Tom Raca & Brenda McMahon conduct throwing and firing workshops in Florida this winter.

My good friends Tom and Brenda are on the road again doing a number of shows and workshops in various locations in Florida. Hope you get a chance to see them, if you're down there this time of the year. I sure hope I get to enjoy a few days of sunshine this winter. We will have to go for a trip. -charlie

 

   Hands-On Workshop in February.

Large & LOOSE, Polished & Poetic is going on the road this year.  On February 27 & 28 we will hold our 2-day firing intensive and demonstration workshop in St. Petersburg, FL.  St. Pete Clay Company is hosting this workshop which will run from 10am - 5pm.  Here's a sneak peak of what you can expect.

During the weekend, I will teach participants how to increase the amount of clay they can throw and how to loosen up while doing it.  Brenda McMahon will open her 'toolbox of skills' and teach students everything they need to know about saggar firing.  Bring 1 to 6 pots for the saggar firing.  This workshop is open to students of all skill levels.  The cost is $250.  Call or email St. Pete Clay Company to register today!  For a more complete description, click here.

  

Art Fairs in Florida & Texas
 
My winter schedule is taking me all through Florida and into Texas this year.

I'll be at the Delray Beach Festival of the Arts on January 16 & 17 and from there I head a bit north to West Palm Beach's new CityPlace Arts Festival on January 23 & 24.

New Smyrna Beach hosts Images: A Festival of the Arts on January 30 & 31 and in February, I'll be at the Boca Museum Juried Arts Festival.  In Miami I'll be at the Coconut Grove Art Festival and on the west coast of Florida in Downtown Sarasota.

 

For those of you in St. Petersburg, don't miss me at the 37th Annual Temple Beth-El Arts Festival.  My wall tiles, vessels and platters will be on display from January 30th thru February 1st.

Studio Sale in the Country by Tom Radca & Brenda McMahon

Tom Radca Ceramics

The Barn is Cleaned Up... for Our Studio Sale This Weekend! November 7 & 8, 2009:  10 - 6 2 Artists, One Huge Sale Tom Radca  Brenda McMahon 15216 Grove Road Port Washington, OH 43837 740.498.4303 Directions to Studio  20% - 50% off old & new work

TomRadca.com

Artists Call to Action, The Orphan Works Act of 2008

This came to me from my friend and artist Gail Larned. It sounds petty serious and will affect just about every artist you know and like. Read it and take action! - charlie

On April 24, Senators Pat Leahy (D-VT) and Orrin Hatch (R-UT) and Representatives Howard Berman (D-CA), John Conyers (D-MI) and Lamar Smith (R-TX) introduced legislation (S.2913, HR 5889), which is now being referred to as the Shawn Bentley Orphan Works Act of 2008. It is virtually the same bill that was presented in 2006, and subsequently rejected by Congress. But now, they are trying again.

If passed, the Act would radically alter copyright laws, taking away the automatic copyright now guaranteed to artists of all types who create any type of work. Right now, under U.S.law, you are automatically guaranteed copyright on everything you create, from the sketches in your sketchpad to your best paintings and sculptures.

Under the Orphan Works Act, every creator will be required to register everything he or she creates in a private registry system, requiring a fee of course, and supposedly to make it easier for the "public" to search for works and contact the creators if they want to use the
works for some purpose.

Everything created in the last 30 years will need to be registered through this as-yet nonexistent system, including those works already registered via additional fees with the copyright office. If they aren't, and some member of the public makes "due diligence" to find the creator of a work and can't find him or her, that member of the public is entitled to use the work without any limitations, and artists will have no legal recourse. That means every piece of work you have out there, especially online, would be open season for use bymajor publishing houses and businesses (Microsoft who owns one of the largest online image databases and Google have already voiced support for the bill and indicated they will use thousands of images) and everyone in between.

