PHOENIX

MATERIALS GUY - PART SIX: COPPER

2012-03-07T03:00:00.000-08:00

MEA CULPA! I FORGOT TO SET UP THE SCENARIO FOR THIS INFORMATION ON GLAZE AND COLOR DEVELOPMENT

I LIKE TO KEEP THINGS SIMPLE!

SINCE I NEVER USE GLAZE CALCULATION, I DON'T HAVE A LOT OF DECIMAL POINTS TO CONTEND WITH IN MIXING UP BATCHES OF GLAZE.

IF I USE SOMEONE ELSE'S CALCULATED GLAZE, I ELIMINATE ALL DECIMAL POINTS IN THE GLAZE RECIPE AND ROUND IT OUT TO THE NEAREST FULL NUMBER, OR, IN VERY SIMPLE GLAZES, DOWN TO THE NEAREST FIVE. I'VE DONE THIS FOR NEARLY FIFTY YEARS AND, WITH VERY RARE EXCEPTIONS, FOUND THAT IT MAKES LITTLE OR NO DIFFERENCE TO THE FINAL GLAZE. GET TO KNOW YOUR MATERIALS AND WHAT EACH WILL DO, THEN YOU CAN EASILY SUBSTITUTE OTHERS FOR SIMILAR OR DIFFERENT EFFECTS.

IF YOU DON'T LIKE ALL THIS ALCHEMY STUFF, YOU CAN ALWAYS FIRE WITH WOOD, SODA, SALT, RAKU AND PRIMITIVE FIRING. THESE FIRING PROCESSES ARE ALMOST GUARANTEED TO GIVE YOU A LARGE PILE OF SHARDS FOR A LONG PERIOD OF TIME! A GOOD, BUT EXPENSIVE LEARNING EXPERIENCE.

I SELDOM HAVE MORE THAN FOUR INGREDIENTS IN A BASE GLAZE, LESS IF POSSIBLE. USUALLY, THE MORE INTELLIGENT THE SELECTION OF MATERIALS, THE SIMPLER THE GLAZE AND THE FEWER THE POTENTIAL PROBLEMS. SIMPLE GLAZES MAY BE MADE FOR ALL REGULAR FIRING TEMPERATURES

I NORMALLY USE REGULAR COLORING OXIDES FOR COLORATION AND TEST THEIR SATURATION UP TO 10%. SATURATED COLORANTS OFTEN PRODUCE SOME INTERESTING AND UNUSUAL COLOR VARIABLES. OXIDES AND CARBONATES ARE NORMALLY MUCH MORE RELIABLE THAN UNDERGLAZES AND STAINS AND THEY ARE CONSIDERABLY LESS EXPENSIVE TO BUY.

I WILL WRIITE ABOUT OPACIFIERS AND COLOR MODIFIERS IN A LATER POSTING

GLAZES ARE USUALLY SHOWN IN THREE COLUMNS. ON THE RIGHT IS THE GLASSFORMER, ON THE LEFT ARE MOST OF THE FLUXES THAT MELT THE SILICA TO FORM A GLASS. IN THE CENTER IS NORMALLY CLAY THAT BONDS THE GLAZE TO THE CLAY BODY OF THE POT LIKE GLUE AND GENERALLY CONTROLS ITS FLUIDITY.

ALL THE GLAZE COLOR SQUARES SHOWN USE DIFFERENT SATURATIONS OF JUST ONE COLORANT IN VARIOUS TYPES OF GLAZE AND FIRING CONDITIONS. FULL INFORMATION IS IN MY BOOK, "THE CERAMIC SPECTRUM". THE SEVEN BASIC, COMMONLY AVAILABLE, MINERAL COLORANTS THAT I WILL BE TALKING ABOUT ARE: IRON, COPPER, COBALT, MANGANESE, NICKEL, RUTILE AND CHROMIUM. BETWEEN THEM, THEY CAN GIVE YOU ALMOST ANYTHING THAT YOU MIGHT WANT!

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THIS POST IS BROUGHT TO YOU

COURTESY OF THE COLORANT: COPPER

MALACHITE AND TURQUOISE, THE TWO MINERALS SHOWN BELOW, CONTAIN APPROXIMATELY THE SAME CONCENTRATION OF COPPER. IN MALACHITE IT IS FORMED WITH A MATRIX OF SILICA, AN ACIDIC MINERAL. IN TURQUOISE IT IS FORMED WITH ALKALINE MINERALS SUCH AS BORON, BORAX OR CALCIUM BORATE. THE FLUID PATTERN, LIKE OIL ON WATER, DEVELOPS DURING THE BOILING MAGMA STAGE IN A VOLCANO. IT HAS COOLED RAPIDLY AND IS IN A STATE OF SUSPENDED ANIMATION. IT HAS BEEN POLISHED TO REVEAL THESE PATTERNS AS GEMSTONES. BOTH HAVE BEEN FORMED AND COOLED IN CONJUNCTION WITH OXYGEN. IN SITUATIONS WHERE THE MINERALS ARE FORMED IN SMOKY CONDITIONS THEY WOULD HAVE SHADES OF PINK AND ORANGE TO RED, THE METALLIC OR REDUCED COLORS OF COPPER

MALACHITE

TURQUOISE

SOME OF THE COLORS THAT COME FROM COPPER

COPPER COMPOUNDS ARE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING AWIDE RANGE OF COLORS AND ARE VERY RESPONSIVE TO ATMOSPHERIC CHANGES, BOTH IN THE FIRING AND IN POST FIRING REDUCTION. THEY ARE ALSO ACTIVE FLUXES. IN LEAD OR HIGH-SILICA BASED GLAZES THEY USUALLY GIVE GRASSY GREENS IN OXIDATION AND A VARIETY OR REDS IN REDUCTION. IN BARIUM, STRONTIUM AND OTHER ALKALINE-FLUXED GLAZES IT GIVES TURQUOISE, BLUE-GREEN TO PURPLE. IN MAGNESIA-BASED GLAZES YOU CAN GET ORANGE PINK OR GREY. IN REDUCTION, COPPER CAN GIVE YOU LUSTROUS METALLIC SURFACES AS WELL AS VARIOUS REDS, PURPLES OF BLACK. COPPER COMPOUNDS ARE SUBJECT TO VOLATILIZING FUME ACTION AND MAY COLOR ADJACENT GLAZES CONTAINING TIN OXIDE. COPPER AND IRON ARE THE TWO MOST WIDELY USED COLORANTS IN THE CERAMIC FIELD.

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THE NEXT POST, ON FRIDAY 9TH, MARCH 2012, WILL LOOK AT THE POTENTIAL OF COBALT. COBALT MOSTLY GIVES THE BLUES.

MATERIAL GUY - PART FIVE: IRON

2012-03-05T03:00:00.000-08:00

MONDAY, 6TH MARCH 2012

THE CERAMIC SPECTRUM

TODAY'S POST COMES TO YOU

COURTESY OF THE MINERAL : IRON

I CAME TO ALL OF THIS GLAZE AND COLOR RESEARCH STUFF AS A RESULT OF PURE FRUSTRATION.

I WAS INITIALLY TRAINED AT ART SCHOOL IN PAINTING, DRAWING

AND PRINTMAKING. THERE ONE BOUGHT TUBES OR JARS OF PAINT WITH DESCRIPTIVE NAMES ATTACHED. YOU KNEW WHAT YOU WERE GETTING. THIS WAS IN THE 1950'S. IN CERAMICS, IT SEEMED THAT THERE WERE ONLY THREE GLAZES AVAILABLE, CELADON (GREEN), TENMOKU (BROWN) AND HIGH ALUMINA MATT (SPOTTY WHITE), AND ALMOST EVERYONE WAS USING THEM. I KNEW FROM MY MUSEUM VISITS THAT THERE WAS SO MUCH MORE THAN THAT.

I WANTED TO WORK THE CERAMIC SURFACE AS A PAINTER WORKS CANVAS. AT THE TIME THERE WERE FEW CERAMIC REFERENCE BOOKS ON COLOR AND WHAT LITTLE THERE WAS WAS VERY GENERALIZED TO THE POINT OF BEING ALMOST USELESS. IRON, IT WAS SAID, GAVE YOU BROWN OR GREEN. COPPER WOULD GIVE YOU RED OR GREEN. SO THEY DO, BUT THAT IS ONLY A FRACTION OF WHAT THEY WILL GIVE YOU. I SET ABOUT FINDING OUT FOR MYSELF WHAT ANYTHING WILL DO AND WHAT ARE THE PRIMARY FACTORS IN GLAZE AND COLOR DEVELOPMENT. IT TOOK ABOUT 20 YEARS TO FIND WHAT I FELT I NEEDED TO KNOW. I WAS ASKED TO MAKE IT INTO A BOOK FOR THE BENEFIT OF OTHERS WHO MIGHT BE PRE-OCCUPIED WITH CERAMIC GLAZE AND COLOR DEVELOPMENT.

"THE CERAMIC SPECTRUM" IS DESIGNED LIKE A CERAMIC COURSE OUTLINE AND HAS SEVERAL HUNDRED BASE GLAZE RECIPES FOR DIFFERENT TEMPERATURES. CHAPTER 18 IS A LISTING OF WHAT YOU MIGHT NEED TO GIVE A SIMILAR RANGE OF COLOR TO WHAT YOU WOULD FIND ON A PAINT SAMPLE SHEET FROM AN ART SUPPLY STORE.

BASICALLY, WHAT ANY COLORANT WILL GIVE YOU DEPENDS ON THREE VARIABLES:

1. THE MATERIALS THAT MAKE UP THE BASE GLAZE, PARTICULARLY THE FLUXES;

2. THE TEMPERATURE AT WHCH IT IS FIRED;

3. THE CONDITIONS IN WHICH IT IS FIRED, BASICALLY OXIDATION OR REDUCTION.

YOU CAN ADD TO THAT ANY OPACIFIERS (USUALLY WHITENERS, PASTEL FORMERS OR TINTS) OR DARKENERS (TONES) AND THE DEGREE OF SATURATION IN RELATION TO THE GLAZE.

"MAGICOLORMAN"

A VERY SMALL, RANDOM SAMPLE OF THE COLORS THAT COME FROM

IRON IN A VARIETY OF GLAZES, FIRED AT DIFFERENT TEMPERATURES IN BOTH OXIDATION AND REDUCTION

IRON IS THE MOST COMMON AS WELL AS THE MOST USEFUL OF THE COLORING OXIDES. ALMOST ALL CLAYS AND MANY GLAZE MATERIALS CONTAIN TRACES OF IRON THAT AFFECT COLOR, EVEN WHEN IRON IS NOT ADDED TO DEVELOP A SPECIFIC COLOR. IRON IS THE MOST COMPLEX OF OXIDES IN ITS EFFECT ON BOTH BODY AND GLAZE COLOR. IN OXIDATION, IT PRODUCES YELLOW, ORANGE, RED, BROWN, PURPLE AND BLACK. IN REDUCTION, IT CAN PRODUCE BLUE, GREEN, GREY, YELLOW, PURPLE, PINK, ORANGE AND BLACK. IN BOTH OXIDATION AND REDUCTION, COLOR WILL BE DEPENDENT ON THE THREE VARIABLES. IN CONJUNCTION WITH IMPREGNATED CARBON, IT WILL CAUSE THE DEVELOPMENT OF A BLACK BODY IN EITHER PIT-FIRING, OR THE POST-FIRING REDUCTION OF RAKU. IN HIGH-FIRED STONEWARES AND IMPURE PORCELAINS, RED TO PINK TO BROWN COLORS CAN DEVELOP AS FLASHING DURING THE RE-OXIDATION OF REDUCED WARE DURING COOLING. IRON CAN ALSO PRODUCE A GREAT VARIETY OF MICRO CRYSTALLINE SURFACE COLOR AND IN-GLAZE SPARKLING CRYSTALS SUCH AS AVENTURINE GLAZES. IN OXIDATION, IRON REACTS AS A REFRACTORY, RAISING THE TEMPERATURE SLIGHTLY. IN REDUCTION, IT REACTS AS A FLUX, LOWERING THE TEMPERATURE SLOWLY.

IRON COMES IN MANY FORMS BUT IN THE FIRING THEY ALL TURN INTO OXIDES. ONE BENEVOLENT ASPECT IN USING YELLOW IRON OXIDE, AS OPPOSED TO RED IRON OXIDE IS THAT IT DOESN'T STAIN HANDS AND CLOTHES AND JUST ABOUT EVERYTHING ELSE, BUT GENERALLY BEHAVES JUST LIKE RED IRON IN THE FIRED CERAMIC FORM.

