Clay Times Magazine Volume 14 • Issue 74

Clay art

trends,

tools,

and

techniques

®

TIMES

Volume 14 • Number 1 January/February 2008

Ken Standhardt’s

Intriguing Church Key Designs The Pros and Cons of Internet Pottery Sales You’re Fired!: An AllArizona Clay Exhibition What to Expect from a Wood Firing Workshop Surface Embellishment with Thrown Textures Are You Prepared for Rising Fuel Costs? $ 7.50 U.S./$9 CAN

ceramic

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CLAYTIMES·COM n JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2008

3

®

contents

TIMES

Clay

January/February 2008 Volume 14, Number 1

on exhibit 18 You’re Fired!

Here are a few highlights from the annual all-Arizona ceramics exhibition sponsored by Arizona Clay, recently held at the West Valley Art Museum in Surprise, Arizona.

features 33 The Church Key Potter Ken Standhardt reveals his secrets for creating amazing surface patterns.

38 Throwing Deeply-textured Pots Matthew Taylor demonstrates how to achieve striking texture while throwing.

41 New Forms From Old Clay Norman Holen breathes new life into leftover clay for sculpture.

43 A Taste of the Fire Here’s everything you need to know before attending a wood firing workshop.

48 Selling on the Internet Reed Asher shares her trials and tribulations of pottery sales on the Web.

Above: Detail of Amphora Vessel bottom, by Ken Standhardt. 6" x 4" x 4".

Top left: Empty Nest by Carol Russell. Clay with underglazes and mixed media; one of several works featured in “You’re Fired” exhibit. See story on page 18.

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contents

®

TIMES

Clay

FEMA’S Watering Can by Brian Nettles. 24" x 24".

Clay with slip, ash glaze, and shino decoration, fired to cone 10 in reduction. See story, page 25.

January/February 2008 • Volume 14, Number 1

departments 9 EDITOR’S DESK Call for Nominations: Award for Excellence in Teaching

11 YOUR WORDS You asked for it: A Cone 6 Salvation Glaze formula

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

51 GREAT GLAZES Reed Asher shares two of the glazes she uses in her studio.

52 THE GALLERY

columns 21 AS FAR AS I KNOW “The Middle of Everywhere”

by Pete Pinnell

25 BENEATH THE SURFACE “After the Storm: Recovering from Katrina” Part 2 by Lana Wilson

29 TEACHING TECHNIQUES “Making A Pedestal Cake Plate”

by Bill van Gilder

55 TOOL TIMES

57 KILNS & FIRING “Gas Prices and How They Affect Potters”

by Marc Ward

58 STUDIO HEALTH AND SAFETY “Checking Ventilation Systems” by Monona Rossol

62 BOOKS & VIDEOS “Tom Turner: Two-Day Workshop” review by Steve Branfman

65 AROUND THE FIREBOX

“The Spray Bottle is Your Friend” by Vince Pitelka

“Clay Without Ceasing”

by Kelly Savino

A selection of unique works by CT readers

59 POTTERY CLASSES Where you can learn claywork in the U.S. & abroad

63 CLASSIFIED MARKETPLACE Goods and services offered especially for active clay artists.

64 SLURRY BUCKET TIPS Save time and trouble with these studio-tested tips and techniques.

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On the cover: Detail image of Berry Basket bottom by Ken Standhardt.

10" x 6" x 6". Iron oxide stain with glazed interior, fired to cone 5 in oxidation. Photo by Jon Meyers. For story, turn to page 33.

Above: If you’re thinking about attending a wood firing workshop—or even if you’re just looking for a few tips to help make your wood firings more successful— you’ll appreciate Judi Munn’s article on page 43.

BIG W HIT

E

Daring to think outside the box.

Above: Love is a Verb 18" diameter, (hollow continuum) Right: Dancing Angels 24" high (tallest)

800 4-LAGUNA www.lagunaclay.com info@lagunaclay.com

Award-winning artist, Charles Sherman, has been well known for his bronze cast sculptures. Thought provoking and sometimes even whimsical, his work was for the most part of a traditional genre.

Then almost as if an epiphany struck, Charles received his calling to make large rings... infinity rings.

It was a problem to be solved, and Charles chose Laguna Clay Company’s big white sculpture body to achieve his mission. Some of his “Big Mamma” rings are 42 inches in diameter, and he is about to embark on an eight foot infinity ring using big white!

Charles claims he isn’t a spiritual person yet this lays claim only to the overuse of the word. His “verbatudes” send a powerful message through the striking patina that he applies to the fired clay. The sheer size of his “Big Mamma” series makes a statement of exceptional ceramic engineering as hollow rings leave our heads to turn.

CL AY

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phone 360 758 7008 fax 360 758 2520

Spouting Off I Editor's Desk

Great Clay Teachers, Past and Present December 2007 saw the passing of two highly respected, legendary figures in clay: Tatsuzo Shimaoka of Japan, and Colin Pearson of the United Kingdom. Through their art as well as their teachings, these expert potters deeply touched not only the lives of those fortunate enough to have been their students, but also the vast majority of the ceramic community worldwide.

It is sad to say goodbye to such talented, revered leaders, and even more disheartening to think of how many other pottery greats we have lost during recent years: Peter Voulkos, Beatrice Wood, David Shaner, Ken Ferguson, Rudy Autio, and Byron Temple, to name a few.

Unfortunately, time keeps passing and many of the fine clay artists we have learned from and consider as masters of our era are now immersed in the precious moments of their golden years. It is our duty to show them as much respect and gratitude as possible while we’re still privileged enough to have them on this planet.

NEW! ANOTHER GREAT RESOURCE!

On Sale Now:

Great G Gll azzees s II

\ g ^c ad jg Xd Vi jaa" Zh [Z [ V\ l d[ Cd ch aZ ^b oZ e Yd hVb

Unlike so many artists in other types of media, those who commit their lives to clay often commit also to a life of sharing and spreading their love for the craft, via direct instruction, apprenticeships, and workshops.

I think it’s safe to say that nearly everyone working in clay attributes their own personal achievements and advancement in the craft to the teachers with whom they have directly studied or apprenticed, or to those who have indirectly inspired them via their work.

for lo

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Tradition

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The se cond popu of a se lar gl rie az oxidat e & slip fo s—Now fe at ion an rm d redu ulas (con uring 75 from es ction Clay atmos 04 to 12, CRYS Times TALLI pheres NE • Mag ) SALT/ SODA a zi ne • MA JOLIC l

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Second Edition, featuring an all-new collection of GREAT GLAZE recipes from previous issues of Clay Times.

Ready for use in your studio!

Featuring more than 75 easy-toread recipes all in one book, with sample images for more than half!

To ORDER TODAY call 1-800-356-CLAY or visit the online store at www.claytimes.com AWESOME PRICE: Just $15 plus S&H!

CLAYTIMES·COM n JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2008

In light of the great contributions that our ceramics teachers offer to the entire field of ceramic art, I am pleased to announce that Clay Times will be awarding, on an annual basis, the CT “Excellence in Teaching” award to the teacher who most strongly demonstrates outstanding achievement in ceramic art instruction. The award recipient may be either a private instructor or instructor at any level of ceramics from grade school through graduate school. Nominations for the 2008 award are being accepted now through April 30; please log onto www.claytimes.com to submit your entry. First prize for this year’s award winner will be an all-expense-paid trip on the 2009 Clay Times “Cruisin’ for Clay” Potter’s Conference Cruise to the Caribbean—an experience our winning instructor will certainly remember for a lifetime. I hope you’ll help your favorite teacher join us!

Blue

9

Julia, via e-mail

Tim’s New Salvation Formula After that article was published, I received a load of e-mails asking for the Cone 6 adaption of my Cone 10 Salvation [glaze].

I suspect that you probably did as well.

Everyone needs Salvation!

Custer Feldspar 27.0 Gerstley Borate 12.0 Dolomite

8.8

Talc 19.5 OM-4 Ball Clay 7.5 Silica 25.2 add Cobalt Carbonate 3.0 (variable, but I like 3% the best).

The Cone 6 Salvation Glaze formula is the same except that I bumped up the Gerstley Borate to 21 parts instead of the 12 called for in the Cone 10 formula:

Cone 6 Salvation Glaze Custer Feldspar

I did a number of Salvation glaze tests during the past week. I took to heart suggestions that John [Hesselberth] gave me. As I have said, I am no chemist and I am going with glazes because of what I see, not necessarily what I know, or should know.

John was not fond of this glaze and suspected it might shiver. On that scale of crazing/fitting/shivering, I am not sure how you evaluate how a glaze will behave when it is at the “fitting/shivering” end of the scale. I can see crazing, but I can’t see the potential for shivering. My active experience with Salvation spans five or six years. I didn’t mention in the article that I have used Salvation as a stand-alone glaze. It does not have to be used as an overcoat last resort. It is just that when it is used as an overcoat last resort, it works miracles for me.

Cone 6 Salvation

27.0

Gerstley Borate 21.0 Dolomite 8.8 Talc 19.5 OM4 7.5 Silica

25.2

magazine

Editor & Art Director: Polly Beach editorial@claytimes.com Circulation Manager: Rachel Brownell circulation@claytimes.com Advertising Manager: Karen Freeman advertising@claytimes.com Accounts Manager: Nanette Greene accounting@claytimes.com Graphic Designer: Jennifer Zeigler jzeigler@claytimes.com Administrative Assistant: Julie Light jlight@claytimes.com Proofreader: Jon Singer Office Assistant: Ingrid Phillips 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 Bill van Gilder, Teaching Techniques Marc Ward, Kilns & Firing Lana Wilson, Beneath the Surface

add Cobalt Carbonate 3.0

Contributing Writers: K.T. Anders • Norman Holen • Candace Lewis • Judi Munn • Matthew Taylor

Such a simple change, and I did 68 tests!

I was doing all kinds of substitutions and in the end, I just intuited (guessed) at the solution. One thing that is true for both of the glazes is the hotter you fire, the more they will lose the crystal look and go blue.

Published by: CLAY TIMES INC. 15481 Second St. • PO Box 365 Waterford, Virginia 20197-0365 540.882.3576 • FAX 540.882.4196 Toll-free subscription line: 800.356.2529

Tim Eberhardt [

Clay Times® (ISSN 1087-7614) is published bimonthly, six issues per year. Periodicals Postage Paid at Waterford, VA, and at additional mailing offices.

Annual subscriptions are available for $30 in the U.S.; $36 in Canada; $55 elsewhere (must be payable in US$). To subscribe, call toll-free 1-800.356.2529, or visit www.claytimes.com.

POSTMASTER: Address service requested. Send address changes to: Clay Times, PO Box 365, Waterford, VA 20197-0365. Copyright © 2007 Clay Times, Inc.

Pot glazed solely with Cone 10 Salvation Glaze with colorants.

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.

CLAYTIMES·COM n JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2008

Freelance editorial and photographic submissions are welcome: Please contact Clay Times or visit our Web site for writer’s and photographer’s guidelines.

I did a whole line of pots with Salvation as the base glaze, and those pots are some of the most beautiful I have made. They have a thick, satiny smooth, matte finish.

[At right] is a photo of one of my Wisteria pots that has nothing but Salvation, with colorants, as the glaze. Judge for yourself.

On to test results. I was successful in producing a Cone 6 Salvation.

Clay

®

While I am always excited to read my Clay Times magazine, I came across this very intriguing article about Salvation Glaze on page 33 of your Nov./Dec. 2007 issue.

Unfortunately, this glaze was given [for use at] cone 10 with a remark to adjust for cone 6. Well, that is too vague for this adventurous amateur potter. Do you think that you could give a proper recipe for cone 6—maybe even in a proper unity formula?

I am really eager to try it!

The Cone 10 Salvation glaze formula is:

Spouting Off I Your Words

Cone 6 Salvation Request

TIMES

Salvation Glaze at Cone 6

ceramic art trends, t oo l s & t e c h n i q u e s

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CLAYTIMES·COM n JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2008

Hot Stuff I News & Events

What’s Hot

ceramic art world news • events • calls for entries Looking Back ‰ Tatsuzo Shimaoka, widely recognized as one of the world’s leading ceramic artists and designated the honor of “Living National Treasure” by his native Japan, died from an apparent stroke on December 11 at his home in Mashiko, Japan. He was 88.

Shimaoka had apprenticed directly with pottery master Shoji Hamada during his early years and became an accomplished proponent of the Mingei pottery tradition that emphasizes beauty of utility, and art in humility.

Born to a family of ornamental braidmakers, Shimaoka was encouraged by his mother to break from the family tradition to study industrial ceramics at the Tokyo Institute of Technology. Inspired by a visit to the Japan Folk Crafts Museum in 1938, where he first encountered Mingei objects and philosophy, he later compared its impact on his future with that of rain on soil.

In a 2001 interview with Clay Times, Shimaoka said he learned from Hamada that craft “is not to be learned by intellect, but with the body.” ‰ Colin Pearson, British master potter recognized for his signature forms as well as his charismatic ability to teach ceramics to generations of students, died on December 3 following several years of battle with advanced Parkinsonism. He was 84 years old.

Early in his career, Pearson studied with potter Kenneth Clark, and was later influenced by tin glaze ceramics of William Newland, Margaret Hine and James Tower. He later joined the staff at Winchcombe pottery in Gloucestershire, and also spent time working at Royal Doulton factory in Lambeth, south London, as a slipcaster in the chemical porcelain department. In 1955, he and David Leach established a training pottery at the Friars at Aylesford Priory, Kent, based loosely on the Leach pottery in St. Ives, Cornwall. As time passed, Pearson began to reject some of the traditional methods of working, allowing him the freedom to develop his own unique forms. His vessels with wings—cylinders with sculptural appendages—tied the

functional to the sculptural and earned him high recognition in the early 1970s.

Pearson was also a pioneer of the use of clay-strengthening polyester fiber, which in the 1980s allowed him to further push his wheel-thrown forms into more sculptural works. In 1996, his contributions to the ceramic education community earned him a rare honorary fellowship of the University of the Arts, London.

His work was shown internationally and earned awards including the 33rd Grand Prix at Faenza, Italy. Today, his work can be found in major museums worldwide.

Conferences ‰ Trade Secrets: Cruisin’ for Clay, the inaugural Clay Times potters’ conference at sea, takes place January 28-February 2, 2008, on board Royal Caribbean’s luxurious Navigator cruise ship. Mix business with pleasure as you set sail from Ft. Lauderdale, Florida with renowned clay artists Bill van Gilder, Pete Pinnell, and Lisa Orr—en route to beautiful Cozumel, Mexico and Belize City, Belize.

Enjoy two full days of awesome demos, lectures, and slide shows by guest artists, mixed with two full days on your own to explore the port cities. To learn more, visit www.claytimes.com. ‰ Crafting Content: Ceramic Symposium 2008 takes place at the University of Arkansas Fine Arts Center in Fayetteville, Arkansas from January 31-February 2,

CLAYTIMES·COM n JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2008

After graduating in 1941 and serving in Burma during World War II, Shimaoka moved to Mashiko in 1946. There he studied with Hamada, then established a lifelong career of pottery making. Encouraged by Hamada to develop his own style of work beyond the basic tenets of mingei, Shimaoka turned to his father’s craft of braid making, and began to decorate vessels by pressing braids into wet clay. Shimaoka would then apply a white slip, wiping away the excess and leaving

a painted tracery in the braided impressions. As his new technique referenced the traditional rope decoration of prehistoric Japanese Jomon pottery, Shimaoka called his style “Jomon Zogan.”

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Hot Stuff I News & Events

2008. Guest presenters will include Tanya Batura, David East, Jeannie Hulen, Nicholas Kripal, John Perreault, Jeanne Quinn, and Benjamin Schulman, who will offer a variety of lectures and panel discussions. For full details, call Jeannie Hulen at 479.575.2008, e-mail jhulen@uark.edu, or visit the Web site at: http://art.uark.edu/ceramics/info. ‰ The 23rd Alabama Clay Conference takes place February 8-10, 2008, on the campus of the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, AL. Guest artists will include Jason Briggs of Tennessee, Curtis Benzle of Alabama, and Ching-Yuan of Taiwan. Discount registration fee is $160 ($55/students). For more information, daily schedule, accommodations, directions, and further details about the conference, visit www.alclayconference.org.

CLAYTIMES·COM n JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2008

‰ The National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts (NCECA) will be holding its 42nd Annual Conference, “Innovation, Community, Environment,” at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, March 19-22, 2008. Featured guest demonstrators include Ed Eberle, Sandy Brown, Lorna Meadon, and James Tisdale.

Additional presenters include several lecturers and panelists on a wide variety of topics affecting the clay community. Trade shows, gallery exhibitions, slide and documentary showings, fund-raiser sales, and more will also take place throughout the event. Register online at www.nceca.net. For additional information, e-mail office@nceca.net or telephone the toll-free number at 1.866.266.2322.

14

‰ Community of Fire takes place in Sweet Briar, Virginia from May 30–June 1, 2008 and will feature presentations and discussions by guest artists including Svend Beyer, Robert Compton, Kevin Crowe, Stephen Driver, Victoria Hansen, Mark Hewitt, Micki Schloesingk, and Jack Troy. Registration fee is $395; after March, $425. To find out more, visit www.kevincrowepottery.com; contact Kevin Crowe at tyeriverpottery@aol.com; or call 434.263.4065.

Calls for Entries

Anderson and Shoji Satake will select works from slides and digital submissions. Fee: $15 for three entries. For additional information, call 304.599.7687; e-mail zenclay@hotmail.com; log onto www.zenclay.com; or write ZENCLAY Studio and Galleries, 2862 University Ave., Morgantown, WV 26505. ‰ The 5th Annual Mad Hatter’s Tea Party takes place March 6–April 5, 2008 in West Palm Beach, Florida. Entries are open to fun teapots, tea infusers, tea cups, saucers, and sugar/creamers. Juried from digital and slide submissions (up to three entries/artist) postmarked by January 29. Juror: Helen Otterson.

Entry fee: $25. For prospectus, visit www. armoryart.org. Contact Helen Otterson, Ceramics Dept. Chair, Armory Art Center, 1700 Parker Ave., West Palm Beach, FL 33401.

February submission deadlines ‰ Feats of Clay XXI, to take place in Lincoln, California April 26–May 25, is accepting slide and digital entries through February 1 from artists working in the United States, Mexico, and Canada. Entry fee: $15 for one entry; $25 for two; $30 for three. To receive a prospectus, send your SASE to Lincoln Arts, 580 6th St., Lincoln, CA 95648. Further details may be found online at www.lincolnarts.org, or by calling 916.645.9713. ‰ Digital entries are being accepted through February 4 for the 8th International Ceramics Competition in Mino, Japan, to be on display August 1–September 30, 2008. To find out more about the event, e-mail info@ icfmino.com; log onto www.icfmino.com; call 0572-25-4111; or contact the Executive Committee Office, International Ceramics Festival Mino, Ceramics Park Mino, 4-2-5 Higashi-machi, Tajimi City, Gifu Prefecture, Mino, Japan 507-0801. ‰ The San Angelo Museum of Fine Arts in San Angelo, Texas is accepting entries postmarked through February 4 for the 17th San Angelo National Ceramic Competition.

