Clay Times Magazine Volume 13 • Issue 70 by claytimes

Clay ceramic

art

trends,

tools,

and

Carving Her Niche in the Clay World

Rope Tricks: Making Great Impressions Conversations with Nick Joerling Building A Banana Leaf Kiln in Thailand

$ 7.50 U.S./$9 CAN

More Tried-and-True Techniques for Waxing & Glazing

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TIMES

Natalie Blake:

techniques Vol. 13 No. 3 May/June 2007

renaissance-ad-Clay-Times-1-07:Layout 1

1/23/2007

5:26 PM

Page 1

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Natalie Blake carves out her own unique niche in the clay world. More on page 34.

contents

TIMES

Clay May/June 2007 • Volume 13, Number 3

features 34 Natalie Blake: Carving Her Niche Vibrant colors and precisely carved details characterize this artist’s unique line of pottery.

42 Building a Banana Leaf Kiln in Thailand

46 Rope Tricks: Making Great Impressions Halldor Hjalmarson shows how a simple rope can be used to achieve patterned surfaces.

Barbara Allen shares her experience in helping tribal women make the most of their resources.

Rope-impressed pot by Halldor E. Hjalmarson. Technique on page 46.

exhibitions & events 18 Strictly Functional Pottery National Have a look at a sampling of the 105 works on exhibition for their utilitarian purpose and fine craftsmanship.

39 Sound of the Earth Brookfield Craft Center hosts an exhibition of clay instruments, inspired by Barry Hall’s book, From Mud to Music.

50 Art of the Pot Cherry Teapot with Ruffle by Wynne Wilbur. 9" x 11" x 7". Terra cotta clay with majolica glaze. One of numerous works selected by juror Malcolm Davis for exhibition during this year’s 15th Annual Strictly Functional Pottery National. See story, p. 18.

Lisa Orr and fellow clay artists invite gourmet chefs to enhance their studio tour wares with fine cuisine—and a cookbook, too ... 7

contents

TIMES

Clay May/June 2007 • Volume 13, Number 3

What better way to showcase dinnerware than with fine cuisine artfully prepared by local chefs? Learn more about the “Art of the Pot” exhibition on page 50.

departments 11 YOUR WORDS “Green” letters from our readers

13 EDITOR’S DESK “Eco-inspirations”

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

49 GREAT GLAZES A few of Natalie Blake’s favorite formulas

54 THE GALLERY A selection of new works by CT readers

columns 67 POTTERY CLASSES Where you can learn claywork in the United States and Canada

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

74 CLASSIFIED MARKETPLACE Goods and services offered especially for active clay artists On the cover: Carved Purple Ocean, 16" x 13" x 13", by Natalie Blake. Photo by the artist.

23 AS FAR AS I KNOW “We Interrupt This Program” by Pete Pinnell

27 BENEATH THE SURFACE “Conversations with Nick Joerling” by Lana Wilson

29 TEACHING TECHNIQUES “Waxing & Glazing” Part 2 by Bill van Gilder

57 TOOL TIMES “New Products, New Ideas” by Vince Pitelka

59 KILNS & FIRING “Candling: More on Marc’s Pet Peeve” by Marc Ward

61 STUDIO HEALTH & SAFETY “Shocking New OSHA Regulations” by Monona Rossol

65 BOOKS & VIDEOS From Mud to Music review by Steven Branfman

70 AROUND THE FIREBOX “A Potter’s Daily Bread” by Kelly Savino Casserole by Nick Joerling, whose interview by CT columnist Lana Wilson begins on page 27.

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ceramic art trends, tools & techniques

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demonstrations • inspirational slide presentations • meals & lodging available to register, please visit

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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 Proofreaders: Jon Singer & Jenna McCracken 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 Contributing Writers: Barbara Allen Halldor Hjalmarson Suzanne Kingsbury Ryan McKerley Published by: CLAY TIMES INC. 15481 Second St. • PO Box 365 Waterford, Virginia 20197-0365 (540) 882-3576 • FAX (540) 882-4196 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 1-800-3562529, or visit www.claytimes.com. Freelance editorial and photographic submissions are welcome: Please contact Clay Times or visit our Web site for writer’s and photographer’s guidelines. POSTMASTER: Address service requested. Send address changes to: Clay Times, PO Box 365, Waterford, VA 20197-0365. Copyright © 2007 Clay Times, Inc. 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.

presents the Autumn ‘07 Weekend Workshop

Clay

TIMES

Dan Finch Pottery

Teach Good Practices Thank you for your important editorial [“Reducing Greenhouse Gases,” March/ April ’07 Clay Times] regarding ways that our clay community can help to reduce greenhouse gases. In our state (Pennsylvania) we have an “electric choice” program. We have signed up for wind power so that for every kilowatt used at our studio, an equal amount must be generated by wind power and added to the electric grid. There are now more wind farms being built in the state to keep ahead of the demand. All of our work is electric-fired now, and I love knowing that it is fueled by wind! It does cost a little more than the traditional fossil fuel burning service, but isn’t it worth it? The most important thing that we can do for the environment, and the action that can potentially have the most exponential effect, is to teach our students good environmental practices. I will never forget a professor of mine in graduate school who would fire an entire gas kiln to cone 10 for one piece! Such callous disregard for the environment (not to mention the University utilities) is shameful. Students should be taught how to really pack a bisque kiln, not to preheat unnecessarily, how to recycle all materials, how to responsibly dispose of unwanted glazes, etc. I look forward to reading other potters’ suggestions and I hope that all teachers will take note to pass on sound environmental practices to the next generation. Neil Patterson, Philadelphia, PA

I was encouraged by your article, “Going Green: Reducing Greenhouse Gases.” I, too, was inspired by Gore’s [movie], An Inconvenient Truth, and I applaud your bringing the urgency of this global issue into our studios. The 20 tips you list

Standing with Linda on a ridge top, overlooking 9000 acres of mountaintop she spent the better part of 2½ years to purchase into protection, I was struck by the reality that, living long enough, I’d turn a few acres of this planet into rock—an irreversible act. A sacred trust. I don’t put any pot in the kiln that doesn’t come from the heart. Our communities and this planet deserve nothing less. There is no external standard, the bar is different for each of us, but each of us knows when we start making deals … a glaze will fix it, somebody will buy it, etc … we know, no? Whether we wood fire, stoke kilowatts, pit fire, or pipe in the BTUs from afar … we know. There is a temptation to see the crisis in terms of guilty producers and innocent consumers, giving most of us a get-out-of-jail free card. Where and how we spend matters. If we support Wal-Mart, we support values that undermine community, fairness, and our interdependence, and endorse the belief that the ultimate value of anything is its sticker price. Our moral code becomes the bar code. The rush to join the 24-hour consumer buffet at Sam’s Club will make it increasingly difficult for craftspeople to survive. If we want a culture that values strong hand work,

individual expression, and community, we have to support an economy that grows these values. • Consider single firing. This alone would dramatically soften our carbon footprint. There are many resources available to help make the transition to single firing. • Reclaim scrap clay. In the very dangerous short-term accounting we practice, it is less costly to buy clay than to recycle it. However, every pound recycled is a pound that doesn’t get mined, processed, packaged, and shipped. It matters. • Support groups that develop fair markets for developing countries. These groups offer an alternative to the economy of exploitation practiced under globalization. • Practice solitude a few minutes each day. Get your feet out of the digital river long enough to hear your voice so that you have something to say, not just something to repeat. Solitude allows us to connect heart to hand ... clarifying what goes in the kiln, what goes back in the bucket. Standing on that ridge top with Linda, I felt gratitude for the down-and-dirty work she and her team commit to everyday, against-the-odds numbers; and grateful to belong to the wide community of potters, making objects for the small rituals of life—the slippery work of being human. [These are] objects that, if cared for, will last a few lifetimes, won’t be replaced by next year’s model, and will plant the seeds of contentment—the essential posture in the adventure of healing, of Going Green, of coming home. Keep the faith. Kevin Crowe, Amherst, VA continued on page 13

CLAyTIMES·COM n MAY/JUNE 2007

A Crisis of Consumption

to help us reduce our carbon footprint remind us that, in spite of the odds, we can make a difference. My wife, Linda, works for the Virginia chapter of the Nature Conservancy and her efforts to preserve land, watersheds, and wildlife from the complex pressures of development have made me scrutinize the implications of how and why I work as a potter. I believe that the environmental crisis is a crisis of consumption. As a potter I make objects in a culture that is all shopped out: the attics are filled, the landfills are overflowing, and the end in sight is frightening. Am I part of the problem or part of the healing? Some thoughts:

Spouting Off I Letters

Your Words on “Going Green”

Yeah, that’s a lot of candles! “But, even after all these years, I’m still not close to being over the hill.”

call or email for a demo video Soldner Clay Mixers by Muddy Elbow Manufacturing phone/fax (316) 281-9132 conrad@southwind.net 310 W. 4th • Newton, KS • 67114 soldnerequipment.com

Gas Firing: More Eco-friendly I was so glad to see something on this topic for potters! I have long thought of a few things I could do as a potter to help reduce CO2 emissions, directly or indirectly. One thing is to fill the kiln as full as possible when bisquing/stacking as you suggest, inverting larger forms (bowls, etc.) over smaller ones when stacking isn’t feasible. It also helps, when glaze firing, to have on hand a large variety of sizes of

forms so that the kiln can be packed as tightly as even firing permits—little things fitted around larger ones. Also, firing with gas is far more efficient than firing with electricity since the generation of electricity from fossil fuels is only about 35% efficient on average, with the remaining 65% of fossil fuel’s latent energy being lost as heat at the power plant or in transmission. A lot of carbon dioxide is produced in burning fossil fuels to make electricity.

Many of us don’t have gas firing equipment, so guilty as I feel about that, I try to use the electricity I do use as efficiently as possible. I think it takes a whole new way of thinking, since we one-potter establishments take so long to fill a kiln to fire that it is very tempting to just fire it partially loaded, with the idea that the added cost of electricity is offset by sale of only a bowl or two so what the [heck]! Chris Breedlove, Honeybee Pottery [

From the Editor

Spouting Off I Your Words I Editor’s Desk

Your Words on “Going Green,” continued from page 11

Eco-awareness a Welcome Topic How nice to receive such an enthusiastic response to the previous issue’s editorial on “Going Green.” It’s plain to see that this subject not only hits home with potters in the clay studio, but in the rest of their lives, too. Thanks for your responses, and keep those comments and suggestions rolling in so we can continue to share thoughtful ways in which to better our planet for future generations!

Correction

We regret the error and are running the image again (at right) so that Kohl may receive credit for his efforts. Our apologies to both artists! — Polly Beach, Editor [

Cholla by Brian Kohl. One of several works featured at the American Museum of Ceramic Art during its recent “kilnopening.edu” exhibition.

CLAyTIMES·COM n MAY/JUNE 2007

Also in our previous (March/April ’07) issue of Clay Times, we incorrectly identified a work featured during AMOCA’s “kilnopening.edu” exhibition to Karen Koblitz, when the artist is in fact Brian Kohl.

What’s Hot

ceramic art world news • events • calls for entries

Dedicated Professor’s Legacy Lives On ‰ Over 300 friends, colleagues, and collectors gathered recently at the Lowe Art Museum on the University of Miami campus to honor the legacy of beloved UM Professor of Ceramics and noted ceramicist Christine Federighi during the 7th annual “Spring Into Art” auction. More than $100,000 was raised via sponsorships, money collected at the door, and art sold. One hundred percent of the proceeds will benefit the Christine Federighi Art Education Fund/Department of Art and Art History, Lowe Art Museum, and the Francine and Lee Ruwitch Educational Endowment. The Christine Federighi Art Education Fund, established in her memory, is dedicated to supporting promising students who need funding to further their careers by attending specialized summer programs, seminars, and workshops.

CLAyTIMES·COM n MAY/JUNE 2007

Among the many notable artists who donated their work were Carlos Alves, Linda Arbuckle, Susan Banks, Carlos Betancourt, Robert Briscoe, Pablo Cano, Val Cushing, William D. Carlson, Sheila Elias, Debra Fritts, Richard Jolly, Thomas Mann, Duncan McClellan, Richard Notkin, Marc Petrovic, Sang Roberson, Bonnie Seeman, Paula Winokur, Brent Kee Young, and many others—including Christine Federighi herself.

When Federighi died at age 57 in November, 2006, she had fought a 12-year battle with cancer. A charismatic professor of ceramics at the University of Miami for 32 years, Federighi was an inspiration in the academic and arts community, touching the lives of her many students and colleagues. Professor Federighi was a five-time recipient of the State of Florida

Individual Artist Fellowship, and a recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts fellowship.

Ceramics Exhibitions ‰ “Beatrice Wood: Art and Alchemy,” an exhibition featuring drawings, acclaimed luster-glaze ceramics, and sculptural pieces by the beloved and unconventional Beatrice Wood, is on exhibit at the Museum of Ventura County through June 10. Named by the Smithsonian Institution as an “Esteemed American Artist,” Wood was creating art until her death in 1998 at the age of 105. She was an actress and artist active in the New York Dada Art Movement in the 1910s, but gained major recognition later in life when she began creating her innovative ceramic vessels, sculptures, and unique luster glazes. The museum exhibition will also include photographs of Wood in the studio. The Museum of Ventura County is located at 100 E. Main Street, Ventura, California 93001. Hours are Tuesday-Sunday, 10am-5pm. Admission: adults $4, seniors $3, children $1; members and children under 6, free. For more information, call (805) 653-0323 or visit www.ventura museum.org.

‰ The Clay Studio, a Philadelphia, Pennsylvania-based non-profit ceramic arts organization, presents “Small Favors II,” a ceramic art exhibition showcasing the latest in miniature, wall-mounted artwork. Featuring creations by more than 100 ceramic artists from across the nation, this special exhibition will run May 4-13, with a preview event on Thursday, May 3 from 6-8 pm in The Clay Studio’s home at 139 North Second Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106. To find out more, call (215)

925-3453 ext. 18, or log onto www.theclay studio.org.

‰ Santa Fe Clay Gallery presents “Salt & Pepper,” a national invitational exhibit featuring salt and pepper dispensers created by ceramic artists from across the U.S., to take place April 27-May 26, 2007. Salt and pepper are partnered as condiments on almost every table in America. Shakers, cellars, and a variety of containers for this pair of spices have long been produced and collected as novelty souvenirs. For those who can’t attend the show in person, the digital online show may be found at www.santafeclay.com. For additional information, contact Santa Fe Clay, 1615 Paseo de Peralta, Santa Fe, NM 87501; (505) 984-1122; email: sfc@santa feclay.com.

‰ The Jacoby Arts Center presents “Material Attraction: Diverse Reactions II,” an exhibition of works by 38 regional ceramic artists. Curated by Susan Bostwick, Charity Davis-Woodard, and Melody Ellis, this exhibit will run from May 11June 17, 2007, with an opening reception on Friday, May 18 from 5-8 pm. To learn more, contact the Jacoby Arts Center, 627 East Broadway, Alton, IL 62002; (618) 4625222; or visit www.jacobyartscenter.org. ‰ The Rochester Art Center presents a variety of events in celebration of the exhibition, “Warren MacKenzie: Legacy of An American Potter,” from May 19August 26, 2007. An opening reception takes place Saturday, May 29, 7-10 pm; admission is $10 for Art Center members; $12 for non-members. A “Gallery Shop Trunk Show” takes place 10am-3pm on Saturday, May 19, with an expanded selection of works, plus a talk with ceramic artists in celebration of the MacKenzie exhibition. A free panel dis-

All events are located at the Rochester Art Center. For further details, call (507) 282-8629 or visit www.rochesterartcenter. org. The Rochester Art Center is located at 40 Civic Center Dr. SE in Rochester, Minnesota. Art Center hours are Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday, 10am5pm; Thursday 10am-9pm, and Sunday Noon-5pm. Admission is $3 for the general public, $2 for seniors, and free for Rochester Art Center members, students, and the general public on Thursdays. Public parking is available in off-street lots and the Civic Center Ramp (free for the first hour and after 5 pm.) The Rochester Art Center is wheelchair accessible.

Conferences ‰

The International Ceramics Festival will be held June 29-July 1, 2007, at the Aberystwyth Arts Centre on the campus of the University of Wales on the beautiful coast of mid-Wales, United Kingdom. Since it began in 1987, the International Ceramics Festival has grown to become the UK’s leading ceramics event. It offers teachers, students, ceramic artists, collectors, working potters, and amateurs alike the chance to meet and study the work of distinguished, internationallyknown craftspersons from Wales, the UK, and many other countries worldwide.

The International Ceramics Festival is made possible by the financial support of the Arts Council of Wales and the generous support and sponsorship of all the trading companies who donate materials and equipment.

May 1 - June 30

featuring all the usual GREAT deals on equipment, glazes, tools, and books

Complete details of the conference may be found on the Web site at: www. internationalceramicsfestival.org. To request additional information, please contact International Ceramics Festival, Aberystwyth Arts Centre, Penglais, Aberystwyth, Ceredigion, SY23 3DE, Wales, UK; tel.: (44) 01970 623232, or email: artstaff@ aber.ac.uk.