MUCH FURTHER INFORMATION ON IRON CAN BE FOUND IN CERAMIC SPECTRUM, CHAPTER 15, ON IRON COLORED GLAZES, SHINO GLAZES, CHUN AND CELADONS.

THE NEXT POST WILL PRIMARILY DEAL WITH THE EFFECTS OF COPPER IN GLAZES.

ALL BEING WELL, IT WILL APPEAR ON WEDNESDAY, 7TH MARCH, 2012.

MATERIAL GUY - PART FOUR

2012-03-02T03:00:00.000-08:00

FRIDAY, MARCH 2ND, 2012

FLASHBACK - FAST FORWARD!

I WANTED TO USE THE PORCELAIN CLAY SURFACE

FOR GLAZE PAINTINGS

HUMMINGBIRD PLATE - 1977 - PORCELAIN - GLAZE + SANDBLASTING,

BONE-FUMING AND BRUSHWORK - GAS-FIRED IN REDUCTION AT CONE 10

PORCELAIN PLATE - 1978 - METCHOSIN MISTS SERIES - MULTIPLE

GLAZE APPLICATION - REDUCTION FIRED AT CONE 10

CERAMIC CALCULATION PROGRAMS HAVE SOME GOOD POINTS. FOR ME, HOWEVER, THEIR SHORTCOMINGS ARE FAR GREATER THAN THEIR BENEFITS. THE REASONS THAT I DON'T NORMALLY USE ANY FORM OF CHEMICAL CALCULATION IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF MY GLAZES ARE THAT THEY DON'T TELL ME WHAT I REALLY WANT TO KNOW. WITH GOOD KNOWLEDGE OF MATERIALS, THE PROCESS OF GLAZE AND COLOR DEVELOPMENT IS ALMOST INTUITIVE. USING GLAZE CALCULATION REALLY NEEDS GOOD MATERIAL UNDERSTANDING FOR OPTIMUM EFFECTIVENESS.

B'ORIBE PLATE - 2004 - PORCELAIN WITH MULTIPLE GLAZES

FIRED AT CONE 10 IN REDUCTION

CALCULATION TELLS US THE FOLLOWING:

1. CALCULATION CAN PROVIDE A BASIC UNDERSTANDING OF THE PRINCIPLES OF MINERAL FUSION THROUGH A RELATIVELY SIMPLE CALCULATION PROCESS.

2. IT ESTABLISHES THE RATIOS OF CHEMICAL MOLECULES TO DEVELOP A GLAZE AT A GIVEN TEMPERATURE.

3. THROUGH THE USE OF LIMIT FORMULAE, CALCULATION ESTABLISHES THE NORMAL EXTENTS OF VOLUME IN CHEMICAL USE FOR A GIVEN TEMPERATURE RANGE, I.E. BETWEEN 0 AND 1.0.

4. CALCULATION MAKES IT POSSIBLE TO EASILY COMPARE FORMULAE.

5. CALCULATION MAKES IT POSSIBLE TO READ AND USE INFORMATION IN TECHNICAL CERAMIC BOOKS AND JOURNALS.

6. IT CAN BE USEFUL IN PINPOINTING THE CAUSE OF GLAZE PROBLEMS.

7. CALCULATION MAKES REPLACEMENT OF CHANGED OR DISCONTINUED MATERIALS A FAIRLY EASY OPERATION.

B'Oribe PLATE - 1978 - BORROWED FROM ORIBE - PORCELAIN

FIRED IN REDUCTION AT CONE 10

WHAT CALCULATION DOESN'T TELL US.

1. CALCULATION DOESN'T ACCURATELY PREDICT THE QUALITY OF SURFACE; GLASSY, GLOSSY, SATIN, VELLUM, MATT, CRYSTALLINE OR DRY - HOW IT WILL LOOK AND FEEL.

2. CALCULATION WON'T TELL WHICH RAW MATERIALS TO USE IN A GLAZE TO OBTAIN A SPECIFIC COLOR OR COLOR RANGE, AND WHAT TO ADD TO ANY COLORANT TO WIDEN ITS SCOPE.

3. NOR WILL IT INDICATE HOW COLORANTS OR OPACIFIERS WILL BEHAVE IN A GIVEN GLAZE - SOME BEHAVE AS FLUXES AND MAKE THE GLAZE RUNNY, OR SOME, AS REFRACTORIES DRY OUT THE GLAZE SURFACE.

4. CALCULATION CAN'T FORECAST HOW THE GLAZE WILL VARY IN DIFFERENT KILNS AND FIRING CONDITIONS.

IF IT DOESN'T ANSWER THESE FOUR QUESTIONS FOR ME, IT ELIMINATES THE POTENTIAL OF GLAZE AND COLOR DEVELOPMENT FROM AN INTUITIVE, EXPERIENTIAL AND VISUAL VIEWPOINT - THE VERY CORE OF THE WAYS THAT ARTISTS THINK AND WORK.

PORCELAIN PLATE - 1978 - NIGHT FOREST SERIES

MULTIPLE GLAZE APPLICATION, FIRED IN REDUCTION AT CONE 10

IT SEEMS TO ME THAT THE QUALITIES AND COLORS OF CERAMIC SURFACES ARE WHAT WE FIND MOST APPEALING. THEREFORE, A CALCULATION METHOD WHICH, ALTHOUGH UNDENIABLY VALUABLE IN CERTAIN AREAS, FALLS FAR SHORT IN THE VERY PLACES THAT ARE OUR GREATEST CONCERN HAS EXTREMELY LIMITED USE FOR THE ARTIST. ALL THE GLAZES THAT I HAVE DEVELOPED OVER THE YEARS HAVE COME FROM EMPIRICAL UNDERSTANDING GAINED FROM TESTING AND OBSERVATION. OTHER THAN OCCASIONALLY NARROWING THE FIELD THROUGH LIMIT FORMULAE, I WORK DIRECTLY WITH THE MATERIALS THAT OVER THE YEARS I HAVE COME TO KNOW AND TRUST. I PERSONALLY FEEL MUCH MORE COMFORTABLE WORKING INTUITIVELY LIKE THIS.

PARABOLIC BOTTLE - PORCELAIN - 1978 - NIGHT FOREST SERIES

MULTIPLE GLAZE APPLICATION, FIRED IN REDUCTION AT CONE 10

I HAD DEVELOPED GOOD DRAWING, RESEARCH AND OBSERVATION SKILLS BETWEEN AGES FIVE AND FIFTEEN. SO, AS I CAME TO THE END OF HIGH SCHOOL, I MOVED ON TO ART SCHOOL. FIRST IT WAS IN PAINTING, DRAWING AND PRINTMAKING, FOLLOWED BY CERAMICS AND LITHOGRAPHY. IT WAS A PERFECT MATCH FOR ME. SINCE BOTH THE POTTERY AND LITHOGRAPHY STUDIOS WERE SMALL, WITH FEW STUDENTS, I COULD MOVE FORWARD RAPIDLY IN TEACHING MYSELF WHAT I FELT I NEEDED TO KNOW TO DO WHAT I HOPED I WOULD BE CAPABLE OF. I SET THE SCENE IN SUCH A WAY THAT AS SOON AS I COULD MAKE ENOUGH INCOME AND HAVE ENOUGH COLLATERAL FROM THEATER AND EUROPEAN TRAVEL GUIDING TO BUY AND RENOVATE MY FIRST HOUSE IN LONDON. FOR THOSE WHO MAY BE NEW TO READING THIS BLOG, THE WAY I ARRIVED AT THIS POINT IS THE SAGA THAT STARTS WITH THE FIRST POSTING ON DECEMBER 31ST, 2011 - NEW YEAR'S EVE. IT REPRESENTED A NEW STAGE OF ACTIVITY IN MY LIFE.

THROUGHOUT TEENAGE, ADOLESCENCE, AND EARLY ADULTHOOD. I SPENT A HUGE AMOUNT OF TIME IN VARIOUS MUSEUMS THROUGHOUT EUROPE. IT SEEMED THAT THERE WAS NOTHING THAT DIDN'T CATCH MY ATTENTION, EXCEPT SPORTS. HUMAN HISTORY AND THE ARTIFACTS, PARTICULARLY CLAY OBJECTS, THAT HAVE BEEN MADE GLOBALLY OVER THE LAST 10,000 YEARS HAVE BEEN A MAJOR SOURCE OF INTEREST. BUT THEN SO HAVE TRAVEL, ARCHITECTURE OF ALL TIMES, GARDENS AND PLANTS, ANIMALS AND BIRDS, THEATER AND ITS MAGIC AND THE EXCITING AREAS OF GEOLOGY AND MINERALOGY, CERAMICS, GLAZE AND COLOR. IT WASN'T UNTIL I STARTED MY FIRST STUDIO, THAT I REALIZED THAT ART SCHOOL HADN'T PROVIDED ME WITH ANY REAL UNDERSTANDING OF GLAZE AND COLOR OTHER THAN A FEW GLAZE RECIPES. I HAD TO FIND OUT WHAT I NEEDED TO KNOW BY TRIAL AND ERROR. I STARTED MY RESEARCH IN ENGLAND AND FINISHED IN CANADA SOME 25 YEARS LATER.

PORCELAIN SLAB BOTTLE - 1976 - SNOW LANDSCAPE SERIES

MULTIPLE GLAZE APPLICATION, FIRED IN REDUCTION ST CONE 10

WHEN I MOVED TO CANADA, I TAUGHT FOR FIVE YEARS AT THE COLLEGE LEVEL BUT REALLY DISLIKED THE AMOUNT OF ADMINISTRIVIA THAT WAS REQUIRED. I KNEW THAT, MORE THAN ANYTHING ELSE, I WANTED TO BE A STUDIO ARTIST. I ALSO KNEW THAT I DIDN'T WANT TO WORK IN SOMEONE ELSE'S STUDIO, AS I AM TOO SELF-PROTECTIVE. THESE WERE TWO VERY IMPORTANT LESSONS. THEY MADE ME MUCH MORE SELF-RELIANT. IF I NEEDED TO LEARN SOMETHING IT WAS ALWAYS A PERSONAL RESEARCH SITUATION.

THINGS THAT YOU FIND OUT FOR YOURSELF REMAIN IN THE MIND AND MEMORY MUCH LONGER THAN THINGS TAUGHT TO YOU BY SOMEONE ELSE. BEING A TAURUS (LUCKIEST BIRTH SIGN IN THE ZODIAC), BORN IN THE CHINESE CALENDAR YEAR OF THE RABBIT (LUCKIEST SIGN IN THAT CALENDAR), I HAD EVERYTHING GOING FOR ME.

STARTING NEXT MONDAY, I WILL START LOOKING AT WHAT INDIVIDUAL COLORANTS WILL DO

MATERIAL GUY - PART 3

2012-02-29T03:00:00.000-08:00

WEDNESDAY, 29TH FEBRUARY, 2012

PART 3 - "ROCKS IN THE HEAD!"

MY SEVERAL "SECOND HOMES" DURING MY CHILDHOOD INCLUDED ALL OF THE MUSEUMS IN THE PART OF LONDON CALLED SOUTH KENSINGTON. THESE INCLUDED THE NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM, THE SCIENCE MUSEUM, THE VICTORIA AND ALBERT MUSEUM OF DECORATIVE ARTS AND, LAST BUT CERTAINLY NOT LEAST, THE GEOLOGY MUSEUM. IT WAS THERE THAT I FIRST BECAME OBSESSED WITH ROCKS AND MINERALS AND THEIR MYRIAD VARIATIONS OF COLOR AND TEXTURE. I CAREFULLY LOOKED AT ALL THE LABELS ON THE SPECIMENS. THEY STARTED WITH A DESCRIPTIVE NAME SUCH AS SODIUM FELDSPAR OR TURQUOISE, FOLLOWED BY THE MINERAL CONTENT WRITTEN IN CHEMICAL SYMBOLS. I CAME TO REALIZE LATER THAT THIS WAS EXACTLY LIKE A GLAZE RECIPE. I CAME TO PREFER TO UNDERSTAND CERAMIC MATERIALS FROM THEIR GEOLOGICAL ORIGINS RATHER THAN THEIR CHEMISTRY. ALL THE INFORMATION IS IN THOSE LABELS.

