Clay Times Magazine Volume 20 • Issue 97 by claytimes

CERAMIC

ART

TRENDS,

TOOLS,

AND

TIMES

Clay

TECHNIQUES

Volume 20 • Issue 97 SPRING 2014

Glenn Dair Callanwolde Master Getting the Most From Ceramic Art Workshops How to Prevent Post-fire Crazing Manganese Update Sandblasting Your Ceramic Surfaces Step-by-Step Project: Philippe Faraut Sculpts the Male Torso

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contents

TIMES

Clay

Spring 2014 Volume 20 • Issue 97 Cover photo: Yellow Oval Teapot with Reed Handle by Glenn Dair. 12" x 9" x 5". Wheel-thrown and altered stoneware fired to cone 10 in reduction. Cover inset photo: Teabowl by Glenn Dair. 3.5" x 3.5" x 4.5". Wheel-thrown and altered stoneware, soda-fired to cone 7. COVER PHOTOS BY WALKER MONTGOMERY

features ➤ 14 Philippe Faraut Models the Male Torso This long-awaited sequel to Faraut’s “Sculpting the Portrait” article [July/Aug 2005 Clay Times] offers precise descriptions and detailed photos to aid you in achieving ceramic sculpture success.

23 [COVER STORY] Glenn Dair: Callanwolde Master Rick Berman asks Glenn about his multi-faceted career as a studio potter, teacher, and director of Callanwolde Art Center in Atlanta, Georgia. (Supplementary text from the interview appears online at www.claytimes.com/extras.html)

29 Harvard Opens New Ceramics Studio & Gallery A Cambridge architecture firm completes transformation of a former telecommunications building into a state-of-the-art ceramics facility to serve Harvard University students and nearby residents. ➤ 30 Sandblasting Ceramics Guest artist speakers at last year’s Houston NCECA conference, Andre and Virginia Bally explain their step-by-step techniques for masking and sandblasting ceramic surfaces. ➤ 36 So You Want to be a Studio Potter, eh?

Pictured on this page, top to bottom: • Philippe Faraut cleans the surface of a freshly sculpted male torso • Sandblasted ceramic works by Andre and Virginia Bally • Ceramics studio at North Island College, B.C., Canada

CLAYTIMES·COM n SPRING 2014

Robin Hopper previews the new “Professional Potter Advanced Diploma” program scheduled to debut at British Columbia’s North Island College this May.

contents

TIMES

Clay SPRING 2014 • Volume 20 • Issue 97

Peek Peek into into Harvard’s Harvard’s new new clay clay studio studio on on page page 29. 29.

departments

columns

9 EDITOR’S DESK

19 AS FAR AS I KNOW

Now celebrating our 20th year in print!

“Understanding Delayed Crazing” by Pete Pinnell

11 WHAT’S HOT Clay world news, events, and calls for entries

26 GREAT GLAZES Cover artist Glenn Dair shares a few favorites

34 THE GALLERY A selection of unique works by CT readers

38 SLURRY BUCKET Studio-tested tips to save you time and money

47 POTTERY CLASSES Where you can learn claywork in your community

42 CLASSIFIED MARKETPLACE Goods and services offered especially for clay artists

50 ADVERTISER INDEX Find your favorite ceramics suppliers in this issue (please tell them you found them in Clay Times!)

Yellow Lidded House by Glenn Dair of Atlanta, Georgia. 10" x 12" x 5". Slab-built stoneware, reduction-fired to cone 10. Turn to page 23 to see more of Glenn’s work, then check out a few of his favorite glaze recipes on page 26.

4 y-Aug 201 Term I: Ma — le a u m ed Diplo Course Sch al Potters Profession ed c n va d A

on, Design r Producti fo g in w • Thro ce I and Practi hnology I sI echnique • Clay Tec chment T ri n E e c I a y • Surf echnolog d Firing T • Kilns an uction, g for Prod • Throwin II d Practice Design an hnology II s II echnique • Clay Tec chment T ri n E e c II a • Surf hnology Firing Tec • Kiln and king • Mold Ma hniques ilding Tec • Handbu ction I for Produ I hnology II ues III • Clay Tec t Techniq n e m h c ri s En • Surface large form hrowing, T d e c n a v • Ad

Ready to learn more? Turn to page 36...

21 BENEATH THE SURFACE “Getting the Most out of Art Workshops” by Lana Wilson

27 KILNS & FIRING “Gas Pressure vs. Gas Volume” by Marc Ward

39 TOOL TIMES “Rib It Again” by Vince Pitelka

45 STUDIO HEALTH AND SAFETY “Manganese Update” by Monona Rossol

43 BOOKS & VIDEOS “A Slab Building Trilogy” review by Steve Branfman

49 AROUND THE FIREBOX “How Long Did It Take?” by David Hendley

The besT in conTemporary american funcTional ceramics

2014 CALL FOR ARTISTS

JURORS HALL OF FAME

2014

Christa assad 2013 BEST OF SHOW – JON MCMiLLAN, FrEdEriCKSBurg, VA

For more information and the 2014 SFPN application:

Photo: RobeRt SchlatteR

ONLINE APPLICATION

Applications must be submitted online by June 1, 2014 or by midnight June 10 with a late fee.

Call for further information: 717-509-7547 Exhibit is held at Kevin Lehman’s Pottery at 560 S. Prince Street in downtown Lancaster, PA.

2014 EXhiBit datEs

satUrdaY, sEPtEMBEr 20 — satUrdaY, NOVEMBEr 1, 2014

Photo: tom StoRy

www.strictlyfunctionalpotterynational.net

Download the FREE conference app at https://crowd.cc/s/1JIE Download the FREE conference app at: www.nceca.net/static/conference_app.php

Earline Green’s clay spirit quilts on display in the Dunbar Lancaster-Kiest Branch Library in Dallas, Texas.

A Texas potter makes 1,300 pound quilts with her Paragon Dragon As a child, Earline Green made hand-stitched quilts with her grandmother Mama Freddie. Earline spent more time quilting with the older ladies than she did playing with children her own age. Her early experiences with the lively quilters taught her a life-long love of artwork. Earline’s other grandmother, Mama Ginger, taught her advanced quilting patterns. Later this influenced the design of Earline’s stoneware quilt tile mosaics displayed in the entrance of the Paul Laurence Dunbar Lancaster-Kiest Library in Dallas, Texas. For that project, Earline fired 284 white stoneware tiles—all in her faithful Paragon Dragon. “The Dragon's design and controls are perfect for firing large flat pieces,” said Earline. “The digital programming controls provide a consistent firing environment that eliminated cracks and warpage in this project. “During tile production, I fired my Dragon two or three times a week for four to six weeks at a time. I expected and received excellent results with each firing.” Contact us today for more information on the exciting Dragon kiln. Ask about the easy-open switch box hinged at the bottom. Call us for the name of your local Paragon distributor.

Earline Green with her Paragon Dragon front-loading kiln. This kiln is becoming a favorite with potters. It is easy to load, heavily insulated, and designed to reach cone 10 with power to spare.

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To each and every one of you (including but not limited to past and present CT subscribers and advertisers; columnists, employees, freelance writers and photographers, and featured clay artists and ceramic art institutions) please accept my personal thanks and gratitude for your support, loyalty, and encouragement over all these years. At a time when even huge corporate publications like PC World and Newsweek have abandoned print media completely (in favor of the more lucrative digitalonly publishing model), the provision of a print magazine continues to get more and more challenging each year. Those of you who know me personally may recall that I began this journey as a 30-something part-time potter, graphic designer, freelance writer, and editor. Also a wife to husband Jim, and mother to four children (Cody, Josh, Lindsay, and Emily), I was driven to publish CT by a passion to share my clay enthusiasm with others who felt the same strong connection with this tantalizing medium.

Most recently, I’ve been challenged by the tragic loss of my 25-year-old son, Josh, suddenly taken from us in a car accident. My heartfelt thanks goes out to all who have offered your kind sympathies and condolences. We have received hundreds of phone calls, cards, e-mails, and prayers from the clay community. Josh was the kind of son who helped his mother with everything (including all aspects of producing Clay Times). I will be forever grateful for his loving spirit, plus the honor and privilege to be his mother. These recent months have been the most difficult of my entire lifetime. As a result, the CT publishing schedule has suffered. Thanks so much to all of you for your patience and understanding for the missed deadlines throughout this time. We are now back on schedule, and in Josh’s memory, I vow to keep it that way and deliver all promised issues on time and as paid for. Josh would have wanted me to move on and be happy — to live every precious moment of life with joy and gratitude. I can think of no other way to do that than to continue to serve the clay community via the magazine and future projects promoting the joy of claywork. [ P.S. — I think you’re going to love this issue, and what we have planned for the future! — Polly Beach, Editor

magazine Editor & Publisher: Polly Beach

Regular Columnists: Steve Branfman, Books & Videos David Hendley, Around the Firebox Pete Pinnell, As Far as I Know Vince Pitelka, Tool Times Monona Rossol, Health & Safety Kelly Savino, Around the Firebox Marc Ward, Kilns & Firing Lana Wilson, Beneath the Surface Proofreader: Jon Singer Contributing Writers: Andre & Virginia Bally • Rick Berman Philippe Faraut • Robin Hopper ✦ Printed on 100% FSC-certified and 75% post-consumer recycled paper ✦ Published by: CLAY TIMES INC. Post Office Box 100 • Hamilton VA 20159 New Address as of April 1, 2014: P.O. Box 17139 • Amelia Island, FL 32035

Toll-free subscription line: 800.356.2529 Clay Times® (ISSN 1087-7614) is published quarterly, four issues per year. Periodicals Postage Paid at Hamilton, VA, and at additional mailing offices. Annual subscriptions are available for $33 in the U.S.; $40 in Canada; $60 elsewhere (must be payable in US$). Digital subscriptions are just $20 worldwide. To subscribe, call toll-free 1-800.356.2529, or visit www.claytimes.com. Freelance editorial and photographic submissions are welcome: Please contact Clay Times or visit our Website at www.claytimes.com for writer’s and photographer’s guidelines. All rights reserved. The material contained herein is derived from various sources and does not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher. All technical material is offered as general information only and should not be acted upon without expert supervision. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the publisher.

Questions? Comments? Please e-mail us! Editorial: claytimes@gmail.com Advertising: clayaccounts@gmail.com Circulation: ctcirculation@gmail.com

CLAYTIMES·COM n SPRING 2014

Throughout the years, each member of my family (including my mom, Ingrid, who served for many years as CT office assistant and day-care provider to my kids whenever I was too busy) has had to make sacrifices along the way. They’ve had to take several family vacations without me, or family vacations cut short, because I had too much work on my plate to take a break. For the first several years, Jim says, all he saw of me was my “back” because I was parked at the computer 24/7. Whenever each press date loomed near, I found myself pulling weeks of 16-hour days and all-nighters to get the magazine to press.

During the past year, a series of events has challenged me to a point I never expected: relocation of the CT business office, sale of my home, temporary move of home and business to my Mom’s house til we can carve out the time it takes to relocate both to Florida ... yikes! How does someone do all this and continue to operate a business and magazine with many thousands of customers?

Clay

Spouting Off I Editor’s Desk

As I write this column, CT has entered our 20th year in print. It amazes me to think of how many of you loyal readers and supporters have been with us since our free introductory newsletter launched back in 1995. The encouraging feedback and steadfast support we have received from this fellowship of devoted “Clay-Timers” is undoubtedly the reason we’re still in print 20 years later.

Due to ever-rising costs of printing and mailing, and the increasing loss of advertising dollars to the Internet over recent years, I am now the only full-time employee of the magazine. Columns, stories, and photos are provided by dedicated freelancers with clay backgrounds. I do the rest of the jobs myself (editing & publishing, graphic design, accounting, customer service, circulation, etc.) Call me crazy, but I’m determined to keep publishing both print and digital issues through good times and bad, no matter what!

ad I been asked back in the mid-1990s what I thought I’d be doing in 2014, I could never have imagined the many blessings that have enriched my life between then and now.

CERAMIC ART TRENDS, TOOLS & TECHNIQUES

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• ceramic art world news • events • • calls for entries •

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Conferences ‰ “Material World,” the 48th

Annual Conference of the National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts (NCECA) takes place March 19-22, 2014 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin at Milwaukee’s Delta Center. On-site registration begins on the morning of March 19. Full program details may be found online www.nceca.net, and by downloading the conference app to your smartphone, tablet, or computer at http://nceca.net/static/ conference_app.php The conference “app” contains everything you need to navigate the entire event, complete with maps, guides, schedules, speaker list, program calendar, exhibition and sponsor listings, plus much more. (You can even keep track of contacts, bookmarked events, and more — be sure to check it out!)

