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 All of you have seen Clarice in the studio—she is currently the Sunday Monitor as well as subbing for others. She has been a part of CAG for 27 years. She began working in the”old studio” in 1972. She fondly remembers the small working group and fun of working together and the firing of work which often involved coming in during the middle of the night.
In 1978 Clarice moved to Baton Rouge for ten years where she was a studio potter. She returned to Orinda in 1981 and after ten years left the solitary home studio for the company of potters at CAG. Clarice describes herself as a functional potter. She was grateful to return to reduction firing here as her studio practice allowed only work with oxidation in an electric kiln.
Why be a monitor? I asked. Three good reasons she says: First it keeps the studio open. She finds that most students know and appreciate that the studio is able to be open because there are Monitors willing to take this responsibility. Secondly, Monitors receive a $4 hour credit toward class fees. And lastly, being a Monitor allows you to know everyone—which includes their good and bad habits.
That leads us to the drawbacks of the job. Clarice says there are a few. Monitors clean up behind those who forget or do not—the worst offenders forget to clean the extruder or wedging table. Not being a “tightly wound” person as noted in a December article allows her to be accepting of the range of working habits in our large space. So for her the hardest part of the job is enforcing the rules which include reminders that children and animals (Seeing Eye dogs are exceptions) cannot stay.
Clarice, like all of us, feels fortunate to work in such a terrific studio space with a congenial and cooperative group. She enjoys being a Monitor and the satisfaction of contributing to the accessibility of the studio for the membership. |
