the Rossmoor Ceramic arts club

Sad news about CAC member Margaret Hamilton

9/8/2024

We have some very sad news: Margaret Hamilton passed away on September 6, 2024, as the result of a fall and a subsequent stroke. Her family was gathered around her and she passed very peacefully.

Margaret was a longtime member and a mainstay of the Ceramic Club. She volunteered for various tasks and even served as our Studio Manager for a number of years. Lately she had been busy creating large mugs and ceramic mushrooms for her extended family. Although she had to give up driving a few years ago, she faithfully came down and worked with clay as often as possible, making good use of the bus service in Rossmoor. Margaret's presence was always welcome. She had a lively sense of humor and she baked delicious cookies!

Margaret Hamilton will be dearly missed by all who knew her. At a future time there will be a celebration of her life. We will keep our members informed about that when we know the details.

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CAC's Patio Party on June 25 - GO WEST, BBQ FEST!

7/5/2024

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We had a lot of fun, as you can see from the photos below - which are not in any particular order. Lots of games, line dancing, lively conversations, good food (those ribs were delicious) - what more could anyone want? It was a blast!

Thanks to Judy Russell, Linda Mariano, and the entire Entertainment committee! Also to Fred Surh, Wendy Markel, and Judy R. (among others) for the photos.

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A wonderful Pit Fire - May 29-31, 2024

6/1/2024

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May 29, 2024: [see photos below]
First we bring out the prepared ceramic pieces that have been collected in the studio, placing them all around the pit (which has already been covered with a layer of wood shavings), after which they are very carefully loaded into the pit by the Pit Fire Master and one assistant.

Then all around the pieces salt & copper carbonate are sprinkled. Next everything is covered with dry seaweed, then dried cowpies, then small pieces of kindling wood. Scrunched up newspaper is tucked around the kindling and a layer of firewood is placed on top of the whole load. Finally more kindling is added over everything.

After that everybody climbs out of the pit and a set of heavy metal pipes are placed over the entire pit. The entire Pit Fire Team gathers around and a blessing is given prior to lighting the pit on fire.

May 29, continued: [see photos below]
The entire area surrounding the pit has been well watered down and the Pit Fire Safety team is in place, armed with a hose and 3 fire extinguishers, as seen in the first 2 photos below. (This is preventative - everything goes well and none of the fire extinguishers are necessary.)

Members of the Pit Fire Team squirt charcoal lighter fluid over the whole shebang and then they set the pit on fire using long torches made of rolled-up newspaper. As soon as it flames, all of the people move out of the fenced-in Pit Fire area and watch from the side.

After 2+ hours, when the flames are banked and the pit is simply smoldering, the pit is covered with long sheets of metal. This means that the pieces in the pit are in a reduction atmosphere, which produces many of the most beautiful effects as far as surface color and sheen. We then leave the pit for another day and half, letting everything settle and completely cool down.

May 31, 2024: [see photos below]
The pit is totally cool in the morning when we uncover it: first the metal sheets, then the metal pipes are removed. The Pit Fire Master and one assistant once more climb into the pit, then carefully remove the fired pieces from the ashes. When that is done, another member of the Pit Fire Team rakes the remaining ashes for anything small which may have been left behind.

Other members of the Pit Fire Team place the fired ceramics on carts and wheel them to the back side of the Ceramic Studio. They are unloaded onto tables covered with newspaper.

Members claim their pieces and clean them. shaking off all of the ashes and other detritus. People wander around, admiring the results of the Pit Fire - both their own and those of everyone else. There are lots of beautiful pots, beads & sculptures to!

After a while, a potluck lunch is set out and everybody eats and celebrates a most successful Pit Fire! It's been quite a journey.. sigh.

[Note: most of the photos posted here are courtesy of CAC member Fred Surh; some are from other CAC members. Thanks to everyone who contributed!]

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PIT FIRE on May 29-31 - final Pit Fire PREP by 6 pm on MAY 28

5/21/2024

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Email message sent to CAC members on May 26, 2024:

It’s time for the Final PIT FIRE Preparations! The last day to get your piece(s) ready for the Pit Fire is Tuesday May 28, by 6 pm. This means that you must have them all ready and placed on the marked table (in the front room) or one of the marked shelves in the back near the kiln room door. All of the materials for this prep work are still laid out on a back table in the front room of the Ceramic Studio. (They will be removed after 6 that evening.)
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The Pit Fire schedule:
On Wednesday May 29, the pit will be loaded and fired. This will start at 9:30 am and finish around 11 am – 12:30 pm.
On Friday May 31, the pit will be uncovered and unloaded, from 9:30 am to 10:30-11 am.
This will be followed by a potluck lunch, starting around 11:30 am in the Ceramic Studio, which is open to all members of CAC, whether they've participated in the Pit Fire or not.
Please sign up for the May 31 potluck on the list on the front table of the studio.