A FEW COPPER CONTAINING MINERALS

MALACHITE (ACIDIC)

TURQUOISE (ALKALINE)

CUPRITE - FORMED IN REDUCTION

RAW COPPER

VARISCITE

I STARTED TO REALIZE THAT A PIECE OF BISQUE-FIRED POTTERY IS ACTUALLY A CHUNK OF SIMULATED, POROUS ROCK. THE GLAZE THAT IS PUT OVER IT IS A COMBINATION OF OTHER ROCKS, POWDERED AND, WITH THE ADDITION OF WATER, MADE INTO A LIQUID. THIS LIQUID IS APPLIED TO THE BISQUE AND THE WATER EVAPORATES. ON FIRING TO A SUITABLE TEMPERATURE, IT TURNS INTO A SKIN OF GLASS AND FUSES TO THE CLAY, BECOMING FOREVER BONDED. THIS SAME PROCESS HAS BEEN UTILIZED BY MANKIND FOR 4,500 YEARS, ALMOST ALL OVER THE WORLD EXCEPT IN PERMAFROST OR HUMID JUNGLE CONDITIONS WHERE THE CLAY WILL NOT DRY ENOUGH TO BE FIRED WITHOUT EXPLODING FROM THE WATER CONTENT THAT TURNS TO STEAM WHEN HEATED. A ROCK IS GENERALLY A COMBINATION OF SEVERAL MINERALS. A CERAMIC MINERAL IS PURIFIED AND DECONTAMINATED. THE SELECTION OF THE DIFFERENT ROCKS AND MINERALS TO MAKE COLOR AND GLAZES IS A LENGTHY, CUMULATIVE, RESEARCH EXPERIENCE, LEARNING BY TESTING AND OBSERVATION. GLAZES WERE BEING MADE BY TRIAL AND ERROR FOR OVER FOUR THOUSAND YEARS BEFORE THERE WAS A CHEMICAL EQUATION BASED UNDERSTANDING AND GLAZES COULD BE CALCULATED PREDICTABLY. MY PREFERENCE IN GLAZE AND COLOR DEVELOPMENT IS BY EMPIRICAL MEANS OF LEARNING MATERIAL BEHAVIOR UNDER THE EFFECTS OF HEAT.

RUTILE CRYSTALS IN A MATRIX OF QUARTZ (SiO2)

WHEN YOU LOOK AT CRYSTALS IN NATURE AS ABOVE, IT BECOMES EASY TO UNDERSTAND WHAT THEY DO IN GLAZES. RUTILE IS IMPURE TITANIUM, OR TITANIUM WITH IRON. THE MORE THAT YOU LOOK AT MINERALS, THE MORE YOU CAN VISUALIZE THEIR POTENTIAL IN GLAZES. MOST CERAMISTS BUY POWDERED AND PURIFIED COLORANTS. THE IMAGE BELOW SHOWS WHAT WE NORMALLY USE. THE IMAGES ABOVE SHOW A SMALL VARIETY OF WHERE THE POWDERED COLORANTS COME FROM.

PREPARED AND PURIFIED OXIDES AND CARBONATES

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: COPPER CARBONATE, MANGANESE DIOXIDE, COBALT CARBONATE, RUTILE, PRASEODYMIUM STAIN, RAW UMBER, AND RED IRON OXIDE IN THE CENTER.

ANY BASIC GLAZE IS A COMBINATION OF THREE THINGS, SILICA - WHICH FORMS GLASS AT AVERY HIGH TEMPERATURE; A SERIES OF FLUXING COMPOUNDS - THAT LOWER THE MELTING POINT OF SILICA, AS WELL AS CONTROLLING THE COLORATION POTENTIAL OF COLORANTS: AND ALUMINA - THAT ACTS AS THE BONDING MECHANISM BETWEEN THE GLAZE AND THE CLAY THAT IT COVERS. SOME OF THESE MATERIALS ARE ACIDIC AND AFFECT COLORANTS IN ONE WAY. SOME ARE ALKALINE AND AFFECT COLORANTS IN ANOTHER WAY. THE FINAL RESULT OF ANY GLAZE IS THE RESULT OF ANOTHER THREE THINGS. FIRST, THE COMBINATION OF MATERIALS THAT MAKE UP THE GLAZE. SECOND, THE TEMPERATURE AT WHICH IT IS FIRED. AND THIRD, THE ATMOSPHERIC CONDITIONS IN WHICH IT IS FIRED. TO THAT BASE, ONE ADDS COLORANTS AND OPACIFIERS TO ROUND OUT AND COMPLETE THE GLAZE AS DESIRED.

WULFENITE: LEAD COLORED WITH MOLYBDENUM

WHILE I REALIZE PERFECTLY WELL THAT NOT EVERONE HAS A MUSEUM OF GEOLOGY AND MINERALOGY ON THEIR DOORSTEP, THERE ARE MANY MINERAL AND ROCKHOUND STORES AND THE WILD AND WONDERFUL WORLD ORF NATURE. OBSERVE WHAT IS THERE AND IMAGINE HOW YOU COULD USE IT.

MALACHITE IS BASICALLY SILICA FUSED WITH COPPER IN A VOLCANO AND COOLED IN OXIDATION. THE PATTERN IS CAUSED BY BOILING AND BUBBLING MATERIALS CAUGHT AND COOLED IN A STATE OF ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT.

WITH A GOOD FOUNDATION IN GEOLOGY, AND THE EARLY REALIZATION THAT A CERAMIC GLAZE IS JUST A THIN COATING OF VARIOUS ROCKS APPLIED TO THE CLAY SURFACE, I SET MYSELF UP WITH A RESEARCH PROJECT THAT LASTED OVER TWENTY YEARS. THE PROJECT WAS TO REALLY UNDERSTAND CERAMIC GLAZE AND COLOR, AND WHAT EVERY MATERIAL CONTRIBUTED TO THE MIX, HOW THEY REACTED TOGETHER AT A NUMBER OF TEMPERATURES IN EITHER OXIDATION OR REDUCTION FIRING. I WANTED TO GET TO KNOW MY MATERIALS SO WELL THAT I COULD LOOK AT ANY COLOR IN ANY SITUATION AND COME UP WITH A GLAZE RECIPE AND COLORANTS NEEDED TO GET IT. SINCE I WANTED TO APPROACH THE CERAMIC SURFACE AS A PAINTER, THIS METHOD SERVED ME WELL. IT ALSO LED TO MY FIRST BOOK ON SIMPLIFIED GLAZE AND COLOR DEVELOPMENT "THE CERAMIC SPECTRUM", STILL GOING STRONG AFTER NEARLY THIRTY YEARS.

I DON'T USE GLAZE CALCULATION TO DEVELOP GLAZES. I WILL ELABORATE ON WHY IN MY NEXT POSTING ON FRIDAY, MARCH 2ND.

MATERIAL GUY - PART 2

2012-02-27T03:00:00.000-08:00

MONDAY, 27TH FEBRUARY 2012

COLOR THEORY - PART 2

A FEW PEOPLE HAVE ASKED ME ABOUT WHY I'M TALKING ABOUT COLOR THEORY AS IT DOESN'T REALLY RELATE TO THE CERAMIC ARTIST OR POTTER. I BEG TO DIFFER! THE MORE THAT ANY ARTIST KNOWS ABOUT COLOR, THE BETTER IN BEING ABLE TO PRODUCE WORKS OF ART IN ANY MEDIUM. IT GIVES FREEDOM TO INTERPRET AND EXPLORE AND IS FUNDAMENTAL TO ANY ART IN BEING ABLE TO DEVELOP COLOR SCHEMES.

TODAY'S POST IS A CONDENSED VERSION OF CHAPTER 4 IN MY 2004 BOOK "MAKING MARKS". THAT CHAPTER JUST TOUCHES INTO THE FULL JOHANNES ITTEN COLOR THEORY.

PRIMARY COLORS: BLUE, RED AND YELLOW

THE PURE HUE IS HORIZONTAL IN THE CENTER OF EACH COLOR SWATCH. TINT IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU ADD WHITE TO THE HUE. TONE IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU ADD BLACK TO THE HUE.

ANALOGOUS COLOR SCHEMES

ANALOGOUS COLORS ARE RELATED COLORS FROM A PIE-SHAPED PIECE OF THE COLOR WHEEL. THEY ALL HAVE ONE HUE IN COMMON, SO THINGS CAN'T GET TOO WILD.STARTING WITH THIS COLOR SCHEME, MORE HUE CONTRASTS ARE POSSIBLE. THIS MEANS MORE FREEDOM AND EXPRESSIVE POTENTIAL, BUT IT IS INCREASINGLY DIFFICULT TO MAKE GOOD COLOR COMBINATIONS. THESE ARE ANY COLORS DIRECTLY NEXT TO EACH OTHER ON THE COLOR WHEEL. IF YOU START WITH ORANGE AND WANT ITS TWO ANALOGOUS COLORS, SELECT RED AND YELLOW. A COLOR SCHEME THAT USES THESE COLORS PROVIDES A HARMONY AND BLENDING OF THE COLORS SIMILAR TO WHAT MIGHT BE FOUND IN NATURE.

THERE ARE A NUMBER OF VARIATIONS ON THESE THEMES THAT CAN BE FOUND IN THE BOOK. MONOCHROMATIC, SPLIT COMPLEMENTARY, TRIADIC, TETRADIC, WARM AND COOL COLORS ROUND OUT MOST POTENTIAL SCHEMES.

THE ELEVEN POINT GREY SCALE

THE GREY SCALE IS WHAT ESTABLISHES TINTS AND TONES WHEN USED IN CONJUNCTION WITH PURE HUES.

ALTHOUGH THE AVERAGE PERSON CAN SEE ABOUT 17,000 DIFFERENT COLORS, THERE ARE ONLY ABOUT 130 DIFFERENT ARTIST'S COLORS SOLD. SO, IF YOU HAD A TUBE OF EVERY COLOR MANUFACTURED, YOU STILL COULDN'T DUPLICATE THE RANGE OF COLOR THAT IS FOUND IN NATURE.

THE DARKEST DARK THAT YOU CAN SEE IN NATURE ISVERY MUCH DARKER THAN THE DARKEST PIGMENT YOU CAN BUY. THE DARKEST BLACK PAINT IS ABOUT EQUIVALENT TO A MID-TONE IN NATURE, AND THE MOST BRILLIANT WHITE YOU CAN MAKEIS DARKER THAN MOST OF THE LIGHT VALUES IN NATURE. SINCE IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO DUPLICATE THE RANGE OF HUES IN NATURE, THE ARTIST USES THEIR COLOR TO REPRESENT COLORS IN NATURE.

IN THE NEXT POSTING ON WEDNESDAY, 29TH MARCH, 2012, WE WILL LOOK AT GEOLOGICAL SPECIMENS AS A STARTING POINT IN DEVELOPING CERAMIC GLAZE AND COLORATION.

!THE MATERIALS GUY!"

2012-02-24T03:00:00.000-08:00

FRIDAY, 24TH FEBRUARY 2012

THIS POSTING STARTS A SERIES ABOUT COLOR IN CERAMICS

AND WILL LAST OVER SEVERAL DAYS

IN THE WORLD OF THE PAINTER A MAJOR AMOUNT OF STUDY IS GIVEN TO COLOR THEORY. THERE ARE A NUMBER OF COLOR THEORIES BY DIFFERENT SCIENTISTS AND ARTISTS GOING BACK INTO THE 18TH CENTURY. THE ONE I AM GOING TO TALK ABOUT HERE, AND PERHAPS THE EASIEST TO UNDERSTAND, IS THE JOHANNES ITTEN THEORY OF COLOR WITH THE COLOR WHEEL BELOW.

YOU MIGHT WONDER WHAT THIS HAS TO DO WITH CERAMICS AS THE CERAMIC COLOR PALETTE SEAMS TO HAPPEN MORE BY LUCK THAN JUDGEMENT. ITTEN, WAS THE COLOR MASTER AND THEORIST AT THE BAUHAUS ART CENTER IN GERMANY BEFORE IT WAS CLOSED DOWN BY HITLER IN 1933. THE MORE YOU KNOW ABOUT COLOR THE MORE LIKELY YOU ARE TO SATISFY YOUR CLIENTELE, BECAUSE THEY GENERALLY BUY THINGS BECAUSE THEY ARE ATTRACTED TO COLOR FIRST AND TEXTURE SECOND.

JOHANNES ITTEN COLOR WHEEL

THIS COLOR WHEEL STARTS WITH THE TRIANGLE IN THE CENTER THAT IS DIVIDED INTO THREE PURE PRIMARY COLORS. RED, YELLOW AND BLUE ARE THE COLORS THAT REPRESENT THE PUREST HUES. IF YOU MIX PRIMARY COLORS TOGETHER YOU GET SECONDARY COLORS; YELLOW + BLUE = GREEN; YELLOW + RED = ORANGE; BLUE + RED = PURPLE. YOU CAN KEEP MIXING COLORED RINGS AND EXPANDING THE WHEEL OUTWARDS. THE FURTHER YOU EXPAND THE WHEEL, THE MORE SUBTLE YOUR COLOR RANGE WILL BECOME.