‰ The 26th Annual California

$30 for up to five entries. For more information, call Mary Cloonan at 410.578.1919 ext. 18, or download a prospectus at http://www.baltimoreclayworks.org/exhibition/exhibition_gallery/14/Salt_and_Pepper_ prospectus.pdf

‰ The Southwest Kiln Conference takes place Aug. 29-31, 2014 in Tijeras, NM. The event is an informal gathering of archaeologists, potters and other folks with an interest in ancient and modern ceramic technology in the Southwest. This event has been held nearly every year since 2003 at various sites in the American Southwest. For full details, visit the Website at http:// www.swkiln.com/about, or e-mail Andy Ward at andy@ilabmedia.com

‰ The Carbondale Clay Center of Carbondale, Colorado is accepting entries through Apr. 18 for “Aisthesis: Carbondale Clay National IX.” The event takes place June 6-27; entry fees are $20 for one digital entry or $25 for up to three entries. To learn more, call 970.963.2529, e-mail jill@carbondaleclay.org, or visit www. carbondaleclay.org

Calls for Entries ‰ Clay Arts Vegas of Las Vegas, Nevada is accepting entries through April 1 for “Cup Show,” a national juried art exhibition featuring functional and sculptural drinking vessels made primarily of clay. A $100 Best of Show award will be presented. For further details, visit http:// www.clayartsvegas.com or e-mail 4information@clayartsvegas.com ‰ CD submissions postmarked by April 4 are being accepted by Baltimore Clayworks for “Shake It, Baby,” an exhibition of ceramic salt and pepper shakers made during the past two years. Jurors will be Lisa Orr and Bryan Hopkins. Fee:

‰ Digital entries of ceramic drinking vessels are being accepted through April 22 for “Coffee, Tea, or ... ?” This exhibition will take place May 17-June 18 at Terra Incognito Gallery in Oak Park, Illinois. Fee is $30 for up to three entries. For further details, call 708.383.6228, e-mail terraincognitomail@yahoo.com, or visit www.terraincognitostudios.com ‰ Apply for this year’s 4th Annual Workhouse Clay National to take place Aug. 2-Sept. 7 at the Work House Arts Center in Lorton, Virginia. Ceramic artist Richard Notkin will jury the show. Applications are being accepted online via Juried Art Services at www.juriedartservices. com. Entry deadline: May 7. For further details, call 703.584.2900 or visit http://www.workhouseceramics.org/ index.php?p=1_15_Clay-National-2014 continued on next page

CLAYTIMES·COM n SPRING 2014

Conference for the Advancement of Ceramic Art (CCACA) takes place in Davis, CA from April 25-27. The event offers demonstrations, lectures, and shows to offer more inspired knowledge of ceramic sculpture. Meet face-to-face with distinguished ceramic sculptors you might only read about; see and hear from the artists how they

have become among top in their field; and visit the 45 concurrent exhibitions (40 of which feature works by students). To learn more, call 530.756.3938, or log onto: http:// www.natsoulas.com/ceramic-conference-2014-ccaca/

Hot Stuff I News & Events

What’s Hot

Hot Stuff I News & Events

What’s Hot (continued from previous page)

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CLAYTIMES·COM n SPRING 2014

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‰ The Kansas City Clay Guild of Missouri is accepting digital entries through May 9 of ceramic teabowls measuring no more than 9" in any direction for its “KC Clay Guild Teabowl National 2014.” The show takes place Aug. 29-Sept. 19 Fee: $30. To learn more, call 913.384.1718; email kcclayguild88@yahoo.com; or visit www.kcclayguild.org

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‰ The Springfield Art Association of Springfield, IL is accepting entries through May 10 for its “Shapes of Influence” exhibition to take place July 18-Sept. 6 at the remodeled M.G. Nelson Family Gallery. A total of $1,000 in cash prizes to be awarded; Best of Show winner will be offered an SAA exhibition in 2015. To learn more, visit http://www.springfieldart. org/Discover/Gallery/Call%20for%20 Entries/entry.html or call 217.523.2631.

‰ The Associated Artists of Southport, North Carolina is accepting entries through May 16 for its Annual Regional Art Show, to take place at Franklin Square Gallery from June 2 -June 21. Awards: $1200 plus Merit & Honorable Mentions. Judi Betts (2D) and Brenda McMahon (3D) will judge from actual work. For complete details, download a prospectus from www.FranklinSquareGallery.com or call Carol Kidd at 910.253.3532. ‰ The 22nd Strictly Functional Pottery National (SFPN) is accepting regular entries through June 1, plus late-fee entries through June 10 for its 22nd annual show, to be juried by Christa Assad. this year. The event showcases the best in contemporary American functional ceramics. Visit www.strictly functionalpotterynational.net for entry

‰ The Studio 550 Community Art Center of Manchester, New Hampshire is accepting entries of trompe l’oeil ceramics made to look like anything but clay for its “Take Another Look” exhibition. The show takes place July 3-Aug. 19; fee is $25 for first three entries and $10 for each extra. For details, call 603.232.5597, or visit: www.550arts. com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/ Take-another-look.pdf ‰ Submissions of figurative clay art are being accepted through June 6 by Baltimore Clayworks for “Looking at Ourselves: A Survey of Contempoaray Figurative Ceramic Sculpture.” The show will take place Oct. 4-Nov. 15 at Clayworks’ main exhibition gallery in Baltimore, Maryland. Fee: $30 for up to five entries. For details, call Mary Cloonan at 410.578.1919 ext. 18, e-mail her at mary.cloonan@ baltimoreclayworks.org, or log onto http://www.baltimoreclayworks.org/ exhibition/exhibition_gallery/14/ Looking_At_Ourselves_Prospectus.pdf/

‰ Ceramic artist Kevin Crowe will be jurying entries received by July

‰ Genesee Pottery of Rochester, New York is accepting entries through Aug. 10 for “History in the Making,” an exhibition featuring original ceramic work that utilizes historically-based (20 years or older) design elements, themes, materials, or applications. Fred Herbst will jury the show, to take place at The Firehouse Gallery from Oct. 3-Nov. 8. Entry fee is $30 for first three entries, plus $5 each for any additional entries. To learn more, call 585.271.5183; e-mail pottery@ geneseearts.org; or download the prospectus at: http://www.genesee arts.org/images/Prospectus.pdf ‰ Entries are being accepted through Sept. 1 by Clay Arts Vegas for “What Goes Bump in the Night,” to take place Oct.1-Oct. 31 at the Victor F. Keen Gallery in Las Vegas, NV. The show will feature art that makes your skin crawl and captures the pain of personal suffering, whether physical, emotional, or psychological. The primary medium of each work must be clay. $300 Best in Show Award. For full details, e-mail: 4information@ clayartsvegas.com or visit http:// www.clayartsvegas.com [

To list your events, clay conferences, calls for entries, exhibitions, or ceramic news items in Clay Times®, please e-mail complete details to: claytimes@gmail.com, or click the submission link at www. claytimes.com/contribute.html to fill out an online entry form.

CLAYTIMES·COM n SPRING 2014

‰ Las Vegas, Nevada’s Clay Arts Vegas is accepting entries through June 10 for “Serve it Up,” a national juried art exhibition to take place July 1-Aug. 29 at the Victor F. Keen Gallery. The show will feature plates, platters, bowls, casseroles, and other functional tableware with a sculptural flair. Best of Show award: $200. $10 per entry, limit two images per piece. To learn more, e-mail: 4information@clay artsvegas.com or visit http://www. clayartsvegas.com

15 for “The Battle of the Bowls,” a national juried exhibition to take place Oct. 3-27 at The Academy of Fine Arts in Lynchburg, Virginia. Entries are open to ceramic bowls no larger than 18" made by U.S. artists. To learn more, download the prospectus at http://www.the battleofthebowls.com/application.html

Hot Stuff I News & Events

details and to view images of pots from the 2013 show. For additional information, call Kevin Lehman at 717.509.7547; e-mail him at kevin@ klpottery.com; or e-mail SFPN CoDirector Amy Burk at Amyburk08@ yahoo.com

CLAYTIMESÂ·COM n SUMMER 2013

Modeling the Male Torso an earthenware project by Philippe Faraut

hroughout the course of history, ceramic artists and potters have incorporated the human form — either complete or fragmented — into their creations. The organic nature of the human body lends itself well to a vast variety of classical as well as modern designs. Due to their familiarity with three-dimensional forms and the various qualities of different types of clay, it can be relatively easy for ceramic artists to acquire the skills to make appealing figurative sculptures. However, modeling the human figure in clay or any other media also requires understanding of not only each separate part's individual structure, but also the relationships between all parts. Successful manifestation of this understanding requires serious study and practice, yet is ultimately fascinating as well as rewarding.

other through the flexible spine. Each block must be sized, spaced, and positioned properly, based preferably on measurements from a live model or anatomical cast. The clay used for this exercise is very finely textured low-fire earthenware (without grog) to allow for intricate details. It is important, even when working from live models, to refer to anatomy books during the modeling process to understand the placement of volumes as well as the functions of bones and muscles.

Fig. 1. A ¼-inch hole is drilled into a ¾-inch plywood base. An aluminum wire is inserted in the hole and bent to represent the curve of the spine. Fig. 2. A round 1-inch thick slab of clay is slid down the wire to serve as a base for the torso. The wire should be approximately in the center of the slab.

The Project Fig. 3. The block of the pelvis, as well as the cylinder separating it from the rib cage, are modeled and are also slid down the wire. Fig. 4. The blocks representing the rib cage, and the head, are continued on next page

CLAYTIMES·COM n SPRING 2014

Three main volumes — head, rib cage, and pelvis — are modeled in a simplified manner, yet they follow anatomical rules to emphasize the fact that they are rigid blocks connected to each

13.

10.

11.

12.

14.

15.

16.

CLAYTIMESÂˇCOM n SPRING 2014

Modeling the Male Torso, cont.

connected by the cylinder of the neck and are executed in the same manner. Their shapes represent the simplified version of the bone structure. Their sizes correspond to measurements taken from the model or anatomical reference. Notice the pattern of the center lines from the anterior, profile and posterior views [Figs. 4, 5, & 6] (previous page). They are positioned carefully to follow the gesture of the model and the contrast in the tilt of the pelvis and the rib cage. Fig. 7. At this point, the clavicles and scapulas are added in the form of planes. Fig. 8. Because the left arm will be lifted and the right arm lowered,

the scapulas are positioned differently from the centerline.

the neck which is prominent due to the rotation of the head.

Fig. 9. Coils of clay representing the initial volumes of the arms on which the muscles will be attached are positioned as shown. They need to be placed accurately to show the gesture of the arms.

Fig. 12. Once the structures are correct, it is not difficult to find the placement and direction of each muscle.

Fig. 10. In this example, the main surface muscles are added to form the bulk of the volumes of the torso. It is important to refer to anatomy books to determine the shape, volume, origin and insertion of each muscle. Fig. 11. This image shows the addition of the sternocleidomastoid muscle of

Figs. 13., 14., 15. The exercise of adding the muscles to the figure is extremely valuable. It allows the artist to see and understand better the complex volumes that can be very confusing when hidden under the skin of the model. Fig. 16. Once the distribution and volumes of the muscles are understood, it is faster and more efficient to build them in the form of planes.

17.

18.

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20.

21.

22.

Fig. 17. With the addition of the missing abdominal volumes, it is easier to see that the position of the rib cage (in relationship to the pelvis) causes areas of tension and stretching on the side where the arm is raised and compression on the other side. Fig. 18. A stiff brush is used to soften the edges of the planes. Fig. 19. To achieve the final volumes on the side modeled with muscles a thin layer of clay is added. Fig. 20. A moist, stiff brush is then run over the entire surface to soften the volumes. Fig. 21. It is easier to define minute details once the surface has been smoothed with the tip of the fingers. Fig. 22. The details of the head need to be worked on when the clay is still soft to prevent any inconsistencies between it and the torso. Also at this point, a wire tool is used to create the fine grooves that separate some of the muscles. Fig. 23. (next page) Before doing any refining the piece needs to be hollowed out in preparation for firing. The consistency of the clay needs to be firm enough to support the weight of the piece. Nevertheless, it is prudent to first hollow out the head and upper torso to prevent potential collapse. Here a wire clay cutter is used to cut the back of the head. Fig. 24. (next page) The head is hollowed out with a loop tool to a consistent thickness of Â˝ inch.

continued on next page

CLAYTIMESÂˇCOM n SPRING 2014

Fig. 25. (next page) In a bowl made out of the same clay, water is stirred until a thick slip is obtained. After the edges have been scored with a fork, the slip is applied on both edges.

23.

24.

Modeling (cont. from previoius page)

Fig. 26. The parts are then reassembled. Press firmly at the joint. 25.

26.

27.

28.

CLAYTIMESÂˇCOM n SPRING 2014

30.

Fig. 27. The operation is repeated for the lower portion, making sure that the cutting wire follows the length of the aluminum armature.

29.

31.

Fig. 28. Here too, both sides are hollowed out to a thickness of Â˝ inch. The aluminum armature can be left inside the torso to serve as support. Once the piece is reassembled and has become firmer, it can simply be lifted from the armature. Figs. 29. & 30. A shallow groove is dug along the seams, then filled with soft clay to ensure a good bond between the different parts. At this point it is important to let the sculpture rest for a few days under plastic to allow the moisture within the clay to equalize. If the piece is refined too soon, the joint between the different parts could recede slightly or even crack. Fig. 31. The final texture is a matter of preference. Once the clay has stabilized, the final details are refined. The surface can be left rough, or smoothed with a series of brushes and sponges. [ Philippe Faraut is an accomplished sculptor, teacher, and author. His latest book, Figure Sculpting, is available from his Website at: www.pcfstudios.com

Delayed Crazing A

bout every six months I get an e-mail from someone asking about delayed crazing. The story is usually the same: the glaze fits just fine when the pot comes out of the kiln but within a few weeks the glaze is crazed. Often the problem is more than just visual: after crazing the pot leaks and coffee/tea/water seeps through onto the table. The first things I always ask about are the clay body and firing temperature. The answer is almost always mid-range stoneware or high fire white stoneware, which makes perfect sense to me. If I had to guess, those two categories would be at the top of my list.