For complete details, contact Karen Zimmerly at the San Angelo Museum of Fine Arts, One Love St., San Angelo, TX 76903, tel. 325.653.3333; e-mail: museum@samfa.org; Web site: www.samfa.org.

January submission deadlines ‰ The Four States Ceramic Exhibition is accepting entries through January 16 from residents of Maryland, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia for its March 3-April 11, 2008 event in Morgantown, WV. Jurors Bob

‰ The North American Ceramic Cup Show takes place March 10–21, 2008 at Siena Heights University in Adrian, Michigan. Juror Andy Brayman will jury the show from slides and digital images received by February 1. Entry fee is $5 per image. For a prospectus, log onto

clay workshops spring

20 08

March 9-15 Kate Inskeep - tile constructions March 16-22 Lindsay Pichaske - human figure in clay March 23-29 Mary Kay Botkins - hand building March 30-April 5 Susan Filley - throwing aesthetics April 6-12 Bill van Gilder functional pots Apply now for spring studio assistantships work study | scholarships application deadline Jan. 15 Artists-in-Residence application deadline Feb. 1

556 Parkway, Gatlinburg, TN

865-436-5860

Is NCECA more than a Conference?

YES. With our MembersFirst initiative, you can join NCECA whether or not you attend our conferences. As a member you will receive our Annual Journal and Directory, our Newsletter, web access, member discounts and opportunities that define the World’s Greatest Ceramics Organization. Yes, we’re more than a conference, but frankly, when NCECA gathers every year amazing things happen.

Our upcoming conference in Pittsburgh will be an extraordinary event.

Prepare to be challenged and inspired, network among the world’s foremost ceramists and come to the best Friday night dance on the planet.

info@arrowmont.org

Innovation, Community, Environment

NCECA 2008

42nd Annual Conference PITTSBURGH, PA March 19-22, 2008 Contact us at 1.866.266.2322 or visit our website: www.nceca.net

/t$t&t$t"

CLAYTIMES·COM n JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2008

CONFLUENCE:

Teapot: Connell

w w w . a r r o w m o n t . o r g

National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts

15

Hot Stuff I News & Events

www.studioangelico.com; or send your SASE to Paul McMullan, Ceramics Department, Siena Heights University, 1247 E. Siena Heights Dr., Adrian, Michigan 49221; or e-mail: pmcmullan@sienaheights.edu. ‰ Applications are being accepted through February 15 for functional works to be featured as part of Ceramics at Work, on view March 1–April 25, 2008 at the Gloria Kennedy Gallery in Brooklyn, New York. To request an application, send your SASE to Gloria Kennedy Gallery, 111 Front St., Gallery

222, Brooklyn, NY 11201; call 718.858.5254; e-mail: gloria@gkgart.com; or log onto www. gkgart.com/application/ceramicsatwork.pdf.

craftalliance.org; or write Craft Alliance, Infusion 10×10, 6640 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, MO 63130.

‰ Infusion 10 × 10 is accepting digital submissions through February 15 of teapots no larger than 10" in any dimension for its St. Louis, Missouri exhibition to take place May 2–June 30, 2008. Entry fee: $35/ up to two submissions. Awards: $500.

Fong Choo will serve as juror. For further details, call 314.725.1177, ext. 323; e-mail exhibitions@craftalliance.org; log onto www.

‰ Sandy Simon will be jurying digital submissions received from California clay artists by February 20 for the 2008 California Clay Competition, to take place April 25–June 6, 2008. To obtain a prospectus, log onto www.artery.coop.

GLAZES INC.

Introducing our new Low-Stone 900 Series colors.

Here is the second half of our 37 brand new colors for 900 series low-fire glazes.

As always they are lead-free and dinnerware safe. Each color will work with the existing colors to create new layered effects.

March submission deadlines ‰ CraftTexas 2008, the fifth in a series of juried exhibitions showcasing the best in Texas-made contemporary craft, is accepting entries through March 1 from Texas resident artists who work with clay as well as wood, fiber, glass, metal, and found/ recycled materials. The exhibition will be on view May 24-August 11 at Houston Center for Contemporary Crafts, Houston, Texas.

For further details, visit crafthouston.org. For complete application guidelines, visit callforentry.org. ‰ Digital and slide entries are now being accepted through March 1 for Teapot Forms 2008: A Juried Exhibition, to take place June 13–August 13 at RedSky Gallery in Charlotte, North Carolina. Entries are free. For further details, call Heather Andreas at 704.377.6400; e-mail info@redskygallery.com; visit the Web site at www.redskygallery.com; or write RedSky Gallery, 1244 E. Blvd., Charlotte, NC 28203.

CLAYTIMES·COM n JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2008

‰ Juror Dan Hammett is accepting digital and slide submissions of sculpture and pottery through March 28 for the Jersey Shore Clay National 2008 to take place May 24–June 23. For prospectus, e-mail: matt@mtburtongallery.com; log onto www.mtburtongallery.com.; or send SASE to JSCN 2008, M. T. Burton Gallery, 1819 N. Long Beach Blvd., Surf City, NJ 08008.

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Ceramics Exhibitions

945 to 949 94 Fenmar Dr. Toronto, ON Canada M9L 1M5

950 to 954 P.O. Box 874 Lewiston, NY US 14092-0874

955 to 958

959 to 962

Phone:(800)970-1970 or (416)747-8310 Fax:(416)747-8320 www.spectrumglazes.com info@spectrumglazes.com

‰ Breaking New Ground: The Studio Potter and Black Mountain College may be viewed through January 19 at Black Mountain College Museum and Arts Center, 56 Broadway, Asheville, North Carolina. ‰ Warren MacKenzie: Legacy of an American Potter is on exhibit through January 20, 2008, at North Dakota Museum of Art, 261 Centennial Dr., Grand Forks, North Dakota.

‰ Wood Fired Elegance: The Work of Donna Craven may be viewed through February 29 at the North Carolina Pottery Center, 233 E. Ave., Seagrove, North Carolina.

‰ A Ben Waterman Project: Reckoning of Mile is on exhibit through January 26 at Drop City Gallery, 964 Denny Way, Seattle, Washington.

‰ Cheers! A MAD Collection of Goblets will be on view through March 9 at Museum of Art and Design, 40 W. 53rd St., Wayne, Pennsylvania.

‰ Craft in America continues through January 27 at the Mingei International Museum, 1439 El Prado, San Diego, California. ‰ Zulu Fire: Ardmore Ceramics from South Africa is on display through January 27 at Craft and Folk Art Museum, 5814 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, California. ‰ Sparks, an exhibition featuring work by Peter Callas, is on view through January 27 at the Daum Museum of Contemporary Art, 3201 W. 16th St., Sedalia, Missouri. ‰ Craft 2007 is on exhibit through February 1 at the Wayne Art Center, 413 Maplewood Ave., Wayne, Pennsylvania. ‰ Robert Brady: New Work is on exhibit through February 2 at Braunstein/Quay Gallery, 430 Clementina, San Francisco, California. ‰ Three Potters: Mark Shapiro, Karen Swyler, and Steven Branfman is on view through February 8 at Foster Gallery, Noble and Greenough School, 10 Campus Dr., Dedham, Massachusetts.

‰ Jeffrey Mongrain will be exhibiting work through March 21 at Schein-Joseph

‰ The Ceramic Annual 2008: 64th Scripps Ceramic Annual will be on exhibit through April 6 at the Ruth Chandler Williamson Gallery, Scripps College, 11th and Columbia Sts., Claremont, California. [ To list clay conferences, calls for entries, exhibitions, and ceramic news items in Clay Times, please e-mail details to: editorial@claytimes.com.

Odyssey 2008 Workshop Center For Ceramic Arts

Series

Jill Allen Akira Satake Janis Mars Wunderlich Holly Walker Conner Burns Meredith Brickell Gertrude Graham Smith Tip Toland Lana Wilson Susan O’Brien McKenzie Smith

Because it feels so good.

‰ Fragile Diplomacy: Meissen Porcelain for European Courts runs through February 11 at The Bard Graduate Center, Studies in Decorative Arts, Design and Culture, 18 W. 86th St., New York, NY. ‰ Ceramic Objects/Conceptual Material may be seen through February 15 at the University of Arkansas Ceramics Department, 116 Fine Arts Center, Fayetteville, Arkansas.

Image: Akira Satake

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CLAYTIMES·COM n JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2008

With weekend workshops by Liz Summerfield Allison McGowan

‰ Clay on the Wall: 2007 Clay National is on exhibit through February 17 at Texas Tech School of Art, Landmark Arts, 18th St. at Flint Ave., Lubbock, Texas. ‰ Ohr Rising: The Emergence of an American Master and Other Mad Potters: A Corollary Exhibition to Ohr Rising, featuring works by Steve Horn, Lisa Orr, Don Pilcher, and Mary Roehm, are both on exhibit through February 23 at AMOCA, 340 S. Garey Ave., Pomona, California.

International Museum of Ceramic Art, NYSCC, 2 Pine St., Alfred, New York.

Hot Stuff I News & Events

‰ The Ceramics of Toshiko Takaezu: Function, Form and Surface is on display through January 20 at the Harn Museum of Art, SW 34th St. and Hull Rd., Gainesville, Florida.

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T

he West Valley Art Museum of Surprise, Arizona recently held its annual all-Arizona ceramics exhibition, sponsored by the Arizona Clay organization. Museum Curator George Palovich juried this year’s show, selecting more than 40 works from 103 entries. While the show consisted primarily of non-functional sculptural pieces, there were several pots that could be considered more than just decorative. The classic vase retained its bottle or jar form in only a few instances, as shapes were bashed, squished, and pulled into asymmetrical or animal forms.

Sculpture, as created in this group, leans toward the humorous and whimsical. Fran Douglas is a master at this as her characters, such as those featured in “The Bird Feeder” and “The Puppet Mistress” [pictured, opposite page] engaged viewers with expressive details and smooth surfaces. During this engagement, however, the viewer might have found a little more going on than tickling the funny bone, as “The Puppet Mistress” stared back with blank eyes and a not-so-warm-and-fuzzy puppet on her hand. We only see a humanized representation of her in a drawing on a flat slab under her truncated body.

CLAYTIMES·COM n JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2008

Katheryn Sins’ organic plant-like pieces returned to the Museum in this show. This series of hers also had an earlier appearance in “Celebrating Art of the West Valley II.” The humor carried over even in functional works. Deanna O’Donnell had two sets of covered jars in the show, with one set containing howling dogs for over-sized handles on the lids. Other pots had more serious relief images of animals or Native Americans.

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Also featured during the exhibition was a minigallery display of samples and explanations of the various types of ceramic firing processes, from wood-firing and Raku to electric kilns, plus a few examples of works made by juror George Palovich.

For further details on the West Valley Art Museum and its exhibitions, visit www.wvam.org, or call 623.972.0635. [

Garden Diva Series I by Bozena Anderson. Hand-coiled stoneware sprayed with colored slips.

Siding by Sandra Blain. Slab-built earthenware with slips and glazes.

The Birdfeeder by Fran Douglas. White clay with underglazes and overglazes.

Desert Fire by Dorothy Reeve. Wheel-thrown and raku-fired with copper glaze.

CLAYTIMES·COM n JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2008

The Puppet Mistress by Fran Douglas. Porcelain with underglazes.

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CLAYTIMES·COM n JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2008

Bill van Gilder 2008 Workshop Schedule

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Jan. 21-25

Jan. 28-Feb. 2

Feb. 15-17

Mar. 14-16

Mar. 19-21

Apr. 6-12

May 15-18

May 26-31

June 13-15

July 28-Aug. 1

Aug. 27-30

The Art League of Marco Island, Marco Island, FL 239.394.4221 • mail@marcoislandart.com “Trade Secrets: Cruisin’ for Clay” Clay Times Potters Conference at Sea • Belize & Cozumel, Mex. 540.882.3576 • advertising@claytimes.com College of the Albermarle, Manteo, NC [Outer Banks] 252.475.9250 • tshearin@albemarle.edu Ella Sharp Museum of Art & History, Jackson, MI 517.787.2320 • www.ellasharp.com van Gilder Tools Sales at NCECA Conference Pittsburgh, PA • 866.266.2322 • www.nceca.net Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts, Gatlinburg, TN 865.436.5860 • www.arrowmont.org e-mail: info@arrowmont.com Mud Puddle Pottery Studio, Pegram, TN 615.646.6644 • mudpuddle@bellsouth.net Pottery West, Las Vegas, NV potterywest@cox.net • www.potterywest.com Arapahoe Community College w/Mile Hi Ceramics, Littleton, CO • 303.797.5948 • kathy.holt@arapahoe.edu Sierra Nevada College, Incline Village, NV [Lake Tahoe] 775.881.7588 • sierranevada.edu/workshops Rehoboth Art League, Rehoboth Beach, DE 302.227.8408 • www.rehobothartleague.org

Ceramics Studios, Guilds, Universities, Colleges: To schedule a van Gilder workshop call 301.416.2970 or e-mail: vangilderpottery@earthlink.net

by PETE PINNELL

W

hat do you need to know to be a really good potter? Certainly you need to learn the basics of our craft—forming methods, glazing techniques, kiln firing, etc. That’s a good start, but it doesn’t teach you how to be creative. To develop your full aesthetic potential, you need to develop the eye and mind of an artist. Art is such a broad, deep, and varied field of study that learning about it is the work of a lifetime. Because of this, many potters earn at least an undergraduate degree in art—the B.F.A.— and many earn an M.F.A. as well. Earning these two degrees can take at least six years, and as long as eight, even if you are a full-time student.

Certainly that’s enough school, right?

Well, maybe not. If you want to truly understand Art, then you also need to learn about its underlying basis, and that means studying Aesthetics and the Philosophy of Art. Many potters have spent countless hours reading “Art” books that contain no images whatsoever. No, they don’t provide us with any eye candy, but they can help provide a broader understanding of art, and the decisions we make as artists.

Most of us who spend our lives making pots are fascinated with the interaction that takes place between pots and people. We pay attention to how others use, hold, display, and generally live with, our pots. We ask ourselves questions about perception and cognition, and how human beings act and interact. Historically, pots have played important roles in many different human activities. In an attempt

Terra Cotta Warriors of Qin Shi Huang, Shaanxi Province, China: among the most significant archaeological excavations of the 20th Century.

to better understand this, we are drawn to books and articles on Psychology, Sociology, and their cousin Anthropology, which allow us to better comprehend the roles that pottery plays, and the ways it can communicate with us and among us. Of course, once we see how it affects things today, we inevitably want to know more about the place of ceramics in previous societies. So, we gather relevant books and articles on Archaeology. Because pots last long after other artifacts have decayed away, archaeology and pottery sometimes seem to be married: you have to search pretty hard to find an archaeology book that doesn’t talk about pots. If you’re ever interested in killing a little time, do an Internet search on any of the four fields in this paragraph, along with the words “pottery” or “ceramics,” and you’ll find an endless list of interesting things to read.

Speaking of the past, what potter is not interested in History? We fill our bookshelves with ceramic history books, and spend our vacations wandering through museums. Our ears perk up at the mention of names like Sung, Iznik, or Mimbres. I have to confess a major interest in the history of ceramics, and I often show images of historical pots in my teaching,

“Pottery sits at the intersection of (seemingly) every major field of human study.” and when I give workshops. It’s really fun to do this. When amateur potters see these images for the first time, their eyes usually light up like a toddler eating his first chocolate cake. Before we’re introduced to this history, most of us have no idea what an astoundingly wide variety of beautiful, fascinating objects have been produced in the past. Eventually, as we leaf through our books, we slow down enough to read some of the text that accompanies these photographs, and find that an understanding of the history of these objects not only helps us to better understand them and the societies that produced them, but also helps us to better understand ourselves, and our own society.

All of this leads me to an intriguing observation. If you ask most artists of painting or sculpture what they think about the field of pottery, the honest (and blunt) ones would tell you that pottery as an art form is on the fringes, out in the middle of nowhere. But as

CLAYTIMES·COM n JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2008

Ever try to manipulate a glaze, or to figure out why it’s not working? We can attempt to keep our investigations on the kitchen/recipe level—“just add a pinch of silica!”—but sooner or later we all wonder why a certain thing happens, and then we suddenly find ourselves plodding through some dense, formulaand-graph-laden tome, thinking, “I wish I’d taken chemistry in college.” Yes, a little chemistry knowledge can be very useful for a potter.

Perspectives I As Far As I Know

The Middle of Everywhere

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continued from page 21

my examples illustrate, pottery isn’t the middle of nowhere—it’s the middle of everywhere. Pottery sits at the intersection of (seemingly) every major field of human study—and I haven’t even mentioned the knowledge of Geology we use to learn about clay, the Physics we employ to understand and manipulate firing, or the Business knowledge we amass so we can find a way to pay for our clay habits.

Now, if you think I’m writing this so we can all congratulate ourselves on how broad, worldly, and knowledgeable we are, you’d be wrong. Well, maybe not completely—potters usually are pretty splendid people—but that’s not really the point of this column. My point is that no one can possibly be an expert in all of these fields, which means that all potters—or, at least, all good potters— are eternal amateurs. We are constantly searching for more information from fields across the spectrum of human knowledge so we may develop as artists and better understand our art form. This may be the real secret to being a great potter.

In a way, admitting our permanent amateurism—even celebrating it—is a bit ironic. In our society, we tend to look down on amateurs. We describe a person who is good at something as a professional. “He’s a real pro!” is a high compliment. On the other hand, we often use the word amateur to denigrate any work inexpertly done—(“Boy, our coach is a real amateur!”) But amateur can also be seen in a positive light. The word comes from the French “to love,” because an amateur is someone who does something for love, rather than money. Because of this love, or passion, amateurs often bring an energy and enthusiasm to their studies that professionals can only envy.

Historically, potters have worked together to share the burdens of everything from digging clay to firing kilns. We still gather together to share firings and facilities, but we’ve expanded our sharing to include knowledge and information. Our universal amateurism has a way of flattening hierarchies and encouraging the social nature of pottery making. I love the fact that pottery-making lectures have a way of becoming shared discussions rather than solo recitations.

I had almost completed my first college degree (which is not in Art) before I was bitten by the clay bug. Like a lot of you, my interest in ceramics (in general) and pottery (in particular) was sparked by a fascination with clay and all its endless possibilities.

This interest in clay has never wavered, but simply become wider, deeper, and more involved. That seems to be the way with clay—first it gets you hooked, then it reels you in. Pretty soon, you find out that having an interest in clay means you have an interest in everything.

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Welcome to the middle of everywhere.

A final note: I can’t use the phrase, “The middle of everywhere” without honoring its previous use as the title for a fascinating book by fellow Lincoln, Nebraska resident, Dr. Mary Pipher. Her book describes the experience of political refugees who end up living in Lincoln. It has nothing to do with this column (other than the title). Her book is The Middle of Everywhere: The World’s Refugees Come to Our Town by Mary Pipher.

Harcourt; 1st edition (March 22, 2002) ISBN: 0151006008. A copy of Dr. Pipher’s book sits on the shelf behind me. I’ve led student discussions about it, and often see the title as I look for other books, which is what sparked the idea for this column. [

Pete Pinnell teaches at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. He has been a potter for many years and has numerous exhibitions and workshops to his credit. You can reach him with comments or questions at ppinnell1@unl.edu.