IF YOU ADD WHITE TO A COLOR HUE, IT BECOMES A TINT; IF YOU ADD BLACK IT BECOMES A TONE. IN BOTH CASES, IT WILL LIKELY MAKE THE HUE ALSO OPAQUE OR TRANSLUCENT. ON MONDAY NEXT I WILL WRITE ABOUT THE ROLE OF THE GRAY SCALE AND ANALOGOUS COLORS.

THE CERAMIC COLOR WHEEL

THE MAIN DIFFERENCE IN APPROACH TO USING A CERAMIC/PAINTERLY METHOD IS THAT IN PAINTING THERE IS NO FIRING PROCESS, AND IN CERAMICS IT IS NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE TO GET A FULL SPECTRUM OF COLOR WITHOUT MULTIPLE FIRINGS UNDER DIFFERENT ATMOSPHERIC CONDITIONS. WITH THE SELECTION OF RAW MATERIALS, THE RANGE OF FIRING TEMPERATURES AND THE VARIETY OF KILNS, ONE CAN ACHIEVE A WIDER RANGE OF SURFACE THAN PAINTING GENERALLY OFFERS. THIS COLOR WHEEL IS BUT A SMALL EXAMPLE OF THE POTENTIAL OF COLOR DEVELOPMENT IN CERAMIC GLAZES.

TO BE CONTINUED MONDAY FEBRUARY 27TH 2012

SLIP-SLIDIN'- AWAY!

2012-02-22T03:00:00.000-08:00

WEDNESDAY, 22 FEBRUARY 2012

I FORGOT THAT I WAS GOING TO TALK ABOUT DECORATING SLIPS ON MONDAY LAST, MEA CULPA! PART OF THE AGGRESSIVELY NEGATIVE AGING PROCESS! SO HERE IT COMES.

ENGLISH SLIPWARE 18TH CENTURY STAFFORDSHIRE

18TH C. ENGLISH TRAILED SLIPWARE - HARLOW

I STARTED WORKING IN LOW-FIRE SLIPWARE ABOUT HALF A CENTURY AGO BECAUSE IT WAS A NICE MATCH FOR MY DRAWING AND PAINTING SKILLS. I LOVED ALL THE TRADITIONAL FORMATS OF WORKING THIS WAY THAT I SHOWED LAST WEEK. IN THE LATE 19TH CENTURY AND EARLY 20TH CENTURY, SLIP DECORATED EARTHENWARE WAS THE NORM IN ARTISTIC CERAMICS. IN BOTH EUROPE AND NORTH AMERICAN CERAMICS WITH COMPANIES SUCH AS MOORCROFT, ROSEVILLE AND ROOKWOOD. THERE WERE ALSO SOME CONTEMPORARY ARTISTS WHO WERE MAKING NEW STRIDES IN A VERY OLD CERAMIC PROCESS. PABLO PICASSO, SAM HAILE AND AND FREDERICK HURTEN RHEAD WERE LEADERS OF THE PACK OF ARTISTS ADOPTING AND ADAPTING THE SLIPWARE PROCESSES FOR PAINTERLY EXPRESSION. FOR GRAPHICALLY-ORIENTED CERAMIC ARTISTS, THEY OFFER MUCH POTENTIAL.

19TH C. ENGLISH SLIPWARE -

SGRAFFITO - BIDEFORD HARVEST JUG - NORTH DEVON

THOMAS SAMUEL HAILE - ENGLAND 1946

I ONLY WORKED WITH TRADITIONAL SLIPWARE FOR A SHORT TIME IN ENGLAND, JUST ENOUGH TIME TO BECOME FAMILIAR WITH ALL THE METHODS OF DOING IT BUT NOT ENOUGH TO BE TOTALLY SUCKED INTO ITS CHARMS. BEFORE LEAVING ENGLAND, I STARTED TO WORK IN PORCELAIN AND DEVELOPED A SLIPWARE/PORCELAIN HYBRID WAY OF WORKING THAT SUITED MY SKILLS PERFECTLY. I BECAME, SO I'M TOLD, THE SECOND POTTER IN CANADA TO WORK IN PORCELAIN. THE FIRST WAS FRANCINE DEL PIERRE FROM MONTREAL. IT IS NOT IN MY NATURE TO COPY HISTORICAL OR CONTEMPORARY STYLES, BUT ADAPTATIONS AND INTERPRETATIONS ARE CERTAINLY PART OF THE WAY THAT I APPROACH MY WORK. MY METHODOLOGY IS TO THOROUGHLY LEARN THE TRADITIONAL PROCESSES, BY COPIOUS TESTING AND TRIAL AND ERROR EXPERIMENTATION. THEN I TRY AS MANY VARIATIONS AS I CAN THINK OF UNTIL I FEEL COMFORTABLE WITH MY HYBRID. IT GENERALLY PRODUCES A NEW AND INDIVIDUAL STATEMENT OF WORK RATHER THAN FORMING A CLONE. THE TRADITIONAL VARIANTS ARE COMBING, FEATHERING, DOTTING, MARBLING, MOCHA DIFFUSIONS, SGRAFFITO AND COMBINATIONS OF THESE.

PORTRAIT MUG - ROOKWOOD POTTERY

19TH C. AMERICAN

MOORCROFT POTTERY - ENGLAND

EARLY 20TH CENTURY

TO WORK EFFICIENTLY WITH SLIPS, YOU NEED TO FIND ONE OR MORE THAT WORKS FOR YOU RATHER THAN AGAINST YOU! I HAVE DEVELOPED AND WORKED WITH LITERALLY HUNDREDS. WHEN I AM TRAVELING AND TEACHING SLIPWARE, AS WELL AS WORKING IN MY OWN STUDIO, I ALWAYS COME BACK TO WHAT I CALL ROBIN'S UBIQUITOUS SLIP. A SIMPLE RECIPE, IT WORKS EVERYWHERE I HAVE BEEN, ON ANY CLAY FROM CONE 04 TO CONE 12. IT IS NORMALLY CREAMY WHITE, BUT CAN HAVE COLORANTS. STAINS AND OPACIFIERS ADDED. IT CAN EASILY BE MADE NTO A CASTING SLIP FOR BETTER DRAWING POTENTIAL. THIS IS ALSO PARTICULARLY GOOD FOR MOCHA DIFFUSIONS (MD). ALL CLAYS ARE PRIMARILY ALKALINE IN NATURE. WITH MD A MILD ACID (I PREFER ORGANIC APPLE CIDER VINEGAR) IS MIXED WITH COLORANTS AND /OR OPACIFIERS AND DRIPPED INTO THE SLIP FROM THE TIP OF A CHEAP BRUSH.

ROBIN'S UBIQUITOUS SLIP

ANY BALL CLAY 75

ANY KAOLIN 10

SILICA 10

ANY FELDSPAR 5

TOTAL 100

TO DEFLOCCULATE THIS SLIP SO THAT IT BECOMES FLUID WITH LESS WATER. ADD 1% SODIUM SILICATE AND/OR 1% SODA ASH

THERE ARE MANY VARIETIES OF SLIP TRAILER. THE ONES I LIKE BEST ARE RUBBER BULB TYPE CHILDREN'S ENEMA BOTTLES WITH DETACHABLE TIPS, OR BULB TRAILER SETS WITH VARIABLE SIZED TIPS FROM TUCKER'S CERAMIC SUPPLIES, ONTARIO, CANADA

"GREYBIRD" 2011 - RH - PORCELAIN SLIPWARE

MICHAEL CARDEW - SLIPWARE CIDER JAR - ENGLAND 1935

MICHAEL CARDEW - SLIPWARE JUG - ENGLAND 1970

HAVE FUN!

BACK ON FRIDAY WITH "THE MATERIALS GUY!"

THE ROAD OF SELF DISCOVERY

2012-02-20T03:00:00.000-08:00

MONDAY, 20 FEBRUARY, 2012

I'VE HAD MANY SOURCES OF SELF-DISCOVERY TO GET EXCITED ABOUT OVER A SEVEN DECADE JOURNEY IN THIS MEDIUM. MUCH HAS BEEN COVERED IN MY VARIOUS BOOKS, BUT THERE IS ALSO MUCH THAT NEVER MADE IT INTO PRINT OR PERHAPS NOT COVERED ADEQUATELY. THIS BLOG GIVES ME THE OPPORTUNITY TO RECTIFY THAT. THE NEXT FEW POSTINGS ARE BASICALLY ABOUT FINDING OUT WHO YOU ARE. THAT DEPENDS ON SOME SORT OF PERSONAL ANALYSIS OR YOUR LIFE EXPERIENCES AND HOW YOU CAN MANIPULATE THEM INTO YOUR WORK. WE ARE ALL DIFFERENT, HOW DO WE MAKE THE MOST OF THOSE DIFFERENCES?

SLIPWARE DECORATION WITH PORCELAIN - GLAZE RUBBED OFF RAISED SLIP LEAVING A THIN RESIDUE THAT BECOMES ORANGE ON FIRING.

I WENT TO A SMALL ART COLLEGE THAT, AT THE TIME, WAS TEMPORARILY HELD IN THREE SEPARATE BUILDINGS IN DIFFERENT PARTS OF TOWN. MY INSTRUCTOR IN CERAMICS HAD NARROW EXPERIENCE IN STUDIO PRACTICE, BUT MAJOR EXPERIENCE AS A DESIGNER IN INDUSTRIAL CERAMICS. HE ALSO HAD A GREAT FACILITY FOR CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM, BUT NOT MUCH ELSE THAT WAS OF GREAT VALUE TO ME, AS FAR AS I COULD SEE. I HAD QUITE A LOT OF STUDIO EXPERIENCE, SELF-DEVELOPED FROM THE TIME OF WORKING AS A CLAY WEDGER FOR A SMALL PRODUCTION POTTERY. THIS WAS WHERE I FIRST LEARNT TO THROW IN EXCHANGE FOR WEDGING OVER A WHOLE SUMMER IN 1956. THESE EXPERIENCES, BOTH POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE, MADE ME REALIZE WHAT I DIDN'T WANT TO DO, JUST AS MUCH AS WHAT I DID WANT TO DO. FINDING OUT WHO YOU REALLY ARE AND WHAT YOU MAY HAVE TO SAY ARE THE MOST SIGNIFICANT DISCOVERIES IN THE EARLY STAGES OF BECOMING AN ARTIST. ALL OF YOUR COMBINED LIFE EXPERIENCES MAKE UP YOUR VISUAL AND SENSUAL JOURNEY. THIS IS THE BANK THAT FEEDS YOUR ARTISTIC DEVELOPMENT. LIMITED EXPERIENCES PRODUCE LIMITED RESULTS FOR PERSONAL GROWTH. GAINING THE SKILLS TO GET THERE CAN BE A LIFETIME JOURNEY. FORTUNATELY, IT GENERALLY HAPPENS OVER A LENGTHY PERIOD. LIKE ROME, CERAMIC ARTISTS ARE NOT MADE IN A DAY! THE COMPLEX COMBINATION OF ART AND SCIENCE APPEARS PARTICULARLY DEMANDING IN ITS RELATIONSHIP. ONCE YOU UNDERSTAND THE RELATIONSHIP, IT IS REALLY QUITE SIMPLE. YOU DON'T NEED TO KNOW IT ALL!

TAKE A BIT OF THIS

CHA-NO-YU - BRONZE HOT WATER CONTAINER (KAMA)

JAPANESE 19TH CENTURY

ADD A BIT OF THIS

19TH CENTURY ENGLISH TRAILED SLIPWARE PITCHER

SHAKE THEM UP WITH GLAZES LIKE THIS

CONE 8 BARIUM MATT GLAZE WITH ADDED COPPER AND RUTILE

TO GET A RESULT LIKE THIS

KAMA FORM - CHADO SERIES

AT THE TIME OF STARTING TO MAKE PIECES LIKE THIS, I WAS SOMEWHAT OBSESSED BY DIFFERENT ARTIFACTS THAT ARE PART OF A TRADITIONAL JAPANESE TEA CEREMONY OR CHADO. THE HOT WATER CONTAINERS (KAMA), THE TEA BOWL (CHAWAN) AND THE FLOWER CONTAINERS, IN A VARIETY OF MATERIALS, INTRIGUED ME. SINCE I AM WHITE CAUCASIAN, I DIDN'T WANT TO MAKE ANYTHING THAT WAS OVERTLY JAPANESE IN STYLE, BUT HONORED THE CULTURE I WAS STEALING FROM. I BORROWED FORM FROM THE KAMA AND ADAPTED IT WITH MANY VARIATIONS. I WANTED THE SURFACE TO HAVE QUALITIES OF OLD BRONZE WITH SOME SLIP TRAILED LINEAR DRAWING - A HINT OF THE ORIENT BUT WITH ELEMENTS OF CLASSICAL GREECE, ROME AS WELL AS ENGLISH SLIPWARE. THE RESULT, I HOPE, IS AN AMALGAMATION OF DIFFERENT ASPECTS, ABSORBED, CHURNED UP AND SPEWED UP IN A REVISED FORMAT. I'VE WORKED IN SERIES THIS WAY FOR MANY YEARS IN MANY DIFFERENT STYLES. IT CAN BE VIEWED AS FORM FIRST, SURFACE SECOND, TECHNOLOGY THIRD.