As the work cools, it contracts slightly. While the work is still soft

this contraction doesn’t really effect anything. However, somewhere in dull red heat (usually between 1200° and 1500° Fahrenheit) the body and the glaze will each reach their “set point” — the point at which they are as rigid as they are at room temperature. “Glaze fit” is determined by what happens between the set point and room temperature as the piece continues to cool. If the body and the glaze contract at the same rate then the glaze will “fit” the clay body. Ideally, the body will actually contract just a bit more than the glaze, squeezing the glaze slightly. Glazes are actually able to accommodate quite a bit of squeeze, which is referred to as “glaze compression.” This compression allows the glaze to experience the stresses of ordinary expansion and contraction created by cooking, handling, and other every-day situations. When the glaze contracts more than the body, it is stretched across the surface of the piece. When the glaze is stretched too far it will fracture, which we know as crazing.

Because crazing can weaken the piece, stain, and allow a pot to leak, we tend to think of it as a glaze flaw. [Unless, of course, we like the way it looks, in which case we call it “crackle” and charge more for it.] To recap, if the body contracts a little bit more than the glaze then the glaze is placed in compression and it will tend to fit. If the glaze contracts more than the body, the glaze will be placed in tension (the technical term for being stretched) and it will tend to craze. “Glaze fit” is just a way of seeing how much a glaze and body contract in relation to each other. We often talk about the “thermal expansion” of a glaze or ceramic body. “Expansion” is just another way to express the idea of contraction. If a material doesn’t expand much when heated then it also won’t contract much when cooled. The key to good glaze fit is to match the “expansion” of the body and the glaze so they contract similarly in the firing. A major cause of delayed crazing is water, or, more specifically, the fired ceramic body’s reaction to water. Imagine what happens when you put a dry sponge into a bucket of water: the sponge expands as it absorbs the water. Similarly, ceramic bodies sometimes expand when they absorb water, a phenomenon known as “moisture expansion.” When the body expands it stretches the glaze, putting it into tension and causing it to craze. This water can come from washing the pot or continued on next page

CLAYTIMES·COM n SPRING 2014

Glaze fit is a complex process and there are numerous things that affect it. In order to understand crazing you just need to understand what happens to the clay body and glaze during the firing. On the way up in the firing, the body shrinks as glasses are formed, drawing the solids within the body closer together into a more compact (and less porous) state. By the time the pot has reached temperature, most of the firing shrinkage has occurred. Contrary to popular belief, the amount of shrinkage has little or no direct effect on glaze fit. This is because at temperature the body is pyroplastic (a little soft from the heat) and the glaze is a viscous fluid, sort of like frosting on a cake. Any stresses caused by shrinkage during the first half of the firing are alleviated by the softness of the body and glaze at temperature.

One way to check a fired piece for less obvious crazing: scribble the surface with a yellow highlighter, then inspect it under a black light. JON SINGER PHOTO

BY PETE PINNELL

Perspectives I As Far As I Know

After the Firing

Perspectives I As Far As I Know

Delayed Crazing, cont. it may just be absorbed from the air over the course of days or weeks.

expansion problems are fairly common with mid-range fired pots.

Almost all clay bodies absorb some water. Even porcelain bodies absorb a little bit. Water absorption alone isn’t the problem. Absorption is only a problem if it causes the body to expand too much.

Most cone 10 bodies are sufficiently fluxed, and exhibit a fairly low moisture expansion. However, many white stonewares contain too little feldspar. Adding more feldspar to the recipe for these bodies will make them more mature at cone 10, but it will also make them grayer and less white. I believe this is why these bodies are commonly underfluxed. Besides the lack of flux, these clays often contain kaolin, which is whiter than the stoneware clays that are used in most stoneware. The kaolin does fire whiter but is more refractory (heat resistant) than those stoneware clays. This combination of low flux levels and higher-firing clays means that some of these bodies are seriously underfired at cone 10. As a result, these ceramic bodies may be fine for decorative work, but can be a disaster for the potter who is making utilitarian work.

Some clay bodies expand a lot when they absorb water, while others expand only slightly. The reason has to do with the nature of the pore structure, which signals the maturity of the clay. A ceramic body fired to maturity will usually absorb water without expanding, while an immature ceramic body may expand quite a bit. This can be independent of the total amount of absorption—a surprising trait. For instance, lowfire talc-based bodies (as are used for inexpensive wall tile) can have a fairly high absorption, yet they can function just fine on a shower wall without crazing. By contrast, a cone 6 stoneware may have a fairly low percentage of absorption but also a major problem with delayed crazing.

CLAYTIMES·COM n SPRING 2014

At the beginning of this column I identified two major groups that have a greater propensity for delayed crazing: mid-range and high-fire white stoneware clay bodies.

Pots fired in the cone 4-6 range can be strong, durable and practical. This temperature range also offers us some of the most exciting opportunities for aesthetic innovation. However, because of the types of body fluxes used in mid-range ceramics, these bodies tend to have a shorter firing range than high-fire ceramics. In addition, electric kilns can be finicky and prone to uneven firing, so there may be sections of the kiln that are a cone or two cooler. Besides uneven firing, I’ve come to believe that some mid-range bodies may be just a bit underfluxed. Because of uneven firing and underfluxed clays, moisture

It’s easy to test for this. Make some standing test tiles and coat each with a different glaze. Choose test glazes that are supposed to be practical and craze resistant. Fire them together in the kiln, with a cone pack in the midst of the tiles. Make sure that the pack has three cones, including the target cone, the cone below and the cone above (such as cone 5, 6 and 7 for a cone 6 firing). This way you’ll know exactly how hot the tiles were fired. After the firing, make note of which glazes crazed and which did not. If a glaze has a very dense color then you may need to rub black ink into it, or scribble its surface with yellow highlighter and inspect under a black light, to detect visible crazing. Soak the tiles in water for 24 hours. Remove them from the water, let dry, and look for more crazing. As before, you may need to rub with black ink or yellow highlighter to make it visible.

As a final test, you need to cook the tiles. A pressure cooker is the best way to test this. Add a small amount of water and pressure cook the tiles as if you were canning food. If you don’t have access to a pressure cooker, simply bring the tiles to a boil and then simmer for an hour. Allow them to cool slowly and then examine them again. Glazes that are uncrazed after this (especially after pressure cooking) are unlikely to craze later on. If this test causes uncrazed glazes to craze, there is a good chance your clay body is underfired. The easiest fix is to prepare identical test tiles and fire the new tiles one cone hotter, then test them in the same manner as before. Firing a bit hotter is often all that’s necessary to fix the problem. If firing hotter isn’t the cure, then you may need to reformulate your clay body, or, if you’re buying commercially produced clay, you may need to try other bodies. This is a clay problem, not a glaze problem, so you won’t be able to fix it by using different glazes. If you have access to kilns firing at a wide range of temperatures (as in a school), it’s easy to prepare a dramatic demonstration of this problem. Make a cylinder out of a high-fire body and then bisque fire it. Glaze it with a craze-resistant low-fire glaze (like a white majolica) and fire it to cone 04. Immediately after firing it is likely that the glaze will be uncrazed. Set the cylinder into a shallow dish of water and watch: as the water is wicked into the underfired body the glaze will quickly craze from bottom to top (following the absorption of the water). None of us likes to spend time making and firing tests. However, this is an easy test that can prevent a lot of headaches further down the road. [ Peter Pinnell is Hixson-Lied Professor of Art at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln. E-mail him at ppinnell1@unl.edu or contact him via his Facebook page at

www.facebook.com.

Perspectives I Beneath the Surface

Getting the Most out of Art Workshops BY LANA WILSON

id you know there are definite ways to learn more at workshops? Try some of the following ideas, or drastically change them to make them work for you. Before you go to a workshop, write down what you think you want to learn to improve your work. Do you need better handles, improved feet, more considered edges, better shapes, more interesting use of color or texture or line quality? I find it is more productive if I am specific about the areas I need to get better instead of thinking I need to get better at everything (even though I know that is also true). At the workshop be on inquisitive lookout for anything you can translate into your particular area of desire to improve. Take notes, draw, or take photographs.

I like to become familiar with the workshop leader’s work so I know what I might particularly focus on. Being open to what the workshop leader is excited about helps because that might be a whole new area that will be of new interest to me. When I took Hayne Bayless’s workshop I thought his handles were marvelous and I knew I wasn’t going to buy an extruder so I just translated his shapes for handles into my own version by handbuilding. You can do the particular technique the presenter shares or you can start right off changing the approach. If you do some of the ideas above you will be primed for picking up details that many of us miss when we go to a workshop. Don’t pay overmuch attention to the workshop leader. These leaders are facilitators paid by you, so drink in what is useful. You may want to ask yourself questions during the workshop like, “What part of this demonstration can I use, and how continued on next page

CLAYTIMES·COM n SPRING 2014

Here’s another thing to do before a workshop: Cut out 50 photos of things (nature, food, machines, fabric design, iPhone photos, etc.) you like — they can be from a magazine, from the Internet — just find 50. Now pare it down to ten items. These ten images can become your guide, and hopefully a teacher can enhance it. This is a good thing to do once a year. Paying close attention to

what you like is like following a thread of a color you love in a weaving. Find that “color” and pay attention to it.

Perspectives I Beneath the Surface CLAYTIMES·COM n SPRING 2014

Tips on Taking Workshops, cont. can I use it?” “What three things do I like about this demonstration?” “What can — and will — I do better?” When watching and listening to a workshop leader, keep in mind what you love about clay and don’t pay slavish attention to what you are seeing and hearing unless you’re mining for further development of your work. Remember, too, that workshop leaders often learn from students and take inspiration from their hands-on experiments. If you are curious about the workshop leader’s background or development of techniques or ideas, be ready to ask questions. Maybe you are particularly intrigued with the inspiration sources for the instructor’s work. This could open doors for you to expand your own inspiration sources. If you are having trouble with a particular detail, whether a glazing problem or a throwing or handbuilding process, do ask. You might as well get the workshop leader to talk about specific things that interest you, because they will talk regardless — so it might as well be on a topic that is of interest. But don’t be the student asking way too many questions. You already knew that!

photographer to agree to send her images on a CD (where everyone chips in some money to that kind, forced-into-generosity photographer) can provide an inspiring reminder. If the teacher makes something you don’t like or shows images of some work you think is uniquely unsuccessful, specifically figure out what you think is weak. Is it disproportional, or are there too many detailed parts, or are the colors unappealing to you? After you have figured out what you don’t like about it the next important step for significant learning and growth is to ask yourself, “How would I change the work to improve it? Would you make the height/width relationship more pleasing to your eye, or provide plain areas to set off complicated textures, or add a taller foot, or finish the edges more carefully? Would you change the colors? If you do this often during a workshop, you will find you are building the design muscle to analyze what works well and what needs improvement in people’s work. This aesthetic analysis helps you get better at improving details in your own work.

If taking a hands-on workshop, decide if you want to make small maquettes of everything the workshop leader demonstrates, or if you prefer to concentrate on only the forms or techniques that interest you. I find walking around the room after I have made some things is like getting many more “teachers” and thus I get more takes on the ideas that have captivated me. Students translate from the presenter’s demos, amassing a rich library of possibilities. The work your fellow students make may be particularly exciting in how they varied the presenter’s demo in a way you hadn’t thought about.

Practice critiquing ceramic pieces featured in books and magazines, then take the next step to think of three ways you would improve the work. Training your eye is a rewarding and productive lifetime practice, but you have to actually do it!

It can be helpful to think of what you love in clay and how someone else’s techniques would give you more variety in those aspects of your work. For instance when I taught a MISSA workshop near Victoria, B.C. last summer, the students had much more interesting surface design possibilities for the bottoms of pots than I did! I was inspired to learn from them. The assistant in the class used the colored slips in a lovely way I had never tried. If you see something you like as you are walking around the class, it is especially nice to share your feelings with the person who created it.

Try just playing with what you have learned, and don’t worry about making finished work. Make three variations. (If you don’t make something that is unattractive you aren’t experimenting and playing enough!)

Time can be a problem at workshops. I often don’t have time for all the things I want to try. Take pictures or draw ... otherwise you are likely to forget. Taking photos or short video clips and/or getting the most enthusiastic

One person said she went to quite a few workshops a year and was getting confused. She asked Sandi Pierantozzi about it, and Sandi advised her not to go to any workshops for about a year, and to instead concentrate on learning and applying what had already inspired her.

Final thoughts: never pay too much attention to a workshop leader. Pay glorious attention to yourself and what interests you. So now you can critique this article. What seems most important to you to make your learning stronger? [ Lana Wilson may be reached at lana@lanawilson.com. Her Website for workshop info. and images is www.lanawilson.com.

Glenn Dair: Callanwolde Master TEXT BY RICK BERMAN â&#x20AC;˘ PHOTOS BY WALKER MONTGOMERY

At left: Shino Lidded House. 14" x 10" x 5". Slab-built stoneware fired to cone 10 in reduction.