CLAYTIMES·COM n JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2008

This leads me to point out another interesting thing I’ve noticed about our field.

“Amateur” potters—those who don’t hold an art degree or make a living in the field— almost always hold a college or university degree in something else. I’ve met potters from just about every profession you can think of, from accounting to zoology. When I’m brought in as an “expert” to present a workshop someplace, I inevitably defer many questions to the attendees. It makes for a really interesting conversation, and allows all of us to learn from the expertise of others in our group: If an accountant is there, we begin asking about income taxes.

Bring in an attorney, and we find ourselves wondering about liability, and questions of copyright. If a physician is present, look out—you can just imagine the questions we all have.

Perspectives I As Far As I Know

Middle of Everywhere

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CLAYTIMES·COM n JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2008

Recovering from Katrina

by LANA Wilson

This is the second of a two-part series on clay artist Brian Nettles’ experience with Hurricane Katrina.

Lana Wilson: How many potters are now left in your area following Katrina?

Brian Nettles: I was president of The Mississippi Gulf Coast Potters Guild before the storm, and we had about 65 members. We have not been organized since the storm, but if we started back today we might have about ten members still making pots. Many have left the area, many have changed professions, and many have just not gotten their lives back together enough to start working.

This whole situation can become very depressing if you let it. I will not let myself fall into this depression. It’s hard, I will say. Depression, suicides, and divorces are skyrocketing down here.

There are some folks doing a major study of the situation and they say the percentages will be amazing. It affects everyone—rich, poor, white, black— everyone. Immediately after the storm I really thought about giving up and being a contractor. My four-year-old son is part of my determination. He loves to work in the studio with me and he loves clay.

Wilson: How did you get into clay?

Nettles: I was in my senior year at the University of Southern Mississippi in

I do still enjoy making pots as much as ever, but my rhythm has changed.

My marriage was one of the casualties of Katrina and now as a single parent, I never have an entire day to work in the studio. I have to take care of my son, drive him to and from day care, cook meals, grocery shop, etc. I still am dealing with many problems and other legal matters due to the storm. I will be

happier when everything is finished and I just make pots and live. When spring arrived, the trees did much better this year than last, and I feel people are like the trees: they are going to take time to get their branches out and prosper again. When you have been hit so hard, battered, and bruised, it takes time to recover.

Oval Serving Bowl by Brian Nettles.

8" x 16". Slip and ash glaze with shino decoration, fired to cone 10 in reduction.

Wilson: Has Katrina made networking more important to you?

Nettles: Working with the Ohr Museum, I was always networking because I had to bring in guest artists for workshops and curate clay exhibitions, so I always kept up with contemporary ceramics and tried to meet other artists.

Since Katrina, it has been more difficult to network. I am not working with the Ohr as much, and I am working on too many other non-clay projects!

Wilson: Is it hard to have other people using your new, donated kiln?

Nettles: It’s not hard to let people use the kiln. It does take up my time, but I feel it is the least I can do to help other potters get back on their feet. I feel so fortunate the kiln was given to me; it’s all I can do to share it. Having the anagama firings before the storm, I was used to people

CLAYTIMES·COM n JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2008

On a good note, recent glaze firings have produced many nice functional pots!

There’s an art fair in my town this weekend and hopefully I will sell the new pots. I also have been teaching classes in my studio and we had a raku party last night with some very nice people and good wine, on a cool, starlit night with many wonderful little mud babies coming out of the glowing, orange kiln. Life still has its wonderful parts.

Hattiesburg, with one semester to go for my degree in architectural engineering, when I walked into a clay class. Within two weeks I was involved in a wood firing, and became hooked on that for life. I changed my major to ceramics and sculpture, and never finished the engineering degree. I studied ceramics and sculpture with Skip Van Houten, an important mentor for me. I went three more years to get my B.F.A. in ceramics and sculpture. That is one of the reasons I never got my M.F.A.: I was on the seven-year plan getting the undergraduate degree! But changing my major was the best decision I ever made.

Growing up in Ocean Springs, where Walter Anderson was and where his family founded the famous Shearwater Pottery in 1928, I was very aware of pottery. But when I was younger, I had never thought about clay as a profession.

Wilson: As a board member of CERF (Craft Emergency Relief Fund) I am particularly interested in what CERF did for you.

Nettles: They made a huge difference in my life. The first day the mail ran, I had a grant check from CERF with a note telling me to spend it however I needed.

Those were rough days and money was tight. CERF has continued to check up on me and help me secure equipment to get me back in business. I have let potters who have lost their kilns use mine and, so far, five potters have taken me up on the offer.

Perspectives I Beneath the Surface

After the Storm:

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Perspectives I Beneath the Surface CLAYTIMES·COM n JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2008

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coming out and using my studio, so it’s really the same situation. But people are not here for two weeks—they are here for a few days using the gas kiln.

Wilson: What do you see as your biggest challenges at this point?

Nettles: As you know, being a full-time potter is hard in good times, but living in a wasteland where your clientele has lost so much, and so many people live with so much pain, is not the best situation. I have adjusted by starting to teach classes in my studio for more of a regular income, and by finding new markets across the country. Before the storm, I sold about 80% of my income [via] my own showroom. Finding and building a new clientele is a big challenge. Finishing all insurance, Small Business Authority, and other legal matters is the highest of my priorities. Once I know my financial outcome, I can regroup and know exactly how to proceed financially.

If you can live through the storm and the craziness following—and not crack—you can deal with anything that can ever come up in life. Recently, I talked with a married couple from Florida who are potters. They have lost everything before and they said it made them not care as much about the problems in life, and made them realize it really just doesn’t matter as much as it did before the storm.

That is exactly right. I really do not let the stress of everyday living get to me as much as I did before the storm. Life is too short, and it really has a new meaning for me. A person has no idea what this whole experience is like unless you have lived through it. My family lives about 40 miles away, and they didn’t lose anything in the storm. They have no idea what it is like, although they think they do!

Wilson: How did CERF find you?

Nettles: From my understanding, they read about me on the Internet. I didn’t have electricity for three months, so I did not see what was written about me for some time.

Cornelia Carey (Executive Director of Craft Emergency Relief Fund, or CERF) found my address, and she and CERF have made all the difference. CERF helped financially of course, but more important, it helped emotionally to know there are folks out there wanting to help me get back to making pots. It was much more important emotionally than financially to get the grant check from CERF.

Wilson: At a CERF board meeting soon after Katrina, we realized CERF had to be better at finding and contacting people who needed us. Would you still be making pots if CERF had not appeared?

Nettles: That’s a hard one. If I did not get the kiln from Jerry Wagner, I would not have been making pots for a much longer time.

Wilson: So how did you get that kiln?

Nettles: Danser Inc. in Parkersburg, West Virginia gave me the kiln. Jerry Wagner works for Danser Inc., and after receiving Alfred and Edinboro University degrees in clay, he now works in the industry selling and problem-solving industrial kilns. Elaine Levin had written something about me in an article, and I think Jerry Wagner saw that and phoned CERF. Through that connection, he called me and asked if I wanted a 64cubic-foot gas reduction kiln. I said yes; he said to be ready on this day, and Danser Inc. would ship it down. I really thought he was crazy and didn’t think much of it. Then he called back several months later and asked if I was ready. I said who and what? He said in two weeks he was shipping the kiln and was coming down to install it and fire it for the first time. I had not done a thing to prepare!

I ran out and bought a new wheel, some clay, ordered glaze materials, started restoring my studio by rebuilding the kiln room walls and the kiln room roof, then making 64 cubic feet worth of pots and glazes. I was working 20 hours a day to get ready. Jerry showed up one afternoon and the next morning, a 53-foot truck showed up with the most beautiful candy-apple-red kiln I have ever seen. Jerry helped me install it, put the stack through the roof, plumb it, and load the first kiln load.

The next night we lit the kiln, and it fired off perfectly! He even brought 64 Advancer® shelves and posts—what a guy! We treated him to a good ’ole seafood boil and party with about 30 potters and glass artists coming out to celebrate. Because he was sending the kiln, and he was going to install it and fire it the first time, it made me rebuild my studio, buy and set up the equipment again, make pots, mix glazes, and rebuild the kiln shed. Jerry sped up my process.

Wilson: I talked to Jerry and I was impressed with the list of people who made that big candy red kiln possible. I want to list every contributor besides Danser Inc. because it shows the way individuals and companies respond and help: Ron Puhasky of Cleveland

Electric Laboratories; Howard Axner of Axner Pottery Supply; John Barna of Saint-Gobain Industrial Ceramics; Jim Gilson of Shenango Advanced Ceramics; Marc Ward of Ward Burner Systems; Chris Mooney of Star Engineering Inc.; Graham Turnbull of Standard Ceramic Supply Company; Tim McGrath of Armor Refractories; Jim Wunch of Larkin Furnace; Gene Davis of Marrietta Transfer Company Inc.; Kevin Watucky of Metaltech Steel Company LLC; Vic Davis of Danser Inc.; and Eric Davis, who custom-painted the kiln.

Nettles: They all made a huge, wonderful difference. It also made a difference that Cornelia Carey of CERF came to visit victims of Katrina, looking for artists to help. She saw first-hand what we were dealing with, and the scope of the many miles of devastation. She definitely had the same expression that everyone has when they come down: holy sh_t! “I had no idea how big of an area was destroyed.” Thus, she could explain it better to people. Cornelia also arranged for the board of CERF to meet in Ocean Springs, Mississippi, so that the board would see the devastation and what CERF’s support had meant. The board heard individual recipient artists’ stories.

Wilson: I understand you cooked dinner for the CERF board.

Nettles: I did. I have to add that the entire staff at CERF was terrific. They all listened and really seemed to care, and were very patient dealing with all of the obstacles.

Wilson: Les Snow at the CERF office said CERF, in responding to Katrina artists, gave about $228,000 in grants and loans, $78,000 in-kind, plus donated services that didn’t go through CERF officially, but CERF made happen because they are a clearing house. He said you applied for a grant and then other suppliers donated to get your studio going again. That is what CERF does: it helps craft artists get going again after a disaster that threatens their career. [

Go to craftemergency.org to apply for a loan or grant (click on programs and services). You may also donate online.

Yes, small donations make a difference! Support New Orleans by attending an exciting clay conference on the weekend of Feb. 29-Mar. 2, 2008. The event will feature demos by Cynthia Bringle, Joe Bova, Margaret Bohls, and Mapo Kinnord Peyton. For details, visit nolafiredup.org.

Lana Wilson is a passionate handbuilder. See her Web site at www.lanawilson.com. If you have a comment or critique on her work, she welcomes your e-mail at: lana@ lanawilson.com. If you are a parent and a clay person, see the bulletin board and articles at The ClayParent Web site: www.mudmamasandpapas.com.

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Making a Pedestal Cake Plate column by BILL van GILDER • photos by rex looney

In Form I Teaching Techniques

Another One-Piece Wheel Project

Necessary Supplies • 1 - 6-lb. piece of very soft clay • 1 - 8-oz. piece of clay • 1 - 14" stiff bat • a ruler • a cut-off wire • a small rib • some water and a small sponge • a trimming tool Optional • decorating tools • a German chocolate cake

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n the classroom we often get requests to demo the making steps of a particular pot. Though I don’t always ‘jump to it’ during that class, I do mentally log the idea for some further organization. That is: how can I best show the making steps, logically and in simple order? This column’s project is all about my current classroom mantra: ‘keep it simple’ (last year’s mantra was ‘keep it clean’).

Design and Function Making a plate and a pedestal separately and attaching the two parts when they’re leather-hard is very do-able. I’ve occasionally made them in my studio this way: easier for me because I’m constantly in the studio and am able to attentively monitor the drying speed of the week’s work, including plates and pedestals. I know when it’s time for handles, time to trim, or time to put the pots together. This scenario is usually not the case with students, however, as their limited time in the classroom studio is just a few hours, maybe twice a week.

To avoid the often-heard—and dreaded —“These two pieces have cracked where I joined them” comment, I’ve learned to simplify the making steps of the projects I demo (but I don’t cut corners so close that the function or the aesthetics of the piece are compromised).

and some possible decorative elements of a cake plate: things to consider before the actual making begins.

The bakers in our class informed the rest of us that the average cake is 9" to 10" wide, so we agreed that the thrown diameter of our plate would need to be 11" to 12", to allow for shrinkage. We also agreed that our plate would need some uniform and broad support beneath to prevent excessive warping during the drying and glaze-firing stages.

It was decided that the top of the pedestal, where it joins the bottom of the plate, would need to be at least 6" to 7" wide. To provide some reasonable stability to the finished piece when in use, we agreed that the overall diameter of the pedestal’s foot would be a minimum of 8". We also settled on a minimum of 3" to a maximum of 6" for the pedestal’s height.

Knowing that the making of a two-piece cake plate has a small window of assembly time, my solution was to design this class project to be thrown in one piece.

This is an easy project to illustrate to the class (Fig. 2). As you draw the project, show the class the recent Clay Times column describing the making steps of a onepiece serving platter (see Clay Times, Sept./Oct. 2007).

Gather the class and, as you sit down at the wheel for the demo, have a discussion about the real functional requirements

“That project had a thrown handle pulled from the center of the plate. Our cake plate is made using that same technique, with

CLAYTIMES·COM n JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2008

During last week’s class, a student asked for the steps to make a cake plate (Fig. 1). It’s the type of plate that sits above a pedestal, which obviously raises the cake above the other foods on the table.

Why? We don’t really know, but student Carolanne put forward the theory that in days of old, the sugar used in a cake mix was expensive, and therefore hard to come by. Since then, the cake has taken on a special celebrity status, demanding an elevated position among the foods on our table. That makes sense; prima donna cake…

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In Form I Teaching Techniques

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one exception: this piece is made upsidedown. The clay touching the bat will become the plate’s serving surface.”

“Like the serving platter, we’ll throw a short wall at the outside edge of the plate.

This little wall can be decorated in lots of ways. It can be crimped or ribbed, stamped, carved, or slip-trailed. Alternatively, it can be left smooth, to be brush-decorated later.

I’ll show you some of the possibilities once we’ve got the project thrown.”

Throwing

CLAYTIMES·COM n JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2008

With a stiff, wooden or plaster 14" diameter bat attached to your wheelhead, center your 6-lb. lump of very soft clay. Shape the centered clay into a low, wide hump (Fig. 3). Explain to the class, “I’m going to open the pedestal first. Then, I’ll open the plate. Next, I’ll create the rim of the plate, and last, I’ll pull up and shape the pedestal—in that order.”

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Open the clay at its center, creating a floor thickness of about ½". Spread the clay outward 3" to 3½" for a total pedestal floor opening of 6" to 7" (Fig. 4). Now move your fingertips an inch outward of this first opening, and press downward again until your fingertips are about ½" from the bat (Fig. 5).

This second opening defines the thickness of the plate.

Next, widen the plate by firmly pressing the fat ring of clay downward as you spread it outward. Emphasize to the class, “Pressing down as you spread the clay outward from the center of the wheelhead is important.

We don’t want to trap air below the plate, which is very easy to do. Move the clay outward slowly, with a firm hand. Stop spread-

ing the clay when it is an inch or so from the edge of the bat.”

Pull up a short wall—about an inch tall—at the edge of the plate (Fig. 6). Now talk to the class about some decorative elements they might use here: “This little wall can be ribbed with an ‘I-made-it-myself,’ profiled rib-tool. In this case, I’ve used scissors to cut some pointed corners from the short end of a stiff credit card. I then pressed the cut edge into the wall (Fig. 7). It can be crimped like a pie crust (Fig. 8), notched with a small diameter wooden dowel, or bent inward to create a scalloped edge. As I said earlier, you can stamp into it while it’s still soft, slip-trail it, or leave it plain and brush-decorate it when glazing. There are lots of choices.”

The next step is to complete the pedestal part of the project. Pull up the pedestal clay, widening it as you pull (Fig. 9). Use your ruler to measure the foot rim diameter, which eventually needs to be about 8" across. It will also need to be about ½" thick; you can define this thickness and visually separate it from the pedestal wall by rolling the clay outward and over the side of your thumb (Fig. 10).

Next, rib the outside wall of the pedestal to shape, smooth, and compress the surface (Fig. 11). Sponge up any excess water from the area inside the plate and pedestal, wirecut the project from the bat, and set it aside to dry until it’s really stiff.

How dry is ‘really stiff’? “Look for the pedestal rim to be turning bone-dry before you upright your cake plate. Handle it before that point, and it’ll warp and slump. Be patient.”

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In Form I Teaching Techniques

12 Trimming and Drying Allow your project plate to dry uncovered, for at least two days. When it’s really stiff, lift it from the bat and center it upright on the wheelhead. Using the 8-oz. lump of clay listed in the necessary supplies, make three fat coils and use them to attach the foot of your plate securely to the wheelhead. Finally, gently trim and smooth the outer top edge of the plate (Fig. 12).

CLAYTIMES·COM n JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2008

You can continue to dry the project upside down or upright. It doesn’t seem to matter which way it’s positioned, but a slow, draftfree dry time is recommended.

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If you’re lucky, someone in the class will know how to mix, form, decorate, and fire a German chocolate cake. This is the last making step of the project—and possibly, the most important one. Enjoy! [

Bill van Gilder has been a full-time potter and ceramics teacher since the 1960s. He is creator/host of the Throwing Clay DIY Network TV series and teaches functional pottery-making workshops. He may be reached by e-mail at vangilderpottery@ earthlink.net. His potters’ tool line, van Gilder Tools, is available via the Clay Times online store at www.claytimes.com, or by calling toll-free 1.800.

356.2529.

The Church Key Potter Ken Standhardt’s Secrets to Surface Embellishment

story by K.t. anders photos by JON MEYERS

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t first glance, there’s something vaguely familiar about Ken Standhardt’s pots. Unglazed exteriors rich with pattern and texture echo ancient Native American woven baskets and pottery. Even his titles—amphora, berry basket, storage vessel—summon thoughts of shards at an archaeological dig.

Standhardt admits that as a kid, he loved finding arrowheads, millstones, and hatchet heads on the 150-acre fourth-generation farm in Pennsylvania where he grew up. “I was sure I wanted to be an archaeologist,” he confesses. But although he minored in archaeology at one point in college, his experience working in a

CLAYTIMES·COM n JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2008

Amphora Vessel. 8" x 8". Cone 5, iron oxide stain, glazed interior.

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ARTIST’S STATEMENT “The art of Pre-Columbian Native Americans and the work of ancient cultures from around the world have been a strong influence on my work. In particular, I am drawn to the qualities of primitive vessels that were created by the process of pressing a layer of clay onto the interior surface of a basket. The interior pattern of the basket became the exterior surface of the clay vessel when it was fired. This ingenious method created vessels with three strong elements: form, pattern, and texture. These are the focus of my work, and nature’s endless combinations of these elements are my inspiration.

DESCRIPTION After I throw each vessel on the potter’s wheel and it dries leather-hard, I trim its rough edges and indent the exterior surface with a variety of handmade, steeltipped tools.

In a single vessel, the number of indentations can vary from 500 to 5,000, each placed by hand and eye. Thus, no two vessels are ever the same. Sometimes the vessel is given further character by carving and incising the rim, again in the designs that reflect pre-Columbian patterns and form.