THE NEXT POSTING WILL BE ON WEDNESDAY, 22 FEBRUARY 2012

TEACHING - MORE LOVE, MORE LABOR

2012-02-17T03:00:00.000-08:00

FRIDAY, 17TH FEBRUARY, 20I2

FOUR-COLOR DOTTED AND FEATHERED SLIPWARE PLATE

MY LAST POST INTRODUCED THE SUBJECT OF SLIPWARE PROCESSES. THIS ONE AND THE NEXT, TRACE MORE ABOUT SLIPWARE, BOTH THE IMAGERY AND PROCESSES OF WORKING TO ACHIEVE THE IMAGERY. THE MANY VARIATIONS OF SLIPWARE ARE ESSENTIALLY SIMPLE LAYERING OF LIQUIFIED CLAYS OF DIFFERING VISCOSITIES. SOME, LIKE TERRA SIGILLATA, ARE ALMOST AS THIN AS WATER AND OTHERS MAY BE AS THICK AS WHIPPED CREAM. IF YOU PUT A DOZEN SLIPWARE POTTERS IN A ROOM TOGETHER, THEY WOULD INVARIABLY DISAGREE ABOUT THE OPTIMUM WORKING VISCOSITY OF THIS CLAY AND WATER MIX. SAME WITH TERRA SIGILLATA. EACH TO HIS OR HER OWN AND GET TO THIS UNDERSTANDING IN A TRY IT AND SEE METHODOLOGY. ON THE PRACTICAL SIDE IT IS MUCH BETTER AND EASIER TO MAKE IT THICK AND THEN ADD WATER. IN AREAS WHERE THESE TYPES OF WORK WERE DONE, IN FACT MOST AREAS OF THE WORLD, THE SLIPS WERE ESSENTIALLY JUST NATURAL LOCAL CLAYS WITH COLOR AND TEXTURAL VARIATION. LOCAL PROXIMITY CLAYS WITH COLOR VARIATIONS FROM IRON STAINING WILL LIKELY HAVE LESS WORKING PROBLEMS THAN SPECIALLY COMPOUNDED CLAY BODIES. OVER MANY YEARS, I HAVE FOUND THAT WHEN USING COMPLEX PROCESSES, IT IS FAR BETTER TO MAKE THE TECHNICAL PART AS SIMPLE AS POSSIBLE. IN ALMOST ALL OF THE SLIPS AND GLAZES THAT I HAVE DEVELOPED FOR MY WORK I HAVE TRIED TO USE NO MORE THAN FOUR INGREDIENTS. IT IS PART OF "THE KISS PRINCIPLE" (KEEP IT SIMPLE, STUPID).

ADAM AND EVE SLIPWARE PLATE BY THOMAS TOFT 1674

SLIPWARE OWL PITCHER

"PELICAN IN HER PIETY" - SLIPWARE PLATE BY THOMAS TOFT

SLIPWARE IS GENERALLY A FOLK ART TRADITION. IN MY OPINION THE MOST JOYOUS IS THAT FROM THE AREA IN CENTRAL ENGLAND KNOWN AS STAFFORDSHIRE, THE SAME GENERAL AREA WHICH LATER GAVE RISE TO THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF INDUSTRIAL COMPANIES SUCH AS WEDGWOOD, SPODE AND A HOST OF OTHERS. THE REASONS BEHIND THE DEVELOPMENT OF "THE POTTERIES" WAS THAT THE CLAY WAS VERY GOOD IN THAT AREA. BEFORE THE INDUSTRY STARTED THERE WERE A NUMBER OF SMALL TOWNS AND VILLAGES WHERE COUNTRY POTTERS ESTABLISHED THEIR WORKSHOPS. FAMILY NAMES SUCH AS TOFT, SIMPSON, WRIGHT, TAYLOR, TALOR ARE COMMON AMONG THE BEST OF WARES MADE IN THE FIRST HALF OF THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY. THE SMALL POTTERIES WERE GENERALLY DISPLACED BY THE INFLUX OF LARGE FACTORIES WHO NEEDED SKILLED WORKERS TO PRODUCE THE NEW MASS PRODUCTION WARES.

MARBLED SLIPWARE PLATE

THE ENGLISH FOLK ART TRADITIONS ARE INFUSED WITH GREAT HUMOR AND SPIRITED, GRAPHIC IMAGERY USING A LIMITED PALETTE OF WHITE, YELLOW, BROWN, ORANGE AND BLACK LOCAL TINTED CLAYS. THEY WERE THEN COATED WITH A LEAD, OR GALENA-BASED GLAZE. THEY WERE GENERALLY ONCE FIRED AT LOW TEMPERATURES REFERRED TO AS EARTHENWARE. ALTHOUGH THEY WERE MADE FOR REGULAR DOMESTIC USE, THE MOST JOYOUS PIECES WERE SPECIALLY MADE FOR CELEBRATIONS SUCH AS BIRTHDAYS, WEDDINGS, AND THE OCCASIONAL CORONATION OR TWO. MANY STUNNING, LARGE, DECORATED PLATES EXIST IN MANY MUSEUMS. THE LARGEST COLLECTION IN NORTH AMERICA IS IN THE NELSON/ATKINS MUSEUM IN KANSAS CITY. I WAS AWARE OF THEM THROUGH MY TEENAGE VISITS TO LONDON MUSEUMS.

TRAILED AND FEATHERED SLIPWARE

THE SIMPLE METHODOLOGY OF USING A FEW SLIPS AND VARIED APPLICATION PROCESSES HAS GIVEN RISE TO A WONDERFUL WORLD OF DECORATIVE CERAMIC SURFACES, SLIGHT VARIATIONS ON THE PROCESS ARE DONE IN MANY DIFFERING CULTURES. AS A STUDENT WITH GRAPHIC SKILLS, I WAS GREATLY IMPRESSED WITH THE POTENTIAL OF ALL CERAMIC SURFACE DECORATION PROCESSES. SLIPWARE WAS JUST ONE OF MANY. THE ONLY PROBLEM FOR ME WAS THAT I PREFERRED THE BODY STRENGTH GIVEN BY WORKING WITH HIGHER TEMPERATURE CLAYS. A FEW, SIMPLE ADAPTATIONS AND TESTING GAVE ME WHAT I NEEDED - WORKING WITH PORCELAIN AND DOING DRAWING AND PATTERN-MAKING WITH SLIPS.

FOUR-COLOR DOTTED AND EXPANDED SLIPWARE PLATE

I WILL START TO TELL YOU ABOUT IT IN MY NEXT POSTING ON MONDAY. FEB/20

TEACHING - AN ACT OF LOVE.

2012-02-15T00:00:00.000-08:00

WEDNESDAY, 15TH FEBRUARY, 2012

THIS IS MY 33RD POSTING ON THS BLOG SINCE NEW YEAR'S EVE 2011. THIS ONE IS WRITTEN ON ST. VALENTINES DAY. I STARTED THE BLOG BECAUSE I AM NO LONGER ABLE TO DO MY TRAVELS AROUND THE GLOBE DOING WORKSHOPS AND LECTURES AS I HAD BEEN DOING FOR THE LAST 45 YEARS. MY DOCTOR AND MY WIFE, NOT THE SAME PERSON, HAVE TOLD ME IN NO UNCERTAIN TERMS, THAT MY ITINERANT TEACHING IS NOW A THING OF THE PAST, DUE TO A BURNOUT SITUATION LAST FALL. TEACHING, OR MORE PROPERLY, HELPING PEOPLE LEARN HAS ALWAYS BEEN A LARGE PART OF MY WORKING LIFE. YOU CAN'T ACTUALLY TEACH PEOPLE ANYTHING, JUST HELP THEM LEARN AND ENCOURAGE THEM TO FIND AND EXPLORE THEIR OWN INDIVIDUALITY.

I CHOSE TO DO THE BLOG BY WRITING IT AS MY PERSONAL AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL JOURNEY, WHERE I HAVE FORTUNATE TO HAVE BEEN TO A HOST OF PLACES, AND DONE A GREAT VARIETY OF THINGS. A FEW YEARS BACK I SAW THE FOLLOWING SIGN ON A LARGE OUTDOOR SIGN AT A LOCAL CHURCH AND IT REALLY HIT ME HARD AS A TEACHER.

WE HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY TO BRING OUT THE INDIVIDUALITY IN OUR STUDENTS, RATHER THAN TEACH THEM TO BE JUST CARBON COPIES OF OURSELVES.

IT IS VERY EASY TO ENCOURAGE CLONING, BUT IT IS VERY DIFFICULT TO BRING OUT THE SPECIAL QUALITIES AND DIFFERENCES OF SOMEONE ELSE, RELATED TO THEIR LIFE EXPERIENCES. NO TWO PEOPLE HAVE EXACTLY THE SAME LIFE EXPERIENCES, BUT YOU WOULDN'T KNOW IT IF YOU LOOKED AT MANY CRAFT STORES AND GALLERIES. THERE IS SO MUCH THAT LOOKS AS THOUGH IT CAME FROM THE SAME HAND, AND SO LITTLE THAT SHOWS OBVIOUS INDIVIDUALITY AND PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT BASED ON PERSONAL EXPERIENCE. ONE OF THE DIFFICULTIES COMES FROM A SMALL NUMBER OF ARTISTS WITH VERY STRONG PERSONAL STYLES WHO TEACH THEIR STYLE OF WORKING TO HUNDREDS OF OTHER POTTERS EACH YEAR THROUGH WORKSHOPS. THIS LEADS TO MUCH LOOKALIKE WORK THAT IS EXTREMELY DIFFICULT FOR THE STUDENT TO GET AWAY FROM BECAUSE IT IS GENERALLY EASY TO DO AND GENERALLY LOOKS GOOD SO THEY KEEP ON DOING IT, CONVINCING THEMSELVES THAT IT IS ORIGINAL.

THE ORIGINAL TEACHER THEN COMPLAINS THAT HE OR SHE HAS SO MANY PEOPLE COPYING HIS OR HER WORK AND SELLING IT AT A LOWER PRICE THAT THEY CAN NO LONGER MAKE A LIVING.

WHAT I HAVE TRIED TO DO THROUGH MY BLOG POSTINGS IS TO POINT OUT THE VARIED EXPERIENCES IN MY LIFE THAT HAVE GIVEN ME A UNIQUE VIEWPOINT. I'M PLANNING TO CARRY ON ALONG THOSE LINES AS LONG AS IT WORKS!

WORKSHOP IN LAWRENCE, KANSAS

WHAT I ALWAYS TRIED TO DO IN MY WORKSHOPS WAS TO HAVE A GREAT DEAL OF VARIETY IN THE CONTENT, SO THAT THE PARTICIPANT COULDN'T POSSIBLY COME UP WITH A COPY OF WHAT I HAD DONE. IT INVARIABLY CENTERED AROUND VARIOUS DECORATION PROCESSES FROM TRADITIONAL EUROPEAN SLIPWARE TO ASIAN COLORED CLAY PROCESSES, AND BRUSHWORK DECORATION PROCESSES TO GLAZE AND COLOR PROCESSES. MANY PEOPLE USE THE WORD "TECHNIQUES" WHERE THE PROPER WORD IS "PROCESS". "PROCESS" IS WHAT IS BEING DONE; TECHNIQUE" IS THE SKILL WITH WHICH IT IS DONE. YOU CAN HAVE A GREAT PROCESS BUT BAD TECHNIQUE. YOU CAN EQUALLY HAVE BAD PROCESS SALVAGED BY GREAT TECHNIQUE. PROBLEMS MOST LIKELY DERIVE FROM LACK OF EXPERIENCE IN DOING WHATEVER IS BEING DONE. MANY THINGS IN CLAY SURFACING TAKE A LOT OF PRACTICE TO ACHIEVE OPTIMUM PERFORMANCE FOR A NUMBER OF REASONS. THE VARIATIONS OF SLIPWARE ARE AN OBVIOUS EXAMPLE, WHERE THE OBJECT BEING DECORATED HAS TO BE JUST THE RIGHT STAGE OF DRYNESS AND THE SLIP MUST HAVE THE THE RIGHT AMOUNT OF MOISTURE FOR IT TO WORK PROPERLY. TIMING AND SPEED OF APPLICATION ALSO MEAN THAT YOU CAN ONLY LEARN THIS BY TRIAL OR ERROR.

