Delivery,"
Beeswax over painted ceramic,
2007

You are invited to:

"Beyond Mimesis - Contemporary Realism"

June 22 - July 28, 2007
Opening Reception: June 22, 5:00 - 8:00 pm


Strecker Nelson Gallery
406 1/2 Poyntz Avenue
Manhattan, KS 66502
785-537-2099

Gallery Hours 10:00 am to 6:00 pm
Monday - Saturday

Featuring art by:

2D Artists:
Aaron Morgan Brown, Daniel Coburn, Roxann Graber, Steven Graber, Sally Johnson, Stephen Johnson, Lacey Lewis, Joseph Lorusso, Armin Muhsam, Barbara Waterman-Peters, Ann Piper, Ye Wang

3D Artists curated by Linda Ganstrom:
Jessica Conner, Tobias Flores, Linda Ganstrom, Linda Lighton, Mika Negishi, Jennifer Nolan, Anne Perrigo, Esther Shimazu, Nan Smith, Ilona Romule

"It is my sincere hope that you can visit this amazing exhibition. This realistic art has traveled to us from sea to shining sea and beyond, as Anne Perrigo is from the Pacific Northwest and Nan Smith from Florida while Esther Shimazu is from Hawaii and Ilona Romule from Europe. A majority of the sculptors are well-established, highly respected and avidly collected but have rarely been exhibited in Kansas. We hope you will also enjoy the work of our emerging talent whose art is based in realism, yet is conceptual and quite expressive, as well.

Jay Nelson and I had a fantastic experience collaborating and hope you love the show as much as we do and want to take something special home with you.

I hope to see you at the opening."

Linda Ganstrom
Professor of Art
Fort Hays State University

Bracker's First Fan Letter

I was wondering what to write today in the blog, until I opened my email and laughed out loud. Seriously, out loud. Then I forwarded it to Mom & Cindy and I could hear their laughter filtering through the office walls. So I just had to share:

Dear all,
I was inspired after reading your most recent e-newsletter. I've attached a couple of pix of me at work in my pottery studio wearing one of my favorite shirts; the original "Brackers" tie-dye purchased shortly after you started selling them. I will be in next week to pick up some clay and other goodies, hopefully an XL "25th" tie-dye shirt. You guyz ROCK!!!
sincerely,
Karsten Ewald
Karsten's Klaywerks

ps in regards to the pix....the juxtaposition of the teapot spout being thrown off the hump was purely coincidental, :)

Bracker's 25th Anniversary Specials

Okay, big announcement time. Next week, specifically Thursday, June 28th, is our 25th Anniversary! To celebrate, we'll have yummy treats for in-store customers all week long. Plus, for all of our customers, online, on the phone, or in person, you'll get special prices and bonus items for any order placed during that week! I've even created special website items with the special prices. Follow the link to see what the email newsletter looks like and read more about our special deals.

If you haven't signed up to receive our email newsletter, you might want to do that now. Go to our home page and look toward the bottom of the "Quick Links" list. Click on the "Join Now" button and follow the instructions - don't forget to reply to the email you'll receive to confirm your subscription.

Friday Five - June 15, 2007

1. Today I'm working on creating a new email newsletter to remind everyone that our Spring Sale is ending soon (Saturday, June 30th is the last day to get our special sale prices). I will also be announcing our 25th Anniversary Specials. We will be officially celebrating our 25th year in business on June 28th, 2007. Special deals will mark milestones in our business all that week. We'll also have treats for all the customers who can visit us in the store that week, so stop by!
2. Work continues on our new catalog. It's H-U-G-E and will take me a couple of months to complete. I'm adding color pages of glazes and books, and I may sneak a couple of color pages on tools in there, too. We will have a printed version and a PDF version available on disk or by download from our website. When I get closer to finishing it, we'll send out a postcard in the mail announcing it and asking who wants to receive one in the mail. You'll also here more about it here and in our email newsletter.
3. Speaking of email newsletters, don't forget to sign up for it on our home page. It's a double opt-in process, meaning that once you sign up, you'll need to reply to an email to confirm that you really do want to receive it. You can also unsubscribe at any time. I should also mention that we will NEVER, EVER give your email address to anyone else, nor will we go bonkers and send you tons of emails. Really. It's an every-once-in-a-while type of thing. Monthly at most, unless there's something really important we have to pass on.
4. AMACO has announced that they are looking for pictures of stuff created with their products. I've put their announcement on our website and we strongly encourage you to submit your work (or your student's work, if you're a teacher) for consideration. I'd love to see a bunch of Bracker's customers represented in the 2008 AMACO catalog. Check out the link on the home page.
And finally, 5. It's about time that I update the potter's poll on the home page. Are there any questions you'd like me to ask? Leave a comment here with any suggestions.

Have a great weekend!

Saying Goodbye to a Few Employees

This fall, Bracker's will be losing two of our favorite employees. Scott Ledbetter, our long-time warehouse manager, will begin his student teaching this fall. The 8-week intensive student teaching gig will complete his teaching certification to go along with his BFA and will most likely get him hired full-time as a high school teacher in no time.