‰ Haystack Mountain School of Craft in Deer Isle, Maine, will host “The Object and Making: Function and Meaning,” a four-day conference examining the role of objects and object-making in our culture, to take place July 15-19. Along with lectures and panel discussions, this event will feature hands-on studio-based workshops and informal discussion groups to examine the many ways in which objects function in our lives: as practical items, as symbols and metaphors, and as carriers of memory. Registration for studio-based workshop activities and discussion groups will be organized through daily sign-ups. Haystack’s intimate scale lends itself to many opportunities for informal interactions as well. Conference presenters/workshop leaders include Chris Staley, Ellen Dissanayake, Rob Forbes, Lisa Hunter, Lewis Hyde, Barry Katz, and Chris Rose. Registration fee: $300. For further details, visit the Web site at www.haystack-mtn.org/work shops_summer_conference.php, or write to Haystack Mountain School of Craft, PO Box 518, Deer Isle, ME 04627.

CLAyTIMES·COM n MAY/JUNE 2007

The festival attracts about 800 participants to a series of lectures, practical demonstrations, and exhibitions over three days. The focus is both practical and inspirational: kilns are built and fired, pots are made, and demonstrations are given. Guest artists also have their own work space, enabling more in-depth discussions and exchange of ideas. During the festival there are selling exhibitions, bookstands, and a comprehensive display of products from leading pottery manufacturers and suppliers. The festival is organized jointly by North Wales Potters, South Wales Potters, and Aberystwyth Arts Centre.

Demonstrators include Ruth Duckworth, Bill van Gilder, Joe Finch, Richard Dewar, Laurie Spencer, Clive Bowen, and many other renowned potters from across the globe. This year’s program begins with Friday evening slide show introductions by invited guests. Saturday and Sunday is filled with demonstrations, lectures, seminars, slide shows, and films. Concurrently, a program of kiln building and firings, demonstrations, and events will take place in the adjacent outside areas.

Hot Stuff I News & Events

cussion with Warren MacKenzie, David Lewis, and Rob Silberman follows at 3 pm at the Art Center Studio Classroom. Later on that evening, MacKenzie will offer a signing of exhibition catalogues (available for purchase in the Gallery Shop) from 7:30-8pm.

Hot Stuff I News & Events

The deadline for submissions is May 31. The call is open to artists in all media who are at least 21 years old and who reside in one of the eleven member states of the ACC/SE region: AL, FL, GA, KY, LA, MS, NC, SC, TN, VA, WV.

Calls for Entries

May submission deadlines

‰ American Craft Council Southeast announces “Spotlight 2007,” a regional annual juried exhibition, to take place at Arrowmont School of Arts & Crafts in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, August 17September 22.

To request a prospectus, email info@ whoknowsart.biz or visit www.acc-south east.com, or send an SASE to Wendy Outland, ACC-SE Spotlight 2007, PO Box 1382, Asheville, NC 28802.

‰ The Carbondale Clay Center of Carbondale, Colorado, is now accepting submissions for “Small and Exquisite: Clay for a Miniature World,” to take place July 2-31. Entries in the form of digital images or slides must be received by May 25; eligible works may be no larger than 5" x 5" x 5". Entry fee: $25 for up to three entries. To request an application, email info@carbondaleclay.org, or send an SASE to Carbondale Clay Center, 135 Main St., Carbondale, CO 81623.

June submission deadlines

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.

‰ The Ohr-O’Keefe Museum of Art is offering $3,500 in awards for “Diggin’ It: Ohr Rising II,” the Gulf States Juried Arts Competition 2007. Artists 18 years of age and older who live in states affected by the hurricanes of 2004 and 2005 (Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida) are eligible to enter works in all media. Juror: Scott Young, of San Juan Capistrano, California. Sixty works will be accepted for the 2007 show, which will be exhibited in the museum’s transitional location at 1596 Glenn Swetman Drive in Biloxi, Mississippi. To enter: Each artist may submit up to three JPEGs by email or disc no later than midnight, June 1, 2007. The Ohr-O’Keefe Museum of Art will resume its George Ohr National Competition as its juried show in 2008. Visit www.georgeohr.org for more details.

CLAyTIMES·COM n MAY/JUNE 2007

‰

“History in the Making II: Ceramic Traditions—Contemporary Pots,” a national juried exhibition in Rochester, New York (Sept. 28-Oct. 19, 2007), is open to ceramic works that show a strong or interpretive connection to contemporary or historical ceramic traditions. The show will be juried from slides or JPEG digital images by Val Cushing. Entry deadline: June 1, 2007. Fee: $25 for three entries, $5 per each additional. Contact Joe Fastaia, Genesee Pottery, 713 Monroe Ave., Rochester, NY 14607; (585) 271-5183, email: pottery@geneseearts.org, or see www.geneseearts.org for a downloadable prospectus.

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

‰ Lillstreet Gallery of Chicago, Illinois will hold “Small Works,” an exhibition of works that measure no more than 22" in all directions, to take place August 4-26. Each artist may submit up to five entries in the form of digital images or slides by no later than June 2 to: Lauren

‰

Bede Clark will jury the “Wichita National 2007” from images depicting traditional and non-traditional craft received by June 2, 2007. Entry fee: $25. For a prospectus, contact Wichita Center for the Arts, 9112 E. Central Ave., Wichita, KS 67206; (316) 634-2787 ext. 218; email gallery@wcfta.com; visit www.wcfta.com.

‰

Ceramic artists who live east of the Mississippi are invited to enter the “WAD Clay Institute 4th Juried Clay Annual,” an exhibition to take place September 7October 5. Raku artist Paul May will jury submissions from slides; entry deadline is June 15. To request a prospectus, send your SASE to WAD Clay Institute, 2100 Mary St., Pittsburgh, PA 15203; (412) 2799956; email dinneng@verizon.net.

West Chester, PA 19382. Entry deadline: July 31. August submission deadlines

‰

UNCW of Wilmington, North Carolina, is requesting digital submissions for “Bowls 2007,” to be juried by Virginia Scotchie. The exhibition will take place October 1-31; entry deadline is August 8. Fee: $20 for three images. To obtain a prospectus, visit www.uncw. edu/art/bowls2007.html.

September submission deadlines

‰

“Craft Forms 2007” 13th National Juried Exhibition of Contemporary Craft takes place Nov. 30, 2007-Feb.1, 2008. Juror: Mark Richard Leach, Chief Curator, Mint Museum of Craft + Design. $3,000 + cash awards. Entry fee: Digital $30/Slide $40. Deadline: September 20, 2007. Prospectus: Send SASE to Wayne Art Center, 413 Maplewood Avenue, Wayne, PA 19087, www.wayneart.org or www.craftforms.com. [

Hot Stuff I News & Events

Levata, Director, Lillstreet Gallery, 4401 N. Ravenswood, Chicago, IL 60640; email lauren@lillstreet.com.

‰ The “Carbondale Clay National III,” to be juried by Doug Casebeer, takes place August 1-31. Up to three entries in the form of slides must be received by June 18; entry fee is $30. To request an application, email info@carbondaleclay.org, or send an SASE to Carbondale Clay Center, 135 Main St., Carbondale, CO 81623. July submission deadlines

‰ The Smithtown Township Arts Council

‰ Functional clay artists living within 100 miles of Chester County, Pennsylvania, are asked to enter “Down to Earth,” an exhibition to take place November 2December 8. To request a prospectus, visit www.theartsscene.org, or send an SASE to The Arts Scene, DTE, 530 E. Union,

CLAyTIMES·COM n MAY/JUNE 2007

in St. James, New York, seeks entries for “The Faces of Art”—an exhibition celebrating artists themselves—to be held at the Mills Pond House Gallery August 25-September 15, 2007. Local and national artists are encouraged to submit works regarding the subject of “faces of art” in any medium. Artists may submit their work by JPEG (300 dpi, not to exceed 6 inches in any direction) on CD only. Deadline for receipt of entries: July 3, 2007. Entry fee: $30 for up to 5 entries. To enter, send an SASE to STAC, 660 Route 25A, St. James, NY 11780; visit www.stacarts.org for prospectus; or call (631) 862-6575.

Strictly Functional 2007

CLAyTIMESÂ·COM n MAY/JUNE 2007

P o t t e r y N at i o n a l

Tea Caddy. 6" x 6" x 6". Stoneware fired to cone 10 in a gas-fired reduction kiln. Matthew Hyleck, Baltimore, MD.

Celadon Wave Salt & Pepper. 4" x 8" x 5". Cast porcelain fired to cone 10 in reduction. Kala Stein, Floyd, VA.

Cruet Set. 4" x 4" x 3". Stoneware soda-fired to cone 10 in reduction. Jon McMillan, Edwardsville, IL.

Appearing on pages 18-22 is a sampling of the 105 entries selected this year to represent some of the finest utilitarian claywork being produced today. For further details on the show, including driving directions to the exhibitions and instructions for entering your work to be considered for next year’s event, visit the Web site at: www.strictlyfunctionalpotterynational.net.

CLAyTIMES·COM n MAY/JUNE 2007

he 15th Annual “Strictly Functional Pottery National” opened April 21 and runs through May 20 at the Market House Craft Center in East Petersburg, PA. The show then travels to the Wayne Art Center in Wayne, PA for exhibition May 29-June 2. The result of efforts by juror Malcolm Davis and 60 volunteers, this year’s exhibition features the works of 105 artists, selected from nearly ten times as many entries.

Five Ice Lotus Bowls. 3" x 5" x 5". Southern Ice porcelain gas-fired to cone 10 in reduction. Hong-Ling Wee, New York, NY.

Oil & Vinegar. 4" x 2" x 2". Stoneware soda-fired to cone 10 in reduction. Roberta A. Massuch, Northboro, MA.

CLAyTIMESÂˇCOM n MAY/JUNE 2007

Pitcher. 11" x 7" x 5". Stoneware wood-fired to cone 6. Seth Payne, Newcastle, ME.

Cream & Sugar Set. 5" x 6" x 5". Porcelain fired to cone 10 in oxidation. Monica Ripley, Cambridge, MA. Three Part Box. 2" x 9" x 3". Porcelain soda-fired to cone 10. Lorna Meaden, Snowmass Village, CO.

Luncheon Set. 9" x 9" x 9". Mid-range stoneware fired in oxidation. Darby Ortolano, Murphysboro, IL. Five-sided Box. 7" x 8" x 8". Earthenware fired to cone 04 in oxidation. Shoko Teruyama, Penland, NC.

CLAyTIMESÂ·COM n MAY/JUNE 2007

Mugs. 4" x 9" x 4". Wood-fired porcelain. Doug Peltzman, Hartford, CT.

CLAyTIMESÂˇCOM n MAY/JUNE 2007

Watering Can. 8" x 7" x 12". Stoneware wood-fired to cone 9 in an anagama. Matthew L. Gaddie, Bardstown, KY.

Dessert Set for Two. 1" x 7" x 7"; 4" x 4" x 3". Porcelain salt/soda fired to cone 10-11. Dianne Kenney, Carbondale, CO. Recipient of Clay Times purchase award. [

We Interrupt This Program ... by PETE PINNELL

ike many of you, I had a delightful time this week spending four days at the annual NCECA conference. The organizers did a masterful job of putting together a rich blend of events, from exhibitions and demonstrations to lectures, slide talks, and panel discussions. Add to that the opportunity to see old friends, make new ones, and investigate the latest books and ceramic “toys” that the vendors bring, and attending the conference has become one of the high points of my year. It is such a wonderful and inspiring experience that I hesitate to rain on the parade, but I’m afraid I must. I’ve long bragged about my fellow ceramic artists. It is a group that tends to be intellectually inquisitive, open, affable, and community-oriented. After this conference, I think I could also add “rude.” No, not the “in your face” rudeness that we often associate with that word, but a more modern, offhand disrespect for others that is, in its own quiet way, still undeniably rude.

My students often joke about what I call “Pete’s Rules.” These “rules” generally deal with ways to understand glazes or design kilns, and not with social behavior. But, if I must begrudgingly become the Emily Post of ceramics, so be it. I’ve never considered myself an expert on etiquette, but here’s my first attempt. If you’d like to refine, refute, or add to these, please feel free to pass along your comments to me or to Clay Times magazine. Pete’s Rules for Attending a Live Event 1. Stay put. Yes, it’s hard to make a commitment when life (or NCECA) offers so many choices, but once you’ve decided to attend an event, it’s not too much to expect that you’ll sit still for 60 to 90 minutes. If you suspect that you might not be able to tough it out for that long, sit in the back, not in the front. There is nothing so distracting to an audience, or disheartening to a speaker, as having a group of chatting people suddenly get up from the front row and proceed regally down the center aisle. Consider the feelings of the speaker: he or she is a person, like you, and is generally nervous as hell about speaking in a large

room to hundreds of people. Give ’em a break and stay put. 2. Turn off your mobile phone. If the smokers in the group can go for 90 minutes without a cigarette, then the rest of us can certainly go that long without a phone call. If you know that your wife is in labor, or your mother-inlaw is perched on a precipice somewhere and you’re waiting to hear the outcome, then put your phone on “vibrate” and sit in the back. When it rings, leave the room to answer it. I was astounded at people who would answer their loudly ringing phone, then walk through the hall while happily chatting on it. Many of these conversations were all too audible to the rest of us, and none sounded like emergencies. 3. Arrive on time. If you can’t get there before the event begins, then enter quietly and sit toward the back. Unless the event is your wedding or your coronation, you have no right to march the length of the center aisle and sit in the front after the event has begun. 4. Know your camera. If you’re planning to take pictures, read your camera’s manual and learn how to operate it ahead of time. This way, you can turn off all the loud “beeping” and “chirping” sounds that camera designers seem to think are clever and high-tech sounding. By reading the manual you can also learn how to turn off the camera’s flash and adjust it to take photos in low light situations, such as slide talks. A bright flash will only wash out the image on the screen and distract those around you. By learning how to use your camera,

CLAyTIMES·COM n MAY/JUNE 2007

During every presentation I attended at NCECA, people trooped in and out as if they owned the place. They talked on their mobile phones and amongst themselves, generally behaving as if they were alone and watching a DVD on their home television, not in a crowded hall listening to a live presentation. They seemed to think only of themselves, and to ignore the needs and desires of those around them. I was especially offended when I attended a slide talk given by a friend of mine. The talk took only 20 minutes, yet never for an instant was the entire hall quiet, or everyone seated. You blew it, folks—you missed a very

insightful talk about some of the strongest ceramic art ever produced—and through your inattentiveness you also prevented others from fully engaging with the presentation. This is rudeness, plain and simple. I know this sounds harsh, but I know of no other way to describe how two people could sit in the middle of a crowded hall and hold a full-voice conversation while those around them tried to listen to a lecture.

Perspectives I As Far As I Know

A Look at Conference Etiquette

Perspectives I As Far As I Know

you’ll not only be more discreet, you’ll also get better pictures.

“ he Buyers Market of American Craft has literally changed the way we live our lives. Over half our year’s schedule was filled at the show, and after the show ended we placed additional new gallery orders. I feel like I have a ‘real’ business and can have a ‘real’ home life.”

5. Avoid rattling candy or cough-drop wrappers. We all sometimes need to unwrap a cough drop during a presentation, but please don’t play with the wrapper afterwards. If we were curious about your sense of rhythm, we would have handed you bongos when you arrived.

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6. Don’t talk. Unless you are sitting on the stage, no one around you is dying to hear your insightful commentary, and we’re certainly not interested in hearing you and your friend catch up on old times. If you want to talk with your friend, then skip the event and head out to a coffee shop. That way you won’t be distracted by the presentation, and we won’t be distracted by your conversation.

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I’ll leave it to others to debate the cause of this behavior and whether it results from influence by the Internet, network television, or our current fascination with “multi-tasking.” Whatever its cause, it is inconsiderate and, like other human behaviors, it’s also close to universal. We’ve all probably broken one or more of these rules in the past, at least to some degree. I’m not asking that we suddenly become saints, just that we all try to become more aware of the effects of our actions on others. All we’re talking about here is respect: you would like to be treated with respect and consideration, and others would like the same treatment.

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In the next issue of Clay Times, I’ll return to the series I’m currently offering on glaze chemistry. In the meantime, thanks for listening to my rant, and I look forward to seeing each of you at next year’s NCECA. [ FOOTNOTES 1. The National Council on Education in the Ceramic Arts hosts a large national conference once a year, in a different city each time. You can find out more about this or future NCECA conferences at www.nceca.net.

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.

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Perspectives I Beneath the Surface

Conversations with Nick Joerling part one of a series by LANA WILSOn

Nick Joerling’s finished mugs, covered jar, and teapot (all pictured here) successfully capture and reflect the fluidity of the clay’s raw, malleable state.

his is the first of two articles from conversations gathered together over a few years.

Wilson: I’m always interested in potters’ work schedules. What is yours like?