STAFFORDSHIRE SLIPWARE, PELICAN IN HER PIETY

ENGLISH 18TH CENTURY

MADE BY THOMAS TOFT

STAFFORDSHIRE SLIPWARE - KING AND RAT PLATE

ENGLISH 18TH CENTURY

MADE BY RALPH SIMPSON

ANOTHER SLIPWARE PROCESS, BASED ON GEOLOGICAL PROCESSES IS CALLED MOCHA DIFFUSIONS. COLORANT IS MIXED WITH MILD ACID SUCH AS TOBACCO JUICE OR VINEGAR IS DRIPPED INTO A SLIP OF THE CORRECT VISCOSITY AND CREATES THE PATTERN OR TREES AND BRANCHES. WHAT HAPPENS IS AN ACID/ALKALI REACTION, BUT TIMING, AND CONSISTENCY OF BOTH SLIP AND COLORANT MIX ARE CRITICAL TO IT WORKING.

DENDRITIC LIMESTONE

MOCHAWARE PITCHER, EARLY 19TH CENTURY, CORNWALL, ENGLAND

THE MORE KNOWLEDGE OF THE MEDIUM AND THE MORE SENSITIVE YOUR TECHNIQUE BECOMES, THE EASIER IT IS TO ACHIEVE THE RESULTS YOU ARE LOOKING FOR. THERE ARE HUNDREDS OF POTENTIAL DECORATIVE PROCESS YOU CAN WORK WITH. WHEN YOU GET AN IDEA, TRY IT AND SEE, IF IT DOESN'T WORK FIRST TIME, TRY IT AGAIN. IF IT STILL REFUSES, MAYBE YOU HAVE A BAD PROCESS, OR NOT ENOUGH TECHNIQUE

NEXT POST WILL BE ON FRIDAY, 17TH FEBRUARY, 2012. IT WILL CONTINUE ALONG THE LINES OF THIS POSTING

PRICING AND MARKETING

2012-02-13T03:00:00.000-08:00

MONDAY, 13TH FEBRUARY, 2012

LAST WEEK'S BLOGS WERE MAINLY ABOUT DESIGNING, MAKING AND PRICING A RANGE OF REGULAR DOMESTIC WARES, USING THE EXAMPLE OF MY OWN EXPERIENCE OF DOING JUST THAT IN ENGLAND BETWEEN 1959 AND 1967, ONE YEAR BEFORE I FINISHED AT ART SCHOOL AND ONE YEAR BEFORE MOVING TO CANADA.

TWO-QUART AND SIX-QUART CASSEROLES

JUST ABOUT THE ONLY WAY OF SURVIVING AS A POTTER AT THE TIME WAS TO DO A RANGE OF WELL-THOUGHT-OUT AND WELL-MADE FUNCTIONAL WORK. MY RANGE REGULAR RANGE GENERALLY INCLUDED ABOUT 35 DIFFERENT ITEMS WHICH WERE ALL MADE IN FIVE VARIATIONS OF GLAZE, COLOR AND DECORATION. THERE WAS NO EXCUSE FOR PEOPLE NOT TO BUY FROM THIS RANGE OF WORK. I STARTED MARKETING MY WORK IN AN ORGANIZED WAY. MY PARENTS HAD A FAMILY GROCERY BUSINESS, SO I LEARNED HOW BUSINESS WORKED VERY EARLY IN LIFE, PROBABLY ABOUT FOUR IN AGE. ON MONDAY MORNING I WENT TO THE BANK WITH MY MOTHER TO DEPOSIT THE TAKINGS FROM THE PREVIOUS WEEK'S SALES. VARIOUS SALESMEN WOULD STOP BY AND MY PARENTS WOULD ORDER STOCK OR THEY WOULD ORDER BY PHONE. THE GOODS ARRIVED, WERE PRICED AFTER CHECKING OUT THE COMPETITION AND PUT OUT FOR SALE. THE FOLLOWING WEEK IT HAPPENED ALL OVER AGAIN. IT SEEMED A PRETTY SIMPLE CONCEPT. SO I DECIDED WHERE I WANTED TO SELL MY WORK TO BY MAKING MY ROUNDS OF ALL OF THE GALLERIES AND BOUTIQUES THAT SEEMED LIKELY. I KNEW WHERE THE ONES WERE IN THE SOUTH OF ENGLAND. I GOT MYSELF ORGANIZED AND FOLLOWED THE PATTERN OF THE GROCERY SALESMEN.

CHEESE DISH, TEAPOT AND TWO-QUART CASSEROLE

LARGE AND SMALL JAMPOTS

SINCE I DIDN'T HAVE A CAMERA, I HAD IMAGES OF MY WORK PROFESSIONALLY PHOTOGRAPHED IN BLACK AND WHITE ( THE IMAGES SHOWN ON THE PREVIOUS FEW BLOG POSTS. I MADE INTO A PHOTO JOURNAL WITH DESCRIPTIONS AND PRICES. I WROTE TO THE OWNERS OR THE GALLERIES FOR AN APPOINTMENT AND WENT TO THE GALLERY WITH THE PORTFOLIO, MET THE OWNERS AND DISCUSSED THE WORK. IF THEY WERE INTERESTED, I HAD SAMPLES IN THE CAR THAT THEY COULD SEE, TOUCH AND ORDER FROM. IF THEY LIKED WHAT THE SAW, THEY MADE AN ORDER FOR DELIVERY FOUR MONTHS HENCE. IF THEY DIDN'T LIKE WHAT THEY SAW, WE WASTED NO MORE OF EACH OTHER'S TIME AND I MOVED ON TO THE NEXT STOP ON MY LIST. WHEN I HAD AS MANY ORDERS AS I FELT I COULD FINISH IN FOUR MONTHS I DELIVERED THE WORK AND THEN MADE A CIRCUIT IN THE MIDDLE OF ENGLAND AND DID THE SAME THING OVER AGAIN AND ONCE AGAIN IN THE NORTH OF ENGLAND. MY ORDERS TOOK ME A YEAR TO COMPLETE, AND I THEN STARTED THE CYCLE ALL OVER AGAIN.

BEAKER MUG AND SMALL COFFEE MUG

FLUTED BOWL

THESE SIMPLE PRICING AND MARKETING METHODS HAVE WORKED WELL FOR ME FOR AT LEAST 50 YEARS. IF YOU WANT TO BECOME A REAL PRO IN THE FIELD YOU MIGHT FIND THEM VERY USEFUL.

COFFEE FOR ONE, COFFEE POT, CUP AND SAUCER, CREAM AND SUGAR

STARTING TODAY, I AM HAVING TO CUT MY BLOGS BACK TO THREE PER WEEK, ON MONDAY, WEDNESDAY AND FRIDAY. I HAVE FOUND THAT I JUST CAN'T FIND TIME TO DO ALL THE OTHER THINGS THAT I CRAM INTO MY LIFE. MY FRIENDS TOLD ME THAT BLOGS ARE EASY AND FAST TO DO! MAYBE IF YOU ARE A SUPER SWIFT COMPUTER NERD, FAST TYPIST AND PHABULOUS PHOTOGRAPHER, BUT I AM NONE OF THE ABOVE, AND AM CONSTANTLY STRUGGLING TO GET THE POSTS DONE ON TIME. I WRITE THE POSTS IN THE BELIEF THAT I'M HELPING PEOPLE WITH THEIR CONTENT. MAYBE I'M MISGUIDED IN THAT ASSUMPTION BECAUSE THERE IS SELDOM A COMMENT, QUESTION OR REQUEST FOR CLARIFICATION.

ON MAKING, PRICING AND MARKETING

2012-02-10T03:00:00.000-08:00

FRIDAY, 10TH FEBRUARY, 2015

THE DEVELOPMENT OF A POTTER OR CERAMIC ARTIST IS A LENGTHY LOVE AFFAIR THAT IS DIFFICULT TO CONDENSE AND SPEED UP. ALTHOUGH IT IS A VERY BEAUTIFUL THING TO DO, IT IS GENERALLY A SLOW PROCESSES, DEVELOPING MANY SKILLS THAT TAKE CONSIDERABLE TIME TO MASTER. IF YOU GET HOOKED, YOU WOULD BE WELL-ADVISED TO PLAN FOR THE LONG HAUL!

ALL POTTERY IMAGES SHOWN ARE FIRED AT CONE 9 IN OXIDATION AND WERE MADE BETWEEN 1958 AND 1967.

THREE CASSEROLES.

FIRST: COMES THE LEARNING OF ALL THE SKILLS NEEDED TO ENABLE YOU TO MAKE WHAT YOU VISUALIZE AND WISH TO MAKE. THIS INCLUDES THE SKILLS OF MANIPULATING CLAY BY A WIDE RANGE OF METHODS FROM HAND-BUILDING TO THROWING TO SLIP-CASTING OR COMBINATIONS THEREOF. THIS IS FOLLOWED BY FINISHING THE RAW PRODUCT AND THEN ITS COMPLETION BY FIRING IN ONE OF THE UMPTEEN VARIABLES THAT ARE AVAILABLE FOR YOUR EXPLORATION. THIS IS ALL THE PRACTICAL, MANIPULATIVE PROCESSES OR FOUNDATIONS OF THE MEDIUM.

SECOND: IS THE GENERAL DEVELOPMENT OF THOUGHT PROCESSES BEHIND THE WORK. THIS IS THE REALM OF IDEAS. DECIDING ON WHAT SORT OF WORK YOU WANT TO DO - IS IT TO BE SIMPLE-FUNCTIONAL, COMPLEX - FUNCTIONAL, OR PRIMARILY SCULPTURAL OR PRIMARILY PAINTERLY. COMING UP WITH NEW IDEAS IS WHAT GENERALLY SEPARATES THE ORIGINAL FROM THE CLONE. THESE SKILLS USUALLY COME FROM TWO-DIMENSIONAL ART PROCESSES SUCH AS DRAWING, PAINTING, PRINTMAKING AND FOLLOWS THROUGH THREE -DIMENSIONALLY WITH POTTERY AND SCULPTURAL FORM IN DIVERSE MEDIA.

THIRD: IS THE DEVELOPMENT OF THOSE IDEAS INTO ACTUAL OBJECTS FOR CONTEMPLATION OR USE. WHAT ARE YOU CAPABLE OF?

SAUCE BOATS

GENERAL PURPOSE BOWLS

FOURTH: IS PUTTING A PRICE ON IT! HOW DO YOU ESTABLISH A VALUE ON WORK THAT, FOR THE MOST PART, YOU DON'T KNOW HOW MUCH ACTUAL TIME IT TOOK TO MAKE BECAUSE IT WAS MADE OVER A PERIOD OF TIME IN AT LEAST SIXTEEN SEPARATE STEPS. YOU DON'T ACCURATELY KNOW WHAT THE MATERIAL AND FIRING COSTS WERE AND LOGICAL PRICING JUST DOESN'T EXIST.

THE METHOD THAT WORKED FOR ME AT MY FIRST STUDIO IN ENGLAND AND WAS FOLLOWED IN CANADA SEVERAL YEARS LATER WAS THIS. MAKE A GRAPH OF THE WORK AND PRICES OF DIFFERENT ARTISTS WHO MIGHT BE MAKING A RANGE OF SIMILAR OBJECTS TO WHAT YOU MIGHT PRODUCE. YOU CAN GET THIS SORT OF INFORMATION BY VISITING GALLERIES AND GALLERIES OR THESE DAYS FROM SOME WEBSITES, I KNEW THE ARTISTS AND WHAT THEY MADE IN ENGLAND.