Portrait of Glenn Dair by Dan Schultz.

Glenn is a salt, raku, stoneware, soda, and every-other-type-offiring-known-to-man genius, and a legendary teacher of ceramics. He has been Director of the Ceramics Program at Callanwolde Art Center in Atlanta, Georgia from 19802014. His work is represented by the Signature Shop and Gallery in Atlanta, Georgia.

Basket with Reed Handle. 16" x 8" x 6". Wheel-thrown and altered stoneware, reduction-fired to cone 10. continued on next page

CLAYTIMESÂˇCOM n SPRING 2014

Glenn Dair earned his MFA in Ceramics from the University of Georgia in 1976. He has now been a clayworker for more than 40 years, achieving recognition as an incredibly disciplined and talented craftsman. He is a wheel man, and a handbuilder... as well as a carpenter, brick mason, plumber, welder, and extraordinary kiln and burner designer and builder.

Dome-Lidded Oval Form. 10" x 8" x 5". Wheel-thrown and altered stoneware, reduction-fired to cone10.

Tripod Lidded Form. 6" x 4" x 4". Wheel-thrown and altered stoneware with Alkaline Blue Glaze, soda-fired to cone 7.

CLAYTIMES·COM n SPRING 2014

Squared Vase with Sgraffiti. 30" x 10" x 10". Wheel-thrown and altered stoneware, reduction-fired to cone 10.

For some of Glenn’s favorite glaze formulas, turn to “Great Glazes” on page 26.

* To read more of Rick Berman’s interview with

Glenn Dair, log onto www.claytimes.com/extras

Green Lidded House. 12" x 10" x 4". Slab-built stoneware, reduction-fired to cone 10.

Question: Glenn, what have been your biggest challenges and successes as an art center director, teacher, and potter?

Answer: “When I started here [at Callanwolde], the challenge was to build on the foundation previously established, to maintain the quality of the program, and to expand the offerings.

Black teabowl. 3" x 5" x 5". Wheel-thrown and altered stoneware, reduction-fired to cone 10.

I’d like to think that I’ve been able to do that. Keeping the expenses down and classes affordable to a broad range of students is crucial ... I am fortunate to have experience in studio construction and maintenance! I will say that without our staff of assistants to help keep the studio operating, I couldn’t have done any of this. As a teacher, the challenge is always to help each student connect with their own magic. As a potter, the challenge is simply to make the time to find my own. Perhaps my greatest reward in all of this has been watching so many go so far ... ” * Oval Vase. 10" x 10" x 6". Wheel-thrown and altered stoneware with Alkaline Blue Glaze, soda-fired to cone 7. 25

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Great Glazes The following two glazes are what cover artist Glenn Dair uses most often when reduction firing to cone 10:

Ferguson Yellow (cone 9-10 reduction) Soda Feldspar EPK Dolomite Whiting Tin Oxide Bone Ash add: Bentonite Red Iron Oxide

44.3% 21.2 14.2 8.9 4.4 7.0 100.0% 2.0% 0.5%

Notes from Glenn: This glaze needs to look thick in the bucket, and on the pots, to get a uniform yellow. We find that blending the iron with water before adding to the glaze prevents “spotting” from the iron clumping in the mix. Beautiful on porcelain. Keep away from direct flame.

Porcelain Shino (Cone 9-10 reduction) Spodumene EPK Soda Ash Nepheline Syenite Ball Clay

30.3% 5.0 8.1 39.4 17.2 100.0%

Notes from Glenn: Designed for low-iron clay bodies, this glaze carbon-traps well when applied thick, with early reduction (cone 010/08) Thin coats give a Salmon color, which I prefer on my work. Re-fired in cone 7 salt, the glaze becomes a stony grey. Worth trying at lower firing temperatures (will melt at cone 7). For uniform coverage, I apply by spraying, and use an “HVLP”-type gun. Four “just wet” coats for the Yellow; two for the Shino.

Engobe Base (for texture stain) Ball Clay EPK Nepheline Syenite Silica Talc Soda Ash Blue variation: add Cobalt Carbonate

100 grams 140 90 90 30 10 460 grams 18.4 grams (4%)

Notes from Glenn: I use this after the bisque to enhance line and texture before glazing. Brush on, then damp-sponge to leave in recesses. This is a cone 6 base, but will hold up to cone 10. Can be used on leather-hard clay; but if used on bisque, we recommend re-bisquing prior to applying glazes. A good base for coloring with oxides or stains. For white, add 7% Zircopax. [

Shop Talk I Firing

What's the Difference?

Gas Pressure vs. Gas Volume I

people, I like to paint a mental picture that involves shared physical experiences. I’m pretty sure religious cults use this mental voodoo, too, but I’m just trying to make a point about burners.) He had been an electrical engineer. So, he was trying to relate volts and amps with pressure and volume. He was on the right track, but he was having a hard time translating the two mediums of electrons and fuel gases. I had thought about this in the past because this is a question I get from time to time. You can have plenty of pressure, but not have enough volume. You can also have more than enough volume, but have far too little pressure. The best way to express what is happening in these relationships is to draw on a visual representation that all humans have in common: playing with water. When we or our children play with water, we exemplify one way of understanding the physics of how the world works. The joy and fascination that comes with splashing and playing with water is the elixir of discovery. So here is our thought experiment: Let’s say we have a tank of water about ten feet tall. At the bottom of the tank is a ¼" pipe with a valve. At the top of the tank just below the water level, we have a 1" pipe with a valve. Just above the 1" pipe we have another 1" pipe that is feeding water into the tank. If we open up the bottom valve, water shoots out several feet in a concentrated and intense stream. We then close the bottom valve. If we open up the top valve, a big yet lazy cascade of water gurgles out. But the continued on next page

CLAYTIMES·COM n SPRING 2014

love to write articles that most people won’t finish. Hell, I don’t finish lots of articles I start reading. But the ones I really enjoy are the ones that answer certain questions I’ve had that have gone unanswered. I hope this is one of those for you. While it may not be pertinent to the average reader of Clay Times, there will be those who hopefully appreciate this answer to what I’ve found as an oftenasked, nagging question. I had a customer call me who was building a kiln for firing large-scale sculpture. At some point in his life, he had been cursed with an engineering degree that had rendered him unable to accept magical thinking. Well, it wasn’t so much the magical thinking, as he was unable to just gloss over something he didn’t really understand. That’s my kinda guy. My path was set as a burner manufacturer 35 years ago when I sat up all night in below freezing temps with a kiln that had stalled. What was it that I didn’t know? Why didn’t I know it? How could I make sure it didn’t happen again? Knowing how I felt then, I tried to answer his question as best as I could. What was his question? “What’s the difference between gas pressure and gas volume?” My usual answer to this question is; “they are interrelated but not the same.” For most folks, that answer is sufficient. Not so for our sculptor/engineer. He was really wrestling with what was actually happening in a quantifiable way—a way he could envision in a mathematical construct (OK, if you got this far, I might have just lost you with the term “mathematical construct” ... but to keep from losing

BY MARC WARD

Shop Talk I Firing

Gas Pressure vs. Volume, cont. amount of water coming out of either pipe is the same. One has a big pipe (orifice) at low pressure (at the top of the tank); while the other has a small pipe (orifice) at high pressure (at the bottom of the tank). The weight of the water creates the pressure. We can easily see how the different pressures can cause the same output through different size openings. But we have a third pipe into our tank (volume). As long as our feed pipe into the tank is giving us the same amount of water as the amount we are taking out, everything is going to be fine. But if the feed pipe (volume of gas) is a

865.397-2914 info@wardburner.com

www.wardburner.com

bit less than what we are discharging, we will quickly start experiencing problems with our top pipe (low pressure/high volume), problematic because the water levels (pressure) are quickly dropping in relation to our outlet. If you have two burners, this can happen when you turn on the second one, where the system pressure drops and both burners have less output. Now let’s look at our smaller bottom pipe. We can open up the pipe and the force of water coming out is impressive and continues to be so. We have lots of pressure thanks to the volume of water. We have lots of flow, but not quite enough. Our feed pipe (volume) is not keeping up. What showed up in our top pipe very quickly is going to take a while to happen in our lower pipe. Yet the effects are the same: the output drops.

CLAYTIMES·COM n SPRING 2014

Olympic FL12E Inside dimensions 24” x 24” x 36”, 12 cu. ft., fires to 2350°F – Cone 10, 12 key controller with cone fire & ramp hold programming, 240-208 volt, single phase. $5710

Olympic DD9 with Vent Hood* – Inside dimensions 30” x 25” x 25”, inside volume 15 cu. ft., setting area 23” x 23” x 30”, 9.2 cu. ft., fires to 2350°F – Cone 10, propane or natural gas $5870 * Pictured with optional stainless steel vent hood

One effect is immediate, while the other is slow. One is larger and one is smaller. Both are terminal on different time frames. The volume coming into the system has effects on the pressure (depth of the tank) — that’s why orifice diameter is part of a linear equation, while pressure is part of a quadratic equation. This simply means that changes in orifice size are major, while pressure changes are not as great. Double the area of the orifice and you double the output. Double the pressure, and you increase the output about 30%.[ Marc Ward is owner and operator of Ward Burner Systems, PO Box 1086, Dandridge, Tennessee 37725. He invites you to sign up for his free newsletter, and can be reached by phone at 865.397.2914 or through the online catalog and Website at: www. wardburner.com.

For less than $6,000, you could be firing a 12 cubic foot, cone 10 gas or electric kiln.

More value for your dollar, more bang for your buck!

Contact an Olympic Kilns Distributor to purchase an Olympic Gas or Electric Kiln

www.greatkilns.com

Phone 800.241.4400 or 770.967.4009 Fax 770.967.1196

Harvard University Opens New Ceramics Studio & Gallery

CAMBRIDGE, MASS — Harvard University recently opened its new ceramics studio and gallery, remodeling what was formerly a Verizon building located on the school’s Allston campus. The transformation into a 15,010-sq.-ft. facility was completed by The Galante Architecture Studio, Inc. of Cambridge, Massachusetts. This new state-of-the-art studio and gallery offers classrooms for wheelthrown, handbuilt, and sculptural ceramics, as well as clay and glaze chemistry labs, plus plaster and mold-making design areas. There is also a large room dedicated to the use of energy-efficient kilns. Firing options include gas reduction, soda, electric, raku, and saggar firing. The building also houses independent workspaces for professional artists, as well as administrative offices, a lounge, a visual presentation and digital resource room, and a research collection of work by visiting artists.

Because of the Galante Architecture Studio’s LEEDS® designation, the architect sought to reduce the carbon footprint of the building with a reflective and insulated roofing material. The reinstalled kilns were retrofitted to dramatically reduce their use of electricity, and a new Bailey gas kiln was included in the mix. A second main entrance shares the façade with the community center, and leads visitors directly into the purpose-built gallery space. This arrangement invites passers-by to enter and enjoy the ever-changing exhibitions that showcase ceramic work by students. Layers of transparency open up the entire building from front to back, revealing the activity inside to all. They can view the potter’s craft in process, watch artists throw their clay, mix their glazes, and fire their creations. Skylights throughout provide additional layers of view, transparency, and light from above. The whiteness of the interior is a vital neutral backdrop for the artists as they explore their designs, materials, and finishes without clutter or distraction. [

CLAYTIMES·COM n SPRING 2014

JAMES LEYNSE PHOTOS

The second half of the restored building has been reserved exclusively for Allston residents. It is hoped that this site will eventually be used for an education portal. It is also envisioned that this space will serve the neighborhood’s need for a large and well-appointed meeting

space for community gatherings, programs, and performances, brightly lit by day with new skylights and extensive glazing.

Sandblasting Ceramics An Alternative Method for Creating Unique Surface Designs BY BY ANDRE ANDRE AND AND VIRGINIA VIRGINIA BALLY BALLY

The above work has been bisque-fired to stabilize the glaze, then sandblasted to expose the uniquely colored and textured subsurface.

Sandblasting of ceramics is an extremely versatile

The Liquid Rubber Mask

process achieved with minimal expense. Featured on these pages are techniques and works by Bally Studios, whose 10 years of CLAYTIMESÂˇCOM n SPRING 2014

experience continue to evolve

new methods for dramatic surface design. Their prep work begins with use of a liquid rubber or vinyl mask. Techniques include masking and sandblasting bisque ware for incised and relief surface patterns, or for or deeply contoured carvings.

This product is simply the tool dip that can be purchased in your local hardware storeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s spray paint aisle. It works extremely well as an abrasive mask on ceramic work. When you are working with bisque ware, be sure your piece is completely free of dirt and dust, as they will keep the liquid rubber from adhering properly. After the piece is clean you can sketch your design onto the surface using a pencil (Fig. 1, opposite page). Pour the liquid rubber into a squeeze bottle (Fig. 2), and trace your sketched pattern with it (Fig. 3). Let the liquid rubber dry a minimum of six hours prior to blasting (Fig. 4).

Fig. 1

Fig. 3

Fig. 2

Fig. 4

The Sandblasting Process The act of sandblasting is the least time-consuming part of the process, usually taking only a few minutes to complete (Fig. 5). Each clay type will erode at a different rate; high grog stoneware takes longer to sandblast than fine porcelain. Each different abrasive also gives a different finish texture to the work, from pebbled to a finely smoothed finish.