Lou McKown is also leaving us. Lou has been our shipping guru for the past few years, but as he gets closer to graduating from the Engineering School at KU, his course schedule becomes too complex for him to work around. We also recently said goodbye to Kristin Werner, a part-time employee who assisted Lou. Kristin is spending the summer in Ecuador working on a farm and will probably get her student teaching done when she returns.

We wish them all the best of luck in their new endeavors, but it also means that we're looking for some more good employees here at Bracker's! We are promoting Seth Giles from delivery driver to warehouse manager (replacing Scott), so we need a full-time delivery driver/warehouse staff member. We also need a full-time AND part-time shipping/stock clerk to replace Lou and Kristin. If you or someone you know might be interested in a job here, click on this post title to read more about our job openings.

PDF Library - Product MSDS

MSDS stands for Material Safety Data Sheet. These are very informational files on the safety of each product we sell, from clays to glaze chemicals to glazes. It is important to keep a file readily accessible to everyone that uses the materials in the studio, especially in schools. For dry materials such as glaze chemicals or mason stains that you store in a container, we recommend that you make 2 copies of each MSDS. Put one in a file cabinet or 3-ring binder and the other copy can be taped to the bucket of the glaze chemical - use a ziplock baggie and tape the baggie to the outside of the bucket or bucket lid so the MSDS can be removed/repaced as necessary. For moist clays, full bags of dry clays, or liquid glazes, just store one copy in your file or binder. Make sure everyone in the studio knows where you keep them.

The PDF library also has lots of other good information, such as firing tips, Dawson Kiln Sitter information, and general product information. The PDF Library is a huge work-in-progress, so keep checking back or email us with a request and we'll get new stuff added!

Piepenburg Trimming Disc

Robert Piepenburg, potter and author of books like Raku Pottery, The Spirit of Clay, and Treasures of the Creative Spirit, as well as star of several videos
is now also the inventor of a brand new tool he calls the Piepenburg Trimming Disc. The Trimming Disc is a perfectly designed tool with indestructible working parts. The center of the top disc contains a slight dip to assure the positioning of the fingertip. The underside of the bottom disc contains radial ribs to grip soft clay and prevent it from sliding off-center. The press-fitted thrust bearing sandwiched between them allows for a silent smooth rotation. Its yellow coloring makes it easy to locate in the studio and puts a little "sunshine" in the toolbox. Includes a 10-minute instructional DVD (worth the cost of the tool itself!) with tips on trimming from Robert Piepenburg.

Dolan Tools

Many people have been concerned about the availability of Dolan Tools. I am happy to announce that we got in a shipment of tools recently. Although we did not receive all the tools we ordered, we did get a pretty good selection that are now in stock and available to purchase. I am optimistic that the remaining tools will be shipping soon. I know the Dolans are working as quickly as they can to produce tools.

Friday Five

As the week winds down, I thought of several little tidbits I've been meaning to mention and I thought I'd start a new regular feature called "The Friday 5" to help everyone wrap up the week.
1. If you have your own blog about pottery stuff, email me at blog@brackers.com and I'll add it here.
2. Prodigy Wheels by Thomas Stuart have been SO popular that our order has been delayed a little bit. The 15 wheels we have on order should be shipping a week from next Tueday. If you already ordered one, we'll contact you when they arrive here.
3. I'm working on a complete redesign of our website with faster, easier-to-use software. Please bear with me while I focus a lot of my time on that because it means the main website won't be updated as frequently. I'll try to fill you in on my website progress on this blog.
4. Don't forget to visit our home page and click on the link to sign up for the email newsletter. They aren't frequent, but they are very informative!
And finally, 5. Big congratulations to our Dave Sturm - he graduated from KU this semester with all sorts of honors and dean's list accolades and whatnot. Brief warning - his major was Poli Sci, so think twice before engaging him in a political debate. :-) We love ya, Dave!

Dave's Repair Schedule

If you don't already know him, let me introduce you to Dave Sturm. Dave started working at Bracker's Good Earth Clays about a dozen years ago and quickly became well-versed in kiln, wheel, and other equipment repair issues. He performs repairs all over the area (sometimes driving all day to get to the repair), as well as working on equipment that people bring into the store. He has also provided technical support for people all over the country who call in with a variety of questions. Because Dave is in such high demand, we decided to post his calendar online so you can see at-a-glance when is the best time to get ahold of him. Click on the title of this blog entry to view his calendar or go to our website and follow the link on our home page.

Site Feeds/RSS

I just added a new button at the top of the sidebar so you can subscribe to the site feeds from this blog, using your favorite method! That way, you'll automatically know when I update the blog and you'll be able to read the latest news and information, tips and tricks, and new product releases.

Spring Sale 2007

Bracker's is in the midst of our Annual Spring Sale, which runs through June 30th. We didn't get a sale flyer mailed out this Spring, but you can browse through the website for sale prices on darn near everything! In fact, it's easier to list the items NOT on sale - anything with a quantity-based discount such as moist and dry clays, chemicals, Mason Stains, and dry glazes we weigh out. Equipment, tools, toys, books, videos, and liquid glazes are on sale.

Also, stay tuned for an important announcement coming in the next week or two. :-)