DOWN THE LEFT SIDE OF THE GRAPH, I PUT THE NAMES OF A DOZEN, OR SO, ARTISTS, INCLUDING BERNARD LEACH, DAVID LEACH, MICHAEL LEACH, ALAN CAIGER-SMITH, JOHN LEACH, RAY FINCH, HARRY DAVIS, MICHAEL CARDEW, EMANUEL COOPER, LUCIE RIE, BRIGLIN POTTERY, MAUND POTTERY. ACROSS THE BOTTOM OF THE GRAPH I WROTE THE RANGE OF WORK, SUCH AS: LARGE MUG, SMALL MUG, CUP AND SAUCER, TEAPOT, CREAM AND SUGAR, COFFEE POT, SMALL CASSEROLE, LARGE CASSEROLE, EGG BAKERS, SOUP BOWL, ONION SOUP BOWL, DESSERT BOWL, LARGE SALAD BOWL, INDIVIDUAL GENERAL PURPOSE BOWL, GOBLET, CHALICE, ETC. THEY WERE SEPARATED BY VERTICAL LINES. SINCE I WAS TOTAL NEOPHYTE AT PRICING CERAMICS, I TOOK THE GRAPH AROUND A FEW CRAFT STORES OR GALLERIES AND FILLED IN ALL THE SPACES WITH THE RELEVANT PRICE FOR EACH OBJECT. I HAD ALL THE PRICES RELEVANT TO A VARIETY OF SIMILAR OBJECTS, MADE BY A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT ARTISTS. I AVERAGED THE PRICES AND ESTABLISHED MY RETAIL PRICE AT THAT AVERAGE. THAT WAY I DIDN'T OVER-PRICE, NOR UNDER-PRICE MY WORK. IT WORKED FOR ME IN 1961 AND IT HAS WORKED FOR ME EVERY TIME I HAVE NEEDED TO ESTABLISH VALUE IN A DIFFERENT AREA. YOU CAN'T GO FAR WRONG. ONE-OF-A-KIND WORK IS A LITTLE MORE DIFFICULT TO ESTABLISH VALUE THIS WAY, BUT IT WILL USUALLY GET A BALL-PARK EVALUATION TO GIVE YOU A START. IN MOST CASES, PEOPLE WHO START TO EVALUATE THEIR WORK USUALLY TEND TOWARD OVER-PRICING, , SUCH A "MY TEACHER PRICES IT THIS WAY!" OR THAT IS WHAT I FEEL I'M WORTH! I HAVE BEEN IN THE BUSINESS OF MAKING AND SELLING HANDMADE THINGS FOR OVER SIXTY YEARS AND HAVEN'T ESTABLISHED A LOGICAL, FOOL-PROOF WAY YET. IF SOMEONE OUT THERE IN BLOGGER-LAND HAS ONE, PLEASE LET ME KNOW.

TEAPOT, CUP AND SAUCER - WAX RESIST ON GREENWARE FOLLOWED BY A BRUSHING OF CROCUS MARTIS, BISQUE-FIRING AND WHITE CONE 9 GLAZE

MONDAY: FROM PRICING TO MARKETING

FINDING A MARKET FOR MY WORK

2012-02-09T03:00:00.000-08:00

THURSDAY, 9TH MARCH 2012

MORE PROBLEMS WITH COMPUTER, CAMERA AND CRANIUM TODAY, MAINLY THE LAST ON THE LIST. SO I WILL LEAVE YOU WITH A GROUP OF MORE IMAGES FOR FUNCTIONAL WORK DESIGNED AND MADE DURING MY FINAL YEAR AT CROYDON COLLEGE OF ART. THESE WERE DONE AFTER HAVING ROUND TABLE DISCUSSIONS WITH USERS OF DOMESTIC POTTERY, TO DETERMINE THE OPTIMUM REQUIREMENTS THAT POSSIBLY NEED TO BE INCLUDED OR CONSIDERED IN ORDER TO SATISFY THE GREATEST NUMBER OF USERS.

COFFEE POT

BUTTER DISH

RAMEKINS

DESIGNING A LINE OF DOMESTIC POTTERY

2012-02-08T08:21:00.000-08:00

WEDNESDAY, 8TH FEBRUARY, 2012

IMAGINE THAT IT IS 1959. YOU HAVE BEEN IN ART SCHOOL FOR FOUR YEARS SO FAR, LEARNING BOTH POTTERY-MAKING SKILLS AND THE MANY ASPECTS OF GRAPHIC SKILLS THAT WILL GIVE YOUR WORK A DIFFERENT EDGE TO OTHERS ABOUT TO GRADUATE. YOU ARE ABOUT TO LAUNCH YOURSELF INTO THE REAL WORLD AND HAVE A YEAR OF SCHOOLING YET TO GO. YOU REALLY WANT TO JUST MAKE ONE-OF-A-KIND ARTWORK IN CLAY BUT YOU REALIZE THAT IT IS ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE WITHOUT A NAME, OR REPUTATION. WHAT DO YOU DO? YOU CAN TEACH IF YOU HAVE THE CORRECT PAPERWORK; YOU CAN MAKE YOUR LIVING BY MAKING A LINE OF DOMESTIC POTTERY; OR YOU CAN QUIT, DO SOMETHING ELSE, BECOME A KNOWLEDGEABLE CONSUMER OR BECOME BITTER THAT YOU HADN'T THOUGHT IT ALL THROUGH MORE COMPLETELY EARLIER. FORTUNATELY, ENGLISH EDUCATION WAS FREE AT THAT TIME, SO I DIDN'T STACK UP A HUGE STUDENT LOAN DEBT BUT IF IT WAS NOW IN THE U.S. I WOULD LIKELY BE WELL OVER $60,000 IN DEBT AND MORE TO COME FOR THE FINAL YEAR OF TERTIARY EDUCATION.

SIDE-HANDLED CASSEROLE

High-fired with propane gas reduction. Shape derived from traditional MARMITE forms common throughout France for Boeuf Bourguignon.

DEMITASSE and SAUCER - 1966

First attempts with Porcelain. Crocus Martis slip and multilinear sgraffito.

Electric fired to cone 9.

I REALIZED THAT I NEEDED TO CHANGE MY PLANS AND INITIALLY MAKE MY INCOME BY DOING SOMETHING ELSE OR MAKING A LINE OF FUNCTIONAL WORK. IN MY LAST YEAR IN COLLEGE, I DECIDED TO SPECIALIZE ON DESIGNING AND MAKING A FUNCTIONAL RANGE AS A "BREAD AND BUTTER" LINE AND DO ONE-OF-A KIND WORK AS AN OCCASIONAL TREAT. THE DOMESTIC LINE WOULD INCLUDE: MUGS IN THREE SIZES, CREAMS AND SUGARS, TEAPOTS, COFFEE POTS, DINNER WARE PLATES IN THREE SIZES, CASSEROLES, PITCHERS, SERVING PLATES, VEGGIE BOWLS, SALAD BOWLS, SOUP BOWLS, DESSERT BOWLS, ONION SOUP BOWLS, GOBLETS, CHALICES, EGG BAKERS, SALT AND PEPPERS, OIL AND VINEGARS. IN ALL, I DECIDED TO DESIGN APPROXIMATELY 35 DIFFERENT ITEMS THAT I FELT COMFORTABLE IN MAKING AND COULD PRODUCE EFFICIENTLY. I ALSO DECIDED ON GLAZE AND SURFACE DECORATION VARIATIONS.

ONE-GALLON STONEWARE PITCHER - 1966

Electric fired to cone 9 with Crocus Martis colored slip

and multi-linear sgraffito.

I DID MY FORM OF MARKET RESEARCH AND GOT TOGETHER A GROUP OF PEOPLE, MAINLY WOMEN, WHO USED FUNCTIONAL POTTERY, TO SEE WHAT THEY WOULD LOOK FOR AS THE ULTIMATE ANYTHING FROM MY LIST. I HAD A FEW ROUND TABLE SESSIONS AND CAME UP WITH A LOT OF IDEAS ABOUT WHAT WORKS AND WHAT DOESN'T. THIS WAS MY GUIDE TO DESIGNING AND MAKING. MUCH LATER IT BECAME PART OF MY SECOND BOOK "FUNCTIONAL POTTERY". SIMPLE ANALYTICAL QUESTIONS LIKE "HOW DO YOU HOLD A COFFEE MUG?" HAD SIX BASIC PREFERENCES - ONE FINGER, TWO FINGERS, WHOLE FIST THROUGH LARGE HANDLE, THUMB THROUGH THE HANDLE WITH HAND HELD UNDERNEATH, TURN THE HANDLE AWAY FROM YOU AND HOLD THE BODY OF THE MUG UNDERNEATH ON WITH TIP OF FIRST OR SECOND FINGER ON THE FOOTRING WITH THE THUMB ON THE RIM, JAPANESE-STYLE. I QUICKLY AMASSED A RANGE OF PREFERENCES FOR ALL BASIC DOMESTIC ITEMS THAT BECAME MY GENERAL DESIGN GUIDELINES, BASED ON ACTUAL USE.

STONEWARE TEAPOT - 1967

Electric fired to cone 9 with propane gas reduction. Oatmeal Glaze

with wax resist covered with a brushing of Crocus Martis pigment.

BY THE TIME I GRADUATED, I HAD MY LINE OF DOMESTIC POTTERY DESIGNED AND READY TO GO. THE ONLY PROBLEM WAS THAT I DIDN'T HAVE A STUDIO OR THE MONEY TO GET ONE. I DIDN'T WANT TO SPONGE ON MY LONG-SUFFERING PARENTS ANY MORE, SO I TOOK ROUTE TWO - A LIFE IN THEATER UNTIL I HAD SAVED ENOUGH MONEY TO MOVE FORWARD. NOBODY TOLD ME THAT YOU COULDN'T MAKE MONEY IN THE THEATER WORLD, SO I ALWAYS DID! THAT WAS FOLLOWED AND MIXED WITH THE LIFE OF A EUROPEAN TRAVEL GUIDE AND THAT MADE MUCH MORE MONEY! I WAS ALWAYS A HARD WORKER, AND IN THE FOLLOWING THREE YEARS I HAD TWO HOUSES, A WIFE AND TWO KIDS, A STUDIO AND AS MUCH POTTERY BUSINESS AS I COULD HANDLE.

I PUT THE POTTERY WORK ON HOLD UNTIL I WAS READY QUIT THE OTHER THINGS IN MY LIFE. IT DIDN'T TAKE TOO LONG BEFORE I COULD SLIDE INTO MY NEW, AND MUCH AWAITED, ROLE OF THE STUDIO POTTER. I BEGAN TO PRODUCE THE LINE, AND ALSO A RANGE OF WHEEL-THROWN SCULPTURE AND NEW, ONE-OF-A-KIND FORMS TO BE USED FOR PAINTERLY DECORATION.

TOMORROW: MARKETING THE WARES

DESIGN CONCEPTS FOR DOMESTIC POTTERY

2012-02-06T23:14:00.000-08:00

TUESDAY, 7TH FEBRUARY, 2012

I HAD PLANNED TO DO THIS BLOG, BUT I HAVE BEEN HAVING PROBLEMS WITH MY CAMERA, COMPUTER AND BRAIN THAT DON'T WANT TO WORK TODAY. SO I WILL INCLUDE A FEW IMAGES OF WORK THAT I MADE NEARLY 50 YEARS AGO IN MY ENGLISH STUDIO IN THE BERKSHIRE VILLAGE OF KINTBURY.

SORRY, BUT THAT IS THE BEST I CAN DO TODAY, GRASS

MOVING TO THE COUNTRY

2012-02-06T05:56:00.000-08:00

THE FIRST IMAGE IN THIS BLOG IS THE “BEFORE” PICTURE OF THE DILAPIDATED CHAPEL AND TWO EVEN MORE DILAPIDATED COTTAGES THAT SANDWICHED IT. I BOUGHT THE THREE FOR THE HANDSOME PRICE OF $1200, IN THE EARLY 1960’S. IT HAS A PLAQUE ON THE CHAPEL “ZION PRIMITIVE METHODIST CHAPEL 1853”. IT HAD A COVENANT ON IT WHICH MEANT THAT BEFORE WE COULD PURCHASE AND ALTER IT, THE LAWYER HAD TO TRACE ANY LIVING RELATIVES OF THE ORIGINAL BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE CHAPEL. THIS WAS 110 YEARS PREVIOUSLY, IN A SMALL COUNTRY VILLAGE NAMED KINTBURY IN BERKSHIRE. ENGLAND TOOK ABOUT TWO YEARS OF SEARCHING, BUT EVENTUALLY THEY WERE TRACKED DOWN AND WE COULD MAKE THE PURCHASE, FOLLOWED BY DOING THE RENOVATIONS. I HAD DONE RENOVATION WORK BEFORE ON ANOTHER HOUSE, SO I KNEW WHAT WAS INVOLVED. THIS TIME I HIRED A LOCAL ARCHITECT, MAINLY TO GET THROUGH THE MANY PAPERWORK HASSLES WITH THE LOCAL COUNCIL.

THE VILLAGE OF KINTBURY HAD SEEN BETTER DAYS. DATING BACK OVER 900 YEARS PREVIOUSLY, IT WAS INCLUDED IN THE FIRST SURVEY OF TOWNS AND VILLAGES AND CENSUS OF THE POPULATION, KNOWN AS THE DOMESDAY BOOK. IT WAS UNDERTAKEN AFTER FRENCH KING WILLIAM THE CONQUERER BEAT ENGLISH KING HAROLD AT THE BATTLE OF HASTINGS ON ENGLAND’S SOUTH COAST. HAROLD DIED AFTER BEING SHOT IN THE EYE WITH AN ARROW. AT THE TIME, KINTBURY WAS CONSIDERABLY LARGER AND WAS A CENTER OF THE ENGLISH WOOL TRADE.