Wilson: How often do you fire your 45cubic-foot gas kiln? Joerling: I’m on a five- to six-week firing cycle, depending on the interruptions. Wilson: How do you deal with the repetitive nature of studio production work? Joerling: As a young, yet-to-be potter around other aspiring potters, I remember for some people there was a real struggle with the production requirements of making a living. The ideal seemed to be a studio life unencumbered by the drudgery of repetition. But over the years, what is right for me is to be working on things in the studio that are new and other pieces that are familiar. Working exclusively on new pots, in which every detail about the piece is a decision, is too exhausting. But working only on old work is too boring. It doesn’t mean, of course, that the new pots

don’t have things in them that I’ve done before, or that the pots that are familiar aren’t open constantly to changing. It is the mix that I like, the familiar and the unfamiliar. It’s the nice back-and-forth between security and risk. Wilson: Could you talk more about security and risk? Joerling: Well, I simply mean whether in or outside the studio, we like a mix of the two, the proportion depending on who you are. Maybe this topic is contained in the question, “What has you eager to be in the studio?” I try to pay attention to and protect that. Part of the answer to the question is the sense

CLAyTIMES·COM n MAY/JUNE 2007

Joerling: I like to go to the studio every day. It may take me seven days to get to 40 hours, but working in the studio is something I enjoy. Many of the pots I make are labor intensive, and require attention throughout the making and drying process. I sometimes worry that pots I demonstrate during a workshop might be frustrating for people whose studio access is limited. Being in the studio daily gives me a rhythm. A nice momentum builds; one thing leads to another. Throwing pots takes the most concentration for me, so during the making cycle I like to throw in the morning, then put pots together in the afternoon. I sometimes describe myself as a handbuilder at heart, trapped in a wheelthrower’s body. Altering thrown work is when I have the most fun. Partly that is because I most enjoy touching the clay at that leather-hard stage. It is

also because of the posture: I’m upright, my body’s open, and I’m moving about. I like decorating and glazing for the same reason.

Perspectives I Beneath the Surface

of discovery that happens with new work. I probably give up income in the short term, but gain it in the long term—i.e., it has me wanting to do this for as long as possible. New work, of course, has its own growth cycle. Years ago, I would schedule a fair and I’d use the fair as a reason to work up some new things. I’d excitedly put out those new pots and happily sit next to them the first couple of hours, then I’d start to notice that, yeah they were new, but not very resolved. It’s easy early on to be blinded, figuratively speaking, by the shiny glare of new work. It can be hard to see. What I had to realize in regard to fairs is to take the work past the point of justborn. Let it gather a little maturity before putting it out there. So when I make a new thing, I need to let it mature and let it grow up to be 21. The piece may have maturity, but I need to keep going with it so that the subtle changes can happen. I can’t talk about new work I don’t quite know yet. I so much want to make it and I don’t want to get too sidetracked by my insecurities about it. The insecurity is going to come with making new work. I listen to my insecurity about new work all the time. Sometimes work is too fragile for me to talk about. Talking might influence the work. Occasionally, when I give workshops, I will make a new piece and then tell the students that my jury is out on this piece. I remember Tom Spleth’s reaction to his new work. He visited a class I was teaching with Silvie Granatelli at Penland. We asked Tom to come into class to show us his work. The older pieces he could talk about. But he also brought brand-new pieces. He was getting peppered with questions and suggestions, and he gently but firmly stopped the feedback about the latest work. He said the new pots were too new and fragile to talk much about, and engaging in conversation about it might shape it or stunt it or bend it in ways he might not want it to go. I have also learned from working in clay that things take time. That’s so contrary to the message that comes from general culture, which is all about “have it now, you deserve it.” The slow time obviously applies to the physical properties of clay, like drying and firing. But it also applies to other areas. It’s only over time that you can get to know a form, or get to know a glaze. Everything doesn’t occur to you all at once, and it’s the reason to stay with a form or a glaze over time.

CLAyTIMES·COM n MAY/JUNE 2007

1. perseverance; 2. self-criticism; 3. talent; and 4. knowing your sources. I remember that I was immediately relieved that talent was only 25% of his equation, because it was obvious I was not a natural thrower. We could make up our own list of necessary qualities, but when an aspiring potter, it was good for me to see that there were other traits to think about besides talent. I’m also quick to point out that Hughes was talking about characteristics necessary to make it as an artist, not what makes good art. In our case, great pots are coming from lots of people who aren’t doing clay full-time. And it’s not a hierarchy, as if working full-time in the studio was somehow a more lofty position than half- or quarter-time. Wilson: Where do your ideas come from?

Wilson: A couple of years ago when a few of us were working together for at week at Odyssey in Asheville, you mentioned the requirements necessary to be an artist.

Joerling: A lack of ideas has never been my problem. An overabundance is what I suffer from. I’ve thought that sometime I’d like to take out an ad in a ceramic magazine: “Need an idea? I’ve got plenty. Just send $5 and I’ll send you a good idea.” But I do like the reply that the poet William Stafford gave at a reading when someone asked what he did whenever the well went dry. He answered, “I lower my standards.” The audience laughed, but he filled out his response. He just keeps working and trusts that something will come from the process. It always does. I leave a sketchbook open and lying about the studio, to jot down if something occurs to me. It is where everything goes, without judgment. In the sketchbook all ideas are worthwhile—though, of course, not all the ideas are worth doing. [

Joerling: Robert Hughes is an art critic (who spoke at NCECA a few years ago) who used to write for Time magazine. Twentyfive years ago, he wrote an article where he listed four characteristics he thought were necessary to make it as an artist. I’m doing this from memory, but I think they were:

Lana Wilson is a studio potter and can be reached at lana@ lanawilson.com. Her Web site is www.lanawilson.com. If you are a clay parent, look at the new Web site, www.mudmamas andpapas.com, where you can post your thoughts or ask questions of others mixing claywork and parenting.

Wilson: What is your least favorite studio task?

Platter by Nick Joerling.

Joerling: Pricing. I think how much something costs was formed in me back in the ’60s and ’70s, so I’m always feeling out of step with the price of things. Pricing is one of those great topics that you would think is a simple conversation, but it is complex. There’s social pricing, self-esteem pricing, market pricing, and how-much-do-you-want-to-make-something pricing.

Waxing & Glazing PART TWO of a series • photos by rex looney

Necessary Supplies • a full sheet of newsprint • a heavyweight banding wheel • some wax-resist emulsion • two 1"-wide foam-sponge paintbrushes • a pair of scissors • a small, bristled paint brush • a small piece of natural sea sponge • a small plate or shallow bowl • a bulb syringe or squeeze bottle • a leaf • a glaze-spray tool • a small clean-up sponge • a container of clean-up water • two compatible glazes

As mentioned in my previous column, the request to share some decorating techniques was sprung on me at the last minute, derailing my pre-planned throwing demo. This now happens more and more often when the group, as a whole, advances their skill level. I then find I’m

“wingin’ it” a bit, and that fact I share with the class: “Sarah has just asked me to show her some more glazing techniques which she can use on the rest of her bowls. So, I’m going to use her bowls, which she is willing to donate to ‘the cause’ … and demo some things I learned a long time ago. These are techniques which I don’t use in my current work so, let’s see if we can all learn—and re-learn—them again.” As an instructor, I think it’s OK to not ‘know-it-all’ or be great at everything students ask of you. Learning a lesson together as a group—or one-on-one—can show them how you approach, work through, practice, and resolve an idea, whether it’s design, proportions, finishing, or glazing. If you can verbally express your thought process as you work forward, everyone benefits, including you. It always brings a smile to their faces when—or if—you don’t immediately succeed at each and every demo. “Wow, that’s cool. You screw up, too!” Yeah … that’s funny.

Waxing: Step One With my usual 15- to 20- minute demo time frame in mind, I gather the class around the glaze table. Placing a newspapercovered banding wheel in front of me, I roll through the first waxing step of each bowl (again, see all the details in the previous issue of Clay Times). I wax each foot edge and set the bowls aside, rim down, on an open, full sheet of clean newsprint to dry. “Why the newspaper?” someone asks. “Like the top surface of our banding wheel, our glaze table also has some residual wax spots on its surface; I don’t want the porous rims of my bowls to pick up any of that wax. That’s trouble and you’ll certainly see it when you begin the glazing step. So, a clean, newspaper-covered surface is advised here.” Typically, by the time I’ve waxed the fifth and last bowl, the bowl I waxed first is nearly dry. To give them just a bit more drying time, stir up the two glazes you’ll be using to dip and layer onto each bowl.

The Pots Each of Sarah’s 1-lb.-8-oz. bowls has a smooth, slightly burnished, outside wall surface (this prevents pin-holes in the fired glaze surface). All the bowls have a trimmed, pedestal foot. They’ve been bisque-fired to cone 08. I explain that, “Each of the decorating ideas I’m about to demo can also be used on other forms, too: bottle shapes, plates and platters, tumblers and mugs … pots large and small. As you’re throwing the pots you’re planning to decorate later, keep in mind that a smooth wall surface is a real advantage. Fingertip throwing lines will often compete visually with your added decoration, so this is something to be aware of early on.”

Glazing: Step One With one fingertip at the rim and a thumbhold at the foot edge, dip each bowl, in turn, into the bucket of base-coat glaze. I often count out, “one … two … three,” then slowly slide the bowl from the glaze. Place it upright onto the table and dab a drop or two of glaze over the bare rim mark caused by your finger hold. Move through the base glazing of all the bowls, one after the other. “Note that I’m using the same glaze as a base coat for each bowl. But I have discovered the two glazes can be easily interchanged: my base glaze could be used as the top ‘over-dip’ glaze, which expands the color palette of the finished bowls.” Using your small sponge, clean the waxed foot area of each bowl and set them upright onto a clean table surface.

CLAyTIMES·COM n MAY/JUNE 2007

his column further describes some lessons I’ve taught to a classroom of budding pottery students about decorating the bowls they’ve made using wax resist and two glazes (see Part 1,“Waxing & Glazing,” in the March/April ’07 issue of Clay Times).

by BILL van GILDER

In Form I Teaching Techniques

More Classroom Methods

In Form I Teaching Techniques

want them too close together nor too far apart. ‘Random’ is good. We want the strokes to resemble grasses, so crossed-over, mixedup waxed lines is the goal” (Fig. 2).

Decorating Bowl #2

Remove your wax-lined bowl from the banding wheel and set up the second bowl in its place.

“To achieve a much more organized, linear waxed pattern, I’m going to first cut several pointed ‘teeth’ into one of these sponge brushes.” Use the scissors to angle-cut three to four slots into the sharp edge of the brush. Dampen it with water, dip ½" of it into the wax, and slowly stroke a series of grouped lines down the side of the bowl (Figs. 3 & 4). How much space you leave between each ‘grouping’ and the next is your call.

Decorating Bowl #3 Lift your bowl from the banding wheel stand and put bowl #3 in its place.

CLAyTIMES·COM n MAY/JUNE 2007

This third bowl is going to be decorated like some bowls your Grandma may have in her kitchen. It’s a pretty well-known technique; the decorated pots are called ‘spongeware.’

“You’ve just watched me glaze this series of bowls in a rather repetitious way, and I’d like to explain my thinking about that way of working. As a production potter, I was taught to be efficient by making a group of pots in an organized way, one step at a time, pot after pot. I wax, glaze, fettle, and decorate with a sense of repetition. And I make my pots on the wheel the same way. Why? It’s the quickest way to develop your ‘voice’ in clay, showing who you are and what you have to say within your work. We all have a ‘style’ and making six, or better yet, a dozen bowls at a time will help you develop that style in a timely manner versus making one pot at a time. This is something to think about as you prepare for your next project.”

Waxing: Step Two “As I did during last week’s bowl-glazing demo, I’ll now paint bands of wax at the base, at the top rim, and inside the top edge of each bowl.”

With all the bowls banded, show the class the tools you’ll be using. “One tool—one decorating technique. I call this first decoration ‘Grasses.’ ”

Decorating Bowl #1 Place your first bowl upside-down and over a 5" or 6" tall ‘stand,’ which is centered on the banding wheel. My ‘stand’ happens to be a bisque-fired cylinder, but almost anything will do as long as it’s taller than your bowl’s height and wide enough to support the bowl. (By elevating the bowl from the banding wheel, you protect the rim from chip damage.) Using a damp, cheap children’s paint brush, randomly stroke wax lines over and completely around the bowl’s outside wall (Fig. 1). “I find it best to slowly brush the wax in a foot-to-rim direction. I’m more mindful of the negative spaces between the strokes than I am of the actual brush strokes. I don’t

Pour about ½ cup of wax emulsion into a small plate or very shallow bowl. Dampen a small piece of heavily textured sea sponge and dip one side of it into the plate of liquid wax. Then, sponge on a random texture pattern around the wall of the bowl (Figs. 5 & 6). You might advise that during these sponging steps, the bowl can be held in place on the banding wheel using a light fingertip pressure at the bowl’s foot. It’s easy to overdo this sponging step, so I point out that “less is more” here. Leaving some open spaces between each spongedon area and the next is a good idea.

Decorating Bowl #4 and #5 “These last two bowls will be decorated using techniques that don’t involve wax. I’ll replace bowl #3 with bowl #4 on the banding wheel, and load some of my second glaze color into this siphon blower (the oral spray can pictured in Fig. 7). I’ll hold this sprig of leaves against the wall of the bowl and spray

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In Form I Teaching Techniques

Waxing and Glazing, continued from page 30 a solid mist of glaze over and around it (Figs. 7 & 8). Pretty cool, huh?”

Reposition the leaf several times, and at different angles, around the bowl and cover it and the surrounding area with a misted spray of glaze. Carefully fettle away the misted glaze from the waxed bands, especially at the bowl’s foot.

Decorating Bowl #5 Place the last bowl, centered and level, onto the banding wheel.

“To decorate Sarah’s last bowl, I’m going to load this soft, rubber bulb syringe with some thick over-dip glaze. I’m then going to slowly squeeze some trailed lines down the outside wall of the bowl. I start by first positioning the tip of the bulb at the edge of the waxed foot band. Now, a slow, constant squeeze as I watch the bead slide to the rim … and stop. Move the tip over about ¼" and squeeze again (Figs. 9 & 10). I’ll continue the trailing around the bowl until I get back to where I started.

a bit of very subtle, textured relief to the surface. You can use this trailing technique down the inside curve of your bowls, too. That’s a very traditional method of decoration still used today, in Japan.”

Glazing: Step #2 Lastly, “We’ve got to dip bowls #1, 2, and 3 into the second glaze color. Holding the foot of each bowl, slide them in and quickly out of the glaze, in turn. Shake them side-to-side to clear the waxed surfaces of wet glaze, and set them upright to dry. These are just five ideas. Combine them or invent your own versions of what I’ve shown you here. There are plenty of possibilities!” [ 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

Like bowl #2, this linear effect is pretty bold. But unlike the second bowl, these trailed lines will, when glaze-fired, sit on top of the underglaze. This adds

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Tips for Waxing & Glazing

CLAyTIMES·COM n MAY/JUNE 2007

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Allow all your applied wax resist to dry fully–at least 10 to 15 minutes.

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Avoid touching waxed designs that have been applied over dry glaze. Though dry, the wax remains ‘tacky’ and will easily stick to your fingertips, pulling the glaze from the pot where touched.

•

Make sure your liquid glazes are ‘lump-free’ and well-stirred.

•

All second glaze coatings, or ‘double-dips,’ are done quickly: 1 to 2 seconds. Applications that are too thick will flake off during drying or run excessively during the glaze firing.

•

When trailing, fill your glaze-trailing tool with the thicker, settled glaze drawn from the bottom of your unstirred glaze bucket.

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Practice glaze trailing on a full sheet of newsprint to gain a sense of glaze flow and learn start-and-stop flow techniques.

It’s never too early to start!

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Carving Her Niche:

Natalie Blake STORY By Suzanne Kingsbury • PHOTOS BY Matt Maranian

Natalie Blake’s 1800-sq.-ft. studio is located in a converted mill at the base of the small New England arts town of Brattleboro, Vermont. There she works as part of an artists’ collective that includes internationally recognized glass blowers, visual artists, and musicians. Her work has been exhibited and collected throughout the continental United States

as well as in Puerto Rico, Hawaii, the British West Indies, and New Zealand. She is the recipient of many awards, and her work has been acquired by the permanent collections of several museums. International travel to a myriad of host countries has greatly influenced her work. At age

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ich colors, sculptural lids, and a fluid carving style are all recognizable features of Natalie Blake’s pottery. Her work is at once modern and classical, aqueous and lushly verdant; the visible result of years spent developing her artistic voice through international travel, apprenticeships, and formal training.

Carved Ocean Vessel. 9½" x 4" x 4".

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Monarch. 15" x 11" x 11".

