Pottery-24: the first five hours

5 hours down, 19 more to go!

Getting ready for this weekends big event...

Pictures:
*Leigh and Olga hand painting designs onto tea cups*
*Finished tea cups which will be given as gifts to Connectors*
*Commercial Drive themed wares including magnets (new addition!) and mugs*
*Post cards we distruibuted around the neighborhood*

We're having a Kick-off Party to launch our 24 hour fundraiser this Saturday from 7-10pm in the lower hall of 1803 East 1st Avenue (above the Pottery Studio) for Connectors, friends and supporters. Following this a group of committed potters and supportive friends (and possibly you if you're interested) will stay up, around the clock for 24 hours and keep the pottery wheel spinning the whole time! If you would like to come along Saturday evening to the Kick-off Party email: pottery-24@justwork.ca for more info. If you are keen to have a go on the wheel or buy some pottery or just want to come and say hello, come and see us on Commercial Drive on the corner of William St on Sunday from 12-6pm.

NB: Incase you've experienced trouble publishing recently... I have too! I was able to compose this message yesterday but 'it' wouldn't let me publish it. I kept getting a message saying "javascript:void(0)". I read that this problem can be connected with Internet Explorer and as we had just installed an update I installed a new version of Google Chrome instead and this browser let me publish.

The Significance of Donations

Here it is. This project has been a long time coming, so we're glad to finally share it with the world. We'd really appreciate if you could spare a few minutes to watch this video which we hope will be a useful tool. As the introduction states:

Our goal is to inform individuals new to social enterprise about the financial challenges that social enterprises face. Also, we want to provide viewers with additional understanding of JustWork as we invite you to partner with us. Thanks for taking the time to watch, learn, and act!

12 steps

These are the steps Olga went through in the video below. Looking at them now I feel like I may even be brave enough to attempt a mug for myself one day*... we are finalising a new video which we hope to have up this week so please stay tuned. (These sketches didn't make the cut for the video but might interest you.)
By the way, we now have over 65 Connectors signed up! Well on our way to the 100 we are aiming for!

*Just to clarify my inexperience I am quite a new volunteer to JustPotters and pottery in general - the ladies making mugs for remuneration are very well trained and experienced! Sharolyn

Thanks CapChurch

A BIG thankyou to CapChurch in North Vancouver for a very warm welcome on Sunday. Leigh and Olga were invited to share with the congregation the work of JustPotters and Olga spoke about what JustPotters means for her as an employee. We were very pleased with pottery sales directly after the service and all of the positive feedback and encouragement. Thankyou again to the people from CapChurch for your support. We hope that you will enjoy many a warm cup of tea, coffee or hot chocolate in your mugs and think of us often when you do!

Here is a quick video we put together for the presentation which shows Olga turning a block of ordinary clay into a beautiful mug, enjoy!

Pottery is very serious business

A few recent snaps from a quick video we put together. May be able to upload that soon as well...

Recycling Clay

This is the beginning of what I hope to become a collection of insights into what happens on an average day in the Pottery Studio. I hope you enjoy!

Izac (an Aussie friend visiting) came in yesterday to find out a bit more about what happens in the studio and ended up recycling a whole lot of clay. He couldn't help but break the clay pieces with true percussionist beat and a hammer in each hand. I think it is so wonderful that broken greenware can be salvaged and given a 2nd chance. It is also excellent to see JustPotters working hard to minimise waste in all areas. For anyone not familiar with the process:



1. Broken greenware* is collected in bags according to clay colour
2. Once fully dry, broken pieces are broken down even further into small shards and fine dust using a hammer (or two)
3. Broken clay pieces are placed in a large bucket and water and a little vinegar is added
4. Clay mixture is mixed thoroughly with a paint stirrer type attatchment on a drill until mixture is smooth (sometimes it's necessary to get your hands pretty dirty to confirm this...)
5. Slushy clay mud is then poured into a plaster batt lined with a cloth (allowing water to evaporate) and left to sit and harden for 1-2 weeks depending on the weather.
6. Clay is bagged and labelled and can be used to create new pieces!

*Greenware I understand (and please correct me if I'm wrong) is ceramic ware or clay that has not yet been fired.



Izac loved the slurping sound the mud made when mixing. It's a little like making a cake really, the ultimate mud pie!