The Vinyl Mask Vinyl used for sandblasting can be purchased at most sign shop supply outlets or hobby stores. It comes in many thicknesses and colors. Another important product that can be purchased at these outlets is application tape, which is used to transfer patterns. Techniques for applying a vinyl stencil can differ greatly. Vinyl can be applied directly to the bisque ware continued on next page

Fig. 5

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Sandblast the masked bisque ware to the desired depth, then remove the rubber pattern from the blasted piece and bisque fire again to burn off the embedded rubber. Do not try to burn off the rubber pattern entirely in the kiln, as this will generate a cloud of noxious smoke.

Finally, thoroughly clean the work in preparation for glazing. Glaze the work and fire to the appropriate temperature. The end results can be very dramatic (see photos, opposite page).

Fig. 10

Fig. 7

Fig. 11

Fig. 8

Fig. 12

Fig. 9

Fig. 13

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Fig. 6

Sandblasting, cont. prior to cutting a pattern, or a pattern can be cut from the vinyl before applying it to the bisque ware. Cutting of the vinyl can be done by hand or it can be machine-cut. Most sign shops can cut a vinyl pattern to suit your needs for this application. As with liquid rubber, the bisque ware must be completely dust-free, or the vinyl adhesive will not stick and the pattern might blow off during the blasting process. Once the pattern has been cut, it will be necessary to “weed” or remove the unwanted vinyl from your pattern. Keep in mind that a pattern can often be applied by utilizing either positive or negative space. One application will result in a positive or relief pattern to your work; the other will result in a negative or incised pattern. Quite often a single stencil can be used to create both the positive and negative application (Fig. 6). For intricate or complex patterns, the vinyl is applied using application tape to hold these complex patterns together. This tape is applied to the surface of the vinyl stencils prior to placing the pattern on the bisque ware (Figs. 7 & 8). Be sure to carefully burnish the application tape to ensure complete coverage and adherence. Next, flip the stencil over to expose the vinyl’s backing paper (Fig. 9). Cut off a small portion of this backing paper to expose just a small section of the adhesive on the back of the vinyl. By holding the stencil with the part that still has backing paper, you can easily place the stencil exactly where you want it (Fig. 10). Once positioned correctly, the stencil may be tacked down and the remaining backing paper may be removed (Fig. 11). Carefully burnish the stencil to the piece (Fig. 12), then remove the application tape. Before sandblasting your work, be sure to protect those areas of your piece you don’t want abraded by the overspray from the sandblasting process. Electrical tape is a very good material to use to protect those exposed areas (Fig. 13). Once you have completely covered the exposed area, you are ready to sand blast.

For additional details on the sandblasting process, plus more information on the authors and more images of their work, visit www.ballystudios.com

A note on safety — Like so many things related to creating ceramic work, sandblasting can be hazardous if the proper precautions are not taken. Both the abrasive material and the ceramic work will generate dust with a high silica content; silica is extremely hazardous if inhaled. Use of eye protection and a proper respirator (pictured above) are essential to the process. If you are sandblasting in an enclosed environment, ear protection (also pictured above) is recommended. The blasting environment should be well ventilated and the equipment must have a containment and vacuum system in operation during the blasting process.

Equipment The basic equipment required for sandblasting is a blasting booth, a blasting gun with hoses, a bin for the abrasive, a compressor and a vacuum system, and of course the safety equipment (eye, ear, and lung protection). The blasting booth can be any relatively airtight structure that will contain the work and equipment during the blasting process. Commercial grade equipment is readily available but a carefully planned and sealed homemade booth will work equally as well, as pictured above. The basic principle is to contain and re-circulate the sand. A quick note on compressors: while the typical 2-horsepower models intended for home use can be used for sandblasting, a slightly more robust compressor is recommended. The home-use models perform well but are underpowered and take much longer to complete the work. We recommend a contractor’s version that meets the following minimum standards: it should be able to run at 200 PSI (pounds per square inch) moving 5.2 SCFM (standard cubic feet per minute). These specifications are usually posted on most compressor labels. The size of the storage tank does matter if you are doing a lot of blasting. The larger the storage tank, the less the compressor has to work; but for light-duty blasting, most compressors hold up well and storage is not usually an issue.

CLAYTIMES·COM n SPRING 2014 CLAYTIMES·COM n SPRING 2014

As with the work that has been masked with liquid rubber, the vinyl mask must be removed after blasting and the work re-fired to bisque temperature to burn off any residual adhesive. If the adhesive is not completely removed, it will act as an undesirable resist to glazing. Once the work has been thoroughly cleaned, it is ready to glaze. [

Safety First

33 33

Readers Share I Art Works CLAYTIMESÂ·COM n SPRING 2014

The Gallery

Tall Tea. 8" x 5" x 5". Thrown and altered porcelain; stamped, incised, sprigged, and slip-trailed. Fired to cone 6 in oxidation. Lindsay Scypta, Clay Art Center 2013-2014 Artist in Residence; 2013 MFA graduate of Ohio State University. E-mail: lindsayscypta@gmail.com; Website: www.lindsayscypta.com

REBECCA WILKS PHOTO

Submit images of your claywork to The Gallery! Send your high-quality color print, slide, or 1050-x-1500-pixel (minimum) digital image to: The Gallery, Clay Times, P.O. Box 100, Hamilton, VA 20159. Be sure to include your name, address, telephone number, Website and/ or e-mail address, type of clay and glaze, firing method, and dimensions of the work. (Please enclose a self-addressed, stamped envelope for photo or slide return.)

Readers Share I Art Works

The Gallery

“I am a potter in Yarnell, Arizona. The wildfire on June 30, 2013, which killed 19 firefighters, devastated our little community. My husband and I were some of the fortunate few. My studio did not perish; and as soon as I could, I jumped back into the clay. The [above] image I have sent to you was the very first thing I made after the fire. I am known for my character dogs. The actual piece measures about 5" x 5".” Linda C. Buschman, Yarnell, Arizona. E-mail: lcbuschman@gmail.com Website: www.themadmudder.com

CLAYTIMES··COM COM n n SPRING SPRING 2014 2014 CLAYTIMES

Cat on a Pouch. 9" x 9" x 9". Handbuilt ceramic with underglazes and stains. Nancy Johnson, Atlanta, Georgia. E-mail: thenancyhelene@aol.com

So You Want to be a Studio Potter, eh? BY ROBIN HOPPER

Classes take place at the college’s 7,510-sq.-ft. Shadbolt Studios in the Comox Valley of B.C., Canada.

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n exciting, new, short, and intensive program for the Professional Studio Potter has recently been announced by North Island College, Comox Valley, British Columbia, Canada.

For many years, I’ve felt that there is little in most current educational programs to benefit the would-be studio potter, intent on making his or her living through the joyous making of pots. University programs generally aim at producing teachers, not efficient makers. More often than not, “business” is a dirty word. If you want to teach in tertiary education, you have no option but to get an MFA—an expensive degree normally taking [at least] four years of your life and costing a small fortune. Over the past decade or so, ceramics programs have been cut worldwide, leaving few opportunities for grads to find employment in their field. There are many people who don’t want to teach, but wish to make a reasonable living as self-employed studio potters. Although the economy has been brutal for several years, potters who make well-designed

and well-made objects for use or contemplation have experienced improving sales and foresee a bright future. If your passion is in making pots or other ceramic artwork, you don’t have the money for a degree, and you want to stay out of the academic classroom for life, there is now an alternative. In conjunction with intensive object development, the practical, 10-month Professional Potter Advanced Diploma will give you the skills and knowledge necessary for successful business management as a studio artist. It will be taught by independent professional potters with many years of pragmatic experience behind them. All have solid, international reputations for their diverse work. The program is based on the reality that a solid foundation in business, as well as practiced experience with the art of pottery-making, are fundamental to future success. With a good work ethic, there is huge potential to succeed and prosper. This program stresses the “how-to” as well as the “why-to” of studio practice and management. It will also deal with

the practicalities of different methods of marketing and selling work. North Island College is in the Comox Valley, on beautiful Vancouver Island in the Pacific Northwest, north of Seattle. Vancouver Island is slightly larger than the U.S. state of Vermont. An area of extreme natural beauty, it is highly conducive to the creative process, and serves as home to many artists working in all media. Having known all of the instructors personally—and with more than 60 years of personal history as a successful professional potter myself—I believe participants will have the unusual opportunity to gather diverse knowledge in a fraction of the time it normally takes to accumulate. I predict the cost of taking this program will be well covered by gains in the first year after graduation. If you are a developing potter with a strong will to explore, experience, and expand your horizons, this program is a rare gift. To my knowledge, there is nothing else like it in North American education systems. It is truly a one-of-a-kind opportunity. [

Alan Burgess: master potter, program founder, and maker of the salt-fired vase at right

Program and Facility Detail: The 2014 Professional Potter Advanced Diploma is offered in three parts. The first semester runs May 5-Aug. 15; and the second semester runs Sept. 2-Dec. 12. Students are then required to do a two-month internship with a practicing professional potter, or two months in the Medalta International Residency program at Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada. Program entrance is based on prior experience and a portfolio of work (a minimum of a two-year diploma in clay would help, but is not essential).

North Island College’s large gas-fired car kiln (right) and salt kiln (left)

Instructors so far are: Gordon Hutchens, Tony Clennell, Cathi Jefferson, Vincent Massey, Russell Hackney [master mold maker], and program founder Alan Burgess. Facilities include: 7,510 sq. ft. of studio space, fully equipped with wheels, slab rollers, powered extruder plus hand extruders, clay mixer, and two Peter Pugger pugmills. There is also a fully stocked and equipped glaze area with spray booth.

High-iron, wood-fired stoneware basket by program instructor Tony Clennell. 18" wide.

For more about the program, call 1.800.715.0914 or visit: www.nic.bc.ca/finearts

CLAYTIMES·COM n SPRING 2014

Ten on-site kilns include a 50-cu-ft. gas car kiln, a 20-cu-ft. gas salt kiln, a 5-cu-ft. gas test kiln, two raku kilns, and five electric kilns. Students will also have access to Gordon Hutchens’s Tozan Anagama kiln on nearby Denman Island.

Slurry Bucket Tips Editor’s note: In lieu of our usual studio tips, Clay Times is “changing it up” this issue, to share Allen Burgess’s business management tips for succeeding as a clay artist. (Burgess is founder of the new Professional Potter Advanced Diploma program featured on preceding pages 36-37.) Business Management Tips for Succeeding as a Clay Artist • Create a personal business plan. • Get a real idea of what you want to do and how you want to do it. This will allow you to structure your studio and how it operates. • Document everything. Take hi-res photos with detailed notes of each piece to help develop your portfolio and build an online presence. • Get guidance. • Work with a mentor to create a portfolio and pricing schedule that authenticates and positions your pieces in your desired market. • Develop rapport. • Galleries and retailers can be your strongest allies for finding new clientele and success as a professional potter. • Don’t neglect your market.

CLAYTIMES·COM n SPRING 2014

• Be prepared to provide a consistent supply of quality work or risk losing clientele as they wait for more. [

ATTENTION CT Print Subscribers: For full free access to the digital version of Clay Times, please update your e-mail address now at www. claytimes.com/e-mail

BY VINCE PITELKA

he inspiration for this column came when a workshop student asked, “Why do they make so many different kinds of ribs? How do I know which one to use?” In 2003 I wrote a column on ribs, and in 200809 a two-part series on profile ribs. In 2003 commercially-available ribs were limited to Kemper and a few imported variations such as Doo-Woo tools from Korea.

I like what Rick McKinney of MKM Pottery Tools says: “Ribs are to clay what brushes are to paint. They move the medium.” Tools are extensions of our hands intended to enhance their function or accomplish things hands cannot do. That should be your best guide when buying and using tools. I have identified loose categories of ribs, focusing on commerciallyavailable products.

multi-purpose and have different effects at different stages of clay softness. People often assume that ribs are primarily for use on thrown form, but I am a handbuilder and constantly reach for ribs to score the clay, make decorative marks, alter form, compress joints, scrape away unwanted slurry or clay, and finish edges.

Shop Talk I Tool Times

Rib It Again

Soft Ribs Very soft ribs are useful for smearing and sculpting stiff slurry on the surface of a form, for gentle shaping on the potter’s wheel, compressing rims, and for general surface smoothing. “Soft clay on a slow wheel” refers to a popular way of throwing, and for those who work that way the softest ribs are essential. The standard Kemper FRSO and FRSS soft blue rubber ribs work well but only come in one softness and two sizes.

Sampling of the wide variety of wooden ribs from MKM Tools

There are no hard and fast rules determining which rib to use when, because so much has to do with how you hold the rib, pressure applied, consistency of clay or slip you are manipulating, and of course desired effect. All ribs are

CLAYTIMES·COM n SPRING 2014

There is now an amazing plethora of ribs from MKM, Bambootools.com, Japanpotterytools.com, Dirty Girls, Segers, WiziWig, chineseclayart. com, and other domestic and foreign suppliers. It’s time to revisit ribs.

Mudtools ribs are designed by Michael Sherrill, a potter/sculptor with experience to make tools well-suited to our needs. The popular Mudtools brightly-colored polymer ribs are available in a wide variety of shapes and a range of color-coded softness/stiffness. Among the soft ribs, red is very soft and yellow slightly firmer. I find the red comparable to the blue Kemper rubber rib in softness, but of a consistency more responsive to the pressure of your fingers in bending and steering the rib. Mudtools ribs are available in a wide variety of sizes and shapes.