13, Blake moved with her parents to the West Indies, where she attended public school. After high school graduation, she backpacked through South America for a year, teaching art to children in Ecuador. In 1992, having earned a degree in ceramics and painting from Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio, she spent a year as a Thomas J. Watson Fellow traveling in Korea, Nepal, India, and Indonesia, studying ceramics with rural women. She worked with the Sasak women of Lombok, Indonesia using traditional methods of forming water vessels with a stone and paddle. The intensity of colors from these countries, the contours of the landsape, and the designs of their textiles all infuse her pottery. Her work brings the viewer to distant lands with hues, ensigns, and lines.

Yellow Urchin. 15" x 13" x 13".

Natalie began scuba diving in 1998, and was impressed by the undersea world of outrageous color, pattern, and flamboyant textures—another experience to collect and pool into her artistic voice.

Stacked Vessels.

Stacked Girabaldi.

Carved through colored slips to contrast with the white porcelain underneath, Natalie’s current work is reminiscent of archetypal dream imagery. The viewer is, in one breath, taken on an intense and gorgeous journey from mythical to metaphorical.

Zazate. 14" x 11" x 11".

Blake’s vessels are hand-thrown on the wheel in porcelain clay. Forms selected for carving are brushed with a thick wash of red iron oxide over the entire surface and dried. A freehand design is then drawn in graphite directly onto the surface of the vessel, followed by the carving away of the

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“I attribute the simplicity of my forms to a desire that my vessels have a whole and graceful presence,” she remarked. “I want my work to make a bold and prominent statement, yet reserve restful composure. My first influence in college, Susan Balboni, referred to the vessel as a spirit keeper. The concept of the vessel as the safeguard of the space inside is prevalent in all my work.”

“Creating a piece that conveys fullness and ripeness, finding out what the surface has to say by the drawing I lay over it, invites the next adventure.” are applied in varying concentrations to allow the color to pool and grab the surface, adding a final element of breadth and dimension. “I’m interested in giving voice to subconscious experiences through free drawing on the thrown vessel. I use the thrown form as a canvas; images are influenced by the same intuitive tools used to create three-dimensional as well as twodimensional expressions. The particular curves of the thrown piece influence the movement of the pencil over soft clay.”

PHOTO BY KIQE BOSCH

Other projects in Blake’s life bring momentum and dynamism to the everyday process of making things—a long and never-ending path of creative conception worked into realization.

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After throwing her forms on the wheel, Vermont potter Natalie Blake paints them with colored slip. Once the slip is dry enough, she draws her design on the surface with graphite, then carves away the negative space to create a design of depth and texture.

drawing’s negative space, using the process called sgraffito. The piece is then low-fired, layered with a thin wash of glaze, and is finally high-fired for 14 hours to 2130º F (cone 5-6). “My aim with every piece is to create a sense of depth, dimension, and luminosity within each design,” Blake said. “Glazes are applied in thin layers over the carved surface, allowing for a subtle glow to its final coloration, as though the piece is illuminated from within. Each lid is handthrown and handbuilt ... to match the

unique scale of its companion vessel. Sea forms, forests, natural landscapes, and skylines inspire the sculptural elements I create for the lids.” Along with her wheel-thrown forms, Blake also makes handbuilt sculpture and wall tiles. “Most recent explorations have translated all those techniques onto wall panels: large slabs of porcelain clay are layered over pre-existing forms of my design to create an undulating topographical surface,” she said. “The sgraffito technique is used to accentuate the forms, and glazes

“In recent years, I purchased a 1929 Catholic Church outside Brattleboro and launched a fullscale makeover of the building. It is home to me and my German Shepherd, Tank, as well as dinners, events, and gatherings. Now that the church is mostly finished, my next adventure is the purchase of an old, historic mill building in downtown Brattleboro. With my business partner, glassblower Randi Solin (www.solinglass.com), we will return it to the function and character of the industrial manufacturing space for which it was built. Together we formed Fulcrum Arts, LLC, which will provide open studio space with live glassblowing demonstrations and classes in clay and glass. There will be a gallery and cafe, as well as some artists’ residence space, and it will be part of a larger arts collaboration currently brewing in Brattleboro. “Our aim is create a destination where collectors and students can engage in the experience of creating an object from raw material to finished work. Fulcrum Arts will strive to become the premiere center for fine craft collecting and fine craft education in Southern Vermont. [ For more information about Natalie Blake and her work, visit her Web site at www.natalieblake.com, or email info@natalieblake.com. More on her Fulcrum Arts project may be found at www.fulcrumarts.net. Suzanne Kingsbury is a novelist, essayist, and short story writer. She lives in Brattleboro, Vermont.

Sound of the Earth: Ceramic Musical Instruments

Ocarinas by Rich and Sandi Schmidt.

“T

extremely strong and acoustically resonant. This is what endows clay musical instruments with their unique tone—the sound of earth itself.” Such are the words of Barry Hall, author of From Mud to Music (see book review, page 65), and curator of “Sound of the Earth,” an exhibition of handmade ceramic musical instruments recently held at the Brookfield Craft Center in Brookfield, Connecticut. The artists whose works were featured in this show include: Don Bendel, Frank Giorgini, Ward Hartenstein, Rod Kendall, Rob Mangum, Brian Ransom, Susan Rawcliffe, Sharon

Rowell, Steve Smeed, Lori and Troy Raper, Sandi and Richard Schmidt, and Barry Hall. Much of their work draws inspiration from ancient instruments. All of the instrument families, including winds, strings, and percussion, were represented in this exhibition. A sampling of works featured in the exhibition appears through page 41. To learn more about the show, email the Brookfield Craft Center at: info@brookfieldcraftcenter.org. [

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he process of turning clay into a musical instrument involves a magical combination of what the ancient Greeks determined were the four basic elements: earth, water, air, and fire. Clay is formed over millions of years, as rain slowly dissolves the Earth’s mountains. Other organic materials mix with the tiny stone particles, which give it the proper consistency to be molded into almost any shape—water jars and cooking pots, or flutes, drums, and horns. When this fragile earth-water mixture is combined with fire and air, a remarkable structural change occurs. The clay molecules rearrange into a “crystal lattice” that is

Ceramic Harmonic Resonator by Brian Ransom

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Conundrums 2 by Barry Hall

Double Ball by Barry Hall

Clockwise, from top: Clay Marimba by Ward Hartenstein Udu Drum by Rod Kendall Mokume F# Flute with Stand by Rod Kendall

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A Womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Clay Project in Thailand

Building A Banana Leaf Kiln by barbara j. allen

Photos (counterclockwise, from top left): Dried banana leaves are collected for use in firing; the bamboo armature is layered with newspaper dipped in slip; dried banana leaves are slip-glued to the kiln exterior.

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s a seasoned artist and educator, it has become essential to occasionally put aside my everyday routine and take a risk that rips me far from the envelope of that comfort zone. When challenged and uncomfortable, faced with the unknowns of culture, language, and materials, we are forced to embrace intuition and trust in our creative process. In this place, the willingness to be fluid and adaptable will offer fertile ground for renewal.

Akha hill tribe women living in Chaingrai province, Thailand. While rich in culture, the Akha struggle to survive under impoverished conditions. Cultivating rice and gathering food from the jungle are often not enough to sustain a family, let alone a village. Tragically, some children are led by desperation into a life of prostitution to help feed their families. The foundation believed that ceramics could become a desirable alternative and viable addition to the Akha economy.

With this in mind, I accepted a challenge from the Akha Womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Foundation to facilitate a ceramics cooperative for the

The Akha have no known tradition of ceramics, but are well-practiced in intricate stitchery techniques. I trusted that with

basic handbuilding skills and a good kiln, the women could produce several unique products of beautiful and well-crafted work. My non-negotiables were that the women must have a safe and pleasant workspace. Also, the atmosphere could not be of subservience and intimidation, but one that would inspire innovation and experimentation. My hope was to encourage these women to work from the heart and to draw on their Akha tradition of design and embellishment as an anchor. Funding was forwarded for securing a wellequipped studio space with a sealed concrete

floor, along with the purchase of clay, glazes, and a high-fire gas kiln. Everything was to be in place upon my arrival, as I would have only a short time to spearhead the project. When I arrived in Chaingrai province, two possibilities awaited me. After a picturesque ride into the mountains, I reached the Akha village of Saen Chai Pattana. There I was presented with an open space cut from the jungle, where six holes were dug for posts. In place of the posts stood a cow, and she was grazing where the concrete floor should have been. Back at the Akha Cultural Center on the outskirts of Chaingrai City, a little more progress had been made. I was proudly shown a partially open space under a makeshift thatched roof dormitory containing one small table, two buckets, three wild dogs, and a mongoose in a cage! No clay, or kiln; but standing on the “floor” up to their ankles in sand, were five Akha women eager to begin.

work emerge from the fire, any hope of a continuing commitment for the cooperative would be lost. While Mr. Wo and Suketch were pushing for the building of a traditional dragon kiln and the foundation’s hard-won dollars to fund it, I was contemplating a far more immediate and simplistic solution. These five women were being trained to teach others in the Akha villages. They needed a kiln that would work in that environment; one that could be easily built from natural materials, gathered from the surrounding jungle. However, there were a few essentials for this particular firing that could not be compromised: an iron grate, a

Akha women wrap their clay ocarinas in dried banana leaves prior to firing.

makeshift kiln shelf, dry combustibles, and a few dozen bricks. It was frustrating not being able to secure these needed supplies, and we were running out of time. I decided to talk about the project to everyone who I thought might speak some English. I spoke on the songthao, a small pick-up that acts as a taxi, on my way to town. I spoke to people at Internet cafés and at the night market. I followed a group of Thai men coming out of a van marked with a local university’s logo in hope of finding out if they had a ceramics department. All of this proved fruitful as I began to hear of individual ceramic artists and teachers working in Chaingrai. One of the gentlemen in the van turned out to be the Dean of the University, who invited me to come and meet with the ceramics professors. There I received the amazing gift of a little copper carbonate, cobalt oxide, some flux, and a few broken

We had only a few days left to build and fire our kiln before I would have to return to the States. The best choice seemed to be a paper and clay teepee kiln with a brick firebox underneath it to control temperature. Suketch picked a spot on the compound, and the women gathered the small, crumbly bricks that were lying around and hauled them over. We used four bamboo poles, two of which were shorter than the others, to make a slanted roof covered with corrugated tin. This was to shelter our kiln from the inevitable rains that would fall during the firing. We began building the firebox six bricks high and two bricks thick, leaving two stoke holes two bricks wide opposite each other, and two openings one brick wide to help control air flow on the other two walls. The steel grate was placed on top of the bricks—along with our few precious broken kiln shelves—to keep the small pieces of work from falling into the firebox. Next, we constructed our armature with four bamboo poles scavenged from a half-empty fishpond. Right behind us was a huge four-pole bamboo ceremonial structure that stood several stories high. The Akha Hill tribes have a festival where they hang a swing from the middle of

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We decided to begin by making rattles and whistles with incised designs, depicting both Thai and Akha culture. These products seemed a good choice for the tourist trade at the night market. The women were being productive and were also enjoying their creative freedom; yet I felt that without a firing, this would be an exercise in futility. We had no kiln, and at this point there was no one to step in to continue the teaching process. Thus, the work might not be fired for months or more than likely, never fired at all. Without the excitement of seeing the finished

But we had another problem: our work was not drying. This was going to be a factor in deciding what kiln design to use. It was the rainy season in Thailand, and both the temperature and humidity hovered around 100, with little variation. It rained several times a day, and many evenings, a stiff wind blowing east from Burma harbored torrential downpours that lasted well into the morning. With the work still cool to the touch, a pit fire was too risky. We needed to be able to both candle and control the temperature climb. Frustrated that the combustibles I had been begging for had yet to materialize, I had an idea of how to secure at least one free commodity that would burn. The next morning, I asked the women to go into the jungle and collect dead banana leaves. They were perplexed and giggled amongst themselves as they dragged back armfuls of the stuff, which we put under the roof of our open workspace to dry. We also collected every bit of brush on the compound, but it was not going to be enough for a full day of firing. All I could do was to keep asking for fuel.

Adapting to the lack of a well-equipped studio required a change in priorities, and the first priority was to get some clay. My translator, Suketch, knew of a gentlemen, Mr. Wo, who managed a local ceramics factory and clay mining business. He had expressed interest in helping the Akha women. Several days after our formal meeting, he had his assistant, Ti, deliver two sacks of clay to the Akha Center. The women were quick to learn. Boom, the Center’s cook, was a warm-hearted, beautiful soul who made everyday enjoyable and filled with laughter. Aee, Suketch’s wife, was kind and considerate, willing to do anything asked of her. Miti was very artistic with a strong work ethic. Aaa, whose eyes were filled with intelligence, was studying English. Oui was already a professional craftswoman and had good instincts for running a business. I saw in these women a marked ability to convert their strong skills with needle and thread into working successfully with the clay. They would all be able to make a few specific wellcrafted products in a short period of time.

kiln shelves. We still did not have much, but I knew if I could just secure that grate and some combustibles, we could get the work fired.

firing was readily embraced. There was no room to place spirit figures at the base or top of the kiln, so instead we created bas-reliefs out of thickened slip on the kiln itself. The women sculpted water buffalo, cats, dogs, cows, snakes, elephants, and of course, a mongoose. Our kiln was now complete, and we were ready to begin the firing.

it and everyone takes a turn swinging. The women understood the construction of that structure, and we echoed the same technique of placement and lashing for ours. It proved to be very stable. We planned an early morning firing that would last late into the evening. The morning came in with a torrential downpour that turned the compound into a sea of mud. Sukech arrived with the five women slogging in behind him, but they arrived empty-handed. It took a bit of persuading to convince them that we were now at the 11th hour; and we could not fire the work without a good deal of something that would burn. Since there was no sawdust available, rice shaft was to be the alternative. Charcoal was plentiful and bamboo, wet as it was, would take the place of wood. As Suketch drove off in search of those materials, the women and I prepared the work for firing.

It was raining at this point, but our tin roof was holding. We introduced a small amount of brush into the firebox, and I spent a quiet moment calling up my own ancestors: my mother who had worked in ceramics, and the collective energy of all those ceramists and potters who have gone before us to guide us through the firing. The ancestors must have been listening, because just at that moment, Mr. Wo appeared with a truckload of wood scrap and bamboo for fuel.

In Thailand, many foods are wrapped in fresh banana leaves and then roasted over a fire. This protects the food and keeps it moist. The leaves are very strong and flexible, even after turning brown. We did not need any more moisture added to the work, so we took some of the dead banana leaves the women had gathered and wrapped the driest of our whistles and rattles in them, then tied them with some thread. This would offer some protection during the beginning of the firing, and perhaps add a bit of flashing as well.

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With the basic armature complete, we put our first layer of rice shaft on top of the broken kiln shelves, and placed some of the wrapped work on top of that. A little copper carbonate was sprinkled on top of the “banana rolls” along with a few small, rusty pieces of iron for color. Then more rice shaft was added with several pieces of charcoal poked into the mix. A few sheets of dry banana leaves and banana peels from breakfast completed the first layer.

Next, we sprinkled a small amount of salt around the perimeter, careful to keep it far away from the actual work. Salt fuming can offer beautiful pink and orange flashing, but at low-fire, salt can also destroy the work if it directly contacts it during firing. We continued this layering process until all of the work was placed in the kiln, finishing it off by filling the tee-pee with rice shaft almost to the top. We completed the armature with an old bamboo mat, taking the narrow pieces and placing them all around the

Scrap brick is used to construct the firebox (top photo); an armature is made from bamboo. outside of the structure. Lastly, we bound the structure with some thin steel wire so that it would hold together in order to accept the “skin.” Next, we mixed the slip, placing powdered clay into a bucket with water, and adding rice shaft for body. Then we dipped newspaper into the slip, several sheets at a time, and placed it around the armature. Unfortunately, the newspaper did not hold up very well. We still had many dry banana leaves, and in a moment of inspiration, we tried some. They worked perfectly, easily holding the slip and staying in place. We decided to alternate the eight layers with these different materials. Our finished kiln was a beautiful sight, but one important element was missing. I wanted to introduce the concept of the kiln spirit to the participants. In Thailand, spirit houses are ubiquitous. You will find them perched on pillars in front of homes and businesses. It is a place for ancestral spirits to reside, and daily offerings are given to honor them while they watch over you. Therefore, the concept of a spirit to protect the work during the

The willingness to be adaptable has its advantages and its surprises as well. I was familiar with how wood and sawdust would perform in this type of firing, and made the mistake of assuming that bamboo and rice shaft would give similar results. Very quickly, there seemed to be a lot of moisture being driven off and soon the kiln was enveloped in what seemed to be a fog. I assumed the moisture from the wet bamboo armature was the cause, and I was trying very hard to keep the fire under the kiln lit, but evenly low and spread out. No one had told me that rice shaft catches immediately, or that burning bamboo, especially wet bamboo, explodes. In very short order, the rice shaft caught fire and the wet bamboo went off like a rocket with small pieces of the exposed armature shooting into the air. Smoke and steam obliterated the area and we quickly stopped the stoking from below. Within an hour, the kiln lilted to the right and began to sink. With that, so did my spirit. These kilns do slowly lilt and sink, but hopefully not for many hours into the firing. Yet, I just kept telling myself to trust the process. The work was well-protected and we had placed none of it in the middle of the structure, thinking that the middle might catch fire first. People had been firing successfully in primitive kilns for thousands of years with all kinds of materials for fuel. Still, with the intermittent gunshot sounds of exploding bamboo, it was hard to stay fully present in the journey and not think about the outcome—or my reputation as a teacher / ceramist. I saw Ti in the distance drawing kiln designs for the women, pointing and talking rapidly while shaking his head; Mr. Wo was

observing the scene, looking bemused.

smoldering, and the women were amazed it was still standing. After enjoying a lovely breakfast of sticky rice and pineapple, we all began peeling back the skin which now resembled a paper wasp’s nest.