When the vessel is completely dry, it is fired to a stoneware temperature of 2150˚ F.

CLAYTIMES·COM n JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2008

CARE INSTRUCTIONS

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Berry Basket. 10" x 6" x 6". Cone 5, iron oxide stain, glazed interior.

Underside of this pot is pictured on this issue's cover.

Pictured, opposite page: Top: Vessel. 13" tall. Cone 5, iron oxide stain, glazed interior.

Bottom: Amphora Vessel. 7" x 4". Cone 5, iron oxide stain, glazed interior.

These vessels are made of a tough stoneware clay body. They are very durable. Periodically dust the surface using a clean, dry shoeshine brush. Gently sweep the dust out of the indentations.

Canned air works well also. All my vessels are dishwasher safe, and glazed work is food- and microwave-safe as well. With care, my creations will last for generations.

pop-top? Well, if you’ve got one, hang on to it, because it can be an awesome pottery tool!

“I’ve become known as the Church Key Potter,” says Standhardt. “I can create a variety of patterns and variations within them with two simple church keys. On one, I ground a little V-slot onto the tip.

It creates a sort of overlay effect.” It may sound simple, but the application of church key to clay, he notes, is all about patience and practice. “Because each piece is hand-textured, no two are ever the same. In a single vessel, the number of indentations can vary from 500 to 5,000, each placed by hand and eye.”

Pressing Patterns Standhardt begins texturing a piece by impressing a pattern around the rim of a leather-hard pot. He works around the pot from top to bottom. “It’s all about setting up the pattern to start with,” he says. “If you start well, things will continue well—or at least you have a chance.”

Although that first course of impressions around the top determines the consistency of the pattern, Standhardt doesn’t measure out his designs. “It’s all serendipity,” he admits. “I get to a couple of inches from the end of the pattern, and do a little dry-run to figure out whether to go larger or smaller. In 90% of my finished work, I can’t tell where my start point was—it’s fluid. It’s all about

ceramic studio under a work-study program in high school had already hooked him on the clay habit. After a stint studying ceramics in college, he became a full-time potter. It’s now worked for him for 20 years.

One of archaeology’s theories on how pottery began is that natives pressed clay into baskets to keep small seeds from falling through the cracks. “If the basket burned by accident or in a prairie fire, they discovered they had a pottery bowl with the texture of the basket,” notes Standhardt. That texture is what fascinates him.

But Standhardt’s pots only whisper about those ancient times. “Primitive forms serve as my inspiration, but I don’t copy any patterns,” he explains. “I make them up and I do them all by hand. I’m all about developing my own, distinct tradition. My work has evolved slowly.”

Despite his archaeological interest, Standhardt doesn’t press clay into woven reeds to create his texture—he uses something far more modern: a church key. Remember that triangular pointed hunk of metal used to pierce the top of a soda can before the days of the

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Resources I Classes

Pictured below: Floral Vase. 10" x 4".

Cone 5, iron oxide stain, glazed rim and interior.

At right: Detail of Floral Vase bottom.

letting go. The worst thing that could happen is I’d have to throw another piece.”

As he works down the pot, he expands and contracts the pattern according to the form of the piece. “I do that by making the impression smaller at the narrow neck and larger at the widest part, so it gives the illusion of the pattern ballooning out.”

CLAYTIMES·COM n JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2008

His patterns are so symmetrical and exact that he says people often think he casts them rather than creating each one freehand. “But if you look at them closely, you see the imperfections in the patterns,” he confesses. “They only give the illusion of perfection because of the repetitive patterns.”

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The bottoms of Standhardt’s pieces are as intricately textured as the sides, and that gives him special pleasure. “The textured bottoms are a reward for the person who picks up the work and starts exploring it,” he says. Those almost secret designs also satisfy his sense of craftsmanship, something dear to his heart as the son and grandson of Pennsylvania Dutch woodworkers. “Texturing the bottom to finish off a work is a statement of being done with a piece.”

Standhardt’s early years growing up on a farm trained his eye for pattern. “There is so much pattern in farming and agriculture,” he says. “Corn is planted in different patterns, wheat sheaves create complex patterns as they grow. Pattern was a constant in my life while I was growing up.” He also notes that farming is good training in judging distance.

“In laying out crops and fields, a sense of distance is something that’s actually honed. You develop a highly specialized ability to judge distances.” Certainly that’s an invaluable skill when coming up to those last two inches of design around a pot.

A small gallery in his home provides a sales venue that has taken Standhardt off the traveling show circuit. “I have a reputation and people come to me at this point, although I do some local shows. I like having the gallery because I don’t have to travel so much.”

When it comes time to texture, Standhardt usually works on his lap, using custom-made chucks to hold the pieces upright. He uses a hand on the interior of the pot to press against the pressure of his church key from the outside. Depending upon the piece, he sometimes stands. But either way, he’s careful not to get into positions that tire his muscles.

“It’s all about body mechanics and not stressing your body,” he notes.

“For example, I look down with my eyes, not my neck.”

Standhardt wants people to touch his pieces. “What I like about my work is that as you engage with it—turn it over and look inside—you can explore additional patterns,” he says. “Some texture I directly apply to the interior, others are what I call a soft echo of the exterior pattern that forms in the interior from the compression I make in patterning on the outside. The exterior has all these linear patterns and the interior parallels that, but it’s more subtle. My work is a study in pattern, form, and textures.”

Because his studio is small—only about 250 sq. ft.—Standhardt has had to keep his glazing simple. The exteriors of his pieces are washed with iron oxide and sponged off. The interiors get a simple liner glaze.

“I want to dramatize the depth of the texture but not distract from the form,” he explains. His rich red, cone 4-6 stoneware, called Trail Mix Cinnamon, comes from Georgies Clay in Portland, Oregon. He fires to 2150˚F, about cone 5.

Ken Standhardt can be reached via e-mail at standhardtstudio@gmail. com. His Web address is standhardtstudio.com. [ K.T. Anders is a potter and professional writer who resides in Upperville, Virginia. She is a regular contributor to Clay Times.

Underside of Platter. 14" x 2".

Cone 5 iron oxide stain, amber glaze.

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Throwing Deeply-textured Pots

BY MATTHEW TAYLOR

T

CLAYTIMES·COM n JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2008

extured surface design is one of the oldest methods of decorating pottery. Some of the oldest surviving pottery from Mesopotamia, Egypt, and Korea is decorated with carved or pressed texture and designs. This tradition of decoration has carried over to American ceramics. The art nouveau pottery of William Grueby and the later pottery of Maija Grotell often featured prominent textured surface decorations.

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The interplay of texture and form has always interested me. When I was taking pottery classes in college and graduate school, I became interested in the application of texture to thrownpottery. Initially, I applied texture to finished forms in the leatherhard stage by carving the texture onto the outside of the pots. This required careful (and tedious) hand-carving of designs and textures. This technique allowed for precise control of the design, but the finished designs often appeared to be an afterthought, as though the texture and the shape were not connected.

I branched from this area into the application of texture through a trimming technique called “chattering.” Chattering is a phenomenon caused by rhythmic bumping of the trimming tool on

leather-hard clay. Chattering can induce patterns on the surface of the pot ranging from a series of gashes all the way through, to smoothly-undulating waves covering the entire surface of the pot. I personally found that the waves were the most aesthetically-pleasing design, so I concentrated my efforts on the wave effect. Chattering waves can be created with regularity by trimming with a wide, flat, sharp trimming tool while the wheel is moving at very high speed. (I personally found that the Dolan brand square-edged trimming tool worked well for this type of effect.) The depth of the waves can be controlled by varying the wetness of the pot, with the wettest pots yielding the deepest waves. However, even the deepest chattering-induced patterns were still relatively shallow designs on the surface. I wanted something deeper, so I branched out into creating the texture design as part of the throwing process.

Combining texture and throwing presents a technical problem, because the normal throwing technique interferes with the texture.

After all, in the normal throwing technique, the potter squeezes clay on both the inside and the outside of the pot while pulling up the walls of the pot, and this squeezing force obliterates all esigns or textures on the outside of the pot. This problem can be solved by a three-step process of (1) throwing the basic shape such as a cylinder or bowl, (2) applying the texture, and (3) finishing the thrown shape without touching the texture on the outside of the pot by pushing only from the inside of the pot for the final shape.

Application of texture to wet clay prior to the finishing stage opens up a universe of potential designs, and it allows for deep textures that follow the size and shape of the thrown pot.

I have experimented with a variety of techniques for application

of texture. For the past five years, I have used a series of round, textured objects to press the design into the clay. The key to this technique is to find round, textured objects with an even pattern. As the pot spins around, the texture tool is pressed into the side of the spinning pot, which transfers the texture from the tool to the pot. I have a large collection of these textured objects, including wallpaper-texture rollers, kitchen tools, and discarded tires from toy trucks.

Recently, though, I was introduced to a new texture tool designed for the sole purpose of creating texture on wheel-thrown pots. This tool is called the “Steve Tool™” and it is made by Graber’s Pottery, Inc. (www.graberspottery.com—See ad on page 22 of this issue). The Steve Tool consists of a series of star-shaped discs assembled together to create a texture tool. The points of the star-shaped discs can be offset in various ways to create checkered patterns, helical patterns, or straight patterns. The Steve Tool is applied to the side of the pot while it is being thrown.

The following photographs show a step-by-step description of how to make a deeply-textured thrown pot. The tool shown in the photographs is the Steve Tool, and it is assembled to create a helical pattern on the pot.

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2 In this first step, the pot is thrown into a cylinder shape.

There are three important points to keep in mind during this step.

In the next step, the initial texture is applied to the pot (Fig. 2). I usually start at the bottom of the pot and work the tool upward.

The bottom tends to be thicker and stronger, thus allowing me to press harder on the clay at the start. The key to this step is to hold the texture tool still at the bottom of the pot, while allowing the pot to spin around at least a couple of revolutions. This will create a deep texture. Equally important, it will allow the texture tool to create a uniform, even pattern around the entire circumference of the pot. If you plan to have a uniform, textured design on the walls of the pot as shown in the photographs, you will need to start with a uniform pattern at this initial stage.

During the next two steps, the texture tool is moved up the sur-

4 face of the pot while the wheel is spinning (Fig. 3). At this point, the potter must decide whether a random pattern is desired or whether a uniform pattern is desired (Fig. 4). To make a random pattern, the tool is moved quickly up the side from the bottom to the top. For a uniform pattern the key is to move the tool slowly up the side, taking care that the tool never completely leaves the grooves of the already-established pattern below. By moving the tool slowly up the side of the pot, the top of the spinning tool presses new pattern into the clay, while the lower part of the tool rides in the existing, textured grooves.

The depth of the texture is controlled by the amount of pressure on the tool. During this stage, the pot should be supported by a hand on the inside. This keeps the wall from deforming as tool pressure is applied. Note that the very top of the cylinder is not textured. This is the portion that will eventually be turned into the rim of the pot.

In the steps pictured on the following page, the shape of the finished pot is created. Since there is already texture on the outside of the pot, further shaping can only be done by applying pressure from the inside.

CLAYTIMES¡COM n JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2008

First, you want the cylinder to be thrown to the approximate final height of the finished pot. Once the texture is applied to the pot, it is not possible to pull the pot any higher. Second, you want to leave the walls of the pot thicker than you do for a normal cylinder. (In the following steps you will create texture that is about Âź" to 3/8" deep, and you need to be able to do that without cutting all the way through the clay.)

Third, make sure you clean up the sides of the cylinder so that they are flat and smooth from top to bottom. Finger-ridges in the walls of the cylinder will interfere with the texture design, and should be removed with a rib (Fig. 1). At this stage, you need to remove all of the wet clay slurry from the outside of the pot; a wet

clay surface can clog the texture tool and smear the design.

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“The key to this technique is to find round, textured objects with an even pattern.”

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As previously mentioned, the potter can no longer touch the outside surface of the pot, because that would destroy the textured design. Shaping is done by gradually pushing from the inside while moving the hand repeatedly up and down. Since the textured design is already impressed into the walls of the pot, the textured surface will expand as the walls of the pot are pressed outward. Because the walls of the pot cannot be supported by pressure from the outside, the pressure from the inside hand should be applied gradually and with broad contact to avoid stretching the walls unevenly (Figs. 5 and 6).

The pot is now completed by creating its rim. In this example, a fold of clay is simply flipped over onto the top of the textured region (Figs. 7 and 8); but you should feel free to use any rim design that you feel is suited to the pot.

The concept of adding texture before you finish throwing the pot opens many opportunities for design. This article focuses on texture applied with a roller. Alternatively, the texture could be applied by hand-carving designs, by pressing natural materials (such as leaves or twigs) into the clay, or by dragging sharp, textured objects over the clay. Kitchen supply stores and hardware stores are filled with tools that can be used to add texture to wet clay. Be creative and—most importantly—have fun. [

Matthew Taylor is a part-time potter and full-time lawyer in Claremont, California. He has been making pottery for more than 20 years.

He studied pottery at Scripps College, Pomona College, and UCLA.

CLAYTIMES·COM n JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2008

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New Forms from Old Clay BY norman holen

The forgiving clay you once knew could surprise you years later ...

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or many years, I used a cone 4 earthenware clay while creating figurative sculpture. At one point during that period, I wedged 180 lbs. of clay—which had 35% medium grog—with oxides for color, and barium carbonate to eliminate the soluble sulfates. After slipping the clay into several plastic bags, I placed them into five-gallon plastic pails.

Later, while I was distracted by other projects including stoneware pieces and elaborate, abstract, slab-built pottery, the clay languished for many years against the wall in a quiet area of my studio. I did, periodically, add water to the clay, and resealed the lids each time.

Recently, while taking inventory of my available clay, I opened the pails and was delighted to see the clay so moist and patiently waiting. Having completed drawings of my next pieces, I quickly opened a couple of bags, put the clay on several layers of newspaper spread over the cement floor, and waited for the excess water to evaporate. When it was wedged, I pressed out a layer of clay on a Formica® board and defined the position and dimensions of a standing figure that rested on the narrowing thighs, just above the knees.

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Narrow Torso with Head. 7½" x 9" x 24¾". The sculpture was fired to cone 4 in an electric kiln, then mounted on a mahogany base.

The walls rose as I added coils of clay to the original slab. After it reached a height of 6" to 7", I covered the top coil with thin, 1½" x 3" plastic sheets to hold the moisture as the lower areas firmed up. I covered the whole project with thin dry cleaning plastic. Returning in the afternoon, I uncovered the piece and found the walls wetter than when I started! The walls were also shorter and thicker. It seemed that the surface of each coil was firm while it was being shaped and welded into place, but the residual water, deep inside the coil, eventually migrated to the outer skin. Thinning the

41

Clay buttresses support the lower torso and help define the form.

The buttresses are left in place through the early drying stage.

walls with a looping tool, I built them higher after the moisture in the lower area moderated.

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When this scenario was repeated the next day, I decided to place temporary clay buttresses against the sides of the legs, not only to keep the figure in plumb, but also to define the parameters of the legs. While rolling a handful of clay into a coil, I noticed that after a certain length, the hanging coil stretched and became thinner in diameter from its own weight. This particular clay recipe had never done that before. I also remembered building 20" pieces without any settling. Suddenly, I realized that the clay had become unstable during the intervening years, and had lost the durability that I experienced when it was used right after formulation.

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To stabilize the clay, I laid it out a second time, until it was firmer, and rewedged it. This drier clay eliminated settling, but I had to moisten the exterior surface of the coils to insure a proper bond between layers—something else I never had to do with my fresh clay. I still covered the top coil with plastic strips after each session, and placed a damp cloth over the lower portion to keep it from becoming too dry. Only sometimes did I leave the new section of the wall without cloth. I then covered the whole thing with the same thin plastic bag, which allowed some evaporation of the moisture.

In addition to the external buttresses, I built an inner wall to help strengthen the figure. It was particularly important to support the front of the upper torso. The wall also extended to the top of the head, but I placed it only in the back half. If it reached all the way across the interior of the head, the wall would only add weight as it moved past the support of the neck, and its effectiveness would be negated.

When the figure achieved its full height and could stand on its own, I removed the buttresses and slowly turned the banding wheel to make the final modifications. After it was dry, I fired it to cone 4. Incidentally, the anticipated rich, red clay color also did not sustain itself over time. Fortunately, it turned into a warm, light brown. I usually mix clay as needed, so I was surprised to encounter this problem. The solution is to store the material in its bone-dry state.

Upon hearing of my experience with this clay, my daughter Alisa, an assistant professor of ceramics at the University of Iowa, suggested that I add nylon fibers or paper (bathroom tissue that has been processed with a blender), to strengthen the remainder of the clay.

Good idea ... I’ll try that next time! [

Professor Norman Holen is a former art teacher of 40 years, with 38 years at Augsburg College in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Hints for attending a wood fire workshop

Hints for Attending A Wood Firing Workshop

W

hen my husband, John, and I first decided to build a wood-burning kiln where we work at the Ozark Folk Center State Park in Mountain View, AR, we assumed that we would be firing it by ourselves. That has never been the case. Since its construction in 2002, we have led workshops one to three times a year and never fired it alone. I cannot imagine firing without others. The fun and kinship are as addictive as the stoking of the fire. Being able to sleep at night as others keep the fire burning is a wonderful way to share the kiln and the work. The glory of the product is also shared when you are firing with a group of people.

Each pot that comes out of the kiln has had many hands go into its creation.

Penland, Arrowmont, and John C. Campbell have long offered classes using their wood kilns.

Wood-firing workshops are unique among other clay/craft workshops in that they have two facets of challenge for “success.”

One is the variety of clay pieces that go into the kiln; the other is the teamwork that goes into the firing of the kiln. The best firings are successful in both areas.

Although most of our education has been from our own mistakes as well as those of others, we have also had the privilege to participate in firings led by three long-time potters. They are teachers with many years of experience firing with wood: Lowell Baker (University of Alabama at Tuscaloosa), Daryl Adams (a third-generation potter who teaches at the John C. Campbell School of Craft), and Merrie Boerner (leader of workshops at

her home in Brookhaven, MS).

We have added their insightful comments near the end of this article.

Work for the Kiln

Too often, those who attend a wood firing bring pots that are not well-suited for the fire. This can lead to disappointing results and broken treasures. For potters accustomed to firing with gas or electricity, some sensible preparation can make the most of the fire, and minimize unwanted side effects. Starting with appropriate clay, form, and glaze will go a long way toward a happy ending and fewer pot shards.

The Right Clay Not all clays are suited for use in a wood kiln. Flashing—color on bare clay that results from direct contact with the flame—is highly

desirable for most wood fire potters. Although many factors within the kiln affect the degree to which a pot develops flashing, as well as the color of that flashing, the type of clay is crucial. Light porcelains and white stonewares tend to have a light peach or gold color. Darker gray to red clays usually have deeper colors. Not all clays develop attractive flashing. Some do not flash at all, while others develop unattractive, dull colors. Most potters who have wood kilns have their own clay mixes suited specifically to their needs. These clays generally avoid materials that diminish flashing (such as macaloid) and maximize materials that encourage flashing (such as nepheline syenite).

