Hi Members—

A few things to share with you this month — a glaze update, our recent community exhibition, and a couple of small things worth knowing.

MATTE BLACK, THE STORY OF OUR FIRST GLAZE

If you've used Satin Matte White over the past few weeks, you may have noticed something different. Here's the story.

• Of all the glazes we've designed, Matte Black was the first — formulated in 2018, the year we opened.

• Matte Black has been the studio's most-used glaze. It's the one we recommend to beginners because it's forgiving, the one serious potters reach for because it photographs beautifully, and the one that has quietly defined the look of Hickory Clay work. A velvet black that hides fingerprints, sits soft on the hand, and looks expensive on a shelf.

• The original recipe relied on EPK — Edgar Plastic Kaolin — the same Florida kaolin we wrote about last month with Satin Matte White. As EPK supply collapsed, we had to find a substitute that wouldn't change the glaze members have spent eight years learning.

• The new Matte Black uses 6 Tile kaolin in place of EPK. We tested it carefully against the original — fired on every clay body, at multiple application thicknesses, on smooth and textured surfaces. The result is indistinguishable. Same velvet finish. Same forgiveness. Same depth of black.

• If you've used Matte Black this past month and noticed nothing different, that was the point. The eight-year-old glaze you know is still here. We just changed what's inside it.

COMMUNITY EXHIBITION

Thank you to everyone who came out on June 6 — it was the warmest and largest crowd we've ever hosted. With more than twenty members showing work, we had a huge array of work to gather around.  Electrified lamps, handbuilt platters, planters with real plants, and 

We went through 18 liters of wine, 60 wine glasses, 40 cups, and trays and trays of snacks.  But we’ll mostly remember watching all of you take pride in the work that everyone made.

A particular thank-you to Theresa for the months of work that went into the show. Curating a community exhibition means teaching others how to write artist statements, curating the work, and bringing everyone together.

SPECIAL-ORDER CLAYS

A reminder that members can special-order clay bodies that we don't stock regularly. If you've been wanting to try a specific clay — Granite, B-mix with speckles, alternate porcelains — email kaitlyn@hickoryclay.com with your selection.

Not sure what to order? Cone 6 clays can be found on page 4 of the Clay People catalog.

Special orders arrive every other Friday, so plan a week or two ahead.

CLASS SPOTLIGHT: POUROVERS & MUGS

A set for slow mornings

Keisha returns this summer with another focused design class.

In this class she’ll focus on each piece in a coffee set: the carafe, pour-over, and matching mugs.  This class is about the design choices that pull a group of pots together: How a foot on the carafe can echo the foot on a mug. Where a handle wants to sit. What a small change in proportion does to the whole group.

Hone your details while also achieving technical and functional forms.

Thursdays at 6:30pm

SUMMER HOURS & CLOSED DATES

A few practical things as summer settles in:

Closed:

• Friday, July 4 — Independence Day

• Monday, September 1 — Labor Day

Regular open studio hours continue through the rest of summer (Mon–Th 5–9pm, Fri 1–9pm, Sat 10–6pm, Sun 10–9pm).

A quick reminder for summer: hotter studio temperatures can speed up drying. If you're working on larger pieces, cover your work between sessions and check the damp room more frequently than you might in winter.

IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD: STABLE CAFE

A short walk from the studio, tucked into a converted carriage house on Folsom at 17th. If you haven't been, the back patio is the reason — quiet, leafy, an easy place to land after a long session at the wheel.

The bagels are from Boichik. The bread is from Acme. The coffee is good. They've been there since 2008.

Open Tuesday through Sunday, 8am to 3pm.

2128 Folsom Street

See you soon,

Ashley + Daniel