Fun Fridays at Georgies
Tired of short winter days and long, cold nights? Start your weekend with some fun!

February 27th: Making Spring Eggs 10:00a - Noon FREE
	We will use underglaze products on bisque eggs in TWO fun techniques to create eggs with unique designs -- just like Mother Nature herself! You'll learn to marbleize colors for beautiful effects, and then we'll use the same underglazes with wax resist to make decorated eggs inspired by traditional Ukrainian designs.

Our new Fun Fridays are FREE Make-&-Take classes at our PORTLAND store! There's no need to call ahead or sign up: just come in and join us for fun, easy techniques for your home, studio, or classroom. Georgies will supply the class time, clay or bisque, and glaze or color products. (Please note: firings are NOT included, but available at Georgies for a reasonable fee.)

Coming up soon:

• DECORATIVE TILE PAINTING on Friday, March 27th	• MAKING FUSED GLASS POSTCARDS on Friday, April 24th

Coming Next Friday, Feb.20: Firing with Bob Logue
Proper firing is THE KEY to ceramic success at all temperature ranges. In this class, Bob will show you how to operate and maintain your electric kiln for optimum results. He'll discuss what happens to the clay at various temperatures, basic kiln maintenance, and how to set up programs for your computer-controlled kiln. Bring your notepads and questions: there's lots of info here at a very reasonable price! Call us at 503.283.1353 or click on the item number below to email us!

Update: Leaded Glazes Going... Going... GONE
Duncan's Goal was March 1st... but our stock is already out.
We reported in our last e-news that Duncan had accelerated their timeline for discontinuing their leaded glazes to March 1st. It's only been about three weeks since then, but we've been astonished at how fast the old formulas have disappeared from our shelves. At this time, we may have a few stray jars remaining in stock, but that's IT.

In the meantime, since January 1st, we've received several new color releases from Duncan, with more to come. We'll be making those available on our website within the next week or two, with links on our homepage to make it easy to find them. Many of the new glazes are formulated to very closely match the colors of the discontinued lead-bearing glazes. Keep an eye out for them, they're coming soon!

To help you along in taking the "No-Lead Plunge," we'd like to offer these tips that we've found in working with these glazes:
• Thickness matters. Clear glazes like to be applied thinner. If you brush on your glazes, stop at two coats. If you dip your pieces in the glaze, the glaze should be at the consistency of nonfat milk -- or 2% milk, at most. Dip your bisque in, and take it out promptly with no "hang time" in the bucket.
• Fire to cone 05. No-lead glazes can take a bit more heat to fully mature, "fine out" and give you the clarity and bright shine of the old leaded glazes.

Georgies' Glazes Now on Sale
Our Annual Glaze Sale Lasts until February 28th!
Just a reminder: All Georgies' brand glazes are now on sale at 20% off the catalog retail prices until February 28th. The sale includes our Sculptural/Textural GLW cone 6 glazes, the PG600 cone 6 glazes and the PG800 cone 06 raku glazes. The sale includes all sizes (4oz jars, pints, gallons, and pails) AND the sample kits (PG699, GLW99, PG899). (We're sorry for any inconvenience, but the sale does not include GK1 - GK6 glaze kits.)

And a Little Extra... Happy Valentine's Day!
Here's a bonus offered only to our email subscribers: a coupon good for $10 off the bottom line price on your next purchase of $50 or more. Print and clip this coupon and bring it in when visiting our stores OR mention coupon code "HEART" when placing your order by phone, fax or email. This coupon is good until February 28, 2009. (For easiest printing on WIndows computers, right-click on the coupon image. Your web browser will offer you options like "Open in New Window" or "View in New Tab" -- something like that. Click on whichever option allows you to see the coupon image all by itself and print it from there.)

New Clays in Stock
CC550 and CC551 are ON SALE now in our stores! Regular prices are quoted below: ask us about the sale prices.
CC550: Timberline (Cone 6)
Timberline Clay came from our discovery of a new raw material that we just had to share. It's wonderfully plastic, wheel-friendly, successful with add-ons or attachments, formable for handbuilding, AND vitreous with a warm stone-grey color at cone 6. We simply run out of superlatives for this clay. We also make a sculptural blend with an increased blend of fine and medium grog for great toothiness and structural strength.

CC551: Pendleton Red (Cone 10)
Pendleton Red gets its warm color from iron-rich fire clays mined in California. These blended clays offer a different tooth and texture than in our other "red" clays. Pendleton Red uses 35-mesh grog instead of sand, too. THis clay can work small or large, and it's a champ for both wheelthrowing and handbuilding. It's also a good choice if you use shino glazes becuase the high expansion will accomodate the glaze.

CC552: Trillium Porcelain (Cone 6)
Finally, a really friendly porcelain at cone 6! Trillium is a true porcelain composed of blended domestic kaolins. There's no ball clay at all! It's easy to work with for hand and wheel work. Fire it to cone 6 for the distinctive slightly bluish-to-grey-white look of REAL porcelain: it's not just another white clay.
Kristy has been working with it in our classroom sudio. She says that it does need the confident-yet-delicate touch of working with any porcelain, but it trims very nicely in the leather-hard stage. It also dries evenly without the cracking issues she's experienced with other porcelains.
So far we have made 1,000 pounds as a "beta" test batch. If you work with porcelain and would like to try some, let us know next time you come to our Portland store. We'll be happy to give you a sample. Just let us about your experience with it on your wheel or in your studio.
And let's not overlook one more factor: the price is friendly, too, compared to other porcelain clays.

We'll be adding these clays to our website selections within the next week.

Now Showing in Our Gallery: Richard Armstrong

Northwest sculptor and painter Richard Armstrong has brought us a wide selection of his free-form, flowing figurative sculptures to display in the gallery space on our sales floor. We are very pleased to offer these pieces for your enjoyment and consideration. We're looking for just the right name for our gallery space, maybe in the format of "<something> Gallery at Georgies." Got any suggestions? We'd like to hear them: please email us your ideas.

Since my younger days, I have always used my hands to play guitar, gesture on stage and make art. The work is a listening of the heart and a sensing of the art, using soulful, soft and moving lines or spirited bucking, crossing lines to make points of life and light sparkle off the paper or out of the clay. There is hidden energy everywhere. There are planes of existence beyond our sight. There are avenues that take deep contemplation as well as avenues that are simply ways to be spoken to from one of those hidden planes. I have studied and taught Tai Chi and Aikido, and I play a handful of instruments. They all provide improvisational dancing with the chi. Some of my work is small, some are average size, and I look forward now to working large. I feel fortunate to have studio space and time to explore this continuing dance with art and existence. -- Richard Armstrong

Used Equipment at Georgies
For more info or to reserve equipment, call Bob Logue at 503.283.1353 or click the item number to email us.

• Creative Industries JR electric wheel. Refurbished with a new foot petal; centering capacity probably about 20 pounds. $600. (USED556).

Coming in March...
In our last paper newsletter, sent out just after the first of the year, we listed our monthly sales for the first four months of the year. We know how easily those paper copies disappear, so we'd like to offer this reminder for your convenience. It's not necessary to clip or bring in the ad like a coupon -- but we do appreciate it if you let us know that you saw it on our e-news. :-)

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Our mailing address is:
Georgies Ceramic & Clay Co.
756 NE Lombard
Portland, OR 97211

Our telephone:
503.283.1353 or 800.999.2529

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