If you have a clay that you wish to wood fire, but are concerned that it may have a bland surface color, you can enhance the color with flashing slip. These slips are mixtures of clays designed to improve the color of bare clay. Some can be applied when the pot is leather-hard, while others are bisque slips applied just prior to glazing. With these slips, you can make pots with clay to which you are accustomed and still get the benefits of the flame. Recipes for both types of flashing slip appear at the end of this article.

The temperature range of your clay is also crucial. In some kilns, like ours, there may be a range from about cone 6 to cone 13 or more in a single firing. If your clay cannot take the heat,

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The rich texture and golden flashing of an unglazed, wood-fired pot have a strong allure for many potters, but the prospect of building and firing a wood-burning kiln on one’s own is overwhelming. Wood firing has a reputation for requiring a brutal firing schedule of five to seven days or more—not something most sane people will enter into lightly! Yet, for many potters there remains a fascination with the process, and a desire to try it. For that reason, the incidence of firing wood kilns in a workshop format has been on the rise. There is an increasing number of potters offering space in their wood burning kilns in exchange for assistance or money.

In addition, craft schools such as

A treat to witness: flames of the firebox consuming freshly-stoked wood.

BY judi munn

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WOOD FIRING 101: Important Points to Consider

• “Wadding” is small clay-like balls commonly made with a mix of sticky kaolin and refractory alumina. These wads are placed between objects to keep them from sticking to each other. They are most often stuck to the bottoms of pots to keep them from sticking to the kiln shelf; they are also used under lids. The need for wadding will depend on the kiln and the amount of ash produced. The instructor or studio will often provide wadding as needed.

• Create lids that hang over the rims of the pots and protect them. If the overhang is large enough, you may not need to wad the lid. Flat surfaces invite wood ash; straight-sided pots do not collect much ash.

• Unmelted ash is a likely outcome in some wood kilns. It is rough, dark, and uncomfortable to the touch on handles and rims of mugs.

Making tea bowls instead of mugs reduces the rough handle problem. If unmelted ash is part of the flavor of the kiln you will be using, you might want to select designs that can afford some roughness. Decorative pieces such as vases, sculptures, or urns can work well with some crunchy ash. If you make functional work, keep the possibility of unmelted ash in mind when you design the pot. When the kiln is being loaded, try to get it in a protected area under a kiln shelf.

The “rain of ash” is heaviest near the fire box.

Use generously proportioned wads here.

• Narrow bottoms are difficult to wad, and tip over easily. Wider foot rims and bottoms are much easier to wad, and less likely to fall over, possibly damaging someone else’s pot.

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• Carvings and small clay attachments can collect wood ash and be enhanced by the flashing.

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• Often, tall pieces are difficult to work into the kiln pack, especially if there is just one. If you want to include something tall, be prepared to stack it on its side. You can use scallop sea shells with wadding stuffed inside to support the piece.

• It is always a challenge to load wide, flat bowls, platters, and plates into the kiln. They take up a lot of shelf space. If you make two pieces of the same diameter, with extra-thick rims, they can be stacked rim-to-rim. If the pots have different-sized rims, they can often be stacked foot-to-foot. Do not stack pots rim-to-rim near the firebox, as they are likely to warp or be fused together!

• Even wadded pots that sit on a kiln shelf are at risk of getting stuck to the shelf by excessive melted wood ash. Pots made with a foot or feet are raised above the shelf, but the feet still require wadding. Ash drips can hang on to a foot edge as jewels and may not need to be ground off.

• Sculptures can be greatly enhanced by the fire. They must be placed with the direction of the flame flow in mind, allowing the ash to “rain” where you want it.

• When you make your pot, push up a ring around the bottom edge. This “ledge” keeps the ash from running off the pot and sticking it to the kiln shelf.

• Use combed slip or carved grooves in the clay to create channels for dripping glaze and perhaps create a rivulet effect.

• Not all wood firers use kiln shelves. Some stack the pots rim-to-rim and foot-to-foot while others do a jumble of pots called “tumble stacking”.

you will end up with a bloated or deformed creation. Underfired clay, on the other hand, is pithy and porous, though it can be refired.

We use Sam’s White Flashing Stoneware especially for the middle and back of the kiln.

We are experimenting with porcelains for the front. For the middle part we also use a number of commercial gray clays, as well as the clays that we mix ourselves. The two clay recipes by Sam Hoffman at the end of the article will cover most of the temperature ranges and give great flashing.

If you don’t want to mix your clay, there are lots of commercial clays available. Some distributors, like Highwater Clays, have sample photos in their catalog and Web site, showing how their clay responds to a wood firing.

Contact your clay distributor or the potter with whom you’ll fire and see if they have any suggestions. As a general rule of thumb, porcelains can take the most heat, followed by the light-colored stoneware clays (white to gray). The red clays usually have nice flashing, but tend to bloat if they get too hot.

Forms for the Fire Unless you use saggars, you are going to get some wood ash on your pots, especially on those close to the firebox. Ash deposits can create great beauty or a big mess. They can melt into a beautiful, glossy-green glaze, or glue lids to pots or pots to kiln shelves. If you will be working with a potter who wants heavy wood ash, you will need to take that into consideration when you form your pots.

To avoid unhappy accidents with wood ash, design your pot to be ash-friendly. Imagine that a “rain of wood ash” will be falling on it.

The rain can be caught, directed, or avoided— depending on what you want to achieve. The observations in the “Woodfiring 101” box on page 44 offer potters’ suggestions for letting the ash work for you, instead of against you.

Most studios that hold wood firing workshops will offer glazes for you to use on your pots. Usually the instructor will have an idea of what each glaze is capable of. It is usually safest to use the glazes offered by the program. This also makes it easier on the instructor. If the instructor is not familiar with the glaze, it will be hard to know the best place to locate it in the kiln.

If the kiln site does not offer glazes, or if “safe” is not your thing, try a glaze from home. Be sure to get the blessing and firing suggestions from the instructor. The most important things to keep in mind are the firing range of the glaze and the kiln. You will want the glaze to end up on your pot, not the kiln shelf. Many wood-burning kilns have wide firing ranges, often from cone 6 to beyond cone 13.

In addition to temperature, you may want to see what happens to the glaze when ash melts on it. To test the ash-friendliness of a glaze, spray a horizontal area of a glazed pot with some Pam® cooking spray, and dust some wood ash on it. Then, fire it in your gas or electric kiln as usual.

It will look much different in the wood kiln, but you may get an idea of what ash will do to the fluidity and maybe an idea of color shift. The old standards: shino, tenmoku, and celadon are good glazes to start with.

Darrel Adams suggests using rutile blue glazes. In his experience, they have a nice, subtle effect. He adds that most reduction glazes do well in the wood firings, with the exception of copper red. We have found that to be true for us as well. All of this will vary depending on the kiln, the firing, and the instructor.

Glazes require different placement in the kiln. Stiff glazes such as shinos generally

Pitcher with Multiple Glazes by Judi Munn. 10" tall. Tom Coleman Porcelain, wood-fired to cone 11.

have a wide firing range. Others are narrower. Ash glazes will run off the pot onto the shelf if they get too hot. Crystal White, a rutile glaze that we frequently use, needs a lot of heat but not too much ash deposit.

If you like flashing, keep in mind that the more glaze you put on a piece, the less flashing you will get. To maximize flashing, glaze the inside and no more than the top 1 3 / of the piece. If your work is going to be loaded into a place in the kiln where there is usually not much flashing, you may want to consider glazing the whole pot.

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The Right Glaze in the Right Spot

Pots can be loaded on their side. This one is supported by shells stuffed with wadding.

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The Potter and the Kiln

Phil Walrod PHOTO

Wadding is put on the bottom of a pot to keep glaze and melted wood ash from sticking the pot to the kiln shelf.

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John Perry takes his turn stoking the kiln.

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Flat surfaces collect wood ash.

For the most part, people choose workshops that are located close to them or that fit into their schedule. It is a good idea to do some research about the workshop, kiln, set-up, and history.

You will probably have a choice of an institutional or individual arrangement, and a wide variety of kilns.

With a craft school, it is easy to locate workshops and dates. Go to any of the craft school Web sites to obtain their schedule, or search online for wood firing workshops. To attend, participants sign up in advance and pay a deposit. Students usually have the option to stay on-site in cabins and eat meals together at the dining room. The instructor is usually from out of town and uses the kiln only occasionally for workshops. These are wellknown potters who have lots of experience firing many kilns and can give you an excellent experience. Many of these workshops include making pots as part of the program. This can provide great hands-on advice as you create!

It is more difficult to learn about individuals who offer group firings. Many firings are known by word-of-mouth. Sometimes they are listed in magazines, or online on Clayart or the Yahoo wood-fire group. You can also look on the Web under “wood firing pottery workshop” (or “pottery workshop” wood firing) and see what comes up.

Workshops with an individual are as varied as the individuals themselves. Each employs the potter’s “home” kiln—the one to which they are most accustomed—and they are likely the only one using the kiln. They may have quite a bit of work in the kiln, so are invested in a good firing. Making pots is usually not part of the workshop.

The price is usually less for this

type of experience. Sometimes it is even free. Meals and lodging vary from homey meals and a cozy bed to snacks around the kiln and a sleeping spot on the floor.

Since the wood-firing classes that we offer are at a state park, our classes are a bit different from those offered by schools and individuals. Four days per week there are visitors present, so there is a ready audience during those times. The rest is a bit of a cross between an individual firing and that of a craft school.

We have the paperwork and rules of an institution, but it is also our “home” kiln.

Why one is attracted to firing with wood is something to keep in mind. It usually boils down to one or more of the following: ash, flashing, or cheap source of fuel. Figure out why you are interested in wood firing and find a potter or school that has a kiln and firing schedule appropriate to your interest.

The general consensus is that the longer the firing, the richer the surface of the pot: more flashing (color on the bare clay as a result of contact with the flame) and wood ash. The Olsen Fast-Fire Kiln reportedly fires in as little as several hours. Anagama firings are known to last five days or more. Our firings are in the middle, around 27 hours. It is long enough to melt the ash and “cook” the pots. Even with such a relatively short firing, we still get flashing throughout most of the kiln and plenty of wood ash, especially in the front.

Teamwork Most participants would agree that camaraderie and teamwork are the most important factors in making the firing an enjoyable experience. We offer evaluation forms for participants to fill out. We have consistently found that it is the camaraderie

that participants feel during the firing that is most frequently named “favorite part” of the wood-firing workshop, no matter how the pots come out.

From the first time I fired the Folk Center’s groundhog kiln, I was well aware of the fact that I did not create the finished piece on my own. We never really do anyway, but with this type of firing, this fact is so clear. Many potters who fire with us understand this feeling. Tom Wintczak has fired with us many times. He sums up this feeling by saying, “It is easy for me to look at a piece and picture all of the people who contributed their energy into making that piece what it is. For me, the fellowship of the team is in the spirit of the piece.”

For the most part, you do not work with all of the people in the group except during the loading, the final three hours or so of the firing, and the unloading. In order to spread out the work and sleep, people take turns in shifts. Shifts may last from three to six hours. Workshop leader Darrel Adams points out that taking shifts assures everyone time to participate and make decisions.

No one dominates the firing. Participants feel that the firing is theirs. Most mistakes are correctable.

Merrie Boerner says that although the firing is fun, it’s not a “party.” Some folks come expecting only to watch the firing, but the workshops are very much hands-on. All participants need to work together. If you can’t chop wood or stoke, there are coals to rake and wash, wood to clean, shelves to scrape, and smoke and fire to read.

There is no shortage of jobs, even for some small stokers.

Final Notes

Hopefully, the suggestions offered in this article will help you improve your chances of getting results that you or a customer

This vase by Judi Munn was made with Sam Hoffman Stoneware clay, flashing slip, and Oribe glaze.

Please note: Do not apply flashing slip to the bottom of a pot! It can stick your pot or the wadding to the kiln shelf, just like a glaze.

Sam’s White Flashing Stoneware* cone 6-14 Nepheline Syenite Cedar Heights Stoneware Coarse Fireclay EPK (Edgar Plastic Kaolin) XX Saggar Clay TOTAL

25% 10% 15% 30% 20% 100%

This clay body gives the best color by far. It is easier to throw than the porcelain, but it is still a challenge to form large work.

Sam’s Flash ’n Glass Porcelain* cone 6-14 Custer Feldspar Nepheline Syenite Cedar Heights Redart EPK (Edgar Plastic Kaolin) XX Saggar Clay Silica TOTAL

10% 15% 5% 25% 25% 20% 100%

Turquoise Oribe Glaze cone 8-11 This glaze can be fired as low as cone 6, but is more appealing at cone 10. Prolonged firing hotter than cone 11 will burn the copper out. This glaze prefers a neutral to oxidized atmosphere.

Strontium Carbonate Talc Whiting Custer Feldspar EPK (Edgar Plastic Kaolin) Silica TOTAL add Copper Carbonate add Bentonite

9% 4% 19% 28% 3% 37% 100% 6% 2%

Flashing Slip for Bisqueware Avery or other china clay 50% (such as #6 tile clay) Nepheline Syenite 50% TOTAL 100%

Flashing Slip for Greenware I like to apply this when the piece is leatherhard; then I carve designs through the slip.

Helmar Clay 52.38% Custer (or G-200) Feldspar 23.81% Silica 23.81% TOTAL 100.00% add Bentonite

2.0%

Helmar Flashing Slip From Susan Beecher’s Woodfired Pottery.

My personal favorite, from a great book!

Helmar Clay EPK Nephelene Syenite Silica TOTAL

50% 20% 20% 10% 100%

* I culled these three recipes are from an article by Sam Hoffman on clay and glazes for wood firing, which appeared in the June/ July/Aug 2005 issue of Ceramics Monthly. I have successfully tested them just in the back of the kiln, but have listed the temperature range as originally published. Neither of the clays is easy to throw, but the flashing appeal is worth the trouble.

can enjoy for years to come. You at least will have memories of an incredible adventure in firing with wood, and a pot or two to remind you of the fun, friendships, and taste of the fire. [ Thank you to John Perry, Tom Wintczak, Terri Van Orman, Lowell Baker, Merrie Boerner, Coral McAllister, and Daryl Adams for their input and comments on this article.

Author Judi Munn started her study of pottery in 1990 at the University of Memphis. In 1992 she apprenticed with David and Becki Dahlstedt at the Ozark Folk Center State Park (OFC). She and her husband, John Perry, continue to demonstrate the art of pottery making at the OFC. They lead a variety of workshops throughout the year, including an annual wood-firing workshop in mid-April. They can be reached at perrymunn@mvtel.net or judimunn@yahoo.com.

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Even the most experienced wood-fire potter cannot control all of the variables, nor have “perfect” outcomes every time. Darrell Adams points out that even though the leader tries to provide the means to get a good product, not all of the pots will be “jewels of the kiln.” He says, “My granddad (Bill Gordy) always reminded me when unloading that “you’ve got to take the bitter with the sweet.” Any wood firing will likely give you a bit of both.

Wood-fire recipes

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SELLING ON THE INTERNET:

The Smiles and Tribulations of Reed Asher STORY BY candace J. Lewis • PHOTOS BY ALLEN BRYAN

The Contact

Kathleen Heidemann PHOTO

I

feel like the dog that has caught the car,” says Reed Asher of Phoenix Pottery in Pawling, New York. “I have always been able to sell my work, but now the selling is doubling and it could triple. In just the last year and a half, I have participated in an online marketing service and the orders are rolling in. How can I fill them all and still have time to develop new ideas? That is the question.”

questionnaires. You had to be very Internet-savvy. I needed help,” remembers Asher. In addition, she also had to provide a photograph of each piece that she wanted to sell. “All of my photography now is professionally done, and it is all digital,” she says. At that point, even though she had already been accepted, there was still one more step. The judges at WholesaleCrafts.com juried each piece individually. Four months later, the site was up and running.

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“I started getting orders. At In September 2005, Wholesalefirst they came in rather slowly.

Crafts.com called Asher, asking This was around December, her if she would like to par2005 and January, 2006. Then, I ticipate in their online service got contacted by another clay selling crafts to retailers across artist who was also using the the country. This was a private “ site. She suggested that I make enterprise offering a marketing use of the features page, the service. Artists paid a fee. Retailfirst page on the site, which ers had access to the informacan be used to showcase new tion on the site. The company or popular work. She sugscreened the artists and dictatgested putting up a new piece ed the format. Representatives every other week. I think it of the company contacted by costs about $15 a week. She telephone said that WholesaleReed Asher in her Pawling, New York studio. said it worked really well for Crafts.com is a virtual company her ... [so] I started doing that. with employees in several locaI picked out four photos and tions throughout the country.

Right now it appears to be unique. To date, despite extensive research, started running them in succession every other week. I could pay the this author has not found other companies connecting craftsmen fee and not think about it for another eight weeks. As soon as I did that—that’s when I started getting all the orders.” with retail businesses over the Internet.

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As to the question of how the company knew to contact her, Asher says, “They didn’t say how they got my name and I didn’t ask. Generally speaking, if you have been in good juried shows, then your name would be known.” At exactly that time, two of the galleries to whom Asher had been sending wares for many years had just gone out of business, so she was ripe for a new opportunity and she agreed to try the Internet service.

The orders swelled after the spring of 2006, with three or four new orders a month. “I had to turn down two orders from galleries just so I could keep up with the new pace,” says Asher. “Some of the orders were $1,000 wholesale, which was a huge order for me.”

Asher sent some photographs of her works. The company accepted them and helped her to set up and start her site. “At first it was very difficult to get my pictures up and work my way through the pages of

There were several issues that began to present problems. First, the timing was difficult. Meeting the expectations of customers who had seen only photographs and mailing them out on time was a chal-

Unexpected Problems

lenge. “As we all know, every pot that goes into the kiln does not come out as anticipated,” Asher said.

Second, there was the issue of packaging. Asher was using UPS for shipping her wares. Packaging pots is time-consuming. Fortunately, as part of the arrangement, the receiving gallery pays the shipping expenses. However, there was breakage: Asher estimates up to 10% of the pots are discovered to be broken upon arrival. These have to be made over and shipped again.

Third, there is the problem of studio management, which had to be ramped up to keep up with increased production. Asher notes that she is fortunate enough to have the services of her studio assistant, and she, the potter, is able to concentrate her energies on the works themselves. The assistant takes care of all the clay and glaze production and keeps the studio in good condition.

Finally—and, for Reed Asher, this is the most important issue—there is the creativity problem. Naturally, gallery owners order what is pictured on the site. So, Asher spends her time in the studio turning out many copies of those items—what has become her “line”—with little time for exploration. The burning question is: how can a potter explore creative avenues, when he or she is busy filling existing orders? States Asher: “I am afraid I have become a widget-maker. I have become what I vowed I would never become—a craftsperson who develops a line and sells it ad nauseam. That gets to be not what I went into this art form for. Where is the time and head-space to develop new work? For me, that is the biggest issue.”

Teapot and mug. Teapot: 8". Stoneware, wood-fired to cone 10.

The Way it Was Dealing with this rush of new orders from Internet selling stands in stark contrast to the way Reed Asher had previously done business.