Shop Talk I Tool Times

Clay Tools & Reference Materials

New Book

Ribs (continued (continued from from previous previous page) page)

Figure Sculpting by Philippe & Charisse Faraut

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Stiff-but-Flexible Ribs Stiffer ribs with some flexibility can smooth and compress the surface of a fairly stiff clay, or determine the form of softer clay as you manipulate the curvature of the rib with your fingers. Most of us are familiar with the Kemper FRH and FRSM stiff black rubber ribs. I use this type of rib to resolve minor surface imperfections at the medium-leather-hard stage on handbuilt forms, and frequently to compress the clay in the bottoms of thrown plates or develop the curvature of bowls. It’s also the one I grab to squeegee water and slurry from the bat or wheelhead before starting another piece. That’s hard on the rib, and I’d rather not subject my Mudtools ribs to this task.

CLAYTIMES·COM n SPRING 2014

In this range of stiffness Mudtools polymer ribs come in two hardnesses — green for medium and blue for firm, available in all the same shapes and sizes as the softer ribs. Because of the variety of shapes, these ribs are particularly useful for controlling form while handbuilding or working on the wheel. Many serious potters and sculptors have become addicted to these ribs, and you won’t know which density/hardness and shape is best for your needs until you try them. I like my G5 (green, shape “5”) Mudtools rib for dressing slab edges and compressing joints.

We believe artists should have access to consistent and affordable clay. www.GreatClay.com 800-258-8796

Among the popular stiff but flexible ribs are the standard Kemper stainless steel ribs, including the S1, S4, and S6. These work well for shaping thrown form and removing throwing marks, and are especially appropriate for removing excess slurry to restore physical structure. When you are throwing taller forms, periodic passes with a flexible metal

rib will essentially “wring out” excess moisture from the clay and bring back physical structure, allowing you to lift the walls taller and thinner. Many seasoned potters use flexible metal ribs to accomplish all three things at once — establishing shape/ profile, eliminating throwing lines, and removing excess slurry. Mudtools makes a wide range of stainless steel ribs in many of the same shapes and sizes as the polymer ribs plus additional ones with sharp corners and/ or serrated edges. There’s not much information about stiffness on their Website, so I went to the source. Kelly at Mudtools explained that the smaller ribs and specifically the SS0, SS5, and SSP are quite thin and flexible, while the SSL scraper-ribs are a bit firmer, and the SS2 and SS4 are firmer still.

Rigid Ribs Even the slightest flexibility makes a big difference in how you use a rib, and this category includes ribs that are very stiff or completely rigid. When you use such a rib, you move the clay to conform to the shape of the rib. With a curved rigid rib you can still get some variation in curvature of the form depending on the angle of the rib, but if it is held perpendicular to the surface you’ll scrape away a lot of clay. From Mudtools, the SSXL scraperrib is the only stainless steel rib that fits this category, but the small and large polymer platter ribs are very stiff (and very useful), and the large polymer bowl rib is available in a stiff version. The large bowl rib and the platter ribs are an opaque dark green, the only anomaly in the Mudtools color scheme.

Potters working in primitive circumstances often make ribs from dried gourd, giving the choice of concave or convex surfaces. In forming and shaping during throwing or handbuilding, such ribs do things that flat ones cannot. One of the more unusual offerings from MKM is their set of “Coco Ribs,” made from coconut shell. The set includes seven ribs in various shapes and sizes, and I find them particularly useful for resolving the inside surfaces of coil-built forms, because reversing the rib gives you the choice of scraping or smoothing/ compressing. The coconut shell is hard and durable, and can be filed or ground to a sharper edge if you wish.

Dirty Girls Pottery Tools (kentuckymudworks.com) makes interesting profile ribs for establishing a slightlyprotruding bead at the foot of a vessels, including the “Bigfoot Rib” and the “Foot Fetish Rib.”

Serrated Ribs Serrated ribs are my choice for scoring the clay, and in my experience far better than a tool with sharp needle-points that cut deeply into the surface. Effective joinery requires that you thoroughly disrupt the platelets right on the surface in order to achieve a good bond without trapping air bubbles along the joint, and a serrated rib is perfect for that. The standard Kemper S-10 is ubiquitous and does the job but cannot reach into tight places, as when scoring the inside upper edge of a small slab box before adding strips of clay for a gallery. Mudtools makes a range of serrated ribs that I find far more useful and versatile. The SSP or paisley rib comes in a choice of either 18 or 24 teeth per inch. The SSL scraper-rib comes in 12, 18, or 24 teeth, and has a long, narrow end that will access small openings. The SSXL or extra-long scraperrib is far more rigid and has 10 teeth per inch. Mudtools also makes the popular and unusual “Hax Tool,” a long, skinny, stiff rib that’s smooth on the straight edge with microserrations along the curved edge. All of these serrated ribs give slightly different results when used as texturing and abrading tools in terms of the width and spacing of the

parallel scratches or grooves, but for scoring I find the medium-fine serrations to be more effective. My favorite scoring tool is an MKM SSL long scraper-rib with 18 teeth per inch. [ Vince Pitelka is professor of clay at Tennessee Technological University’s Appalachian Center for Craft, an active participant on the Clayart Internet discussion group, and author of Clay: A Studio Handbook. Feel free to suggest topics for this column or contact Vince through his Website at MarcsPotteryTools-2inchBlockAd-OL.pdf http://iweb.tntech.edu/wpitelka.

2/4/14

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CLAYTIMES·COM n SPRING 2014

Some throwers prefer to control variations in contour with their fingers or a flexible rib, resulting in slight variation from one piece to the next, even in matched sets. After all, what’s the point of making pieces so identical that they could be mistaken for factory mass-produced? For those who are learning and/ or want fairly exact profiles, WiziWig Tools (wiziwigtools. com) makes a selection of rigid stainless steel profile ribs that work very well, and each rib

includes two profiles plus a series of notches along the lower edge for resolving rims or creating raised beading.

Shop Talk I Tool Times

For variety and quality of wood ribs I like the MKM pottery tools (mkmpotterytools.com) “Craftsman Series” wooden ribs (pictured on page 39). These ribs are beautifully made and are satisfying to use. All of the MKM tools are designed by Rick McKinney, another fine potter with long experience who makes his tools to be as versatile as possible. I have used most of these ribs, and I just like the feel of them. I find the MKM W22 and W23 comparable to the Sherrill polymer platter ribs and just as effective.

Resources I Classified Marketplace

Classified Marketplace Events

Opportunities, cont.

Tools for Potters, cont.

• Georgia Jugfest and Old Knoxville Days — To be held in Knoxville and Roberta, Georgia, May 17, 2014. 10th Anniversary Celebrations; Pre-events May 15 and 16. Featuring pottery, kilnfired works, replicated groundhog kiln demonstration, quilt show and pottery auction, historic crafts, and demonstrations. Visit our Website at www.gajugfestival.com or call 478.836.3825.

year support the School and provide cultural enrichment to the surrounding community. Artists are given the opportunity to offer a gallery talk/and/ or presentation to PrattMWP students and community members. To submit, the deadline is March 15th, 2014 (postmark date). For more information, visit: http://www.mwpai.org school-ofart/school-of-art-gallery/

• Get your informative Clay Times back issues in print or digital form, plus order any of the 22 Original Potter’s T-shirt designs available only from Clay Times! — We’ve also got the Great Glazes I & II collection of glaze formulas for all types of firing, in both digital and print form. To order, log onto www.claytimes.com/store.html

Tools for Potters For Sale • Available in Florida Keys — 2400-sq.-ft. studio and gallery with storefront on US 1. Fully equipped, turn-key. Local and tourist clientele with 22-year presence. Contact Corky or Kim Wagner, Bluewater Potters, 102991 Overseas Hwy., Key Largo, Florida Keys 33037. Tel. 305.453.1920; bluewaterpotters@gmail.com • Arts Community seeks smart, happy people — Intentional, sustainable, arts-oriented community located in the NC mountains near Penland School of Crafts. Forest preserve, hiking trails, organic farm site, green-built houses. Makers and appreciators of clay (and other arts) welcome! Visit us online at www.HighCove.com

CLAYTIMES·COM n SPRING 2014

Opportunities

• The PrattMWP SOA Gallery enriches the educational programs of the MunsonWilliams-Proctor Arts Institute — The easily accessible space directly on campus, awards exhibitions to highly qualified artists in a range of different media. Six shows per academic

• FREE, Online Instructional Videos — by Master Potter/Teacher, Tim Scull of the Canton Clay Works, LLC. Wheel throwing, Hand Building, Firing Techniques, and more … beginner to intermediate. Visit cantonclayworks.com to register and view free instructional videos. • WIZIWIG PROFILE RIBS — Shape consistent profiles into your clay. Throw a cylinder, use a WiziWig Rib, and “instantly” have a mug, beer stein, wine goblet, and more! Great for sets! WIZIWIG CAVITY STICKS go into unimaginable places at many different angles. WiziWig Sticks provide tools with small points and unique shapes. WiziWig Sticks allow potters to get into the “nooks and crannies” and shape the clay where their fingers can’t reach. See www.WiziWigTools.com • Strong Arm Centering and Opening Tool — Potters, stop causing injury to your wrists, thumbs, and shoulders. Center and open clay in seconds! This is the greatest tool for production potters, studio potters, and schools. Get past the drudgery of centering and opening clay so you can focus on the real art and craft of making better pots! Watch the video online at www.marcspotterytools.com

Wanted • WANTED — USED ELECTRIC KILN in good shape, about 23"D x 27"H either computerized or with Dawson sitter. Prefer L&L but am flexible. Must be driving distance from Washington, DC. Contact theclayqueen@aol.com or call 703.549.7775. Workshops • Architectural Ceramics at La Meridiana in Tuscany June 8-21 — “Shape, Paddle and Pasta!” Architectural ceramics and wood firing with Marcia Selsor & Stephani Stephenson. We will visit some of the incredible surrounding Tuscan hill towns: Enjoy the Tuscan lifestyle with great luncheons just outside the studio. Registration deadline: March 30, 2014. Visit http://www.lameridiana. fi.it/pottery_workshops_marcia_ selsor_24_14.htm [ • Workshops at Baltimore Clayworks — ADAM FIELD, Sat–Sun May 3 & 4, 2014, and Sat–Sun August 16 & 17, 2014. ADRIAN ARLEO, Sat– Sun October 25 & 26, 2014. Please visit www.baltimoreclayworks.org or call 410.578.1919, ext.10. [ To order your Clay Times classified ad, go to www.claytimes.com/classifieds.html or call 800.356.2529

REVIEW BY STEVEN BRANFMAN

o many books and so little time. Well, kind of, but in our pottery world niche, not exactly. Having said that, when we look for a book on a given technical subject, like firing, kiln building, glazes, or throwing, thankfully there always seems to be more than one option. How do we choose? Since we can’t always hold the book in our hands prior to purchase, we rely on reviews, recommendations, and descriptions — yet often we’re still left with indecision. One of the reasons for our dilemma is that we want a single book to cover all of the bases; just one book that answers all of our questions and stirs our creative juices; a single book with all the inspiration, ideas, and motivation that we long for. Sometimes there exists such a book, but more often than not, that single, perfect, complete treatise has not yet been written. So following are three nice, neat, and tidy little handbooks. Each offers enough information to establish a foundation of learning and experience, while any would serve you well as you embark on your slab-building journey. However, in combination, these three books are greater than the sum of their parts.

You may recognize the author’s name from her previous books: Wood-fired Ceramics; Contemporary Practices, and Impressed And Incised Ceramics, and her writing for international ceramics magazines and journals. In Slab-Built Ceramics, Minogue begins with historical foundations toward teaching the reader the ways of

Each of the artists represents very personal and differing approaches to their art and use of slabs. The artists speak their own words and share technical information regarding clays, construction methods, firing, etc. There is much information and detail contained in the 112 pages. In total, 125 photos are featured, just a few of them in black-and-white. Slab-Built Ceramics is a book that will instruct and inspire you through the work and words of the artists within. reviews continued on next page

CLAYTIMES·COM n SPRING 2014

Slab-Built Ceramics by Col Minogue Crowood Press, soft cover, $34.95

working with slabs. The book opens with a lovely historical introduction that also lays out the direction that the book will take. The book is then divided into two parts. In “Part 1: Sculpture,” Minogue presents text and photos of a few works showing how slabs have been used throughout ceramic history. She then offers the work of 11 internationally-known clay artists whose work incorporates slabs. Among the featured artists are Nina Hole, John Glick, Jim Robison, Conrad Snider, and Regina Heinz. In “Part 2: Vessels,” Minogue begins with an explanation of Yixing ware. She points out the fact that the wares were, and are, slabbuilt, which comes as a surprise to many who may recognize the familiar style of Yixing pottery, but often assume they are wheelthrown because of the precise symmetry. The work and methods of several artists follow, including that of Douglass Rankin and Will Ruggles, Jody Johnstone, and Gail Nichols. At the end of each section is a gallery of work by additional artists, with varying degrees of accompanying technical information.