Suketch kept questioning me as to whether the product would be “good.” I didn’t know how to answer him. I was unfamiliar with everything: The clay body, the firing materials, the combination of the few chemicals and flux I had managed to get my hands on for colorants. It was hard to imagine explanation of the western concept of embracing surprise in these experimental situations. I chose not to. The rice shaft had been compacted pretty heavily in our kiln, and clearly it was not all burning. We had shut off much of the air from the bottom by filling the stoke holes and air vents with brick, and at this point it looked like the kiln was burning from the top down.

There were gasps of delight as each piece was birthed from the remains. The work was beautiful. Mingled with the grays and natural eggshell colors of the fired clay body, the whistles and rattles had been kissed by flashes of deep satiny blacks, streaks of rich browns, soft tans, and a smattering of pinks and oranges. Some of the Mason® stains had stayed true, while others had changed color in surprising ways. The women now held their work like sacred objects, marveling over their richly mottled surfaces. The songs of whistles and rattles filled the air, blending with a chorus of glee and wonder.

Sometimes these kilns are fired in this way. There was a lot of reduction present, which might cause nice flashing, and the “skin” was drying out, especially near the top. I decided to let it go for a while and see what happened, knowing that even if every piece of work exploded, we’d still derive some valuable information from the outcome.

This time, there was no translation needed to convey our collective sense of pride and accomplishment. The women proudly took their best works and placed them in the Akha Center visitor’s area where other crafts were for sale. The Akha women who took part in this project now have the knowledge, using simply what is naturally available in their immediate environment, to build a single-use kiln that can be put up anywhere, in any village. This could empower them economically by having the ability to produce beautiful ceramic products with very little overhead.

We had an unusual visitor that kept us company. I like to think it was a kiln spirit that manifested itself as a lovely yellow butterfly. It flitted about amongst us and then settled quietly on the cooled ashes next to the kiln, where it stayed for several hours. I felt its presence as a bright light of promise on that very gray day. Firing in process (top); leaning kiln after firing (middle); fired clay whistles & ocarinas (bottom).

passing cone 05 because it was then that the heat would become very uncomfortable. At this point, our grate was glowing red and beginning to buckle at the stokeholes. We continued to stoke in earnest for the next hour, hoping to gain some temperature. The kiln was holding well and sinking slowly, but the grate was now glowing bright orange and sagging in the middle. We still had enough internal fuel left to fire for several more hours, but it was at this point Suketch chose to share with me that the grate was only rated to 1000º C, and I knew we had gone well beyond that. We had no choice but to shut the kiln down. It was now 1 a.m., and we had completed a 13-hour firing. The success of that firing, however, was still very much in question. The next day, everyone arrived early in anticipation. The kiln was hot and

The most important lesson learned here is not to take on a journey such as this with preconceived expectations, and not to attach one’s self-worth to the outcome. As visiting artists/teachers, our role is to offer to plant seeds—we are often no longer present when that harvest is reaped. What is to be done with what has been offered is for others to decide. I have chosen to attach myself to what has been offered to me through this experience, and to embrace the surprise. [ For further information and volunteer opportunities connected with this project, visit: www.akhawomensfoundation.com.

CLAyTIMES·COM n MAY/JUNE 2007

It was late afternoon now, and Ti and Mr. Wo had long taken their leave, assuming this firing had been a failure. At sunset, I told the women they could go home. I asked Suketch if he would stay the course with me, even if it took all night. Having invested so much time and effort, he agreed. Eight hours into the firing, the kiln continued to smolder from the top. The entire kiln was hot to the touch and the hundreds of tiny ants that had chosen to inhabit its skin were now looking parched and crunchy. We opened up the stoke holes and began stoking slowly with bamboo and some wood scraps. Eventually our little kiln found its rhythm and we stoked accordingly. By midnight, we had a nice flame rising from the top and the journey now felt familiar and right. I could not look into the kiln to read the flame or color of the work. Gauging temperature relied on listening to the feeling of the heat on my body when I was stoking. Intuition honed by years of firings told me that we were

I do not know what will happen in the future. I have been told that the women are working, that a teacher has been found to continue the learning process, and that another firing has taken place. I hope the work will continue and the Akha Women’s Clay Cooperative can become a sustainable reality. To say it is difficult for these women to achieve a sense of financial or creative autonomy in such a patriarchal traditionalist culture is an understatement. The cooperative model may need to flow in another direction to become a viable addition to the Akha economy.

ROPE TRICKS Making Great Impressions

STORY, photos, & art by HALLDOR E. HJALMARSON

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arly vessels were often formed by pressing moist clay into baskets, leaving the imprint of the woven material on the surface of the clay pot. Potters also found that they could “roll” a segment of rope over the surface of a clay object and obtain interesting textures and patterns. Sometimes, clay coils were twisted into “ropes” and attached as linear elements in decorating surfaces of the clay creation. The relationship between woven baskets and clay vessels has been evident over the course of ceramic history.

My work shows a compulsive need to embellish the surface and, along with techniques of sprigging, texturing, and marking the clay, I have developed the following technique of making rope and twine impressions in my vessels. A cylinder is thrown and the excess slip is removed with a rib, then rope or twine can be wound around the cylinder as it slowly rotates on the potter’s wheel. Various flexible linear or rope-like materials, as well as combinations of

them, may be used in this technique. They may be knotted or distorted as desired. The winding can start a few turns above and continue a turn or two below the area to be impressed, and can be temporarily held in place with small dabs of clay. Wrapping the encased cylinder with an elastic cloth bandage keeps the material in place as work continues. With the wheel spinning, pressure from fingers and ribs can then be exerted from the inside, pressing the surface of the cylinder into the sleeve of rope or twine and imprinting their textures and patterns into the clay. After the cylinder is imprinted and the sleeve removed, throwing may continue, taking care not to disturb the textured surface. As the vessel enlarges, so does the texture, and interesting images often result. Impressed thin areas expand more than raised areas, and the texture size is larger at the wide belly. A smooth inside and rim can create a plain background which gives the eye a place to rest and accents the textured image.

2. Rope or twine is wound around the cylinder.

3. Small dabs of clay may help hold the linear material in place.

4. An elastic cloth is wrapped around the linear material.

5. As the wheel spins, pressure is applied with fingers and ribs from the inside, pushing the clay into the rope.

6. The rope and elastic cloth are removed. continued on next page

CLAyTIMESÂˇCOM n MAY/JUNE 2007

1. A cylinder is thrown and excess slip is removed.

CLAyTIMES·COM n MAY/JUNE 2007

7. The cylinder is examined and “touched up” if necessary.

8. As the cylinder spins, it is expanded by pressure from the inside (exterior pattern is blurred in photo by wheel motion).

9. Care is taken to not disturb the texture as ribs are used to form the vessel (again, wheel is in motion in photo, above).

10. Accent marks and finishing touches are made.

Note: All bowls are fired to cone 10 in a reduction atmosphere. They are made from Laguna B-Mix clay with no sand. [

Halldor E. Hjalmarson is a studio potter who resides and works in the historic Roosevelt Neighborhood of Phoenix, Arizona. He may be contacted at email: hjalmarsonpottery@cox.net. 11. The texture is enlarged as the vessel expands.

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.

Lithium Matte ê cone 06-5 oxidation

Lithium Carbonate Bentonite Borax Custer Feldspar

70.0% 15.0 10.0 5.0

TOTAL

100.0%

add Chrome Oxide

8.0%

Colors range from a crusty yellow at cone 06 to a runny (careful!) volcanic black at cone 5. Gives hare’s fur effect when layered on top of other glazes.

Glossy Jade ê cone 5-6 oxidation

Potash (Custer) Feldspar 44.45 Barium Carbonate 22.17 Gerstley Borate 11.09 Silica 11.09 EPK 11.20 TOTAL

Jade Anguilla by Natalie Blake. Glossy Jade Glaze lightly sprayed over Sgraffito Slip.

100.00%

add Zinc Oxide Copper Carbonate Bentonite

10.97 10.50 2.00

TOTAL ê cone 3-5 oxidation

TOTAL

100.00%

This glaze can appear mauve or burgundy in color.

50.0% 50.0 100%

Looks red when applied, but fires to a black appearance. Apply to pots before they dry.

éé Should be suitable for functional and decorative/ sculptural pottery. è Questionable for use on functional pottery. Test thoroughly before using. ê Limit to use on decorative/ sculptural work.

Gerstley Borate EPK Silica TOTAL

63.0% 15.0 22.0 100.0%

Without any oxides, this engobe is non-toxic and works well in the classroom. For colors, add stains in small percentages and test.

All glazes on this page were furnished by Natalie Blake.

CLAyTIMES·COM n MAY/JUNE 2007

Whiting 44.93% Gerstley Borate 23.37 Tin Oxide 16.78 Volcanic Ash 6.52 China Clay 4.37 Bentonite 2.24 Potassium Dichromate 1.79

cone 04 oxidation

cone 5-6 oxidation

Red Iron Oxide Gerstley Borate

Weideman Red Matte

Amazing Engobe

Sgraffito Slip

Hot Stuff I On Exhibit

Art Pot of the

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Why not feature dinnerware with a gourmet meal?

Plate by Claudia Reese. Food arranged and prepared by Zoot Restaurant chef Stewart Scruggs.

BY RYAN McKERLEY

The five Austin potters who will open their studios for this event are also its founders. They are Marian Haigh, Ryan McKerley, Lisa Orr, Rebecca Roberts, and Claudia Reese. These founding potters invited two others from Texas to participate, Chris Campbell and Diana Kersey. All 11 guest clay artists are new to the tour this year. Their pottery is rarely seen in Austin or central Texas, and they collectively offer a smorgasbord of ceramic styles and techniques using earthenware, stoneware, and porcelain clays. Each year represents an exceptional opportunity to meet these nationally known artists and discuss their particular aesthetic, while viewing a large representative body of their work.

Diamond Teapot by Lorna Meaden.

Hot Stuff I On Exhibit

“A

and the human hand that holds or serves it. A strong appreciation for this intimate art has developed in other areas of the country, and “Art of the Pot” founders are hoping to broaden awareness locally by bringing the finest potters to Austin. The common conviction these artists share is that every vessel—no matter how ordinary—can be imbued with grace, thoughtfulness, history, balance, joy, and the hand of sure craftsmanship that comes from years of experience and observation.

ustin—Art of the Pot 2007” is the fourth annual tour of five Austin pottery studios to be held Mother’s Day weekend, May 12 and 13, from 10 am to 5 pm both days. This free studio tour is a unique opportunity for the public to view the handmade ceramics of 16 exceptional local and national artists.

Brochures with maps identifying each of the five participating studios will be available at Austin Museum of Art (both locations), Women and their Work Gallery, Umlauf Sculpture Garden, Armadillo Clay, Clayways Studio and Gallery, Sunset Canyon Pottery,

Out-of-state guest ceramists include Victoria Christen (OR), Ben Culbertson (NJ), Kowkie Durst (OR), Bill Griffith (TN), Nicholas Joerling (NC), Robbie Lobell (WA), Lorna Meaden (CO), Kari Radasch (ME), and McKenzie Smith (FL).

The idea for the tour developed because the founders noticed a lack of exposure in the Austin/central Texas area to the range of ceramic talent that exists not only in their midst, but nationally as well. Handmade utilitarian tableware serves not only as art to be admired from a distance, but it is also designed to work with both culinary items

Platter by Lisa Orr.

and additional venues. A printable map may also be found at the Web site at www.artofthepot.com. Admission to the event is free, and there will be a “passport” drawing with five winners who complete the tour. Images of a sampling of pots featured on the tour are pictured through page 53. [

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This year’s 2007 Mother’s Day Studio Pottery Tour is multidimensional, with several concurrent events. These include the tour itself, a related cookbook, a show at Austin-Bergstrom Airport, an artist residency at Reagan High School, and several public lectures. At each of the five stops on the tour, the founders will offer a cookbook featuring artistic collaborations between the potters and notable Austin chefs, such as Stewart Scruggs of Zoot Restaurant, and Martin Abundis of Chez Zee. The show at ABIA will feature similar images and pottery. One guest potter will be working in a local high school teaching ceramics for several days prior to the show. The Web site contains additional information.

Hot Stuff I On Exhibit CLAyTIMES·COM n MAY/JUNE 2007

Pictured on both pages, clockwise from above: Wide Jar by Bill Griffith; Platter by Nick Joerling; Cream and Sugar by Marian Haigh; Dessert Pots by McKenzie Smith; Roaster/Server by Robbie Lobell; Plate by Ryan McKerley and Dessert Dish by Kari Radasch. (Food arrangements pictured here were prepared by Donnie Hungerford, Executive Chef at the Headliner’s Club.)

CLAyTIMESÂ·COM n MAY/JUNE 2007

Readers Share I Art Works

The Gallery

Covered Cups. 5" tall. Slipcast in handmade molds. Red stoneware clay with fritted glaze fired to cone 4 in an electric kiln. Paul Eshelman, PO Box 455, Elizabeth, IL 61028. E-mail: eshelman@eshelmanpottery.com.

Untitled. 10" x 6" x 6". Wheel-thrown and altered porcelain with two airbrushed original glazes, fired to cone 6 in oxidation. Robert Lee Reckers, Salt Creek Pottery, 195 N. York, Elmhurst, IL 60126. E-mail: saltcreekpottery@worldnet.att.net.

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Large Egg. 24" long x 13" diameter. Slab-built with Dan Finchâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s sculpture clay mix, then carved, stained with acrylics, and sawdust fired. Kay Franz, Handbuilt Pottery, 3236 Lakewood Rd., Glen Allen, VA 23060. E-mail: kf@kaypottery.com.

Double Shell Dish. 4" x 8" x 9". Handbuilt porcelain, gas-fired. Gwendolyn Yoppolo, 512 12th St., 2nd Floor, Huntingdon, PA 16652. Email: gyoppolo@gmail.com.

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.)

Readers Share I Art Works

The Gallery

Teapot. 8" x 8" x 6". Thrown and altered white stoneware with brown slip and black glaze, fired to cone 6 in oxidation. Kenny Delio, 13 Temple Ave., Gloucester City, NJ 08030. Email: delio18@hotmail.com

Plate. 10" diameter. Wheel-thrown stoneware with slip and wax resist. Wood-fired with salt at Penland School of Craft, Penland, NC. Melissa Wehri, 428 N. 1st W., Missoula, MT 59802. Email: melissa@theclaystudioofmissoula.org.

Manga cum Sumo. 14" x 10" x 8". Red earthenware decorated with underglazes and satin matte clear glaze, fired to cone 04 in oxidation. Paul Frehe, 175 Independence Blvd., Asheville, NC 28805. Email: pfrehe@main.nc.us.

Three Pedestal Bowls and Tray. 5" x 19" x 9". Thrown and altered porcelain, assembled tray, multiple matte glazes, fired to cone 10 in reduction. Clay Leonard, 9651 Cambria Rd., Reading, MI 49274. Email: cfleonard@adrian.edu.

CLAyTIMESÂˇCOM n MAY/JUNE 2007

Untitled vase. 11" x 4Â˝". Stoneware fired to cone 9 in oxidation. Randy Borchers and Pooka Ness, Elk Hollow Pottery, 16008 Elk Hollow Rd., Viola, WI 54664. Email: elkhollow@mwt.net.

Beginners & Professionals

CLAyTIMES·COM n MAY/JUNE 2007

Olympic commercial electric and gas kilns are heavily insulated (6” of insulation and air space) for energy efficiency and built to last with heavy angle iron frames, stainless steel skins. The electric kilns have options for kiln sitter and limit timer, electronic controller, 480 volts, 3-phase, and 3- zone control. Olympic DownDrafts are designed to fire on propane or natural gas. Stainless steel or galvanized vent hoods can be added as option in addition to kiln sitter and timer, electronic control wall unit, pyrometer and blower burners. Olympic commercial electric kilns range in sizes from 5.5 – 53 cubic feet and the gas kilns range from 9-40 (useable space) cubic feet. Strong, Durable & Affordable!