Before signing with the Internet service, she had five to seven shops that were familiar with her work and were receptive to new and evolving work. Craft fairs allowed her to get direct feedback on these pieces as well. Shipping or firing mishaps were not major issues, and the pace of work was not so demanding.

Asher has spent most of her adult life working as an independent potter, much of it selling pots to the public. She is the daughter of painter Aime Martinet. “My father was a huge influence on me,” says Asher. However, she never adapted to the medium of painting.

Instead, she took her first evening ceramics class at the Henry Street Settlement House in New York City when she was 24 years old. She describes the encounter with the ceramics medium as “love at first touch,” saying that “I found my medium, a whole body experience, rather than one using just the eyes.”

In 1988, Asher and her husband moved to Pawling, New York, where she set up a studio in the basement of their new, large 1920s home.

Soon she was selling at small craft fairs on weekends, as well as to shops. A big turning point came one summer in the early 1990s, after a two-week workshop with Wayne Higby at Haystack in Maine. At that time, Asher had been firing with an electric kiln, trying to emulate the effects of high-fire gas reduction firing. Higby said, “Get a gas kiln.” So she did. During the following year, she built a new studio to accommodate the newly purchased gas kiln and she learned how to fire it.

Now What?

As to the rush of orders, Asher says, “I feel like I am at a crossroads.

Where do I go? Since the flood of orders, I have not come up with anything new.” What are the possible solutions?

One, she could raise prices. She notes that, “I would then have a higher income and a lower volume of sales—both of which would be easier on me. This would leave me time for more R & D. But, philosophically, this rubs me the wrong way. I want to provide objects people can afford and use every day. To me, that means a mug with a retail price of about $18 versus one costing $26 or more.” continued on next page

CLAYTIMES·COM n JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2008

Now, at 64, she looks back on 40 years of devotion to her craft. She has worked as an art teacher in the public school system, as a gallery owner and teacher in Albany, New York, and now as an independent studio potter and teacher in Pawling, New York. Over the years, she has studied at The State University of New York in Alfred, New York, and several times at workshops at the Haystack Mountain School of Crafts in Maine. Among her best-remembered teachers are Peter Beasecker, Suze Lindsey, Cynthia Bringle, Warren MacKenzie, and Wayne Higby.

Serving platter with tan-brown spodumene glaze. 16" x 9".

Stoneware, reduction-fired to cone 9/10.

49

Asher benefits from offering a variety of mug styles in several glazes. All are wheel-thrown stoneware, gas-fired to cone 9/10 in reduction.

A second possibility is to turn away orders. This produces the obvious disadvantage of disappointing present or potential customers who might not want to place orders in future.

CLAYTIMES·COM n JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2008

A third would be to hire more people to help in the studio or in the office.

At present, Asher throws all her own work, glazes it, loads it, and fires it herself. Although she has a studio assistant, duties central to the production are kept in the hands of the potter. She is reluctant to relinquish this work. It simply feels too central to the craft and the final product to assign to another person.

50

Finally, she could give up teaching.

The downside to this is that the social interaction and the ideas generated in the ceramics class are a highlight of the week, providing mental and emotional fuel.

So, for the time being, the solution will probably be a little of each: raising prices, limiting orders, turning away some orders, hiring extra help on occasion, and limiting the teaching so

the classes do not expand. Also, Asher hasn’t put any new pots on the features page for months, not wanting to stimulate unmanageable new interest.

In spite of her low-key approach on the site, she is still getting new orders from the new galleries she has been introduced to through the Internet site.

Admits Asher, “I still haven’t figured it all out.” [ Reed Asher is an independent potter working at Phoenix Pottery in Pawling, New York. She is also a ceramics instructor in her own studio, teaching both adults and children. Her web site is www.phoenixpottery. com. She may be contacted by e-mail at Phoenix42422@mindspring.com.

Candace J. Lewis is an art historian with a Ph.D. in the field of early Chinese Art. She specializes in ceramics and archaeology.

She has written about the works of the Han through the Tang dynasties. Recently, she has returned to an early passion, making pottery. She lives in Poughkeepsie, New York and can be reached by e-mail at: clewis1880@aol.com.

Pitcher with mocha-glazed exterior, whiteglazed interior. 9½"; holds 1½ quarts. Stoneware, fired in gas reduction kiln to cone 9/10.

Great Glazes

Share your glaze with us! If it’s published, you’ll earn a FREE Clay Times T-shirt! Send glaze recipes, photo of glaze (if you have one), and your T-shirt size to: Great Glazes, c/o Clay Times, PO Box 365, Waterford, VA 20197.

furnished by reed asher (see feature article, pages 48-50)

Patina Green

Cone 9/10 reduction Strontium (substituted for Barium 38%) Custer Feldspar EPK add Copper Carbonate add Rutile

28.5% 52.0% 10.0% 4.0% 8.0%

This glaze alone produces a matte, mediumtoned green. It can appear gun metal black if applied too thickly.

Rivulet

Allen Bryan PHOTO

Cone 9/10 reduction Ball Clay (OM-4) Whiting Strontium Dolomite

30% 30% 15% 15%

Silica

10%

TOTAL add Red iron oxide

4%

This glaze is very drippy. It can be used over other glazes. When used over the Patina Green [above] it produces the ash-style glaze that was used on the vase pictured at left. Apply thinly, as it runs in rivulets down the pot. Note that the pot must have a glaze catch plate at the bottom.

All recipes are given in percentages (by weight). Results vary with clay bodies and firing conditions; always test first to be sure you’re happy with the results. To mix a glaze batch to store in a 5-gallon bucket, multiply each percentage ingredient by 50 grams (for a half-bucket with room for dipping) or 100 grams (for a very full bucket). It is the responsibility of the user to have glazes tested for stability.

CLAYTIMES·COM n JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2008

A new work by Reed Asher. 12" tall. Glazes are Patina Green Glaze under Rivulet Glaze; interior is glazed with a dark brown tenmoku glaze. Stoneware, fired in a gas-reduction kiln to cone 9/10.

100%

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Readers Share I Art Works

The Gallery

CLAYTIMES·COM n JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2008

Cruet Set with Bamboo Handles. Tray: 10½" x 7". Cruets: 3" x 3". White stoneware with wax resist and layered glazes, fired to cone 9 in oxidation.

Cheryl Wolff, 2009 San Miguel Dr., Walnut Creek, CA 94596. E-mail: cheryl_wolff@sbcglobal.net. Web site: www.cherylwolff.com.

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Male Figure Vase. 8" x 5½" x 2¼". Low-fire white clay. Handbuilt, incised, and brushed with red iron oxide, then decorated with transparent glaze and fired to cone 04.

Vicky Youngman, 574 Farragut Parkway, Hastings-on-Hudson, NY 10706.

E-mail: vicky0812@optonline.net.

Vase with tilted top. 12" x 8". Warm brown clay with resist decoration, fired to cone 6 in oxidation. Dana Lehrer Danze, 4013 24th Rd. N., Arlington, VA 22207.

E-mail: danaclay8@msn.com.

E. K. Waller photo

Readers Share I Art Works

The Gallery

Scraped Shakespeare. 17" x 18.5" (framed); ceramic, book, encaustic. Barbara Hashimoto,4223 Brunswick Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90039.

Dominica. 14" tall. Sculpted from Klamath brown clay and fired to cone 4. Black glaze added to beads and black bamboo added to hair. Pamela Mummy, 1506 10th Place North, Edmonds, WA 98020.

To have your work considered for publication in The Gallery, please send a high-quality color print, slide, or 1050- x 1500-pixel digital image to: The Gallery, Clay Times, P.O. Box 365, Waterford, VA 20197. Please include your name, address, telephone number, Web or e-mail address, type of clay, glaze, firing method, and dimensions of the work. (Enclose a self-addressed, stamped envelope for photo/slide return.)

CLAYTIMES¡COM n JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2008

Artigras Teapot. Laguna Soldate 60 clay with wax resisted designs, glazes, and glaze washes. Gas-fired to cone 12 reduction in a soft-brick, updraft kiln.

Cathra-Anne Barker, 1010 Calle Largo, Santa Fe, NM 87501.

E-mail: cathra-anne@barker-meyer.com.

53

GREAT NEW PRODUCTS including clay works

by Bill van Gilder & other master potters now available at the Clay Times online store!

www.claytimes.com Your one-stop shop for CT subscriptions & renewals, new potter’s T-shirt designs, potters’ books & tools, and brand-new online editions for instant access!

Would you like to share your clay experiences with fellow CT readers?

Looking for a way to achieve recognition of your work?

CLAYTIMES·COM n JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2008

It’s easy! Visit the “Submissions” link at www.claytimes.com to find out how to get your work noticed in Clay Times.

54

It’s easier than you might imagine, and rewarding in more ways than one!

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by VINCE PITELKA

I

am frequently reminded that so many of the challenges we face in the clay studio have to do with keeping our materials at an ideal working consistency while we are throwing or handbuilding. In the November, 2003 Clay Times, I wrote about various systems for controlling drying; here, I’d like to focus on how to keep the clay moist or reintroduce moisture while continuing to work on a piece.

celain and whiteware, because such clay bodies generally have a fairly narrow distribution of particle sizes, and thus have larger water spaces between particles that readily admit more water, which can disrupt the adhesive bond between particles. Have you ever pulled porcelain handles and left them quite wet on the surface, only to find that they all crack

It is always desirable to control moisture content and maintain the ideal moisture rather than trying to restore it when too much has evaporated. There’s no substitute for simply keeping on top of things, carefully controlling moisture content to prevent the work from drying too much. And there is a point of no return. A good general rule is that once the clay has started to bleach or lighten in color, it is too far along for any further surface modifications (other than scraping or dry carving) and should either be declared done and ready for firing, or should be recycled. If it has stiffened more than you wish but has not started to bleach, then it can generally be resurrected.

When the clay is very soft, excessive water is your enemy. Soft clay absorbs water easily, and can quickly lose its structural integrity and collapse. This is especially true with por-

proceed. There’s a good general rule to remember whenever attaching handles or component parts. When you score the clay (always using a toothed rib or a fork, never a needle tool or any tool with sharp wires), if the clay scores smoothly and the displaced clay raises in adjacent ridges that remain attached, then it’s fine for attaching. If scoring produces a very scratchy sensation and the displaced clay falls free in sandy particles, then it is too dry for attaching and must be re-hydrated. Don’t ignore these indicators. If you join clay that is too dry, the moisture from the slurry or adjacent clay will be drawn into the drier clay very quickly, causing forced shrinkage. The resulting joint will most likely crack during drying or firing.

In coil construction, it is essential that the coils remain very soft in order to maintain flexibility and ensure a good bond. If you like to make a supply of coils, keep them covered in plastic until you need them, but periodically give them a good spritzing as well. You’ll have fewer problems with cracking if your coils remain very plastic until you use them.

within a few minutes? Or, have you ever sprayed the surface of a porcelain form and had cracks appear spontaneously? Now you know why this happens.

There’s no reason to use a spray bottle when working on the wheel unless you are making large multi-piece forms, and then it is your call when and if it is necessary. Spray bottles are far more often employed in handbuilding and in finishing thrown work. When I am doing assembly work or adding handles to thrown forms, I keep the forms or component parts under plastic sheeting or in plastic storage boxes until I am ready to work on them.

Even then, if they have dried a little too much, I spray lightly with the spritz bottle once or twice, letting the moisture soak in before I

I do a lot of work with slabs, and the mere process of rolling out slabs between sheets of canvas generally removes a lot of moisture from the clay. For soft-slab construction, I want maximum plasticity in the clay to allow sharp bends with no cracking. To compensate for the lost moisture, I generally spray the slab generously when I am almost done rolling. I immediately place canvas over the surface again and roll vigorously with a rolling pin to ensure that the moisture is absorbed and distributed in the clay. This small extra step makes a huge difference in the plasticity of the clay.

Almost inevitably, there are times when we must leave partially-completed work for a period of time before we can proceed, and it can be a challenge to keep it from drying excessively. There are several approaches that I have employed successfully. For anything but very large work, place the pieces in appropriately sized snap-lid, plastic storage

CLAYTIMES·COM n JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2008

Without question, one of the most important tools around the clay studio is the standard spritz bottle. You can recycle spray bottles from household products, but I often find the spray function sadly lacking on those recycled bottles, plus the residual smell of the former contents can be very persistent. Instead, purchase empty spray bottles from the garden section of your local home improvement center, or from a janitorial or beauty supply store. Always fill the spray bottle with pure, fresh water, because the abrasiveness of clay and glaze residue would quickly kill the pump mechanism. Set the spray nozzle on the diffuse spray setting, and discard any bottles that will only spray a solid stream.

Shop Talk I Tool Times

The Spray Bottle Is Your Friend

55

Shop Talk I Tool Times

boxes upon dampened canvas or fabric. An alternative is to pour a 1" layer of plaster in the bottom of the storage box and hydrate it well before placing the work and snapping the lid in place.

For an added measure of protection, place the work in a storage box as described above and cover with a soft cloth that drapes all the way down to the bottom of the form and contacts the cloth or plaster beneath the form. Spray the cloth lightly with water, and snap the lid in place.

If the piece is too large to fit in a plastic storage box, place a layer of plastic sheeting on a board, then multiple layers of newspaper or fabric. Moisten them slightly, and place the piece on top. Drape the piece with soft fabric such as bed-sheet material; spray the fabric slightly with water; and wrap the piece well in plastic sheeting, weighing down the sheeting around the base so that none of the newspaper or fabric is exposed to the open air. You can fasten the plastic sheeting around the form with clothespins or other clips, but there is no substitute for plastic sheeting or bags large enough to require no fasteners.

CLAYTIMES¡COM n JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2008

Damp storage tip: Consider purchasing extra-large-size dry-cleaner bags or jumbosize trash bags available from janitorial suppliers.

56

The fabric over the piece serves a dual role. It keeps the moisture level even over the whole piece and prevents localized drying. But it can also serve the exact opposite purpose. When a large piece is covered with plastic, there will inevitably be condensation drips down the inside of the plastic. That moisture can gather in small areas where the plastic touches the clay, and can cause complete structural failure.

The fabric re-distributes the moisture, keeping all areas from becoming too wet.

With a plastic storage box or plastic sheeting, the fabric covering helps to maintain an evenly-humidified atmosphere inside, and prevents localized drying or wetting.

As mentioned above, it is always best to keep a piece from drying too much, and to always perform each part of the process at the ideal stage of drying. But every now and then a piece will dry a little too much, and it would be a shame to simply recycle such work. If the clay is still within the parameters described earlier, the best way

to restore proper hydration is to repeatedly spray lightly with a spritz bottle, allowing the moisture to absorb completely between sprayings. For the very best effect, however, I like to place the work in a plastic storage box, cover with light cloth sheeting, and then spray the cloth several times a day, otherwise keeping the lid snapped tightly in place.

I continue this for several days. With this gentle approach, as long as the work has not started to bleach, it is almost always possible to bring it back to whatever moisture content you desire.

This isn’t rocket science. Use the spritz bottle judiciously, and between work sessions place your work in a plastic storage bin or under plastic as described. If you are diligent about this, you can greatly extend work time with no negative impact on the finished piece. [ 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. You can contact Vince through his Web site at http://iweb.tntech.edu/wpitelka.

BY marc ward

S

omething is, I believe, getting ready to happen that will directly affect the lifestyles and business practices of my readers. Call me Chicken Little or, as I prefer, Billy Bob Cassandra. Two years ago, I wrote about energy supply disruptions associated with Hurricane Katrina. As I write this tonight (Nov. 6, 2007), crude oil futures have hit over $98 per barrel in overnight electronic trading in Asia. (I know, you’re thinking, “What kind of geek follows overnight electronic trading in Asia?”) When I wrote about Katrina, crude oil was around $65 a barrel.

What does this mean? Well, during the scary and disastrous days of hurricane Katrina, gasoline went to $3.30 a gallon for that weekend, and that was at $65 a barrel for crude oil. Now, we’re at $98 a barrel. I’m going to go out on a limb here, but I think gasoline could easily hit $4 a gallon soon ... maybe higher. If I’m wrong, well, great—I’ll look foolish! But, remember, propane prices are tied to crude oil prices.

always wanted to keep the price of oil low enough to prevent the development of alternative forms of energy. They don’t want their customers going elsewhere.

Oil is high ... high as hell! Blame it on political unrest, Nigerian insurrections, Azerbaijan pipeline disruptions, North Sea storm interruptions, Mexican political shutdowns.

Some folks are questioning whether OPEC can raise production to lower prices. In the past, they have always answered their best interests by cutting prices. This time, they are quiet. Very quiet. Can they raise production? They say they don’t want to. They have never not wanted to raise production in the past. Some say otherwise, but I believe we have reached peak production.

Peak production means that for the first time, the world is using oil and its byproducts faster than new reserves can be found. And that means higher prices.

Maybe a lot higher. Not only will prices tend to trend higher; but also, when disruptions happen (be they political or natural), the price spikes will be greatly exaggerated. So what is our humble potter to do about all of this?

If you’re firing your gas kiln with natural gas, your worries should be less. We have huge reserves of domestic natural gas in the U.S. that are usually affected only by weather (hurricane) disruptions. Though propane is a by-product of both natural

Another thing to think about is development of lower-temperature clay bodies and glazes. It’s a big task, but if you’re a pro potter, we’re talking real money.

For the next kiln you build, think about ceramic fiber. It has a bad rap in the pottery community and it has certain limitations, but the fuel savings are tremendous. As fuel gets more and more expensive, fiber looks smarter and smarter.

If you don’t want a fiber kiln, line your brick kiln with fiber. One inch of fiber will save you about 8%. Two inches of fiber will save you close to 20%. After that, you usually don’t have room in your brick kiln to add more fiber. Fiber placed outside the kiln on the roof or on the sides also saves energy, but not as much; it also will also slow your cool-down. While it’s good for your glazes, it’s hard on you if you need to unload the kiln quickly. However, there is one simple thing you can do that many potters have stopped doing: make additional pieces to fit in the nooks and crannies of the kiln. There may come a time when those little pieces that weren’t worth the cost of your time to make could become worth the cost of your fuel. [ 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 Web site at this address: www. wardburner.com.

CLAYTIMES·COM n JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2008

I know, you’re thinking, “Why should I read this downer of an article?” Well, I said I thought something was getting ready to happen that will affect all of my readers. It’s going to affect all people who use energy. Do potters use energy?

Oh, baby, do they! For the past 30 years, OPEC has always come to the rescue with production increases to moderate spiking crude oil prices. Now, they say they won’t. Why? In the past, OPEC has

gas and crude oil, as crude prices rise, so will propane. If you can convert to natural gas, bite the bullet and make the change.

If you can’t get natural gas in your area, here’s my painful suggestion: get more or larger propane tanks. Propane, by its nature, has a seasonal price component.

Coupled with possible price spikes, your money may be better spent by storing more propane that you have purchased at lower, seasonal prices. (I know—you don’t want to think about this.) But, as they say, “To be forewarned is to be forearmed.”

Shop Talk I Firing

Rising Price of Oil: Is Your Studio Prepared?

57

Studio I Health & Safety

Checking Ventilation Systems: A Do-It-Yourself Procedure

by MONONA ROSSOL

CLAYTIMES·COM n JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2008

L

58

ocal ventilation systems draw specific amounts of air away from tasks that create air pollutants.