Resources I Books & Videos

A Slab Building Trilogy

Resources I Books & Videos

Slab Techniques by Jim Robison and Ian Marsh A&C Black, American Ceramic Society, paperback, $26.95 One of the titles in the A&C Black Ceramics Handbook Series, Slab Techniques aims to be an introduction to slab working for both the beginning clay student and the experienced clay artist wishing to experiment with new methods and processes. Slab Techniques is organized into eight chapters that focus on the various technical necessities of mastering the use of slabs, including: clay, forming the slab, construction, textures, large forms, glaze, drying, and firing. Slab Techniques is more processoriented than Slab-built Ceramics, with not nearly as much historical reference. There is a selection of high-profile ceramic artists represented by their diverse and multi-dimensional work and techniques, though the instruction is provided by Robison, whose experience with slab working is impressive, and whose work is exhibited internationally. The handsome, 112-page book is chock full of color photos and clear, well-directed, instructional text. Slab Techniques is a fine handbook that will give you an excellent foundation and background for beginning your journey with slabs.

From a Slab of Clay by Daryl E. Baird American Ceramic Society, paperback, $29.95

CLAYTIMES·COM n SPRING 2014

In From a Slab of Clay Daryl E. Baird, author of the very popular and exceedingly well written The Extruder Book, presents the most complete text on slab building of the three books discussed here. His approach is purely technical and instructional, beginning with selecting and preparing clays and setting up a workspace. Baird explains the selection and use of hand tools as well as the complexities of using a slab roller. His discussion of slab rollers is extensive covering types, manufacturers, reasons for owning and using one, and even building your own. The meat of the book is 16 demonstrations of a variety of approaches to creating with slabs. Detailed color photos and text covering the process accompany these demos. From start to finish, each demo is designed to showcase another aspect of slab building: joining, draping, press molds, using templates, mitering, etc. There is a chapter on drying, firing, and glazing; and the book concludes with a gallery of work showing every conceivable use of slabs. Pottery history? Not in this book focused on hands-on. Who would have thought that you could cram this much information into a total of 142 7x10-in. pages?

Each of these books offers a different yet complementary take on slab building. Each is well-written, organized sensibly, user-friendly, and generously illustrated. Together they make a very complete trilogy on the historical use of slabs, slab building, and contemporary expression. If you’re new to clay and slab work is attracting you, or you’re an experienced potter considering branching out into working with slabs, get all three and go get dirty! [ Steven Branfman is an accomplished potter and teacher of pottery and ceramics at Thayer Academy in Braintree, Massachusetts, and proprietor of The Potters Shop and School. He may be reached by e-mail at: sbranfpots@aol.com

Studio I Health & Safety

BY MONONA ROSSOL

OCCUPATIONAL STANDARDS FOR MANGANESE MANGANESE LIMITS

milligrams/cubic meter (mg/m3)

OSHA permissible exposure limit - ceiling limit (PEL-C)*

total Mn

5.0

Old ACGIH threshold limit value - 8 hour limit (TLV-TWA)**

total fume

0.2

inhalable*** respirable***

0.1 0.02

The 2013 ACGIH TLV-TWAs

* PEL-C = permissible exposure limit, instantaneous ceiling limit not to be exceeded. ** TLV-TWA = threshold limit value, 8-hr time-weighted average. *** Inhalable particles have diameters in the range of 10-100 microns. Respirable particles are <10 microns.

anganese is in the news again. Many potters and ceramic artists over the years have contacted me about illnesses they believe are related to their exposure to manganese glaze colorants. Years ago, in the Nov./Dec. 2005 Clay Times, I covered a lawsuit brought by a potter against a ceramic supplier for an alleged illness from a combination of manganese and cobalt exposure.

Manganese Air Quality Limits At the time of these trials, the occupational limit, called a Threshold Limit Value (TLV) for manganese fume (see table above) set by the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH) was 0.2 milligrams per cubic meter (mg/m3) of air. This year, the limit has been lowered to 0.02 mg/m3, indicating that the experts who set these standards now agree that the tiny “respirable” manganese fume particles are ten times more toxic than they originally thought. That is likely to change the outcomes of any subsequent lawsuits.

The larger dust particles of manganese metal and compounds are called “inhalable.” The limit for these particles has dropped to 0.1 mg/m3. This level is vastly lower than the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) ceiling limit for manganese of 5.0 mg/m3. This OSHA limit cannot be directly compared with the ACGIH limit, since it is a single ceiling limit rather than an average over time. The OSHA limit is for total manganese, which means it is for all the manganese from both small and large particles. It’s clear that the old OSHA limit should be updated, but that has not yet happened. Employers in the welding industry often claim the OSHA standard is the air quality limit that should be used, since it is enforceable by law. But most conscientious employers use the ACGIH limits. continued on next page

CLAYTIMES·COM n SPRING 2014

In the Sept./Oct. 2006 issue of Clay Times, I covered manganese exposure from mild steel welding fume. At that time, I discussed a lawsuit by a welder for damages from the Parkinson’s-like illness that is associated with manganese. I told readers that this lawsuit or one of the other similar lawsuits would probably go to the U.S. Supreme Court, and be upheld. I was wrong. A large claim was

denied by the Supreme Court in 2011, and the welding industry continues to deny the connection between neurological damage and the small amount of manganese in welding fume.

Studio I Health & Safety

Manganese Update, cont. Why Do We Care? This is important information for ceramic artists because kiln firing can emit the same size and/or type of manganese “respirable” fume as welding does. Respirable-size particles are also in the very fine dust of manganese glaze chemicals. The larger “inhalable” particles are also in manganese dioxide and other manganese-containing glaze chemicals. We need to know that both sizes of manganese particles are now recognized as far more toxic than we used to think. It is useful for us to see how recent studies led experts to reach this conclusion. The Studies Years ago it was established that a disabling disease called Manganese Parkinsonism could be caused by exposure to airborne manganese. The disease was well-documented in manganese ore miners and other people exposed to large amounts of manganese dust. This included some 1960s studies of Australian aboriginal artist-painters who used ground manganese dioxide ore as a pigment. The old workplace air quality standards were set to prevent this crippling form of manganism.

CLAYTIMES·COM n SPRING 2014

Experts knew that Parkinson’s disease seemed to be occurring more frequently than it should in welders. They also knew that the mild steel most often used by welders is a type of carbon steel that contains manganese at a maximum of 1.65 percent. The medical experts employed by the welding industry held that this percentage was too low to be a significant health issue. At that time, there were very few studies tying the lower levels found in welding fume to the disease.

Studies were then undertaken to either prove or disprove, once and for all, validity of the Parkinson’s/ manganese connection. Some of these studies involved medical testing of apparently healthy welders for early signs of the disease. The results of these tests showed that many apparently normal welders had significant neurological deficits — deficits that just don’t regularly occur in other types of workers. These deficits include slower visual reaction time, poorer hand-eye coordination, less control of fine hand and forearm movements, tremor, and changes in short-term memory. Ironically, these are physical attributes that welders need to do their work.

Further, the degree of impairment was proportional in severity to their estimated levels of exposure to manganese. Clearly, manganese was affecting welders and lower air quality limits were needed. What to do? Potters, ceramic artists, and welders all need the same fine motor skills and memory. We need to be very aware of sources of manganese in glazes and kiln fumes. All kilns should have good exhaust ventilation for many reasons including manganese. All dusty procedures, including mixing glazes, smoothing applied glaze surfaces, or grinding fired glaze drips from pots, should be vented.

Potteries and ceramic studios should be spotless. I know this is hard, but if there is dust on surfaces, the fine, invisible dusts get airborne on every little air current. Even the clay dust will contain highly toxic silica in respirable form. Use wet mopping, sponging, or HEPA wet/dry vacuum cleaners. Never sweep or dust surfaces.

While there are no studies to support my opinion, I think it is common sense to avoid multivitamins or mineral preparations that include manganese. There is evidence that we get manganese from many food sources and from pollution. If you are also using manganese in the pottery, why would you add manganese to your body from a supplement? I suggest we also reconsider chromium and cobalt supplements. I have even seen supplements that contain vanadium, for which there is no established bodily need. If you think you may have mineral deficiencies, get a standard blood test for the essential metals from a real and reputable doctor. Be wary of the “environmental” doctors who test hair and do other unapproved diagnostic procedures. Read about your materials and keep up-to-date on health information. Knowledge is nontoxic. [ Monona Rossol is an industrial hygienist/chemist with an M.F.A. in ceramics/glass. E-mail her at: ACTSNYC@cs.com

Check out these listings to find local programs for wheel-throwing, handbuilding, sculptural techniques, & more … Classes are listed alphabetically by state

COLORADO

FLORIDA, cont.

MAINE

Spinning Star Studio — 427 East Colorado Ave., Studio 129, Colorado Springs, CO 80903; http:// www.spinningstarstudio.com; jennifer@spinningstarstudio. com. Wheel-throwing, handbuilding, electric firing, raku firing, classes for adults; wheelchair accessible wheel available. Open studio is available as well as electric kiln rental for firing up to cone 6.

St. Petersburg Clay Company — 420 22nd St. South, St. Petersburg, FL 33712; 727.8962529; www.stpeteclay.com; stpeteclay@stpeteclay.com. Electric firing, gas firing, raku firing, wood firing, guest artist workshops, soda firing and salt firing. Please call or e-mail us to ask about membership availability and gallery openings.

The Red Door Pottery Studio — 44 Government St., Kittery, ME 03904; 207.439.5671; exfpottery@yahoo.com; www.reddoorpottery.com. Year-round classes, all skill levels, monthly workshops, private lessons, retail gallery, shows. Wheel-throwing, handbuilding, electric firing, guest artist workshops, classes for adults and children.

Resources I Classes

Community Pottery Classes

GEORGIA DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Hinckley Pottery — 1707 Kalorama Road NW, Washington, DC 20009; www.hinckleypottery.com; info@ hinckleypottery.com. Our studio offers ongoing classes on the potter’s wheel for all skill levels. Wheel-throwing, electric firing, gas firing, raku firing, classes for adults and children, tools and pottery for sale.

FLORIDA Carla’s Clay Inc. — 1733 Northgate Blvd., Sarasota, FL 34234; 941.359.2773; www.carlasclay.com; cobrien@carlasclay.com. Classes for adults and children in wheel-throwing, handbuilding, electric and raku firing. Guest artist workshops; retail supplies and gallery.

Morean Center for Clay — 420 22nd St. South, St. Petersburg, FL 33712; 727.821.0516; www.MoreanArtsCenter.org; valerie.scott.knaust@ moreanartscenter.org. Wheel-throwing, handbuilding, electric firing, gas firing, raku firing, wood firing, guest artist workshops, classes for adults and children. Children summer camps and week-long adult camps.

Hudgens Center for the Arts — 6400 Sugarloaf Pkwy, Bldg. 300, Duluth, GA 30097; 770.623.6002; Fax 770.623.3555; info@thehudgens. org; www.thehudgens.org. The Hudgens is located north of Atlanta and offers year-round fine art classes. Wheelthrowing, handbuilding, electric firing, gas firing, raku firing, classes for adults and children, open studio for students. Johns Creek Arts Center — 6290 Abbotts Bridge Rd., Building 700, Johns Creek, GA 30097; 770.623.8448; Fax 770.623.6995; jcacinfo@bellsouth. net; http://www.johnscreekarts.org. Located in Johns Creek, GA, the Johns Creek Art Center provides ceramics instruction for adults and youth with wheel-throwing, handbuilding, summer camps, cone 06-6 electric firing, and guest artist workshops.

LOUISIANA Martha’s Chapel School of Pottery — 147 Hwy. 1206, Deville, LA 71328; 318.466.5308; www.schoolofpottery.com; judahsgate@gmail.com. Wheel-throwing, electric firing, gas firing, raku firing, classes for adults and children, guest artist workshops, summer day camps. Free potters wheel classes: “We give back to the community.”

MARYLAND Renaissance Art Center — 9250 Gaither Rd., Gaithersburg, MD 20877; 301.987.0377; www.rcarts.com; info@rcarts.com. Pottery classes for all ages, teaching wheel throwing, handbuilding, and glazing techniques. Electric firing. Our new studio features 12 wheels and over 2000 s.f. of studio space!

MASSACHUSETTS Purple Sage Pottery — 3 Mechanic St., Merrimac, MA 01860; 978.346.9978; www. purplesagepottery.com; iris@purplesagepottery.com. Wheel-throwing, handbuilding, sculpture; electric, gas reduction, and raku firing; guest artist workshops; classes for adults and children.

MISSISSIPPI Bodine Pottery & Art Studio — New location: 432 West Frontage Dr., Wiggins, MS 39577; 601.928.4718; www.bodinepottery.com; hukmut@ bodinepottery.com. Wheel-throwing, handbuilding, kiln building, PMC (precious metal clay), week-long clay camps for adults and summer clay camps for kids. Also a clay supplier and gallery, featuring the work of ten Mississippi artists.

continued on next page

CLAYTIMES·COM n SPRING 2014

Craft Gallery & Dixie Art Loft — 5911 South Dixie Hwy., West Palm Beach, FL 33405; 561.585.7744; www.thecraftgallery.net; potteryme@ comcast.net. Gallery, studio & kiln rental. Glazes, clay, glass, tools, books, equipment, and art. Classes in glass fusion, enameling, silver clay, wheel-throwing, handbuilding, and architectural sculpture. Workshops by guest artists.