Olympic Freedom kilns really free you up! Each Freedom kiln comes with their own emergency repair kit – 2 elements, crimping tool, pint of mortar, wiring schematic and extra thermocouple at not additional cost to you! And Freedom furniture kits contain shelves and posts to fit your kiln with a free bag of assorted stilts (33 stilts) for firing glaze ware. Freedom kilns are equipped with electronic controllers and fire to cone 10. Sizes range from 14” wide x 14” deep to 25” front to back, 37” wide x 27” deep.

www.greatkilns.com Contact an Olympic Kilns Distributor or Us for a Distributor Near You Today! Building the Finest Kilns for Your Creative Spirit! Sales 800-241-4400 Help Line 770-967-4009 Fax 770-967-1196 Email – info@greatkilns.com

Raku, bisque or glaze in Olympic raku gas kilns. The unique firing chamber keeps temperature hot inside the kiln even when opened. Sizes range from 18” to 28” wide to accommodate small to large pieces. Propane or natural gas.

by VINCE PITELKA

eriodically I write a column about new tools on the market, or a new perspective on standard tools already available. The NCECA conference always gets me thinking about what’s new, but I missed NCECA in 2005 and 2006 due to a little glitch with my leg, so I approached Louisville in March with wide-eyed innocence. It was a good time, and I saw some interesting new developments in studio tools and fixtures. Before getting to specifics, a brief disclaimer: I believe in patronizing locally-owned businesses and buying domesticallymade goods whenever possible. Some of the best tools available in the world are made in the USA, and it would be a mistake to assume that a cheaper imported version can serve the purpose as well. Almost invariably, you really do get what you pay for. At the same time, many of the tools recently being imported from East Asia are not available otherwise, and have expanded the possibilities for clay studio artists in the West.

Michael Sherrill’s flexible rubber and stainless steel ribs and scrapers were among numerous great finds at the 2007 NCECA conference.

An exciting addition to the Mudtools line is a range of stainless steel ribs and scrapers. It’s about time someone offered a selection of practical variations on the standard shapes. Sherrill has developed a range of useful profiles in stainless ribs, plus serrated-edged stainless scrapers in very practical shapes useful for accessing hard-to-reach spaces, and even a stainless rib with a convex edge, perfect for scraping and de-watering the outer surfaces of pots. At NCECA I also had the opportunity to handle some of Rick McKinney’s fine tool designs, sold as MKM pottery tools (www.mkmpotterytools.com). In addition to making beautiful pots, he has designed a range of very nicely-formed and finished wood and metal ribs, including a convex metal rib, plus a new selection of curved “CocoRibs” made from coconut shell. Ancient and tribal people often used curved ribs made from dried gourd, and these are the first I have found that approximate those in shape and function. I enjoyed admiring and fondling Phil Poburka’s splendid Bison tungstencarbide trimming tools at NCECA, but Phil and his tools will be the subject of an upcoming “Tool Times” column. In the meanwhile, have fun perusing his Web site at www.bisonstudios.com and marveling at how a guy whose life, language, and aesthetic are so firmly grounded in the 19th Century can make the finest trimming tools available today. At NCECA I always enjoy checking out the exquisitely-handmade brushes of Keith Lebenzon (www.brushman.net). I first saw his work 20 years ago at ACC West Springfield, and have been impressed by his consistent presence and professionalism ever since. He’s become

something of a legend among aficionados of the best handmade brushes. If you do exacting work involving brush application of glaze, patina, or other media, and if you appreciate beautiful one-of-a-kind handmade tools, you won’t mind paying the price for a Lebenzon original. In my own work I frequently use a fettling knife for trimming handbuilt work, cutting thick sections of clay or facets, scraping edges, and reaching in where a shorter knife won’t work. I’ve got some nice old hard-tempered steel fettling knives that taper in all three directions, as a fine knife should. At NCECA I was reminded that in buying a fettling knife today, it’s often luck-of-the-draw whether you get a hard-tempered knife or a soft, flimsy one. In the plethora of booths selling East Asian clay tools at NCECA in Louisville, the cheap fettling knives were generally poorly finished and flimsy. This piqued my curiosity, and an online search verified that the standard fettling knives made by Kemper and others are available in either hard-tempered steel or soft, bendable steel. Be sure to get the hard-tempered, unless you need a bendable one. The introduction of East Asian tools into the Western market has been a very good thing for both potters and sculptors. For some years, Korean Doo Woo tools (www.doowoo.com) have been available from a variety of suppliers. The large 27-piece professional potter’s set for $50 is an incredible bargain, and includes a number of tools available nowhere else. For handbuilding or for altering large thrown pots, I especially like the 10-piece Ongi set. Among the most enterprising and accommodating of Chinese tool import-

CLAyTIMES·COM n MAY/JUNE 2007

Some years ago, clay artist Michael Sherrill started producing a line of clay tools sold as Sherrill Mudtools (www.mudtools. com). Among the most popular are his rubber ribs, available in various densities. In general, I believe that the best tools are satisfying to use and to look at, and these ribs are very useful and just plain fun. We all know of the standard kidney-shaped rubber ribs made by youknow-who, available in only two sizes and degrees of stiffness. They work for certain applications, but how often do you wish you had one a little softer or firmer? Mudtools flexible ribs are available in four bright colors denoting very soft, soft, medium, and firm. I find them all useful, and once you have them, you will wonder how you got by with only two choices.

Shop Talk I Tool Times

New Products, New Ideas

Introducing the Paragon Iguana cone 10 easy-to-load digital kiln The new Iguana is a smaller, less expensive version of our popular Dragon kiln. The Iguana’s 18” wide, 18” deep, 22 ½” high interior fires rapidly to cone 10. The front-loading Iguana is easy on the back muscles. With the optional 22” high stand, the interior floor is a comfortable 34 ½” high. • Saves electricity with 3” firebricks. • Proportional power elements for more even heating • Heavy-gauge steel completely covers the bottom under the firebricks. • 1 ½” air gap between the The Paragon Iguana plugs into a standard switch box and kiln. 6-50R outlet, so you can fire it on the outlet Electrical components stay most studio kilns already use. cool and last longer. • Sentry 2.0 digital controller with controlled cooling 2011 South Town East Blvd., • Available in 200, 208, 220, Mesquite, Texas 75149-1122 240, 480 volts, 800-876-4328 / 972-288-7557 1 and 3 phase Toll Free Fax 888-222-6450 Call or email for a free www.paragonweb.com catalog. See your local Paraparagonind@att.net gon dealer.

ers is Guangzhen “Po” Zhou of Chinese Clayart (www.chineseclayart. com). As much fun as it is perusing his booth at NCECA, it can be a bit overwhelming with the crowds and the broad range of choices. A brief exploration of his online catalog will illuminate a wide range of possibilities. I especially like the tools fashioned of buffalo-horn, including ribs, modeling tools, and larger “horns.” The latter are extremely useful for manipulating and smoothing clay in large-scale coil construction and modeling. Check out the adjustable circle cutter and the adjustable parallel cutter, each available in cheap bamboo or plastic, or a more expensive hardwood version with brass fittings. I prefer the latter. The parallel cutter is excellent for quickly slicing long strips of slab for various needs, including fast “coil” construction using strips in place of rolled or extruded coils. The inexpensive Chinese round and square brass hole cutters available in sets are simple and effective, far more so than the standard wood-handled tubular ones available from most domestic suppliers. With the latter, you must remove the plug from the cutter each time to maintain efficiency, whereas with the Chinese open-sided design it is a non-issue. When rolling slabs by hand, it is essential to pound the clay out flat before using a rolling pin. This is very hard on your hands and arms over time, and can be done instead with one of the heavy Chinese hardwood mallets with one flat side, specifically made for this purpose. Pounding the clay flat with this tool is great therapy, and even if you use a slab roller, treat it kindly by reducing the clay to a semi-flat mass before feeding it into the machine. There is a variety of other useful tools available on the Chinese Clayart Web site, but I’ll leave it up to you to discover them, and close with a brief mention of East Asian brushes. I don’t know if the Chinese invented the paint brush, but they have certainly made them and used them as well as anyone. The ones available from online ceramic suppliers are not high-end Chinese brushes and don’t compare with the fine handmade brushes from Keith Lebenzon, but you will find a wide range available. The selection at the Chinese Clayart Web site includes serviceable brushes that are amazingly inexpensive and appropriate for teaching on a tight budget, plus a range of finer brushes of all sizes, still very reasonably priced, all the way up to huge 40-inch “mop” brushes.

CLAyTIMES·COM n MAY/JUNE 2007

For entertainment, scroll to the bottom of the tool page at the Chinese Clayart Web site to find a folding pocket multi-tool that includes a hammer!

NCECA is always a smorgasbord of great opportunity. The best parts are the concentration of people with common interests and purpose, and the opportunity to visit with old and new friends. But next on my list is the exhibition hall with all the non-profit and commercial exhibitors. What a treat to walk from one exhibitor to another, handling all the tools, talking to the people who make them or sell them, comparing features and prices. It’s important to maintain perspective and refrain from impulse shopping brought on by TAD (tool acquisition disease), but it’s a great opportunity to see what’s available all in one place. [ 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

andling … or is it candleing? [Editor’s note: “candling” is the term potters use to refer to the process of pre-heating the kiln—usually overnight, at a slow speed and low temperature—to prevent explosions from steam created when pots are fired too hot, too fast.] Anyway, should you be doing something that’s not in your computer’s spell-check program, Webster’s dictionary, or the North American Combustion Handbook? Back in the September ’02 issue of Clay Times, I touched on this subject, but some things have come up that have caused me to revisit one of my pet peeves. The first thing that came up was on Clayart (the Internet mailing list). I’m writing this in March and there’s been a thread about candling on the list with the added hook, for me, of my name coming up. Someone quoted me as not being hot on candling. Then a friend down in Atlanta emailed me about his thoughts on the subject. Bingo … new column subject.

Just like most folks, I was taught in school to candle the kiln. In that kiln, there were some good beginner’s pots, some giant hunks of angst-ridden clay, and some clay bowling balls that had grooves to park cigarettes. If you fired too fast, the bowling balls exploded and the angst-ridden clay provided proof to the makers that all was as dismal as they knew the world to be. So, the professor went slow to avoid bowling ball nuggies all over the kiln and the shrieks and wailing of those clad in black with their ferocious looks. We all just thought this was the normal way to fire a kiln. The thing was, if the bowling balls and the tortured sculptures had been bisqued, then glazed, and totally dried, they would have been fine. But, why take the chance, asked the professor? You’re making pots and sculptural objects. You’re past the dorky ashtray stage. Stop wasting time and expensive fuel. At some point in the distant past, I started asking myself questions that challenged the things I was taught. One of these things was candling. There are only three reasons, in my opinion, to candle a kiln: If you’re like my Atlanta friend, you’re not candling, you just have to start the firing the night before to get finished in time to go to bed the following night. The second reason is you are once-firing glazed greenware that really does need

a long, slow firing. The third reason? That would be the bowling ball scenario where a student just finished applying a full quart of glaze. Can you say “steam bomb?” … Plus, you might reason that the school pays for the gas anyway, and you don’t want the hassle. If you’re the average person firing a kiln, let me relate a story. I had sold a pair of power burners to an old moss-backed potter in Wisconsin. (I can say that because I have to mow my back also). Anyway, he had always followed the same firing schedule for 30 years. Start the night before, slow … slow overnight … come in the next morning, ease it up throughout the day, and finish it off the next night. This routine offered great pots that he built his life around; pots that help pay a mortgage and put kids through college; pots to be proud of. But one day, he went out of town and his world changed. He left the kiln loading and firing with a new assistant. He later called me up pretty distraught, because the assistant decided to blow off his decades-old firing schedule. She loaded the kiln, cranked it up, and turned it off in seven hours when cone 10 was down. He came back into town, looked at the pots, thought long and hard, cried to the heavens, and dialed my number. The pots were the same! He was angry—not at his assistant anymore, but at the fact that he had wasted who knows how much time baby-sitting a kiln. Over the years, he’d missed school plays, missed anniversary dinners, missed parties, and missed sleep—all because he fell into the trap of “what you’re supposed to do.”

CLAyTIMES·COM n MAY/JUNE 2007

Here’s the dirty little secret that you probably have already suspected: there is no functional definition of candling. There is only the practice you were taught or the thing you’ve come to do that constitutes candling. The only common denominator is that you start the kiln at night and go to bed, or go away, and come back in the morning and turn the kiln up. If you start the kiln at night and come back in the morning and the kiln is at 300° F, that’s one thing. If you start the kiln at night and come back in the morning and the kiln is at 1500° F, it’s another thing. If you come back and it’s at 700° F, I’m not sure what you’re trying to accomplish. I think the first could be called candling, and the second would be called starting the firing at night. The third—as with the first thing—is just wasting gas.

My friend from Atlanta (the second type) has small pipes. No, I don’t mean he can’t project to the back of the theater; I mean his gas volume is compromised by an old piping system that is too small for his needs. The only way he can get to temperature is to fire for an extended time period.

Shop Talk I Firing

Candling: More on Marc’s Pet Peeve

Brand-new potter’s Tshirt designs now available at Clay Times’ online store: www.claytimes.com

2 007

WORKSHOP SERIES ODYSSEY CENTER FOR CERAMIC ARTS 3-DAY WORKSHOPS HANDBUILDING FUNCTIONAL POTS Sandi Pierantozzi — April 20-22 GENERATIONAL INFLUENCES Ben Owen — August 10-12 THE UNEXPECTED Randy Brodnax — September 14-16

SUMMER WORKSHOPS

CLAyTIMES·COM n MAY/JUNE 2007

James Watkins

THE FUNCTIONAL POT: TOOLS, TIPS, TRICKS AND TECHNIQUES Bill van Gilder RIGOROUS SURFACE PLAY Julia Galloway Charlie WHITE TERRA SIGILLATA SURFACES & ALTERNATIVE & Linda FIRING TECHNIQUES Charlie & Linda Riggs EXPLORING INTENTION Linda McFarling Riggs GOOD IDEAS, BETTER POTS Becca Floyd FORM, SURFACE & GLAZE Richard Burkett MOLDS, MODELING AND NARRATIVE FIGURES Nan Smith INTENSIVE MASTERS THROWING Joyce Michaud RISKY POTS Kevin Crowe PERSONAL OBSERVATION OF THE HUMAN FIGURE Melisa Cadell ENVIRONMENTAL INSPIRATION James Watkins

ODYSSEY CENTER FOR CERAMICS ARTS 236 Clingman Avenue Asheville, NC 28801 Phone: 828-285-0210 Website: www.highwaterclays.com Email: odyssey@highwater clays.com Melisa Cadell

Candling, continued from page 59 When I was making pots full-time, I would come in around 9 am and start loading my 100-cubic-foot car kiln. I would finish loading around noon, and light the kiln. Six hours later when the kiln was at cone 10, I would turn it off and go home. The kiln and pots that my wife and I were dealing with handled this fine. We did have to use those low bisque-fired, premade cone holders instead of clay cone patties. Cone patties will blow quite easily if you go too fast with raw, wet clay. But the bisqued, dried pots? C’mon. Is your kiln schedule based solely on your cone patties? Know this: I spent years learning what my clay, glazes, and kiln could deal with. I had bad firings. I had lost work. I had exciting events that made me cuss. But, I got to know the limits. I got to know that much of the dogma I had been taught was just that … dogma. Remember, raku clay is nothing more than stoneware clay with some extra grog or kyanite. People think nothing of taking that bisqued clay from room temperature to 1900° F in 20 minutes. Yet people take the same kind of clay, put it in a stoneware kiln, and take 20 hours to get 450° F higher than a raku firing. So, am I advocating faster firing of every kiln? No. I realize that there are other things involved. The quiet time alone with a kiln, late at night. The smell of reduction in the cold while looking at the stars and listening to the soft roar. The comfort of a known schedule that leads to beautiful pots … cutting wood, carrying water … the flow that leads many of us to clay. Just realize that if you feel the need, it’s fine to question the dogma ... But if you love the ritual, embrace it as such. [

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.

Studio I Health & Safety

Shocking New OSHA Rules: Electrical Code Updated by MONONA ROSSOL

very year, I inspect dozens of potteries in high schools, universities, and private art centers. I have never inspected one where I did not find at least one electrical code violation. These violations can cause fires and even deaths from shocks, yet they are usually easy and relatively inexpensive to fix. Electrical safety is also a timely issue, because on Valentine’s Day, 2007, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) published a new Electrical Standard.* This new regulation amends the 29 CFR 1910.303-308. I will use the OSHA rules and the National Electrical Code (NEC) as a guide for this article, but you should always check to see if additional local requirements may apply to your particular studio, school, or shop. INJURY STATISTICS ELECTRICAL SERVICE PANEL RULES Electrical panels are those metal boxes with all the little breakers in them. OSHA requires these boxes under “303(g)(2) Guarding of live parts(I).” They say that “... [L]ive parts of electric equipment operating at 50 volts or more shall be guarded against accidental contact by use of approved cabinets or other forms of approved enclosures ...”