Examples of local systems include chemistry fume hoods, flexible duct exhausts (a.k.a. snorkels or elephant trunks), slot hoods, and spray booths.

Design standards for local exhaust systems are found in the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienist’s (ACGIH) publication called Industrial Ventilation: A Manual of Recommended Practice. This manual sets requirements for the velocity at which the air must be drawn through the “face” of each type of hood.

dirty. The people using these systems should have a way to monitor air flow.

The “face” is the plane at the outer edge of the ventilation hood at which point the air is drawn inside the hood. So the face of a walk-in-sized spray booth is the whole rectangular plane bordered by the height and width of the booth at the point where you would step into the booth. The face of a slot hood is the area of the slot just before the air is drawn inside the hood. The face of a chemistry fume hood is the rectangular plane area represented by the opening just under the sash. And so on.

KDE Instrumentation (contact person: Don Eberhardt) 20 Coltsfoot Circle PO Box 757 Glastonbury CT 06033 Telephone: 860.657.2744 Fax: 860.657.4871 or 800.533.4678 or don@kdeinstrumentation.com

“Face velocity” is the speed at which air flows through the hood’s face. For many years, I have recommended that artists and art workers in schools, studios, or businesses in which there are local exhaust systems have a method of checking face velocities themselves.

Maintenance workers are not always available when things go wrong. For example, fan belts on the motor’s powering ventilation systems can break.

This is not immediately apparent, because the motor sounds the same even though the blades are no longer turning. In other cases, air flow may slowly decrease as spray booth filters get

ANEMOMETERS There are various types of devices called “anemometers” on the market that can measure face velocities. One type, in my opinion, is so durable and easy to use that for years I have recommended them for use by nonprofessionals in my reports to colleges and theaters.

These are the Alnor Velometer Jr.® 8100 series anemometers. They are simple mechanical devices without batteries.

The source I use is:

The model most useful for the types of ventilation systems in most schools and theaters is the Alnor Velometer Jr.® 8100-16. This model can measure air velocity on two scales: from 0-400 feet/ minute (f/m) and from 0-1600 f/m. To use the Velometer, you select the scale and place it in the air stream at the face of the hood, and read the dial. For example, a small spray booth (2' x 2' square) should have a face velocity of 200 f/m. A larger booth may only need a draw of 100 f/m.

A flexible duct exhaust hood should read 1500 f/m or more at the hood’s face.

COST The Velometer costs $405 plus shipping and should last for years. I had one that was still accurate after 20 years of use.

To be sure it’s accurate, you can check it against anemometers used by others, such as those used by your workplace’s maintenance workers. If the Velometer needs recalibration, you can send it back to KDE Instrumentation. Recalibration costs $99 without data or $145 with data (e.g., recalibration data is needed if you are taking measurements that may meet a legal challenge). [

* ACTS and I do not benefit from these recommendations in any way (for example, from payments, donations, or free merchandise.)

A hemispherical cup anemometer of the type invented in 1846 by John Thomas Romney Robinson.

Monona Rossol is an industrial hygienist/ chemist with an M.F.A. in ceramics/glass. She may be reached at ACTS, 181 Thompson St., #23, New York, NY 10012-2586; telephone 212.777.0062; e-mail ACTSNYC@cs.com.

Check out these listings to find local programs for wheel-throwing, handbuilding, sculptural techniques, & more …

U.S. classes are listed first, alphabetically, followed by classes outside the United States.

ALABAMA

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

ILLINOIS

Imagine Partners in Art — 210 South 41st Street, Birmingham, AL 35222; 205.706.8308; www. imaginepartnersinart.com; imaginepartnersinart@msn.com; wheel-throwing, handbuilding, clay-and-cocktail workshops.

Eastern Market Pottery — New location on Capitol Hill. 320 3rd Street NE, Washington, DC 22002; 202.544.6669; cbrome@earthlink.net; stoneware, wheelthrowing, glazing, decorating.

Clay Space — 28 W. 210 Warrenville Road, Warrenville, IL 60556; 630.393.2529; www.clayspace.net; clay.space@yahoo.com; adult & children’s classes, wheelthrowing, handbuilding, sculpture, firing, glazing/decoration.

ARKANSAS

Hinckley Pottery — 1707 Kalorama Road, NW, Washington, DC 20009; 202.745.7055; www.hinckleypottery.com; info@hinckleypottery.com; wheel-throwing.

Flat Rock Clay Supplies — 2002 South School Ave. (Hwy. 71), Fayetteville, AR 72701; 479.521.3181; www.flatrockclay.com; info@flatrock clay. com; wheel-throwing, handbuilding, tile, special topic classes and workshops.

COLORADO Northern Colorado Potters’ Guild — 209 Christman Drive, Fort Collins, CO 80524; 970.416.5979; www.coloradopottery.org; ncpg@comcast.net; wheelthrowing, handbuilding, glazing, fused-glass jewelry.

Trails Recreation Center — 16799 East Lake Avenue, Centennial, CO 80015; 303.269.8400; www.aprd.org; arts@the-trails.org; wheel-throwing, handbuilding, sculpture, glazing.

FLORIDA Carla’s Clay — 1733 Northgate Blvd, Sarasota, FL 34234; 941.359.2773; www.Carlasclay.com; cobrien@ carlasclay.com; wheel-throwing, handbuilding, sculpture, gallery, tools, and supplies.

The Lake Eustis Arts Accord — 205 & 211 North Grove Street, PO Box 1619, Eustis, FL 32727; 352.589.4ART (4278); info@lakeeustisartsaccord.org; wheel-throwing, handbuilding, raku, firing, sculpture.

Workshops and classes.

The St. Petersburg Clay Company — 420 22nd Street South, St. Petersburg, FL33712 727.896.2529; www.stpeteclay.com; stpeteclay@ stpeteclay.com; wheel-throwing, handbuilding.

CONNECTICUT Birch Mountain Pottery — 223 Merrow Road, PO Box 422, Tolland, CT 06084; (860) 875-0149; www.birchmountainpottery.com;info@birchmountainpottery. com; wheel-throwing, handbuilding, glazing, firing, raku; children and adults, special classes.

GEORGIA Callanwolde Fine Arts Center — 980 Briarcliff Road NE, Atlanta, GA 30306; 404.872.5338; www.callanwolde.org; wheel-throwing, handbuilding, reduction, salt, soda, raku, and oxidation firing.

The Ocee Arts Center — 6290 Abbotts Bridge Road, Building #700, Duluth, GA 30097; 770.623.8448; www.oceearts.org; dcocee@bellsouth.net; wheel-throwing, handbuilding, sculpture, tile, mosaic, firing, glazing/ decoration. Apprentice programs and workshops.

DELAWARE

IDAHO

Center for the Creative Arts – 410 Upper Snuff Mill Row and Rte 82, Yorklyn, DE 19736; 302.239.2434; www.ccarts.org; skgabor@ccarts.org; wheel-throwing, handbuilding, glazing, firing; children and adult classes.

Boulder Mountain Clayworks — PO Box 3725 Ketchum, ID 83340; 208.726.4484; www.bouldermtnclay.com; bouldermtnclay@yahoo.com; wheel-throwing, handbuilding, sculpture, glazing, firing, raku; children and adult classes.

INDIANA Indiana Memorial Union – 900 E. Seventh Street, Bloomington, IN 47405; 812.855.2328; www.imu.indiana.edu/studios; studios@indiana.edu; wheel-throwing, handbuilding, sculpture, glazing, firing. Adult classes and children’s workshops.

LOUISIANA Louisiana Pottery — 6470 Highway 22, Cajun Village, Sorrento, LA 70778; 225.675.5572; www.louisianapottery.com; lapottery@eatel.net; handbuilding. Special focus classes.

MARYLAND Baltimore Clayworks — 5707 Smith Avenue, Baltimore, MD 21209; 410.578.1919; www. baltimoreclayworks.org; matt.hyleck@baltimoreclayworks. org; workshop contact: forrest.snyder@baltimoreclayworks. org; wheel-throwing, handbuilding, sculpture, tile, mosaic, decorating, printmaking, slipcasting, wood firing, salt firing.

Shiloh Pottery, Inc. — 1027 Brodbeck Road, Hampstead, MD 21074; 410.239.8888; www.shilohpottery.com; wheel-throwing, handbuilding.

The Frederick Pottery School, Inc.— 5305 Jefferson Pike, Suite C-2, Frederick, MD 21703; 301.473.8833; www.frederickpotteryschool.com; wheelthrowing, handbuilding, wood firing.

Montpelier Arts Center — 9652 Muirkirk Road, Laurel, MD 20708; 301.953.1993; www.pgparks.com/places/artsfac/mac.html; montpelier. arts@pgparks.com; classes for children and adults include handbuilding, wheel-throwing, raku; special parent/child workshops offered.

Glen Echo Pottery — 7300 MacArthur Blvd., Glen Echo, MD 20812; 301.229.5585; www.glenechopottery.com; wheel-throwing, handbuilding, raku and soda firing.

CLAYTIMES·COM n JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2008

Tracy Art Center, Elaine’s Pottery Studio — 56 College Street, Old Saybrook, CT 06475; 860.388.3599; www.exfpottery.com; exfpottery@ yahoo.com; adult & children’s classes in wheel-throwing, handbuilding, sculpture, decorating, glazing, raku.

Resources I Classes

Community Pottery Classes

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Resources I Classes

Jayne Shatz Pottery — 452 Laurel Valley Court, Arnold, MD 21012; 410.757.6351; www.jayneshatzpottery.com; jesclay@aol.com; wheelthrowing, handbuilding, sculpture, glazing, firing, wall relief and tile, workshops, critiques, marketing strategy, group and private sessions.

MASSACHUSETTS Mudflat Pottery School, Inc. — 149 Broadway, Somerville, MA 02145; 617.628.0589; www.mudflat.org; info@mudflat.org; wheel-throwing, handbuilding, tile.

2 Rivers Ceramic Studio — 77 Elm Street, Amesbury, MA 01913-2503; 978.388.2212; www.2riversceramic.com; hamovit@gmail.com; wheelthrowing, handbuilding, classes and workshops for adults and children, 24/7 studio access for independent artists.

MINNESOTA Edina Art Center — 4710 West 64th Street, Edina, MN 55435; 612.915.6604; www.edinaartcenter.com; artcenter@ci.edina.mn.us; wheel-throwing, handbuilding, sculpture, tile.

Northern Clay Center — 2424 Franklin Avenue East, Minneapolis, MN 55406; 612.339.8007; www.northernclaycenter.org; nccinfo@ northernclaycenter.org; wheel-throwing, handbuilding, sculpture, tile.

MISSISSIPPI

www.flatrockclay.com

Quality at Great Prices Clay, Glazes Tools, Books Raw Materials Equipment Workshops

K CLAY C O R FLAT PLIES 2oo2 South School SUP Fayetteville, ARkansas

479-521-3181

Think Global Buy Local

CLAYTIMES·COM n JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2008

Mon-Fri 9-6 Sat 9-1

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Search Clay Times Online your clay question_

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Check out the COMPREHENSIVE Clay Times index by using the search box at

www.claytimes.com

Bodine Pottery & Art Studio — Rebuilding: New location: 432 West Frontage Dr., Wiggins, MS 39577; tel. 601.928.4718; www.bodinepottery. com; hukmut@bodinepottery.com; wheel-throwing, handbuilding, PMC (precious metal clay).

MONTANA Clay Arts Guild of Helena — 3025 Bozeman Avenue, Helena, MT 59601; 406.449.6080; www.helenaclayartsguild.com; wheel-throwing, handbuilding, raku, studios.

NEVADA Pottery West — 5026 North Pioneer Way, Las Vegas, NV 89149; 702.987.3023; potterywest@ cox.net; www.potterywest.com; wheel-throwing.

NEW HAMPSHIRE Jeff Brown Pottery — 950 1st NH Turnpike, Northwood, NH 03261; 603.942.8829; www.jeffbrownpottery.com; jeff@jeffbrownpottery.com; wheel-throwing, handbuilding.

NEW JERSEY The Art School at Old Church — 561 Piermont Road, Demarest, NJ 07627; 201.767.7160; www.tasoc.org; info@tasoc.org; wheel-throwing, handbuilding, sculpture, tile, glazing, raku.

Thompson Park Creative Arts Center — Monmouth County Park System, 805 Newman Springs Road, Lincroft, NJ 07738; 732.842.4000, ext. 4343; www.monmouthcountyparks.com; sliu@ monmouthcountyparks.com; wheel-throwing, handbuilding, workshops, raku & electric kilns, beginners thru advanced for adults, children, parent/child.

Visual Art Center of New Jersey — 68 Elm Street, Summit, NJ 07901; 908.273.9121; www.artcenternj.org; Deemick@artcenternj.org. All things clay.

Kissimmee River Pottery — One 8th Street #11, Frenchtown, NJ 08825; 908.996.3555; www.kissimmeeriverpottery.com; riverpots@earthlink. net; beginner to advanced classes, wheel-throwing, handbuilding, workshops, cone 10 reduction firing, single firing, raku, adult day and evening classes.

NEW YORK Clay Art Center — 40 Beech Street, Port Chester, NY 10573; 914.937.2047; www.clayartcenter.org; mail@clayartcenter.org; wheel-throwing, handbuilding, sculpture, special topics, programs for kids and adults.

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

The Potter’s Wheel—120-33 83rd Avenue, Kew Gardens, NY 11415; 718.441.6614; www. potterswheelny.com; potterswheelny@earthlink.net; wheel-throwing, handbuilding, raku, saggar firing, kids and adult classes.

92nd Street Y Art Center — 1395 Lexington Ave, New York, NY 10128; 212.415.5562; www.92Y.org/artclasses; wheel-throwing, handbuilding, sculpture; intensives in plaster, glazing, and complex serving pieces; open studio available.

NORTH CAROLINA Blue Gill Pottery — 4522 W. Wilkinson Blvd., Gastonia, NC 28056; 704.824.9928; www.bluegillpottery.com; bluegillpottery@bellsouth.net; wheel-throwing, handbuilding, glazing, and throwing.

Odyssey Center for Ceramic Arts — 236 Clingman Avenue, Asheville, NC 28801; 828.285.0210; www.highwaterclays.com; odyssey@ highwaterclays.com; wheel-throwing, handbuilding, sculpture, tile.

Sawtooth School for Visual Arts — 226 N. Marshall Street, Winston Salem, NC 27101; 336.723.7395; www.sawtooth.org; ceramics@sawtooth. org; wheel-throwing, handbuilding, sculpture, tile, classes and workshops in other fine arts and media.

OHIO Yost Pottery Studio — 1643 Massillon Road, Akron, OH 44312; 330.734.0763; www.yostpottery.com.

Wheel-throwing, handbuilding, tile, firing.

PENNSYLVANIA Allen Stoneware Gallery & Pottery Studio Classroom — Colony Plaza, 2602 West 8th Street, Erie, PA 16505; 814.836.0345; www. allenstoneware.com; pottery@allenstoneware.com; wheelthrowing, handbuilding, sculpture.

The Clay Studio — 139 North Second Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106; 215.925.3453; www.theclaystudio.org; info@theclaystudio.org; wheel-throwing, handbuilding, sculpture.

RHODE ISLAND The Cole Center for Creative Studies at the Newport Art Museum — 76 Bellevue Avenue, Newport, RI 02840; 401.848.2787; www. newportartmuseum.org; jhambleton@newportartmuseum. org; wheel-throwing, handbuilding, glazing, firing; children and adults.

The Art League School — Located near the Torpedo Factory at 105 North Union Street, Alexandria, VA 22314; 703.683.2323; www.theartleague.org/school; school@theartleague.org; wheel-throwing, handbuilding, sculpture, tile, mosaic.

Resources I Classes

Finch Pottery — 5526 Finch Nursery Lane, Bailey, NC 27807-9492; 252.235.4664; www.danfinch.com; dan.finch@earthlink.net; wheel-throwing.

Jacksonville Center for the Arts — 220 Parkway Lane, Floyd, VA 24091; 866.787.8806; 540.745.2784; www.jacksonvillecenter.org; info@ jacksonvillecenter.org; wheel-throwing, handbuilding, sculpture, mosaic, raku and pit firing, glazing and decoration.

LibertyTown Arts Center — 916 Liberty Street, Fredericksburg, VA 22401; 540.371.7255; www.libertytownarts.com; liberty townarts@verizon.net; wheel-throwing, hand-building, glazing, decorating, tile, raku.

Nan Rothwell Studio Pottery — 221 Pottery Lane, Faber, VA 22938 (near Wintergreen); 434.263.4023; www.nanrothwellpottery.com; wheelthrowing, handbuilding, glazing, firing.

Manassas Clay & Tin Barn Pottery Supply — 9122 Center Street, Manassas, VA 20110; 703.330.1040; www.manassasclay.com; manassasclay@ aol.com; wheel-throwing, handbuilding, sculpture, glazing, and raku.

WASHINGTON SOUTH CAROLINA Adele’s Pottery Studio & Gallery — 1659 Middle Street, Sullivan’s Island, SC 29482; 843.883.9545; wheel-throwing, handbuilding for children and teens.

Northwest Ceramic Art Institute (The Clay Zone) — 2727 Westmoor Court, Olympia, WA 98502; 360.943.7765; www.theclayzone.com; ddurso@ theclayzone.com; wheel-throwing, hand-building, sculpture.

TENNESSEE

ITALY — South of Rome

Mud Puddle Pottery and Supply — 538 Highway 70, Pegram, TN 37143 (20 minutes outside Nashville); 615.646.6644; www.mudpuddlepottery.com; mudpuddle@bellsouth. net; wheel-throwing, handbuilding, sculpture.

Maiolica Ceramica — South of Rome, Via Pellico 15 - Medieval Fondi, Italy. Italy: (+39) 338.139.4244 USA 714.600.9535; GotuzzoWorkshops@gmail. com; www.GotuzzoWorkshops.com. Italian Maiolica and decorative art. [

Workshops with

Xavier González

VIRGINIA

A year-round listing of your community pottery class in CT and on our Web site is available for just $99— a real bargain!

To feature your classes, call Karen Freeman at 540.882.3576 or e-mail: advertising@claytimes.com.

February 14-17, 2008 Pottery West, Las Vegas, NV potterywest@cox.net Hands on Workshop Throwing Techniques and Crystalline Glazes June 16-20, 2008 Sierra Nevada College Lake Tahoe, NV www.sierranevada.edu/ workshops Hands on Workshop Throwing Techniques and Crystalline Glazes To schedule a workshop with Xavier González, call 818.779.0990 or e-mail: xgceramics@sbcglobal.net

July 26 & 27, 2008 Boulder, Colorado Potters Guild Crystalline Glazing: Demos and Lecture

CLAYTIMES·COM n JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2008

Creative Clay Studios — 5704 E General Washington Drive, Alexandria, VA 22312; 703.750.9480; www.creativeclaypottery.com; daisy_gail@msn.com; wheel-throwing, handbuilding, sculpture, classes, workshops, studios, retail supplies, tools, clay.