Callanwolde Fine Arts Center — 980 Briarcliff Rd., Atlanta, GA 30306; 404.874.9351; www. callanwolde.org; gdair@callanwolde.org. Located in Midtown Atlanta, Callanwolde offers basic and intermediate wheel and handbuilding classes for adults, as well as electric, gas, raku, and soda firing, plus guest artist workshops.

Resources I Classes

MISSOURI

NEW YORK, cont.

VIRGINIA, cont.

323 Clay — 323 West Maple Avenue, Independence, MO 64068; 816.254.7552; http://www.323Clay.com; kimberly@323clay.com. Wheel-throwing, handbuilding, electric firing, gas firing, raku firing, guest artist workshops, classes for adults, classes for children.

The Painted Pot — 339 Smith Street, Brooklyn, NY 11231; 718.222.0334; www.paintedpot.com; mail@paintedpot.com; wheel-throwing, handbuilding, sculpture.

Nan Rothwell Pottery — 221 Pottery Lane, Faber, VA 22938 (near Wintergreen); 434.263.4023; www.nanrothwellpottery.com; info@nanrothwellpottery.com. Wheel-throwing, gas firing, salt glaze firing, guest artist workshops, plus two- and three-day workshops focused on wheel work or decorating and firing functional pottery.

Kansas City Clay Guild — 200 West 74th St., Kansas City, MO 64114; 816.373-1373; www.kcclayguildstudios.org; kcclayguild88@yahoo. com. Wheel-throwing, handbuilding, electric firing, gas firing, raku firing, guest artist workshops, classes and “pottery parties” for adults and children. A fun, family atmosphere for novice through advanced ceramic artists.

NEW YORK Artworks at West Side YMCA — 5 West 63rd St., New York, NY 10023; 212.912.2368; ymcanyc. org/westside; kmissett@ymcanyc.org We are a friendly, supportive studio on Manhattan’s Upper West Side offering classes and open studio time in the visual arts. Wheelthrowing, handbuilding, electric firing, wood firing, guest artist workshops, stained glass, watercolor, drawing, and beading. Classes for adults and children. BrickHouse Ceramic Art Center — 10-34 44th Drive 1st Floor, Long Island City, NY 11101; 718.784.4907; ellen.day@brickhouseny.com; http://www. brickhouseny.com. Spacious, fully-equipped studio, yearround adult classes, ceramic artist rental shelves, pottery for sale.Wheel-throwing, handbuilding, electric firing, guest artist workshops, private parties. Clay Art Center — 40 Beech Street, Port Chester, NY 10573; 914.937.2047; www.clayartcenter.org; leigh@ clayartcenter.org. Clay Art Center kindles a passion for the ceramic arts and provides a community for that passion to flourish. Wheel-throwing, handbuilding, electric firing, gas firing, raku firing, guest artist workshops, classes for adults and children, community arts programming.

CLAYTIMES·COM n SPRING 2014

Clayworks on Columbia Inc. — 195 Columbia St., Brooklyn, NY 11231; 917.428.3128; ddmcdermott@rcn.com; www.clayworksoncolumbia.org. A not-for-profit clay studio now in its 16th year. Classes for adults & children in wheel-throwing, handbuilding, and sculpture; featuring electric firing plus rental space and gallery for students and members.

The JCC in Manhattan — 334 Amsterdam Ave., 76th St., Brooklyn, NY 10023; 646.505.5715; sorr@ jccmanhattan.org; www.jccmanhattan.org/artstudios. The Upper West Side’s community ceramics center with classes for everyone at every level! Wheel-throwing, handbuilding, electric firing, guest artist workshops, classes for adults and children. We also offer classes for children with Special Needs, private lessons, birthday parties, and bench time for registered students.

NORTH CAROLINA Dan Finch Pottery — 5526 Nursery Lane, Bailey, NC 27807-9492; 252.235.4664; http://www.danfinch. com; dan.finch@earthlink.net. Wheel-throwing, handbuilding, electric firing, gas firing, raku firing, wood firing, guest artist workshops, classes for adults. Demonstrations and workshops for groups (school, church, civic). Quarterly day and evening classes available in a collaborative and nurturing environment at Finch Farm.

TEXAS Eric Orr Clay — 22 Blackjack Lane, Lewisville,TX 75077; 940.241.1242; ericorrclay.com; ericmuddorr@ yahoo.com. A complete teaching studio for lovers of clay and glass. Wheel-throwing, handbuilding, electric firing, gas firing, raku firing, glass fusing and slumping, classes for adults and children. I work with you individually and endeavor to take you where you want to go on your clay/glass journey! SUNIN Clay Studio — 13473 Wetmore Road, San Antonio, TX 78247; 210.494.9100; suninpottery@ sbcglobal.net; suninclaystudio.com. A teaching and working pottery studio offering classes, equipment, supplies, gallery/ shows and creative encouragement. Wheel-throwing, handbuilding, electric firing, raku firing, guest artist workshops, classes for adults and children, sculpting classes and retail products.

PFAC — 101 Museum Drive, Newport News, VA 23606; 757.596.8175; mpreble@pfac-va.org; www.pfac-va.org; wheel-throwing, handbuilding, electric firing, raku firing, guest artist workshops, classes for adults and children. PFAC offers the opportunity to explore clay with a variety of techniques and processes. Round Hill Arts Center — 35246 Harry Byrd Highway, Round Hill, VA 20142; 540.338.5022; info@ roundhillartscenter.org; www.roundhillartscenter.org; wheelthrowing, handbuilding, electric firing, classes for adults and children, summer camps, also classes for all art mediums. Mention Clay Times for a 10% discount on your first class! Open studios for students. Workhouse Arts Center Ceramics Program — 9504 Workhouse Way, Bldg. 8, Lorton, VA 22079; 703.584.2982; www.workhousearts.org or www.workhouseceramicsarts.org; dalemarhanka@lortonarts. org. A collective and highly dynamic environment with the goal of promoting ceramic art through research, education, and outreach. Resident artist program and classes for adults (ages 16 & up) and children (5-15 years old) in wheel-throwing, handbuilding, ceramic sculpture, tile making, electric firing, gas firing, raku firing, visiting artist workshops, corporate retreats, and workshops for Girl /Cub Scout troops.

WISCONSIN VIRGINIA Art Pottery Studio — 4810 Tabard Pl., Annandale, VA 22003; 703.978.1480; artpottery@earthlink.net; www. potteryart.biz. Year-round classes, Summer Clay Camp, Group, Private. Wheel-throwing, handbuilding, electric firing, classes for adults and children. Scouts, Cancer Survivors, Special Needs. Sculpture, Specialty workshops: "Wine, Cheese, Pottery!"; "Parent & Child!" ALL LEVELS. Mainly Clay — 217 N. Main, Farmville, VA 23901 (beside Green Front Furniture). Pottery wheel and handbuilding classes, open studio, supplies, gifts, and jewelry; 434.315.5715; butlerp@mainlyclay.com; www.mainlyclay. com. Amaco & Standard dealer, Brent wheels, Shimpo slab roller, and Skutt electric kilns. Located in beautifully renovated historic building with upstairs rental space available for events and workshops. Manassas Clay & Tin Barn Pottery Supply — 9122 Center Street, Manassas, VA 20110; 703.330.1040; www.manassasclay.com; manassasclay@aol.com; wheelthrowing, handbuilding, sculpture, glazing, raku.

Adamah Clay Studios of Bethel Horizons — 4651 County Highway ZZ, Dodgeville, WI 53533; 608.574.8100; e-mail: artventures@bethelhorizons.org; www.bethelhorizons-artventures.org. Wheel-throwing, handbuilding, wood firing, classes for adults and children. Weekly pottery classes, affordable summer intensive weeklong workshops, beautiful views, & university credits.

WYOMING Potters Depot LLC — 75 East Benteen St., Buffalo, WY 82834; pottersdepot@msn.com; www. pottersdepot.com; 307.684.4555. We have a beautiful gallery and offer pottery classes for adults, teens, and kids. Wheel-throwing, handbuilding, electric firing, gas firing, raku firing, guest artist workshops. We are located at the foothills of the beautiful Big Horn Mountains and provide a large selection of clay bodies and tools [ LIST YOUR POTTERY CLASSES IN PRINT AND ONLINE for just $129 per year at: www.claytimes.com/classes.html

BY DAVID HENDLEY

f you’ve been making pottery for any time at all, you have probably been asked by curious friends how long it took to make what you’ve been making. If you have ever set up a display at a festival or fair, you’ve heard this question for sure. Some people who see pottery at art fairs are genuinely interested in the process, but the “how long” question often comes from a skeptical person shopping with another who is interested in a piece of pottery. When this happens, I envision the wheels turning in the skeptical shopper’s brain: He or she is preparing to divide the price of the pot by the time required to produce it, to come up with the hourly wage the potter is asking. If only there was an easy answer! In reality, it is next to impossible to calculate an accurate figure, although through the years I’ve heard some creative suggestions for trying. One favorite is to add how long one has been making pottery to how long it took to shape the piece in question, and come up with a response like, “Fifteen years and 20 minutes.” This answer certainly makes a point, but of course it’s not really accurate. My standard answer these days is, “It takes 5 or 6 weeks. There is the shaping of the clay, drying, decorating and glazing, and two firings, but, of course, I am working on many pieces during the cycle”. I think this is a straightforward answer, but it’s not really helpful for figuring out the actual hands-on time invested in a piece.

I concluded that it only makes sense to lump together all these small tasks that add up to just a few hours spread over hundreds of pots, and call it “labor overhead.” Just as overhead is an expense comprised of items such as rent, utilities, taxes, and advertising, labor overhead combines the time spent on all the small tasks required to make pottery into one monthly or yearly figure. At the end of the period, the total time spent on ancillary jobs can be divided by the number of pots produced, for a ballpark figure of indirect time spent to make each piece. I have always intuitively suspected that calculating the many hours of this labor overhead would yield a figure reflecting a significant amount of time. When visitors to my studio ask if they can watch me work, which to most people means watching me throwing on the potter’s wheel, I say “sure, but I am usually doing that only about two days a week.” When I started trying to keep track, I realized that even two days a week at the wheel is a high estimate. Since I mix my own clay body, make my own glazes and overglazes, and fire a wood-fired kiln, almost half the time of the efforts expended toward making a mug has nothing directly to do with the forming process itself. For me, it turns out that actually throwing the mug is one of the quickest steps in the production cycle. It takes longer to clean up, smooth, stamp, and sign the bottom, plus add the handle, decorate, glaze, load and unload the kiln, as well as fire the kiln. Good craftsmanship requires that adequate time and attention be spent on all these jobs. For example, adding the handle is a three-step process. First a slug of clay must be attached to the mug wall, then it must be pulled and the mug set aside to dry slightly, and, finally, the other end must be attached. If I am careful to neatly shape and join the parts, I can only do seven continued on next page

CLAYTIMES·COM n SPRING 2014

I decided to try to keep track of exactly how much time I spend making a mug. There are so many small steps involved that I immediately had questions. For instance, without clay there would be no mug, so should I count the time spent driving to my clay supplier to pick up my clay — and then divide that time by 2000, since a ton of clay will make 2000 mugs? How about the time spent measuring and mixing my glazes or loading and unloading the kiln?

Opinion I Around the Firebox

How Long Did It Take?

Opinion I Around the Firebox CLAYTIMES·COM n SPRING 2014

How Long Did It Take? (continued from page 49)

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or eight an hour, which works out to about eight minutes for each one. You can tell a lot by looking at a mug bottom: attention to detail and the maker’s personality, as well as, hopefully, who made it. During my “time study” of mug making, I was amazed to discover how much time I spend

a grinding wheel motor. A “flap wheel sander” on a grinding wheel is an equally good choice for smoothing pot bottoms. Don’t forget to add another 30 seconds for this step. Once the time for every job is added together, I estimate I have about three-quarters of an hour of labor in that mug that took two

scratching my name into wet clay. It takes almost a minute to stamp and sign a mug, but I think the extra time is worth it. A handmade pot is deserving of a handwritten signature, and I want to clearly identify who made the piece and where it was made, so on the bottoms of my pots, you will see the name of my shop (Old Farmhouse Pottery) and my location (Maydelle, Texas, U.S.A.) impressed into the clay with a metal stamp, along with a legible hand written signature.

minutes to throw — a shockingly high number. My modest little time study has made me aware of how limited the number of pots I can make is, if I take the time to carefully do every part of the job to the best of my ability. After adding together the time required for all these steps, the time cost of selling the mug has not even been considered. That questioning guy at the art fair has no idea what a good deal his wife is getting by buying a handmade mug for $25! [

And — oh yeah — there is one final step for finishing the bottoms. When unloaded from the glaze firing, each piece is lightly buffed to ensure that it is smooth and will not scratch tables or furniture. I use an “expanding drum sanding wheel” with a fine grit sanding belt, mounted on

David Hendley is a full-time potter who owns and operates Old Farmhouse Pottery in Maydelle, Texas. He may be reached via e-mail at: david@farmpots.com. To learn more about David and view some of his claywork, log onto his Website at: www.farmpots.com

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for more information on Skutt Kilns or to find a distributor, visit us at www.skutt.com or call us directly at 503.774.6000