Yet sometimes I will find these spaces filled with storage. And I even find panels that are blocked because some enterprising person has built a counter or cabinet in front of them. Instead, these areas should be kept clear. It is helpful to paint a yellow line on the floor around the designated clear space and post a sign to remind folks. GROUND FAULT CIRCUITING Those outlets that have a little switch in the center are called ground-fault circuit-interrupted, or GFCI, outlets. These will detect a short in a power tool or appliance and will interrupt the current so the user cannot get a shock. The NEC code requires GFCI on any outlet within 10 feet of a source of water such as a sink. The OSHA regulations require ground fault circuit interrupters on hard-wired outlets that are used for power tools or that are in damp or wet locations used for a number of applications. The ones that apply to you are those outlets used for:

employees standing on the ground or on metal floors; * tools likely to be used in wet and conductive locations; and * portable hand lamps. When you consider that any area in a pottery has sinks, wheels, and liquid glazes in buckets, most potteries have the potential to become damp just about anywhere! In addition, we plug in all kinds of motor-operated tools, hand lamps, and cord-and-plug appliances. I generally specify that all outlets in potteries should be GFCI. If your pottery doesn’t have these types of outlets, there are GFCI outlet covers you can buy that plug into your two-plug outlets and make them compliant. Even extension cords can be purchased now with GFCI built in. The next time you need to replace an extension cord, buy one of these for a few dollars more. It’s worth it. GROUND PINS That third projection on a three-pronged plug is the ground pin. It is an OSHA violation to use an appliance in which this pin is missing. It is also an OSHA violation to use an adaptor to get a three-prong plug to fit into a two-prong receptacle.

* handheld motor-operated tools; * motor-operated appliances of the following types: hedge clippers, lawn mowers, snow blowers, and wet scrubbers; * cord- and plug-connected appliances used in damp or wet locations, or by

I know ... you do it all the time! Remember, OSHA has no jurisdiction over your home. (You are allowed to kill yourself at home however you choose.) But as soon as your pottery is a business with employees, or you are making pottery in a school or art center, the OSHA rules

CLAyTIMES·COM n MAY/JUNE 2007

OSHA requires that indoor installations not be accessible to anyone other than qualified persons. Essentially, OSHA requires a lock on the electrical panel box in any workplace under their jurisdiction (not your home). And, of course, OSHA expects that the panel will be closed and locked at all times except when actually being repaired or a breaker is being reset.

On the other hand, qualified people must have easy access to your panel at all times. For this reason, OSHA specifies clearance spaces in front of the panel. In most cases, ordinary panels transmitting voltages of less than 600 volts (usually 110 and 220) should have a square yard of clear floor space in front of them and a clear path to that space.

Studio I Health & Safety

apply. And just in case you think using an adaptor is not much of a hazard, I offer the following true story. COMMON ELECTRICAL PROBLEM KILLS PROFESSOR** The state of Ohio issued seven citations to Cleveland State University (CSU) for unsafe electrical conditions in the lab after associate professor Tarun Mal died last August when he plugged a defective fluorescent light into a two-prong adapter plug, leaving the lamp ungrounded. Experts say that the use of the electrical equipment that led to Mal’s death was unsafe, and some say these practices are common at other American universities, suggesting more lab workers are at risk.

CLAyTIMES·COM n MAY/JUNE 2007

According to an Ohio Bureau of Workers Compensation (BWC), Mal plugged a threeprong (grounded) plug into the wall socket using a two-prong adapter connected to a two-prong electrical timer that controlled the amount of light the plants growing under the lamp received. He thus interrupted the emergency electrical path to ground from the metal exterior of the lamp, which he didn’t realize was electrified, the report said.

Personally, I find it almost impossible to convince teachers, administrators, artists, and craftspeople that the practice of using two-pronged adapters in a three-prong outlet is dangerous. They don’t believe it because they often get away with it. In fact, cheap, two-wired electrical lights and devices sold for home use don’t belong in shops and schools at all. Workplaces should only use grounded or double-insulated appliances. So spend a little extra for good, grounded appliances and GFCI outlets, and stay well! Footnotes * For those that use the OSHA Web site to look at new regulations, the new rules are in the February 14, 2007 Federal Register at 72 FR 7135-7221. ** NEWS, John Dudley Miller, 3/7/06, http://www.the-scientist.com/news/display/23216/. [ 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.

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From Mud to Music: Making and Enjoying Ceramic Musical Instruments by Barry Hall, American Ceramic Society, Hardcover, $59.95

ere I am; I’m a potter, teacher, and musician. Despite these three qualifications, the idea and concept of ceramic musical instruments has never interested me. Yes, I have made clay whistles and ocarinas with my high school students (courtesy of Janet Miniot and her book, Clay Whistles) but beyond that, I’ve had not a smidgen of interest or even curiosity. Call me narrow. Even when Barry Hall’s book arrived in the shop, I didn’t grab it to be the first to take a look, as I do with every new book that arrives. Call me narrow. So finally I decided to see what the hoopla was all about. Barry ... forgive me! Don’t call me narrow anymore. From Mud to Music is a delight. As you might expect, and as you probably do yourself, I first look at the pictures. Not interested in clay musical instruments? How about clay sculpture and clay vessels? These just happen to play music as well.

The artist profiles are, in a word, fascinating. Included are the usual and expected background facts, but it is the drive, inspiration, and the way each artist found their way to clay musical instruments which is the most intriguing. Each has a unique story to tell and Hall does a sensitive and respectful job of presenting these individuals to the reader. In addition to offering fine examples of their work, the sounds of their instruments are featured on the accompanying CD. Though information on the creation of various instruments appears throughout the text, it is the chapter on demonstrations that gives the reader complete and detailed instructions on making a side-holed drum, ocarina, goblet drum, side-blown flute, and whistle flute. Each

demonstration contains clear, step-bystep instructions with wonderfully clear and detailed photographs. Nothing is left to chance and nothing is left to guessing. The book concludes with descriptive notes on each of the 43 tracks on the CD, a glossary, bibliography of books, articles, videos, and recordings, sources for resources and materials, contact information on the contributors, and carefully annotated index. The glossy, brilliant white paper allows the text and images to stand out, and the layout and design of the book and its pages are lovely. Now, I’m not about to rework my studio and venture into the world of clay musical instruments. But if you have an interest, a curiosity, or a hidden avenue of creativity in the arena of unusual musical expression that is lurking beneath the surface waiting for just the right thing to bring it out, I guarantee that From Mud to Music will do it. Barry Hall has worked hard to give us a book that will delight, inform, educate, and inspire. From Mud to Music is a visual banquet, and an intellectual feast. Perhaps the publisher’s liner notes offer the most unpretentious expression of the strength and attraction of the publication. “This book is about a truly remarkable transformation: how the simplest of materials—clay or mud—can be used to make tools for producing one of the most complex human expressions—music.” Thanks to Barry Hall, we now have a new and fresh way to look at clay, the stuff that we all work with. Well done, Barry! [ 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.

CLAyTIMES·COM n MAY/JUNE 2007

From Mud to Music begins with a short introduction that Hall uses to explain the theme and purpose of the book, and to give the reader important historical background. He presents a widely accepted means of classifying musical instruments into four categories: idiophones (instruments whose bodies vibrate), membraphones (skinned drums), aerophones (wind instruments), and chordophones (string instruments). These categories of instruments plus a category of hybrids (combinations of two or more categories) form the basis for the organization and presentation of the book. Rounding out the chapters is a section on technical issues, a gallery of works, profiles of 13 artists who make clay instruments, and a chapter of five projects. But (with apologies to Ron Popiel) there’s more! Included

with the book is a CD Clay Music Sampler. Hall’s writing style is smooth, clear, and comfortable to read. He wastes no words and is careful in his explanations and instructions, yet friendly, inclusive, and encouraging in his tone. Though he presents a very nicely formulated abbreviated history in his introduction, the book is laced with historical references that make each instrument come alive with culture and spirit. Hall tells us about each instrument: from where they originate, how they were (and are) used, the important characteristics, how they compare to others in the same category, and detailed aspects of their design and manufacture. Hall talks about how the instruments are played and gives suggestions as to how they can be modified and their versatility expanded. Beautiful images of both historical and contemporary instruments accompany each chapter and serve as a visual smorgasbord of inspiration and aesthetic satisfaction.

Resources I Books & Videos

From Mud to Music: Making and Enjoying Ceramic Musical Instruments

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2636 PIONEER WAY EAST, TACOMA, WA 98404 A DIVISION OF CLAY ART CENTER

Community Pottery Classes Check out these listings to find local programs for wheel-throwing, handbuilding, sculptural techniques, & more … Listings appear alphabetically and include various classes across the United States.

ARKANSAS

FLORIDA

Flat Rock Clay Supplies — 2002 South School Avenue (Highway 71), Fayetteville, AR 72701; (479) 521-3181; www.flatrockclay.com; info@flatrockclay.com; wheel-throwing, handbuilding, tile.

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.

CALIFORNIA Richmond Art Center — 2540 Barrett Avenue, Richmond, CA 94804; (510) 620-6772; www. therichmondartcenter.org; wheel-throwing, handbuilding, sculpture, glaze studies, lecture series.

COLORADO Northern Colorado Potters’ Guild — 209 Christman Drive, Fort Collins, CO 80524; (970) 416-5979; www.coloradopottery.org; ncpg@comcast.net; wheel-throwing, 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.

Fire and Mud Ceramics — 134 NE 1st Avenue, Hallandale, FL 33009; (954) 455-3099; www.fireandmudceramics.com; potter@fireandmudceramics. com; wheel-throwing, handbuilding. 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, FL 33712; (727) 896-2529; www.stpeteclay.com; stpeteclay@ stpeteclay.com; wheel-throwing, handbuilding.

GEORGIA Georgia Piedmont Arts Center — 105 East Athens Street, Winder, GA 30680; www. georgiapiedmontartscenter.com; gpacgpac@yahoo. com; wheel-throwing, handbuilding.

CONNECTICUT ILLINOIS Park West Ceramics — 719 West Wrightwood, Chicago, IL 60614; (773) 296-2160; www.parkwestceramics.com; info@parkwestceramics. com; wheel-throwing, handbuilding, workshops, independent study, classes for kids and adults.

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Hinckley Pottery — 1707 Kalorama Road, NW, Washington, DC 20009; (202) 745-7055; www.hinckleypottery.com; info@hinckleypottery.com; wheel-throwing.

LOUISIANA Louisiana Pottery — 6470 Highway 22, Cajun Village, Sorrento, LA 70778; (225) 675-5572; www.louisianapottery.com; lapottery@eatel.net; handbuilding, special focus classes.

Starflower Farm & Studios — Ceramicsfocused retreat center; 941 Jackson Road, Monroe, ME 04951; (207) 525-3593; www. starflowerstudios.com; squidge@starflowerfarmstudios. com; wheel-throwing, handbuilding, sculpture, private lessons, critiques for advanced students.

MARYLAND Baltimore Clayworks — 5707 Smith Avenue, Baltimore, MD 21209; (410) 578-1919; www. baltimoreclayworks.org; matt.hylek@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; wheel-throwing, handbuilding, open studio. Greenbelt Community Center — 15 Crescent Road, Greenbelt, MD 20770; (301) 397-2208; www.greenbeltmd.gov; wheel-throwing, handbuilding, tile. 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. Chesapeake Arts Center — 194 Hammonds Lane, Brooklyn Park, MD 21225; (410) 636-6597; www.chesapeakearts.org; davidj@chesapeakearts.org; wheel-throwing, handbuilding, fully-equipped, open studio hours.

CLAyTIMES·COM n MAY/JUNE 2007

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.

MAINE

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 Ancient Echos Arts — 10 Tyngsboro Road, North Chelmsford, MA 01863; (978) 869-2912; www.ancientechosarts.com; ancientechosarts@gmail. com; wheel-throwing, handbuilding, sculpture. Mudflat Pottery School, Inc. — 149 Broadway, Somerville, MA 02145; (617) 628-0589; www.mudflat.org; info@mudflat.org; wheel-throwing, handbuilding, tile. Juliet Rose Gallery & Studio — 191 Reimers Road, Monson, MA 01057; (413) 5969741; www.julietrosegallery.net; julietrosearts@aol. com; wheel-throwing, handbuilding, sculpture, surface design.

MICHIGAN Pewabic Pottery — 10125 East Jefferson Avenue, Detroit, MI 48214; (313) 822-0954; www.pewabic.com; pewabic1@pewabic.org; wheel-throwing, handbuilding, tile, sculpture, mosaic, independent study, classes for kids and adults.

NEVADA Pottery West — 5026 North Pioneer Way, Las Vegas, NV 89149; (702) 987-3023; potterywest@ cox.net; wheel-throwing.

NEW JERSEY The Art School at Old Church — 561 Piermont Road, Demarest, NJ 07627; (201) 7677160; 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) 8424000, ext. 4343; www.monmouthcountyparks.com; sliu@monmouthcountyparks.com; wheel-throwing, handbuilding, workshops, raku & electric kilns, beginner-advanced for adults, children, parent/child. Visual Art Center of New Jersey — 68 Elm Street, Summit, NJ 07901; (908) 2739121; www.artcenternj.org; Deemick@artcenternj. org; all things clay. Kissimmee River Pottery — One 8th Street #11, Frenchtown, NJ 08825; (908) 9963555; www.kissimmeeriverpottery.com; riverpots@ earthlink.net; beginner to advanced classes, wheelthrowing, handbuilding, workshops, cone 10 reduction firing, single firing, raku, adult day and evening classes, summer camp for kids 9-15, open studio.

NEW YORK 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.

CLAyTIMES·COM n MAY/JUNE 2007

MISSISSIPPI

Bodine Pottery & Art Studio — Rebuilding: New location: 212 Southampton Road, Hattiesburg, MS 39401; (228) 806-3153; 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; wheelthrowing, handbuilding, raku, studios.

Clay Art Center — 40 Beech Street, Port Chester, NY 10562; 914-937-2047; www. clayartcenter.org; mail@clayartcenter.org; wheelthrowing, handbuilding, sculpture, special topics, kids and adults. The Painted Pot — 339 Smith Street, Brooklyn, NY 11231; (718) 222-0334; www.paintedpot.com; wheel-throwing, handbuilding, sculpture. 92nd Street Y Art Center — 1395 Lexington Ave, New York, NY 10128; (212) 4155562; www.92Y.org/artclasses; wheel-throwing, handbuilding, sculpture; intensives in plaster, glazing, and complex serving pieces; open studio available.

NORTH CAROLINA 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 27171; (336) 723-7395; www.sawtooth.org; ceramics@ sawtooth.org; wheel-throwing, handbuilding, sculpture, tile, classes and workshops in other fine arts and media.

(540) 745-2784; www.jacksonvillecenter.org; info@ jacksonvillecenter.org; wheel-throwing, handbuilding, sculpture, mosaic, raku and pit firing, glazing and decoration.

OHIO

LibertyTown Arts Center — 916 Liberty Street, Fredericksburg, VA 22401; (540) 371-7255; www.libertytownarts.com; libertytownarts@verizon.net; wheel-throwing, handbuilding, glazing, decorating, tile, raku.

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; wheel-throwing, 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. Abington Art Center — 515 Meetinghouse Road, Jenkintown, PA 19046; (215) 887-4882; www.abingtonartcenter.org; studioschool@abingtonartcenter.org; wheel-throwing, handbuilding, sculpture, tile, mosaic, raku and pit firing.

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.

TENNESSEE 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.

TEXAS Creative Arts Center of Dallas, Inc. — 2360 Laughlin Drive, Dallas, TX 75228; (214) 320-1275; www.creativeartscenter.org; wheel-throwing, handbuilding, sculpture.

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.

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, raku.

WASHINGTON Northwest Ceramic Art Institute (The Clay Zone) — 2727 Westmoor Court, Olympia, WA 98502; (360) 943-7765; www.theclayzone.com; ddurso@theclayzone.com; wheel-throwing, handbuilding, sculpture.

WISCONSIN Peninsula Art School and Gallery — 3900 County Road F, Fish Creek, WI 54212; (920) 868-3455; www.peninsulaartschool.com; staff@ peninsulaartschool.com; wheel-throwing, handbuilding, sculpture, tile, firing, glaze-decorating, raku and pit firing, for kids and adults. [

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.

Bill van Gilder 2007 Workshops May 21-25

Odyssey Center for the Ceramic Arts Asheville, NC - ph. 828.285.0210 odyssey@highwaterclays.com

Jun 29-Jul 1

International Ceramics Festival

Aberystwyth Arts Center, Wales, U.K.

