Ventura County Potters Guild

Visit our store today: venturapotteryonline.com

VENTURA POTTERS' GUILD ONLINE STORE IS OPEN FOR YOUR HOLIDAY SHOPPING: VENTURAPOTTERYONLINE.COM The Ventura Potters’ Guild is pleased to announce the launch of our new online store: www.venturapotteryonline.com. If you have ever been to our Gallery in the Ventura Harbor Village then you have experienced the beautiful work of over 30 local ceramic artists. Many of these same artists have spectacular ceramic pieces posted on the new online store that are not available for sa...le in the Gallery. The online store also has additional artists offering their creative work for sale online. The Ventura Potters’ Guild online store has the same quality, one of a kind, handmade items you have come to love from the Guild artists. Most items are available for free pick up at the Gallery located in the Ventura Harbor Village. Many ceramic pieces are available to ship anywhere in the United States. Tis the season for gift giving and we have made it easy to send a gift to your family and friends anywhere in the country. All purchases will be shipped or available for pick up at the Gallery within 3 business days. Not sure what would go well in your family or friend’s kitchen? We have e-Gift Cards available so your loved one can pick their favorite piece. Have a favorite artist from the Gallery or our annual Ojai Sale? Look online to see if they have posted their work. Feel like shopping for pottery at 3am? The online store is open 24/7. The Ventura Pottery Guild online store currently has over 100 items available for sale and we are adding new artists and new pieces all the time. Bookmark venturapotteryonline.com and check us out regularly for new work. Also, remember that the Ventura Pottery Gallery is located at the Ventura Harbor Village, at 1567 Spinnaker Drive, Suite 105 and is now open seven days a week from 11am to 6pm. Questions about the online store can be directed to: [email protected].

The ceramic artists at TheVentura Pottery Galleryhave been busy experimenting, creating and firing exciting new works of art. If you haven’t visited the Galle...ry in a while it's time to discoverthis crown jewel nestled in the Ventura Harbor Village. Many of our members have home studios where they are working during this shelter in place moment in time. Each month we will be featuring ceramic artists from The Ventura Pottery Gallery and previewing some of their new work. As a recent East Coast transplant, our next featured artist, Erika Posey, did not waste any time jumping into the local ceramics culture. With an early retirement from Liberty Mutual and a love of ceramics since 1976, Erika and her husband found a home with a barn they could convert to a studio in Simi Valley. Erika took classes in Santa Clarita and Camarillo, and workshops at the Beatrice Wood Center for the Arts. In 2019 she joined the Ventura County Potters’ Guild and began showing her work in its gallery this year. Erika reflects, The local clay community is so very welcoming and enriching. I truly enjoy the camaraderie of working side by side with so many talented, and generous clay artists. Erika’s work focuses on function and simplicity in form. The colors of the earth, water, and natural settings heavily influence her choice of glaze colors and designs. Guild jurors commented, Very nice pots! and Asian style - good symmetry, good technical craftsmanship. Sheltering at home allowed her to focus on organizing the new barn studio as well as building her website with online sales which compliments her in-person sales at the Ventura Potters’ Gallery in Ventura Harbor. Working creatively and repurposing tools for her studio is nothing new for Erika. But her COVID creativity takes a practical turn as she now makes ceramic pumps for hand sanitizer or soap. She is also busy inventing new ceramic objects, making how-to ceramic videos and creating a video tour of her new studio. Inspiration continues! The Gallery is located at 1567 Spinnaker Drive, Suite 105 in Ventura Harbor. We ask visitors to wear a mask, limit the number of people in the gallery to 3 and practice social distanci

Congratulations to our winners in the VCPG show Nature’s Bounty at the Beatrice Wood Center. 1st place Genie Thomsen for Migration 2nd place - Lynn Redmond for Antelope Myth 3rd place Gloria Sills for Boundless Flight... Be sure to check out the show. It’s all online. https://www.beatricewood.com/ventura_county_potters_guild_2

Our Online Store is Open! COVID-19 prompted the Guild to take the leap into online sales. Mostly this was to get around the Gallery’s limited hours of operation in the early days of the pandemic, but also as a response to requests from out-of-town buyers. Our official launch was October 1. A selection of items from juried Guild members are available. Items can be shipped, and for local buyers, they can also be picked up at the gallery or arrangements made to meet the artist s...omewhere for delivery. Visit http://www.venturapotteryonline.com We will be expanding the number of available items and artists over time so be sure to check back often!

Ventura County Potters' Guild "Nature's Bounty" Beatrice Wood Center for the Arts: Logan Gallery... An exhibition of works by artist/members of the Ventura County Potters' Guild Founded in 1957, the guild has grown into a nonprofit corporation with a mission to stimulate public interest and appreciation of the arts of creative ceramic pottery and sculpture. The Ventura County Potters’ Guild is committed to providing a forum for local potters who share their experiences and knowledge of clay through general meetings with invited specialists in the field of ceramics providing demonstrations, lectures, slide presentations, and workshops.

