Cindy Groszkiewicz Taking care of our pottery studio and all the tools and equipment is a very important part of membership. About 40 members of both the Happy Potters and the Kiln Krafters joined forces for our semi-annual studio clean-up day held at the end of February. A lot of sweat equity was poured into…
Lynne Kelsey The Happy Potters are an ambitious group. Once they’ve achieved a goal, the only thing to do is to exceed it! And that’s exactly what happened as, once again, this talented group has put their skills to work to benefit the Empty Bowls event for Our Daily Bread and Denton Community Food Center.…
Lynne Kelsey We may be sweltering, but the Happy Potters have the holidays on their minds! On July 17 the Pottery Studio was standing-room-only as club members took up clay to create a variety of Christmas trees for the Holiday Market. Some trees are reminiscent of a flatter triangle on a stick, and others were…
Lynne Kelsey It’s impossible to learn pottery from a book. Certainly, one can pick up tips and gain a basic understanding of the craft by reading, but it’s a skill that needs to be developed hands-on. We learn best by closely observing the hands of experienced potters, then taking up clay to imitate their actions.…
Lynne Kelsey Woo-hoo … Raku! Raku, a form of “low fire” pottery in which glazed pieces are heated until they are glowing red, then placed into a container with combustible materials such as sawdust, is something that the kilns in the Wine Cup Room can’t handle. Recently, a group of our intrepid Happy Potters members…
Lynne Kelsey Pottery is a uniquely expressive craft. It’s part skill, part creativity, and part science; “hands-on” in the most literal way. The potter’s hands take a nondescript ball of clay and transform it on the wheel by pushing and compressing it into a centered, symmetrical mass. Fingers locate the center point of this rotating…
Lynne Kelsey On Oct. 21 a group of 14 Happy Potters escaped the studio and headed for the hills—the Hill Country, that is—to attend the much-anticipated 30th Annual Texas Clay Festival in Gruene. Gruene is the historic German town near New Braunfels, built on the Guadalupe River. It is famous as being the site of…
Lynne Kelsey As fall approached, the pottery studio was a whirlwind of activity as the Happy Potters prepared for a major event—the annual Holiday Market. With so many individual potters donating items, organizing the sale is a huge undertaking, but Co-Chairs Cindy Curry and Lori Shaddix had the task under control. With the help of…
Lynne Kelsey Empty Bowls of Denton is a fundraising event where ticket holders select a handmade bowl and then enjoy a luncheon of soup and bread. Happy Potters have chosen this effort as their annual project to give back to the community. Potter Pat Bender gathered a willing group of her fellow potters for a…
Lynne Kelsey The thermometer may say it’s over 100 (again), but in July, members of the Happy Potters had their minds squarely on the holidays. In the monthly Holiday Market workshop, the emphasis was festive decor. The studio became a workshop of busy elves who cut out ornaments, built snowman mugs, and created adorable figurines…