Creative Clay Studios — 5704 E General Washington Drive, Alexandria, VA 22312; (703) 7509480; www.creativeclaypottery.com; daisy_gail@msn. com; wheel-throwing, handbuilding, sculpture, classes, workshops, studios,retail supplies,tools, clay.

www.internationalceramicsfestival.org

July 23-27

Sierra Nevada College, Lake Tahoe, NV

www.sierranevada.edu/workshops

Aug 3-5

Sharon Art Studio, San Fransisco, CA

www.sharonartstudio.org - ph. 415.753.7004

Aug 10-12

Clay Planet, Santa Clara, CA

www.clayplanet.com - ph. 408.295.3352

Aug 17-19

Western Colorado Center for the Arts

Grand Junction, CO - ph. 970.243.7337 ext.1

www.gjartcenter.org

The Art League School — Located near the Torpedo Factory at 105 North Union Street, Alexandria, VA 22314; (703) 683-2323; www.theartleague.org; school@theartleague.org; wheel-throwing, handbuilding, sculpture, tile, mosaic. Jacksonville Center for the Arts — 220 Parkway Lane, Floyd, VA 24091; (866) 787-8806;

www.flatrockclay.com

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

LAY C K C O FLAT R PLIES 2oo2 South School UP

479-521-3181

Mon-Fri 9-6 Sat 9-1

Think Global Buy Local

Aug 30-Sept 1 Rehoboth Art Center, Rehoboth, DE ph. 302.227.8408 Sept 22-23

Rockingham Community College Wentworth, NC

pryork@rockinghamcc.edu

CLAyTIMES·COM n MAY/JUNE 2007

VIRGINIA

Fayetteville, ARkansas

Opinion I Around the Firebox

A Potter’s Daily Bread bY KELLY SAVINO

There are more similarities between building and using your own clay bread oven and making and firing your own pots than you might expect...

I have a great bread machine. Every few days, I assign a kid the chore of making bread. I don’t use packaged mixes, for the same reasons I don’t buy packaged glazes: I can’t afford it, can’t be sure what’s in it, don’t know how to amend it, and can’t tell whether it’s unhealthy for me. So I buy flour and meal like I buy flint, in 50-pound bags. I premix rows of bread machine recipes in storage containers, so the kids can later choose one, add liquid ingredients, and push the button.

CLAyTIMES·COM n MAY/JUNE 2007

Like my electric kiln, the computerized bread machine can be timed for faster or slower, hotter or cooler sessions. Like oxidation glazes, machine-baked breads are consistent, predictable, and useful. I’ll always have a bread machine around the house, for convenience, for the homey smell of baking bread, and sliceable loaves for daily toast and sandwiches.

But somewhere along the way, I started sighing over artisan breads. Upscale coffee house bakeries offer crusty brown loaves in baskets that remind me of Paris and Italy. Zingerman’s Bakehouse in Ann Arbor, Michigan, has a walnut-raisin whole wheat loaf with the same substantial, crusty, ancient appeal of an anagama tea bowl or some crunchy-brown, woodfired wonder. Maybe it’s nostalgia that makes us long for pricey baguettes when sliced Wonder bread is a dollar a loaf, or sigh after stoneware when Corelle ware is so lightweight and affordable. Maybe it’s

respect for tradition, or longing for a past where the hands of makers were evident in our daily bread or favorite soup bowl. Perhaps we all hold a memory of villages where we actually knew the butcher, the baker, and the candlestick-maker. I knew a few potters (including our own David Hendley) had built wood-fired pizza ovens, and was inspired to try a project of my own. Early last summer, I found a book called Build Your Own Earth Oven, written by a hands-on guy named Kiko Denzer. Kiko built a studio and wood-fired ovens out of “clay cob,” a clay and sand mix similar to adobe. I smiled when I read that he’s a potter’s son, and as we began to correspond, I discovered that the book, Making Things (a well-thumbed favorite on my shelf for decades), had been written by his mother! I enlisted the help of my kids to build my backyard bread oven, heartened by the thought that a parent’s love of hands-on involvement with the world can nurture such imagination and resourcefulness. I worked with what I had on hand for free: big plastic storage tubs full of scrap studio clay, buckets of Ohio blue clay we dug up when building onto our house, and a whole sandbox full of play sand. Stone for the “wishing well” type base was scrounged from a vacant lot, and I filled in gaps with my own pottery seconds. I made one purchase: 21 firebricks for the hearth. Once the hearth was made and leveled, I piled a rounded mound of wet sand on top of it, then built the biggest

coil pot of my life over the mound. I used hundreds of pounds of clay, coiling with entire pugs of clay/sand mix. I thumbed and smoothed as I went, cantilevering each level to support the next. When the dome was complete, I cut a doorway with a butcher knife to scoop out the inner sand, leaving a hollow igloo of clay almost a yard wide. Following Kiko’s directions, I mixed clay slip with wood shavings and other fluff to add an insulating layer. Then I smeared local clay all over the outside of the dome and added some decoration. A small, smoldering fire helped dry things out, and within a few days the oven was ready to be used. The link between clay and bread was always clear to me when I “wedged” a loaf, or mixed and measured white powders in the studio or kitchen. Both projects involve a material that has a timing of its own: bread rises when it wants to, and leather-hard pots keep their own schedule. The way recycled clay comes to life after aging reminds me of leaven, and of course, both clay and dough are transformed to usefulness by heat. But now I had really made a connection: I had built myself a wood kiln for bread. The dome, with its archway door, is a simple downdraft. A bright fire of bundled sticks (free on any suburban curb, or gathered from my own prunings) heats the inner dome. Pushed back by subsequent bundles, a bed of glowing coals soon covers the hearth, until the hearth brick and

Meanwhile, my bread rises in the kitchen, the kind of grainy, nutty, sourdough or sunflower seed loaves that are thrown together rather than measured, and slashed with a knife as tradition dictates. Sometimes I grind my own flour, choosing red winter wheat and pungent rye to make a unique “dough body.” The loaves will have big, uneven air bubbles inside, and dark crusts that look like shiny tree bark, but have a wonderfully chewy texture. They rise on a wooden paddle, couched on a layer of corn meal.

I find that with time, this oven provides the kind of satisfaction I have learned to expect from a good day in the studio: a

wood firing, we don’t have to wait several days to see how everything turned out. Now that I’m in grad school I have access to wood and salt kilns, but still rely on the electric one in my own studio for predict-

Kiko Denzer’s book, Build Your Own Earth Oven, can be found at www.handprintpress.com, and step-by-step photos of Kelly’s oven project are posted at www. primalpotter.com.

CLAYTIMES·COM n MAY/JUNE 2007

Like any kiln, this oven’s “firings” took time to master. I baked a few enormous charcoal briquettes and a couple of brickheavy loaves that still had wet dough in the middle. I had to learn how long to stoke, hearing and smelling the progress of the fire and gauging the heat-work without thermometer or thermocouple. I learned from other wood oven geeks (you can find anything online) to check the baking temperature by throwing a handful of cornmeal onto the cleared hearth and counting the seconds it takes to blacken. This kind of imprecision and educated guesswork would make some people crazy, but it’s standard fare for many a potter.

able, marketable “bread and butter” pots. I always seek new glazes with a little melt and flash in oxidation, just as I look for new bread machine recipes with a better “body.” And even though my wood-fired bread oven is a lot of fun, I’m not willing to work that hard every time I bake, or risk those Step-by-step plans for building Kelly Savino’s unforeseen variables for backyard clay bread oven may be found every “firing.” In the dead online at primalpotter.com. of winter or on a rainy day, I am perfectly content to program my machine’s computer and wait for the “beep beep beep” that tells me the bread is done. I’m also grateful for the “pop” of the feeling of “flow” when you have the timing right and your hands feel skilled. I kiln sitter, telling me my work has fired itself—untended and unstoked —while I have a sense of connectedness, knowing sat on the deck throwing more. that not only was the bread assembled by my hands, but so were the fire, the stick bundles, and the oven itself. I know, Kahlil Gibran wrote, “Work is love made now, that I can bake five pizzas at once visible.” It feels right to offer my loved in about ten minutes, and by the time ones good bread, on a good plate, with my family sits down to eat, the hearth slabs of tomato and basil from my garden. It feels even more important to show will have cooled enough for three or four loaves of bread. When I take out the fra- my children how to use their own hands to plant and weed, build and invent, cook grant, finished loaves, I can put in a nice thick peach cobbler, close up the oven, and create. If work is love, we should and it will bake overnight to be ready (still work hard for ourselves, as well. Good things artfully made by careful hands can warm) for breakfast the next day. feed us all. [ Like wood firing, my clay oven lends itself to gatherings. Drawn to the primal fire, friends and neighbors gather to sit, talk, Kelly Averill Savino is a studio potter and homeschooling mother of three in Toledo, stoke, and craft their own pizzas with goat cheese and pesto, or veggies and sauce, Ohio. She can be reached via email at primalpotter@yahoo.com. or pepperoni and olives. And unlike a real

Opinion I Around the Firebox

clay dome are heated to over 800º F. When it’s time to bake, I rake out the embers into a metal coal bucket and mop ash from the hearth with a steaming rag on a stick.

clay workshops

Weekend & One Week Workshops Sept. 21-23

David Gamble Sept. 28-30

Chris Staley (master class) Oct. 14-20

Jeff Brown Oct. 21-27

Wynne Wilbur Apply now for studio assistantships work study | scholarships application deadline Aug. 1

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Looking for helpful studio tips? Got some to share? This is the place... On A Roll While browsing in my local gourmet cooking equipment store (Rooster Brother in Ellsworth, Maine) I ran across a set of “Rolling Pin Rubber Rings.” They are supplied to “roll dough to perfect thickness for cookies, pie crusts,” etc. Included in the package are four sets of color-coded rings for 1/16", 1/8", 1/4", and 3/8" that you slip onto each end of the rolling pin. The rings do, indeed, provide consistent thickness for rolling clay slabs as well, and are a lot easier than messing with wooden shims of various thicknesses. [This set of rings is manufactured by 3C Systems Inc. of Wynnewood, PA, and retails for $8 at Rooster Brother, tel. (800) 866-0054.] Chris Breedlove Ellsworth, ME

Get A Grip

Chad Fisher Cross Junction, VA

Another Solution Packaging & boxing-up slipped, decorated, and glazed bisque ware to be transported to another kiln site for firing, has always been risky ... whether by truck, UPS, or mail. How does one cushion and wrap the work without rubbing away some of the applied powdery ‘skin’ from each piece? Potter Chris Gustin asked me to send a few pieces of work to be fired in his communal kiln and to later be sold during an annual fund-raiser. Chris directed, “Slip, glaze, and decorate your bisqued pots; then bisque fire them a second time, quickly (I rebisque to cone 08, over roughly five to six hours). Afterward, wrap, box, and ship as you would your glazefired, finished ware.”

Duh ... why didn’t I think of that? It has worked for me every time, whether shipped via UPS or boxedup in the back of my truck.

Mark-free Wadding Mark-free ‘wadding,’ as described to me by potter Rick Berman at NCECA ’07 (thanks, Rick) ... Tired of wadding the bottoms of pots for a salt or soda kiln firing? Are you looking for something other than the visual white holes typically left by high-alumina clay wadding on the bottoms of your pots? Try using those pointy, tripodshaped, white porcelain stands that the slip-casting ceramic world uses. They’re used between the pots and the kiln shelf during a glaze firing, which allows the pot to be glazed all over—including the base. The ceramic tableware industry has used them forever. For salt & soda glazing folks, it means more flashing across the bottoms of the pots, and they’re reusable, too. Make certain the ones you use are rated for equal to or above the temperature to which you’re firing, and avoid the tripod stands that have sharp pieces of nichrome wire protruding from the three ends. Bill van Gilder Gapland, MD [

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.

CLAyTIMES·COM n MAY/JUNE 2007

Recently I found myself in a sort of dilemma when it came to a piece of pottery I had created at home on my wheel. I was incorporating some stained glass into the piece and had to be real careful moving it as it dried. The kiln I use is about 20 minutes away, so I was worried about having the pot bump into something dur-

ing the drive. I solved the problem using my Giffin Grip®. I placed the piece in the Grip as I would if I were trimming it, but right-side up. I then could put the project along with the Giffin Grip on the passenger seat beside me as I drove, and didn’t have to worry about the piece falling over or bumping anything. It’s a great way to transport a piece that could be very fragile.

Readers Share I Tips & Techniques

The Slurry Bucket

Resources I Classified Marketplace

Classified Marketplace Classes & Workshops

Opportunities, cont.

Celebrate CERAMICS in SPAIN with SETH CARDEW at the wheel. Weekly residential courses or daily private tuition. Also, cottage to rent at the pottery. www.cardew-spain.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.

•

• Pottery West in Las Vegas, NV — Pottery Classes: 6 weeks of classes and open studio time, $150. Attend as many classes as you like during the 6 weeks. Studio fees $25, includes 25 lbs. of clay, glazes, and firing. Cone 10 gas reduction. For information and directions call Amy Kline at (702) 987-3023. Starting in May 2007 visit us online at www.potterywest.com or www. potterywest.net. •

Workshops in Southern Oregon. Beth Cavener-Stichter, Leslie Lee, Dennis Meiners, Josh DeWeese, Meira Mathison. Country environment, small groups, camping, B&B in straw-bale home. www. HummingbirdSouthernOregon.com, telephone (541) 899-7045.

tion. 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.

Travel

•

Travel with POTTERS FOR PEACE — Visit the potters of Nicaragua June 22July 5. Wood-fired terra cotta, burnished slip decoration, wheels and handbuilding, and the San Juan de Oriente Fiesta. $1100 covers all costs except airfare to Nicaragua. Visit www.pottersforpeace.org or email pchartrand@bsn1.net, or phone (520) 249-8093.

•

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.

•

Potter’s Workshops and Tours in an Undiscovered Mexico. Hands-on learning and uncommon, small-group travel into the potter’s world of deep Mexico. Winter 07/08: Zapotec handbuilding, woodfiring, polychrome burnish, master potters of Oaxaca, Michoacan, Tonala and Mata Ortiz. Visit www.traditionsmexico.com, or email: traditionsmexico@yahoo.com.

Videos & Books

• Kiln Repair

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.

CLAyTIMES·COM n MAY/JUNE 2007

• 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.

•

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).

• 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 America. Visit www.masteringglazes.com for a free trial download and more informa-

SAVE $14.95 NOW when you order Great Glazes II for just $15 (reg. $29.95) 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. ALSO AVAILABLE: Bill van Gilder’s excellent book of DIY television pottery projects, Wheel-Thrown Pottery, from Lark Books. Visit www.claytimes. com for exclusive autographed copies!

• TOM TURNER’S POTTERY SCHOOL AND HIS TWO-DAY WORKSHOP 4DISC DVD SET available at: www.tom turnerporcelain.com, or telephone (828) 689-9430. [

Place your ad in the Clay Times classifieds for as little as $50! For complete details, visit the Web site at www. claytimes.com or call ad manager Karen Freeman at 540-882-3576.

power burners • venturi burners raku burners • baso valves • brick ﬁber • controllers • and more sign up for our free newsletter @

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865.397-2914 CHARLOTTE NC Setting up a studio? Your full-service pottery supplier featuring clays by Standard, Highwater and Laguna; kilns, glazes, chemicals and equipment. School orders welcome!

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CLAyTIMES·COM n MAY/JUNE 2007

Aftosa 17 AMACO 4 Anderson Ranch Art Center 25 Arrowmont School of Arts & Crafts 72 Axner Pottery Supply 25 Bailey Pottery Equipment 64 Beryl’s Cake Decorating Supplies 63 BigCeramicStore.com 68 Bracker’s Good Earth Clays 15 Buyers Market of American Craft 24 Carolina Clay Connection 75 Ceramic Supply Chicago 63 Clayworks Supplies 69 Clay Times Online Store 24, 31, 33 Continental Clay Co. 58 The Cookie Cutter Shop 63 Dan Finch Pottery 10 Del Val Potter’s Supply 63 Dolan Tools 63 Euclid’s Elements 5 Flat Rock Clay Supplies 69 Georgie’s Ceramic & Clay Center 66 Giffin Tec 3 Great Lakes Clay & Supply Co. 63 Guild Sourcebooks 25 Herring Designs 33 Hood College 24 Jane Cullum How-to Videos 75 Japan Pottery Tools 69 John C. Campbell Folk School 66 The Kiln Doctor 75 L & L Kilns 2 Laguna Clay Co. 9 Lark Books 75 Larkin Refractory Solutions 72 Master Kiln Builders 75 Mid-South Ceramic Supply 26 Mile-Hi Ceramics 10 MKM Pottery Tools 75 Muddy Elbow Mfg./Soldner Wheels 12 Northern Clay Center 33 Odyssey Center for the Arts 60 Olympic Kilns 56 Paragon Industries 58 PCF Studios 63 Peter Pugger 62 Peters Valley Craft Center 63 Plainsman Clays Limited 66 Potteryvideos.com 72 Scott Creek/Clay Art Center 66 Sheffield Pottery 62 Shimpo 6 Sierra Nevada College 69 Skutt Ceramic Products 76 Spectrum Glazes 16 The Steve Tool 33 Tin Barn Pottery/The Kiln Doctor 56 Trinity Ceramic Supply 33 Tucker’s Cone Art Kilns 56 U.S. Pigment Corp. 72 van Gilder 2007 Workshops 69 Ward Burner Systems 75 Wise Screenprint 63

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