Proponents of the bill say it will assist the public in identifying and contacting creators of works and going through the proper channels to contact them to ask for permission. While we understand the need for an organized system of search, there are MAJOR FLAWS in the proposed bill that need to be addressed before any such proposal should take place. Here are a few points:

Under this law, you would need to register every piece of work you create, including those works that you have already registered with the Copyright Office officially, in some system that does not exist and would likely require you to pay to do so. The time and cost to do this is going to be prohibitive for visual artists. While this is meant to apply to all types of creative works, including music and literary, visual artists will be impacted the most because of the sheer volume of work we create, making it very expensive to register everything you have ever created or will create. For the visual arts, there would still be little protection for you and your work, even if it is registered, because search tools would rely on names of artists or titles of work, and not image recognition tools, which are still in their infancy of development. Under this law, if you register your work, you would have to respond to EVERY inquiry sent to you for use of the work. So in other words, if you have a work out there in a registry system, and some person contacts you and says he wants to use your work for free on his Web site or in his new catalog, you would need to take the time to officially respond to every inquiry within a specified time limit, letting him know if you do not want to have him publish your work for free. This will take a lot of time and effort that we, as professional artists, do not have.

Last week, the House Judiciary Committee unanimously approved the bill, and yesterday, May 15, the Senate Judiciary Committee did as well. This means the bill will be presented to Congress, likely before the end of May.

We need you to write to your representatives ASAP and let them know that you do NOT want this bill to be expedited, as it is now. Tell them we need a better solution, or tell them you don't want it at all: Just be sure to tell them something soon. Click the links below to get more information on the bill, including a video that gives you a great overview of the artists' concerns:

http://www.capwiz.com/artsusa/issues/alert/?alertid=11346091&type=CU

Tom Radca & Brenda McMahon Pottery Weekend in North Ohio rustic studio/Barn

Nationally known artists Tom Raca and Brenda McMahon invite a select group of ceramic artists, ranging from polished and established to emerging and wanabees, to experience a unique weekend of intensive hands-on ceramic techniques, taught in a serenely beautiful section of Northern Ohio farmland surrounded by woods and rolling hills.

The instructions take place in the barn/studio, near the horse stalls, and the large walk-in kilns. Delicious informal meals, served throughout the weekend, generate stimulating conversations that inevitably create unique bonds of camaraderie among all participant

Please check out their websites and especially their blog: http://mcmahon-radca.blogspot.com/


-charlie

LARGE & L O O S E

Polished & Poetic

Throwing Large Platters & Saggar Firing

At the Studios of:

Tom Radca & Brenda McMahon

Port Washington, OH 43837.
740.498.4303 or 518.796.4207
www.TomRadca.com or www.Bluemoonclay.com
tom@tomradca.com or Brenda@BlueMoonClay.com

Throwing Large Platters & Saggar Firing Workshop

2 full days - demonstration & hands on firing intensive - $275

Date: May 17 & 18, 2008 (Sat & Sun) 10 – 5pm

Bring 1 – 3 small pots to include in the saggar firing.

This 2-day demonstration and firing intensive workshop is open to potters of all
skill levels from beginner to advanced. We will have 2 components to the weekend.

1. Throwing Large.
How much clay can you comfortably center at once? Is it 4lbs, 6lbs or 10lbs? Whatever you can comfortably center, Tom will teach you how to double and triple the amount of clay you can center and give you techniques on throwing that clay. Large and Loose is relative. If you throw 4 or 6lbs comfortably, learn to throw 12 in just one day. If you throw 12lbs comfortably, you’re ready to jump up to 24lbs. Tom regularly centers and throws 36lbs of clay, resulting is his dynamic 30” diameter platters. Throwing Large is for everyone – and we all know sometimes size does matter.

2. Polished & Poetic.
Brenda’s throwing, burnishing and saggar firing is about refinement and surface texture. Saggar firing is a contemporary pitfire process whereby Brenda uses natural materials, mineral salts and the chemistry of art and fire to create soft blushes on her burnished vessels. In this firing intensive section of the workshop, you will learn the philosophy and technique of saggar firing and how to build and fire a saggar kiln. Each participant is welcome to put 1 to 3 of his or her own pieces in the firing. Brenda gives throwing demonstrations, surface treatment, including burnishing & terra-sig as well as finishing techniques on the final saggar pieces. Please bring 1-3 small bisque fired pots to put in the saggar kiln.

Cost of the weekend is $275. Affordable housing options are available.
More info? 740.498.4303 or 518.796.4207
www.TomRadca.com or www.Bluemoonclay.com
tom@tomradca.com or Brenda@BlueMoonClay.com