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Empty Bowls on April 19, 2024 was great

4/20/2024

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CAC’s Empty Bowls this year was a wonderful event! We worked hard and sold hundreds of bowls while raising over $8,000 for the Contra Costa Food Bank. And everybody had a good time in the process! The bowls were beautiful and soups and baked goods were delicious – there were many happy customers! Photos from this year’s Empty Bowls are posted below (courtesy of CAC members Fred Surh and Judy Russell).

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Figurative Sculptures of CAC Members on Display

2/10/2024

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One of the Display Windows of the Ceramic Studio currently features figurative sculptures created by our members this month - from February 5 through March 3, 2024. Most of the sculptures in the window are from a 4-session sculpture class with a live model which was given last fall. Above are a few photos from that class.

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WINTER PARTY 2023 - LOTS OF FUN

12/19/2023

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Our annual Winter Party (formerly known as the CAC Holiday Party) was held on Saturday, December 16, in the Fireside Room, just across from our Ceramic Studio.

Below are some pictures of the lovely set-up beforehand, and the even lovelier volunteers who made it all happen! Also the lady who provided music for the party, both accordion and piano.

A wonderful time was had by all. We shared our memories of 2023 and hopes for 2024, and then we played "Ceramic BINGO," with ceramic related terms instead of the usual letters and numbers.

The food was delicious and the company was warm and friendly. More pictures of the festivities below - all photos courtesy of Judy Russell and Linda Mariano.

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Empty Bowls Fundraiser, 2023 - a Great Success!

4/25/2023

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Our Empty Bowls Fundraiser on April 21st was an amazing event. We sold about 240 bowls, and in the process gave away all of the soup and other goodies. Everything was made by CAC’s own dedicated volunteers, of course. Kudos and many thanks to all of them – it was a wonderful community effort!

Our treasurer Amy has just revealed that the final sales total (drum beat) is $6804.73 (gasp!!). This will all be donated to the Contra Costa Food Bank, of course, And although we worked hard, we had a lot of fun in the process – as did our many supporters in Rossmoor (and guests from outside as well). Below are some of the beautiful bowls that were created for this event:

NOTE: Click on this link to see dozens of photos of this year’s Empty Bowls event, on Dropbox (thanks to Fred Suhr - photos were taken by Fred Suhr & Vicky Richardson):
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/opdhqcot3psk89i6lysq1/h?dl=0&rlkey=7txrzp1u5eumdcycuyo23p7uw

(FYI, below are just a few of them.)

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Chinese Dumpling Party - a wonderful event!

3/1/2023

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We had the most wonderful Chinese Dumpling Party on Monday, February 27 in the Vista Room (at the Hillside Clubhouse) from 11:00 am to 2:00 pm. This was spearheaded by our own Theresa Kuo, who formed the CAC Dumpling (Jiaozi) Team - Lucia, Lily, Lisa, Josephine, Beverly, Pamela, Diane. These 8 fabulous ladies brought all the fillings and dumpling wrappers, then they proceeded to teach dozens of enthusiastic CAC members how to wrap the dumplings - there were over 700 dumplings for about 55 people!! These delicious tidbits were carefully cooked by the Team, then served to all participants., accompanied by various dipping sauces - YUM! And afterwards there was also a selection of desserts available (courtesy of several other CAC volunteers).
The main focus was to have fun and socialize (especially with the new members from the recent Orientation Class) over a non-clay medium. In the process we all learned that if you can work with clay, you can wrap Chinese dumplings with your own (clean) hands. It was lots of fun - a resounding success!

A shout out to all of the volunteers who agreed to set up/clean up, register people as they arrived, collect the $5 donations, bring desserts, etc. And especially to the CAC Dumpling (Jiaozi) Team: Lucia, Lily, Lisa, Josephine, Beverly, Pamela, Diane and Theresa. (FYI, a generic dumpling recipe will be made available at a later date. )

See photos of this event, taken by Lynne Terril, below, and you can also view a slideshow of pictures and short videos taken by Fred Surh, on YouTube, by clicking on this link:

https://youtu.be/v_H7MrAyeQc

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CAC's Holiday Party - 2022

12/22/2022

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On December 17, 2022, we had a wonderful party in the Fireside Room, just across from our Ceramic Studio. (Thanks to both Judy Russell and Fred Surh for the photos below!)

To start things off, we were given a glass of champagne (or soda) and mingled for a while as we ate appetizers and sipped. Very pleasant.

Then we were all seated at tables and chatted with our neighbors happily while we waited our turn to serve ourselves from the buffet. We played some games, including one in which we placed paper plates on our heads and drew "snowmen" on them with crayons (no looking allowed). The best one from each table came up front to show them off - lots of laughter ensued!

All throughout the festivities we were serenaded by a pianist playing holiday and wintry tunes. After having dinner we played BINGO for prizes, as well. Kudos to Judy Russell, Mary Ann Stanley, Linda Mariano and Kathy Jepson for planning and executing the Holiday Party so well. We had lots of fun - HAPPY HOLIDAYS to all!