Get Bowled Over

At Maplewood Spring Fling

By Nancy K. Crevier

Nanci Uliano of Southbury leaned over the spinning potter’s wheel, her fingers gently coaxing a wedge of clay into a bowl shape, one recent Saturday, while pottery instructor Karen Pinto, at another wheel in her Newtown studio, expertly spun and trimmed excess clay from the bottoms of bowls created the previous week, and now at a leather-hard stage.

Nearby, Pam Martin and Beth Herring decorated pieces that had undergone the stoneware’s first firing with underglaze designs, in preparation for the finish glaze coat and final firing in a kiln heated to 2,250 degrees Fahrenheit.

The women are among Ms Pinto’s 16 students, also including Pam Kurimai, Amy Greenfield, Iris Baldino, Roberta Ahuja, Nancy Fansher, Ellen Fogle, Rosaly D’onofrio, Melanie Michael, Gene Shapiro, Cindy Mowell, Mat Kastner, Patty Graves, Allan Graves, and Pat Martin, who have made more than 100 bowls to donate to the Maplewood at Newtown “Spring Fling,” scheduled for Saturday, April 2, from 1 to 4 pm, at the Mt Pleasant senior assisted living facility. The afternoon of fun and food will support Kevin’s Community Center.

Ms Pinto’s students met February 25 and 26, and March 3, 4, 5, and planned to work together once again March 10 through 12 to add to the collection of bowls that they have made for the event.

“We had a goal of making 100 bowls to donate for the make-your-own-sundae event, and which people will be able to buy, but we have already surpassed that,” said Ms Pinto. The Connecticut Clay Artists, of which she is a member, has also contributed an additional 30 bowls, she added.

The Connecticut Clay Artists had been looking for a fundraiser to support, Ms Pinto said, so the group of 14 potters was excited when Ms Pinto heard from Kevin’s Community Center (KCC) volunteer Lynda Russo, this past December, that potters for a “Souper-Bowl” fundraiser event were being sought. “We knew about other area fundraisers that had utilized handmade bowls filled with something to eat, to raise money, so this seemed great,” Ms Pinto said.

The “Souper-Bowl” did not materialize, due to bad weather and time issues, but in early February, another KCC board member, Mary Marinaccio, told Ms Pinto about the Maplewood Spring Fling.

“When I mentioned this to my adult students, they jumped right on board with us,” said Ms Pinto. “They seemed particularly excited. Even for those students who are less proficient, there is a job for everyone. They liked the sense of camaraderie and being able to give back to the community with something they love to do. Some of them are even making bowls at home in their own studios, and one woman is helping fire the pieces in her kiln,” she said.

The two kilns in Ms Pinto’s studio can handle anywhere from a dozen pieces up, but only one is able to heat to the required 2,250 degrees for the final firing.

Being able to give back through a product created with joy also rings true for her and for the Connecticut Clay Artists, said Ms Pinto, all of whom are from Fairfield County. “When I explained to the members not from town what Kevin’s Community Center was, they were all ready to go with this,” she said. “I think the whole idea of what Dr [Z. Michael] Tahweh has done is a wonderful use of his talents, and this is a way I can give back, using my talents,” Ms Pinto said.

The handcrafted bowls, some wheel-thrown, some handmade, reflect the personalities of the artists, in shape, colors, and designs selected. Square bowls, round bowls, deep bowls, and shallow bowls sit side-by-side on a drying rack with oval bowls, and bowls shaped like bananas or sleeping cats. Delicate leaf designs and bright ladybugs decorate the bowls, and a wash of glazes hint at the colors to come.

The process is lengthy, beginning with the “wedging” of a lump of clay, when vigorous kneading rids the material of air bubbles. The wedged clay can then be worked by hand or on a wheel to turn it into a bowl, then left to cure to a leathery state. Then the bowl is trimmed, and then air-dried from two to five days, depending on the weather.

“At this point, you can no longer make any changes to your bowl,” said Ms Pinto, “and it is ready for the first firing, called the ‘bisque’ firing, at 1,800 degrees.” The bowl is then ready for either underglazing, which allows for a precise design to be painted on, or a finish coat of glaze. Many of the glazes used in Ms Pinto’s studio are made on site, mixed up in large buckets, from a variety of ground up minerals and pigments. The bottom of the bowl is cleaned to remove any glaze before it is placed on a shelf in the kiln. Following the final firing, the bowl is ready to go — in these instances, ready to be filled with ice cream, and hopefully purchased at the Maplewood at Newtown Spring Fling.

The bowls will range in price from $5 to $20, said Ms Pinto, and the Connecticut Clay Artists will be on hand at the Spring Fling with additional pieces that can be purchased. One hundred percent of the profits from the bowls will benefit Kevin’s Community Center, and a percentage of other Connecticut Clay Artist purchases will also benefit the medical clinic.

“We are happy to have the Clay Artists,” said Ms Marinaccio, “and happy to have this fundraiser.” The event is open to the public, with an entry fee of $5 (capped at $20 per family) and will offer not only the make-your-own ice cream sundaes in the handmade bowls, but music by the Z-Train reggae band, Caribbean foods made by the Maplewood staff, cooking demonstrations, beer and wine tastings in the pub, and many activities for children. “All of the proceeds will go to Kevin’s Community Center, so we are very happy to be hosted by Maplewood,” said Ms Marinaccio.

“Near and dear to us is Kevin’s Community Center, right here in town,” said Bonnie Loglisci, director of marketing at Maplewood at Newtown. “We thought it would be a good idea to support the clinic, as well as a way to invite the community into find out who we are,” she said, “and to introduce the community to our new dementia wing, and the renovations.”

Maplewood at Newtown, formerly the Homesteads, is one of three facilities owned by chairman and CEO Greg Smith, with one more currently under construction. Located at 166 Mt Pleasant Road, it has been under his direction since May of 2010, said Ms Loglisci.

The public will be in for a treat at the Spring Fling, she said, with the tasty island fare, and cooking demonstrations hosted by Maplewood chefs. “We’ll have the sundaes, too, of course, and cookies, soup, and hot chocolate,” Ms Loglisci said. “The Z-Train will provide music, and kids will find lots to do. We hope to have kite making, story telling, and crafts like making gliders and visors,” she said. The adults, meanwhile, can relax in the pub and sample various beers and wines. All of the food, libations, and ice cream will be provided by Maplewood at Newtown.

The Spring Fling at Maplewood at Newtown will take place Saturday, April 2, from 1 to 4 pm, at the facility located at 166 Mt Pleasant Road. There is an entry fee of $5 per person (or $20 per family), which will cover the cost of all activities and food. Purchase of a handcrafted sundae bowl is optional. Proceeds benefit Kevin’s Community Center.

This article is available online. To see the bowl making process at the Newtown studio of Karen Pinto, visit www.newtownbee.com.