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Resources I Books & Videos

Tom Turner: Two Day Workshop

I

have long said that once you reach an intermediate level of pottery skill and ability, attending workshops is the best way to learn. At its best, a workshop not only overflows with information, but allows you a peek into an artist’s life— their philosophy, lifestyle, influences—and takes you on a personal journey. What you gain from the workshop experience lasts well beyond the weekend or week away from your studio. The next best way to learn? For some, it is from books and magazines. For others, it is video and DVD. And in this age of the video/ dvd and the ease with which one can “make their own,” there is no shortage of material. The problem is that the quality ranges from dad’s home movies to films of which Robert Redford would be proud.

This is especially true of materials that fall into the category of “workshops,” and I must say that most of these that I have seen are, well, ... let’s move on.

CLAYTIMES·COM n JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2008

I’ve been an admirer of Tom Turner’s work for many years. His porcelain forms are graceful and inviting. The surfaces are alluring and complex. His attention to detail is impeccable; his craftsmanship is superb. But when he gave me a copy of his four-DVD set for review consideration, everything I thought I knew about him flew out the window and my immediate thought was, “Oh no, another potter who thinks he’s a film maker!” Surprise, surprise, surprise.

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Tom Turner: Two Day Workshop was filmed at the North Carolina Pottery Center in Seagrove, NC in May, 2005. Two full days of demonstrations and discussion focusing entirely on working with porcelain have been expertly edited down to just under six hours on these four DVDs. The presentation is usually clear, both visually and audibly. There are occasional pans and shots of the audience that you might think would be distracting, but are instead effective in breaking the monotony of the singular image of Tom. They

review by steven branfman

fortable, calm, and excellent. Frustrating, though, is that occasionally questions from the audience cannot be heard. However, answers obviate the need to hear the questions. The quality and completeness of the demonstrations are matched by the clarity of Turner’s explanations. This is good, because occasionally the DVD sound quality is poor.

Tom Turner Two Day Workshop Tom Turner Productions, $89.95. also lend an air of authenticity to the “workshop” format.

As you would expect in a workshop setting, and thus in a DVD presentation of this kind, there is a sensible and logical chronology. Turner begins with wedging, moves to the wheel explaining his method of centering, and continues making mugs, cups, and small bowls. He quickly gets to larger, more complex forms including lidded jars and teapots, including the details of lids and spouts as well as larger pots created by throwing individual sections to be joined later (which he does). He embellishes his pots by stamping, paddling, carving, and fluting. He sculpts delicate bird finials, demonstrates slip trailing, and uses a coggle wheel to impress decorative surfaces. Ultimately, all the pots are trimmed using various methods that Turner demonstrates, including his approach to using chucks. Handles are then made and attached.

In short, Turner explains his entire pottery making process. His demos are careful, his instruction clear, his manner meticulous, and the deft work of the camera leaves nothing obstructed. He is an experienced teacher: organized, com-

The real strength of Tom Turner: Two Day Workshop is the personality of the potter.

We are sitting there, among the other participants, watching the man work, for sure. But listening to him talk in the workshop setting is the real treat. He addresses a litany of details covering technique, concept, design, philosophy, style, method, and purpose. He talks about customizing his wheel. He explains the importance of the height and angle of his throwing stool. He talks about proportion, design, decoration, and aesthetics. He addresses warping, cracking, and twisting spouts. Conversation includes glazes, kilns, atmospheres, firing, health, safety, and much, much more. There is a short segment with Turner talking to a group of school children and adults about his pots, and a bonus feature showing pots of his own that represent his favorites spanning the years 1970-2004.

This four-DVD set is full of details, closeups, and careful instructions. But Tom Turner: Two Day Workshop is not a “how-to” DVD. It is a documentary of a Tom Turner workshop. It is inspiring and encouraging.

It is informative and instructional.

Try to get yourself to a Tom Turner workshop—but if you can’t, this is the next best thing to being there. [ Steven Branfman is an accomplished potter, author, and teacher of pottery and ceramics at Thayer Academy in Braintree, Massachusetts.

He is the proprietor of The Potters Shop and School and may be reached at 781.449.7687 or via e-mail at sbranfpots@aol.com.

Classes & Workshops

• Celebrate CERAMICS in SPAIN with SETH CARDEW at the wheel. Weekly residential courses or daily private tuition.

Four-bedroom cottage for weekly rental at the pottery. www.cardew-spain.com.

•

Jackson’s 3 Days of Clay: Featuring Bill van Gilder, host of DIY Network’s DIY Pottery, March 12, 13, and 14, 2008 at the Ella Sharp Museum of Art and History in Jackson, Michigan. Early registration: December 31, 2007. Late registration: January 31, 2008. More information at www. ellasharp.org.

•

Tom Turner Workshop: “Attention to Detail.” February 23 and 24, 10am - 4pm each day at the North Harris College Fine Arts Building, 2700 W. Thorne Dr., Houston, TX 77073. For more information, go to www.cameohouston.org or e-mail KLFiscus@swbell.net.

For Sale

• Ohio Slip. A natural glaze from a new deposit of clay in southwestern Ohio — a very clean and consistent material.

Comparable to Albany Slip. Ohio Slip matures at temperatures from cone 6 through cone 12. Prices: 10 lbs.@$.80/lb.; 25 lbs.@$.70/lb.; 120 lbs.@$.60/lb.; 350 lbs.@$.50/lb. Family-owned; mined and processed by A&K Clay Co., LLC. Phone 937.379.1495, or visit our Web site at: www. akclay.com.

Opportunities

•

CERF helps professional craft artists strengthen and sustain their careers through business and career-strengthening programs, emergency relief support, advocacy, and research. For more information, visit The Craft Emergency Relief Fund at www.craftemergency.org or call 803.229.2306.

• JOIN AMERICANPOTTERS.COM TODAY! Be part of a national, searchable database for FREE. Or have an “online gallery” and sell your work ($99.00 a year).

Check out: www.americanpotters.com.

•

Sell your work to GALLERIES and SHOPS. For 25 years we’ve helped thousands of artists grow their careers. You’ll discover more studio time, less travel time, and more profit than ever before. Average sales: $25,000. www.AmericanCraft.com or 410.889.2933.

America. Visit www.masteringglazes.com for a free trial download and more information. Or send your check or VISA/MC information to Frog Pond Pottery, PO Box 88, Pocopson, PA 19366.

•

AWESOME! Bill van Gilder’s Professional Hand Tools. 13 very functional tools for handbuilding and wheel work: classroom and studio-tested! Visit store at www. claytimes.com to view and order tools.

Services

•

I come to your studio with my wheel, throw your clay and production ware for less than the cost of pressed and cast.

You bisque, you glaze and fire. 20+ years experience. Prices and references provided. Ken Russell, 636.697.7705, ken@ therussellpottery.com.

Travel

•

Potters for Peace — Our goals are to assist developing world potters with appropriate technologies sustained using local skills and materials; help preserve cultural traditions; offer design and marketing help; and training in the production of lowcost ceramic water filters. Visit us online at: www.pottersforpeace.com.

• To all K-12 Ceramic Arts Teachers — The 11th Annual National K-12 Ceramics Exhibition opens at the March 2008 NCECA Conference in Pittsburgh, PA. For more information, visit the Web site at www.k12clay.org.

Kiln Repair

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Kiln and Studio Repair Service — Mike Swauger, The Kiln Doctor; licensed and insured; 877.545.6362; mike@thekilndoctor.com. Equipment sales, delivery & set-up, installations. Most parts and accessories are in stock on my full-service vehicle. Serving VA, MD, WV, DC. Rely on more than 17 years of experience.

•

Kiln Repair. All makes — Washington, DC metro & Northern Virginia. $45/hour (one-hour minimum) plus parts. Larry Safford, The Studio Resource: 703.283.7458; larrysafford@comcast.net.

Tools for Potters

•

GlazeMaster™ glaze database and calculation software for Windows and Macs. $50.00 + $4.50 shipping in North

•

Potter’s Workshops and Tours in an Undiscovered Mexico. Explore the immense, but little-known, ceramic diversity of deep Mexico. Hands-on learning and uncommon, small-group travel among the ancestral masters. Visit www.traditions mexico.com, or e-mail: traditionsmexico@ yahoo.com.

Videos & Books

• DVD: Advanced Pottery Projects with Doug Oian — Enhance your skills to include Large Bowls, Pitchers, Handles, Lids, and Carved Candle-lanterns. $50 includes shipping. www.SunrisePottery. com; tel. 210.494.8633.

•

PotteryVideos.com — DVDs with Robin Hopper, Gordon Hutchens, and Graham Sheehan. Video workshop for potters at all levels of experience. Choose from 21 titles. E-mail info@potteryvideos. com or call 800.668.8040.

• Order Great Glazes II for just $15 at the Clay Times online store at www. claytimes.com. This second hands-on studio glaze book features dozens of favorite glaze recipes for all firing temperatures and atmospheres.

• TOM TURNER’S POTTERY SCHOOL AND HIS TWO-DAY WORKSHOP 4-DISC DVD SET available at: www.tom turnerporcelain.com, or call 828.689.9430. [ Call 540.882.3576 for $50 ad details!

CLAYTIMES·COM n JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2008

• SOUTHPORT, NC. Twenty-eighth July National Show, June 23-July 19. BOS $1,000; total prizes $6,000. Jurors: 2D, Betsy Dillard Stroud AWS, NWS, DF; 3D, Ben Owens III. Slide deadline: April 1. For prospectus, send an SASE to Associated Artists of Southport, 130 E. West St., Southport NC 28461, or download from www.franklinsquaregallery.org.

• ClayParent — A new Internet forum for potters who are parents, and their issues.

After many requests for this type of interaction, the Clayworkers’ Guild of Illinois is donating Web space to open up this forum to members and non-members alike. Registration is free. The forum is located at: www.mudmamasandpapas.com.

Resources I Classified Marketplace

Classified Marketplace

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Readers Share I Tips & Techniques

The Slurry Bucket Looking for helpful studio tips? Got some to share? This is the place...

Slab Rollers ... Save Your Fingers!

Pull Tab

Canvas

Made in the U.S.A. I am tired of always seeing ‘made in China’ on so many items.

So in an attempt to remind my customers that my ware is indeed made in the U.S.A., I use a stamp of dry alphabet letters (the kind used in soup) and stamp all my wares, ‘USA,’ then sign my name as usual. This idea could also be used to mark codes, names, or dates on the bottom of the ware, or even content size, such as ‘1 qt.’

Jo St. Myers • Wheeling, WV

Sew a 4" x 4" tab of strong fabric to the center edge of your slab roller canvas. When you are rolling the front edge of the canvas through the roller, the ‘tab’ will allow you to pull it through for a smooth, even roll. No more bunching up between the table and the roller!

Noel Gilliam • Palmetto, GA

CLAYTIMES·COM n JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2008

Smoothing a Rough Edge

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Occasionally after bisque firing, I will discover a rough edge around a hole or decoration that I did not get sufficiently smooth before firing. Previously, this meant getting out a hand grinder to smooth the edge, but recently I discovered that a 3M® sanding sponge from the hardware section of the local department store works quite nicely. Not only is this less hassle than getting out the grinder and the appropriate bits, but in addition, the soft sponge does a better job of fitting the curvature of the pot without running the risk of gouging the pot. I generally dampen the pot first to help control dust, and work in an area where any dust can be properly contained. All in all, I find this technique safer and much more convenient when I am cleaning up my bisqued pots.

The Leeway Foot Can’t find time to cut a foot on a pot?

After throwing, wait until the sheen is gone. Cut the pot off of the bat and invert it onto another bat.

With the thumb and fingers on three equal sides of the bottom of the pot, press in the side rim with thumb and pinch the bottom with forefinger. This will make a rise in the rim.

Bottom

Rim

Top

After the clay has stiffened, invert the pot. If the base is uneven, hold the pot level and rub the feet on a rough surface. The small dent in the base of the pot, most of the time, goes unnoticed and sometimes adds decoration.

Garry Taylor • Lebanon, NH

William Lee • Fairburn, GA [

FREE CLAY TIMES® T-SHIRT! Send us your useful clay tip or technique to share with our readers. If it’s published, we’ll send you a Clay Times T-shirt. Mail your tips (and T-shirt size) to: The Slurry Bucket, c/o Clay Times, PO Box 365, Waterford, VA 20197.

by kelly savino

I

seem to have been born with only two speeds: full-speed ahead, and full reverse.

It’s apparently an inherited trait. I can’t count how many times my dad finished some outdoor project while I stood holding a flashlight, or a car idled nearby with headlights trained on his work space. Once he was fired up about something, he just didn’t want to quit.

My brother shares the same lineage. Once, he and I were handed a mason jar full of heavy cream, and asked to take turns shaking until it was frothy enough for dessert.

We worked it so intently that we went right past whipped cream, and made butter.

At age 5, I started kindergarten and found that a full-speed-ahead style of focus was a poor fit for school days portioned out by clocks and bells. The dozen years of school that followed were sheer torture. While my grades were good and I was often the teacher’s pet, constant interruptions in “flow” made me crazy. I would just be getting excited about Mark Twain, or Algebra, or a game of dodge ball, and the stupid bell would ring and summon us elsewhere.

One sick day, when I was home from school, my mom put a little black and white TV in my room to keep me occupied. I remember seeing an episode of “Happy Days” where Fonzie was asked how he liked his new job, driving an ice cream truck.

I remember thinking, “Story of my life!”

College would turn out to be more of the same. I had adjusted somewhat to the start-and-stop of daily routines, but the changing buffet of interesting subjects was

After a grad degree in the ’80s, in Folklore, Anthropology, and Fine Arts, I found myself working as a public sector folklorist. I moved back and forth between the company of academics, and another world where my skilled and inspiring teachers were not always literate, much less degreed.

I met a man who built shrimp trawlers by hand, with an apprentice, working with wood and skilled hands in his backyard. I met carvers and fiddle makers, moonshiners and midwives, herbalists, crabbers, and quilters. What they seemed to have in common was fulfilling work that suited their rhythms and their lives, constantly sharpening skills and perceptions. My fieldwork showed me lives that seemed rich and rewarding, and a depth of handson, unschooled wisdom often undervalued in the academic world.

That kind of skill, developed over a lifetime of focused work, inspired me. It is probably not an accident that clay has become the love of my life. Clay is an invitation to overdo, full of delightful excesses. More is always better. A series makes my pots improve, and it takes a lot of pots to fill the kiln. Clay by the box becomes clay by the ton, and every firing is a learning experience.

There is no end to the cycle: we’re never really done. Finished throwing? Time to

trim! Finished trimming? Time to alter, slip, cut, assemble. Then bisque, glaze, fire; and by then, a whole new shelf of wet pots is waiting.

We never graduate from clay, or declare ourselves “done.” Every hard-won increase in skill or perception just shows us how much farther there is to go. A lifetime is not class period enough to master the subject.

Still, we can evolve enough to always have a sense of pride in accomplishment, better than what was once doled out in gold stars and good grades.

Clay is full of dilemmas, problems to solve, trial and error, and try again. Although we need to sleep, eat, and tend to our lives outside the studio, it’s always waiting there for our return. It’s not as if I built my studio and suddenly had uninterrupted days to do nothing but clay. On the contrary! Various teaching jobs, three babies with assorted nap times, eight years of washing diapers, and a decade of home schooling have certainly produced their own start-and-stop interruptions to my studio time.

continued on next page

CLAYTIMES·COM n JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2008

He said, “Every time I get it up to 60 miles an hour, I have to slow down for some kid waving a dime!”

maddening. Half the classes I took felt like they should have been my major. I left Botany convinced that I should be a botanist … French, determined to live in Paris. I’d just start getting the hang of Linguistics, or Astronomy, and the semester would end. Class dismissed.

Opinion I Around the Firebox

Clay Without Ceasing

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I adapted by becoming a night owl. The clock in my studio is a marvelous thing. Hours pass in minutes, when I am on a roll, and I value the uninterrupted time when no phone will ring, and no kid will yell, “Mom!” Ironically, I made a decision last year that has carved out large, uninterrupted blocks of time for serious studio work, critique, inquiry, and revision. I decided to go back to school. Unlike the bell-ringing, clock-watching days of grade school, the M.F.A. program at Eastern Michigan University has provided me big blocks of time for uninterrupted focus on my work, full-speed ahead. My only challenge now is not to get swept up in every one of the new choices: Stoneware or porcelain? Functional or sculptural? Cone 6, reduction gas kiln, salt firing, or wood firing?

choices. I still want to “major” in everything I try, and curbing my enthusiasm has been a hard-won skill!

By the time I submit my next column, I will be graduating. In the meantime, I will have had to sort out my options and to make some

I love the fact that in our little home-school, my kids are able to make their own study schedules, riding any subject as far their in-

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Aftosa 20 AMACO 67 Anderson Ranch Art Center 23 Arrowmont School Arts & Crafts 15 Axner Pottery Supply 27 Bailey Pottery Equipment 12 Beryl’s Cake Decorating Supplies 22 BigCeramicStore.com 32 Bracker’s Good Earth Clays 14 Buyers Market of American Craft 9 Carolina Clay Connection 54 Ceramic Art London 10 Ceramic Supply Chicago 22 Clayworks Supplies 61 Clay Times Products 9, 31, 54, 60 Continental Clay Co. 20 The Cookie Cutter Shop 22 Del Val Potter’s Supply 22 Dolan Tools 22 Euclid’s Elements 4 Flat Rock Clay Supplies 60 Georgies Ceramic & Clay Center 28 Giffin Tec 8 Graber's Pottery, Inc. 22 Great Lakes Clay & Supply Co. 60 Guild Sourcebooks 3 Herring Designs 54 Highwater Clays 17 Hood College 23

Kelly Averill Savino is a studio potter and homeschooling mother of three in Toledo, Ohio. She can be reached at primalpotter@yahoo.com.

$-": 500-4 3&'&3&/$& ."5&3*"-4

Index to Advertisers Japan Pottery Tools The Kiln Doctor L & L Kilns Laguna Clay Co. Larkin Refractory Solutions Manabigama Kiln Plans Master Kiln Builders Metchosin School MKM Pottery Tools Muddy Elbow Mfg./Soldner Wheels NCECA Olympic Kilns Paragon Industries PCF Studios Peter Pugger Peters Valley Craft Center Saint-Gobain Ceramics Scott Creek/Clay Art Center Sheffield Pottery Sierra Nevada College Skutt Ceramic Products Spectrum Glazes Trinity Ceramic Supply Tucker’s Cone Art Kilns U.S. Pigment Corp. van Gilder Workshops Ward Burner Systems Wise Screenprint Xavier González Workshops

terest carries them (even into the next grade level). One day I suppose they will have to adapt to an imposed routine, as we all do.

I really don’t care what they do for a living when they grow up, whether they are rich or poor, management or labor. What I hope is that they can find work they enjoy, work that is always evolving and providing a challenge.

I hope they find work that feels important and real to them, generates passion, and brings them moments of “flow” when nothing exists but the excitement of the decisions at hand. It would be nice if, like a potter, they find themselves surrounded by people they enjoy, can determine their own schedules, and wake up every morning looking forward to the task at hand. That in itself is wealth enough for anyone. [

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Randy Schmidt Plays in Clay "As a young child, I played with clay...

Somewhere along the lifeline I might even have made some art with clay."

Randall Schmidt

Professor Emeritus, Arizona State University

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