The Beatrice Wood Center for the Arts is currently showing the virtual exhibit NATURAL WONDERS an exhibition of the new work of LAUREN HANSON September 12-October 24, 2020 at the Beato Gallery View the exhibition online at:... http://www.beatricewood.com/lauren_hanson_2020.html See more

Meet our members! The Guild's new website has a place for our members to add their personal pottery portfolios. This is a place for you to meet our members and see a gallery of their work. Members will continue to set up their pages and add their work so check back often: http://venturapottersguild.org/members/

Have you seen our new webpage yet? You can now find a lot of information about the VCPG and our upcoming events and activities. Be sure to bookmark it and check back often! http://venturapottersguild.org

While some Ventura Pottery Gallery artists pivoted to adjust to COVID-19, Terry Wilson expanded. Working with a small test kiln for firing dictated that her pie...ces would be well, small. But through clay connections she found a larger used kiln in excellent shape. After making adjustments in her studio to accommodate a larger kiln, larger work emerged. Sheltering at homealso provided Terry with much needed time. And as she puts it, I found myself with new found time on my hands. Wonderful, uninterrupted, sweet time that I luxuriated in by immersing myself in the creative process. I was able to spend many weeks refining my techniques and following the paths that naturally fan out as you explore your ideas. Maintaining this stream of consciousness is difficult when you have to constantly step away. One of Terry’s hallmark pieces are her tiny succulent earrings. Now you know why she was working so small with a 6 limit on her work. She is still making plant-related jewelry, but now she is also making large platters, moving in a painterly direction, and adding colors beyond celadon green. She states, I am using clay as canvas and calling on my graphic design skills. My new work, some of it having surface treatments involving leaves and layered color, includes larger items such as plates, vases and mugs. Fellow potter and gallery member Rebecca Catterall commented, Terry’s new platters have an iridescent quality you don’t often see in pottery. The light dances on top. And I appreciate the time she puts in as a volunteer including redesigning the Guild website." The Ventura Pottery Gallery is located at 1567 Spinnaker Drive, Suite 105 in Ventura Harbor. We ask visitors to wear a mask, limit the number of people in the gallery to 3 and practice social distancing. We have hand sanitizer available if you would like to examine the pottery.. TheGallery is open seven days a week: Wed.-Monday., 11-6, and Tuesday, noon-4. For more information visitwww.venturapottersguild.org.

For our next Featured Artist we turn the spotlight on Drew Lurie. Drew is a long-time Ojai resident and a long-time potter having his hands in clay from 1975. As a fairly recent Gallery member he has taken his affiliation seriously and is now chairperson of the Gallery. He has been at the forefront of figuring out how we should pivot to open our doors with the COVID-19 pandemic. Aside from volunteering his time to keep the gallery open he has also found time to work at his ho...me studio and the Ojai Pottery and Clay School and expand his art in interesting and whimsical directions. Creativity has always been part of Drew’s process, but time to reflect has brought benefits to him and customers who need a light-hearted touch during this time. Fellow Gallery member Ellen Wohlstadter states, When customers come into the gallery they are drawn to Drew's ceramic art. His work is so joyful and sweet. With the seriousness of the pandemic and the state of politics today, Drew's creations bring a smile to our customers! In Drew’s own words, I have my hands in clay nearly every day, sometimes for just a couple hours, often times more. During these challenging times I have continued making pottery, which for me gives focus and allows a positive way forward. It’s so good to be able to get away from the bad news, to keep doing the craft that I enjoy. Through the years my clay work has leaned towards the whimsical is style and design. In the last several months since the pandemic arrived in our lives it seems that my work has gotten evermore kooky. Perhaps it’s my way of getting through it. My collection of kooks, creeps, and feather heads often puts a grin on my face. I consider myself a serious potter in that I strive to keep growing and improving. But it’s pretty cool to look at the work bench at the end of the day and have a chuckle at what’s been hatched. The Ventura Pottery Gallery is loaded with many award-winning artists. Come visit the gallery and see how ceramic artists unleash their creative talents during the pandemic. After your visit you may want to take a stroll around the Ventura Harbor. The Ventura Pottery Gallery is located at 1567 Spinnaker Drive, Suite 105 in the Ventura Harbor. Monday - Wednesday 12:00 pm 4 pm Thursday - Sunday 11:00 am 6 pm For more information visit: www.venturapottersguild.org

Did you know the Ventura County Potters' Guild now has its own youtube Chanel where you can view members meetings and members studio tours? Be sure to follow us: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2lzebZHcq-j01UucykUVpg

Hi folks, it’s Wednesday again! I thought I’d demonstrate throwing in two pieces @clayspacestudios mentioned a good technique from @davidfrith .......I hope it's useful !

Hello folks ......Here we are again ......Feedback Friday.....turning egg cups ! It's like turning mature Cheddar Cheese ! who doesn't want that on a Friday Hope its informative. Have a great weekend !

Turning something with a really thin neck can be tricky . A lot of you asked how I do it ........well seeing as its Friday I'll show you #pottery #keithbrymerjones #potterystudio

Hello you lovely folks ........so today is the day I finish off the (simple) Salt Pig . Apologies for being a little quick as I wanted to thank you for watching... as this (for now) is the last in a while as we're planning to start filming another series of the The Great Pottery Throwdown , and I'll be somewhat busy . I shall be posting still . We live in a wonderful world of creative people of which you are some of them . It's been a pleasure to reach out to you with something I love . #gorgeouspeople #keithbrymerjones #studiopottery See more