THE DILAPIDATED CHAPEL WAS HALFWAY DOWN THE NARROW MAIN ROAD OR HIGH-STREET. THE FRONT DOOR WAS SET BACK FROM THE ROAD BY ABOUT FIFTEEN FEET, GIVING A 15’ X 30’ FORECOURT WHICH WAS JUST BIG ENOUGH FOR PARKING A SMALL CAR. THE ATTACHED,TINY COTTAGES FACED DIRECTLY ONTO THE ROAD. IT ALSO BECAME A TEMPORARY WORKING STDIO WHEN I WAS BUILDING PROPS FOR THE WEST-END. SHAW’S ”ARMS AND THE MAN” REQUIRED A COPY OF A 1901 DE DION-BOUTON AUTOMOBILE. PETER PAN NEEDED A NEW FULLY-ARTICULATED 25’ CROCODILE THAT COULD BE DRIVEN FROM INSIDE BY A YOUNG ACTOR LAYING FLAT ON HIS BELLY. MY INDOOR STUDIO WAS TOO SMALL TO ACCOMMODATE LARGE PROJECTS, SO EITHER THE CROC OR THE CAR HAD TO BE PARKED ON THE FORECOURT WHILE I WORKED ON THE OTHER. IN A VILLAGE FULL OF ENGLISH ECCENTRICS I QUICKLY DEVELOPED A GREAT REPUTATION FOR ENCOURAGING STRANGE OCCURRENCES. THE PUB ACROSS THE STREET, ONE OF SEVEN IN THE VILLAGE, LOVED IT AS THEY GOT CUSTOMERS COMING TO TEST OUT WHAT THE LATEST THEATER PROJECTS MIGHT BE, SITTING ON OUR FORECOURT.

I HAD BOUGHT A LARGE, FRONT-LOADING ELECTRIC KILN AS THERE WAS NO NATURAL GAS IN THE VILLAGE AND PROPANE KILNS WERE UNHEARD OF AT THE TIME. I QUICKLY FOUND OUT THAT I ONLY HAD HALF A CERAMICS EDUCATION AND THAT I HADN’T BEEN GIVEN THE OPPORTUNITY TO LEARN ANYTHING AT ALL ABOUT GLAZE AND COLOR DEVELOPMENT. THIS, APPARENTLY, WAS NOT UNUSUAL THEN, AND IT STILL NOT UNUSUAL NOW. I HAD A FEW STOCK GLAZE RECIPES THAT EVERYONE ELSE ALSO USED. I USED THEM AND ADAPTED THEM TO SUIT MY CURRENT NEEDS AND VOWED TO DO A THOROUGH RESEARCH PROJECT ON GLAZE AND COLOR AS SOON AS I HAD TIME. INCOME WAS STILL COMING FROM WINTER THEATER AND SUMMER TRAVEL.THE SPRING AND AUTUMN WAS WHEN I STARTED TO REBUILD MY POTTERY-MAKING SKILLS AFTER A FEW YEARS ABSENCE, AUGMENTED WITH PROP-MAKING AS JOBS CAME UP. AS TIME PROGRESSED I WAS ABLE TO QUIT THEATER, TRAVEL AND PROP-MAKING AND JUST CONCENTRATE ON CLAY.

TOMORROW: DESIGNING AND DEVELOPING A PRODUCT RANGE AND FINDING MY MARKET PLACE

GARDEN IMAGES

2012-02-03T05:42:00.000-08:00

I HAVE BEEN HAVING A PROBLEM WITH FINDING SOME IMAGES. I ALSO HAVE OTHER COMMITMENTS THAT DON’T ALLOW ME TIME TO INCLUDE THE STORY I WAS PLANNING. SO I’M LEAVING YOU WITH IMAGES OF OUR MEDITATION GARDEN AT ‘CHOSIN POTTERY ON VANCOUVER ISLAND.

BACK ON MONDAY

MUSIC COLUMN - ALL THAT JAZZ

2012-02-02T05:47:00.000-08:00

IN YESTERDAY’S POST, I LEFT YOU WITH GOING TO A NEW MAJOR BACKSTAGE THEATER DIRECTOR POSITION AT THE ASHCROFT THEATER AND FAIRFIELD HALLS CONCERT HALL. THE THEATER WAS NAMED AFTER FAMOUS ACTRESS, DAME PEGGY ASHCROFT 1907 - 1991. SHE WAS BORN IN CROYDON AND I WAS PRIVILEGED TO MEET HER MANY TIMES AT THE BEGINNING OF THE NEW THEATER’S LIFE. SHE WAS MUCH BELOVED BY THE THEATER COMMUNITY.

PEGGY AGE 22 IN 1929

DAME PEGGY IN THE MOVIE “A PASSAGE INDIA”.

THE OPENING PRODUCTION AT THE ASHCROFT THEATER WAS “ROYAL GAMBIT”, A PLAY ABOUT THE LIFE AND WIVES OF KING HENRY VIII.

THE FAIRFIELD HALLS WAS COMPRISED OF THEATER, CONCERT HALL AND AN ART GALLERY, NAMED THE ARNHEM GALLERY AFTER THE MANY CROYDON-BASED PARATROOPERS WHO LOST THEIR LIVES IN A WWII AMBUSHED PARACHUTE DROP OVER ARNHEM, HOLLAND. THE BACKSTAGE OF THE THEATER AND CONCERT HALL WAS MY AREA OF RESPONSIBILITY. I WAS IN MY EARLY TWENTIES AT THE TIME.

THE JOB AT THE FAIRFIELD HALLS WAS ANOTHER CONTINUUM FROM MY TEENS. FOR 25 YEARS OF CROSS-ATLANTIC BICKERING BY THE AMERICAN AND BRITISH MUSICIANS’ UNIONS WHERE, WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THE AMERICAN ARMY SWING BAND UNDER THE LEADERSHIP OF GLENN MILLER, ALL AMERICAN MUSICIANS WERE BANNED FROM PLAYING IN BRITAIN, AND VICE VERSA. THEN THEY MADE UP THEIR DIFFERENCES AND ONE AFTER ANOTHER, ALL THE MAJOR STARS AND BANDS OF AMERICAN JAZZ, SWING AND BLUES CAME ON CONCERT TOURS. AMONG THE PEOPLE I SAW FOR ABOUT 50 CENTS A TIME WERE DUKE ELLINGTON, COUNT BASIE, LIONEL HAMPTON, EARL HINES, STAN KENTON, THE MODERN JAZZ QUARTET, LOUIS ARMSTRONG ALL STARS, ELLA FITZGERALD, SARAH VAUGHAN, BILLY ECKSTINE, JOE WILLIAMS, PEGGY LEE AND MANY OTHERS OF SIMILAR STATURE. I SAW AND ENJOYED EVERY ONE.

COUNT BASIE

DUKE ELLINGTON

ELLINGTON ORCHESTRA

IT WAS AN ORGY OF THIS TYPE OF MUSIC THAT I HAD FIRST HEARD AND ENJOYED AS A SIX YEAR OLD. THERE WAS A R+R CENTER FOR INJURED US OFFICERS IN A HUGE MANSION JUST NEAR MY PARENTS’ GROCERY STORE. RECORDED JAZZ AND BLUES MUSIC WAFTED THROUGH OPEN WINDOWS WHILE I SAT IN THE GARDEN, LISTENED AND GOT HOOKED ON THE INFECTIOUS RYTHMS.

WHEN THE FAIRFIELD HALLS OPENED IT BECAME THE VENUE FOR CONTINUING THESE CONCERTS. I WAS PRIVILEGED TO BE ON STAGE WITH MANY ACTS BUT THE EXPERIENCE THAT I MOST ENJOYED WAS SITTING IN ON REHEARSALS. MANY MEMBERS OF THE ELLINGTON ORCHESTRA HAD BEEN PLAYING TOGETHER FOR 40 YEARS, YET THEY REHEARSED DAILY FOR A COUPLE OF HOURS WITH NEW WORK. SUCH PERFECTIONISTS. I HAD LEARNED TO PLAY TRUMPET AND TROMBONE IN SCHOOL, SO THIS WAS “DIED AND GONE TO HEAVEN” TIME!.

LOUIS ARMSTRONG

ELLA FITZGERALD

I COULD HAVE EASILY STAYED IN THE WORLD OF ENTERTAINMENT, IT WAS ALWAYS INTERESTING BUT VERY DEMANDING OF TIME AND ENERGY. I HAD MET AND WORKED WITH SOME AMAZING PEOPLE, THE BEST IN THE BUSINESS IN VARIOUS PARTS OF THE ENTERTAINMENT WORLD. I FELT VERY BAD ABOUT THE LACK OF TIME WITH MY FAMILY AND THE KIDS WERE GROWING APACE. MY PRIMARY REASON FOR BEING IN THE THEATER WORLD IN THE FIRST PLACE WAS TO MAKE MONEY TO START A CLAY STUDIO. NOBODY TOLD ME YOU COULDN’T MAKE A GOOD INCOME IN THE THEATER BUSINESS, SO, WITH THE POWER OF POSITIVE

THOUGHT AND ACTION, I ALWAYS DID. WHEN THE RENOVATIONS TO THE HOUSE AND STUDIO WERE DONE. I STARTED TO EXPERIENCE LIFE AS A SELF-EMPLOYED STUDIO POTTER. I KNEW THAT IF THE STUDIO DIDN’T WORK OUT, I COULD ALWAYS GO BACK TO THEATRE OR WORKING AS A TRAVEL GUIDE.

TOMORROW, MOVING TO A COUNTRY VILLAGE

THEATER: MAGIC AND MYSTERY, FUN AND FANTASY

2012-02-01T05:56:00.000-08:00

THE GREAT SIMILARITY BETWEEN A THEATRICAL PRODUCTION AND OPENING A POTTER’S KILN MAY NOT SEEM TOO OBVIOUS TO MANY. HOWEVER, WHEN YOU HAVE LIVED IN BOTH WORLDS FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS, IT BECOMES SOMEWHAT CLEAR. IN THE FOURTEEN-YEAR, THEATER PART OF MY LIFE, I WORKED IN OVER 30 THEATERS ALL OVER GREAT BRITAIN, INITIALLY AS AN ACTOR ON THE BOARDS, BUT LATER BACKSTAGE, WHERE I WAS IN CONTROL OF EVERYTHING THAT WENT ON, WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THE ACTORS. I DEVELOPED A SIGNIFICANT REPUTATION FOR MY BACKSTAGE WORK AND WAS ABLE TO BE FULLY EMPLOYED. I COULD HAVE EASILY STAYED IN THE THEATRE BUT THE HOURS WERE HORRIBLE AND I SELDOM SAW MUCH OF MY FAMILY. THE THEATER WORLD IS FULL OF TRANSIENT PEOPLE AMONG THE STAGE HANDS. MANY OF THEM WORK AS EUROPEAN TRAVEL GUIDES IN THE SUMMER AND BACKSTAGE IN THE WINTER. I GOT TALKING WITH SOME OF THEM IN THE GREEN ROOM, THE LOUNGE AREA FOR ALL BACKSTAGE WORKERS AND ACTORS. HEARING MY KNOWLEDGE OF BOTH EUROPE AND LANGUAGES AND THAT I WAS PLANNING TO START A POTTERY WORKSHOP, THEY SUGGESTED THAT I CONSIDER THAT LINE OF WORK TO MAKE SOME SERIOUS MONEY AND GET THE STUDIO TOGETHER
FASTER. I MADE MORE CASH BUT SAW EVEN LESS OF MY FAMILY!

THE LONDON COLISEUM

THEATER ROYAL, DRURY LANE, LONDON

BEFORE I LEFT THE WORLD OF THEATER, I SPENT A LONG TIME THINKING ABOUT THESE TEMPLES OF ENTERTAINMENT. I REVISITED SEVERAL OF THEM BECAUSE OF MY INTEREST IN THEATER FOR ITS OWN SAKE AND THE WONDERFUL ARCHITECTURAL ENVIRONMENT, ALL DESIGNED TO GIVE A MAGICAL EXPERIENCE. THE VARIOUS RENOVATIONS THAT I HAVE DONE FOR HOMES TO LIVE IN HAVE HAD MUCH OF STAGE SET AND THEATER ABOUT THEM. THE GARDENS THAT I’VE DESIGNED ARE ALSO LARGELY LIKE THEATER SETS. MORE ABOUT THEM LATER.

MOST LONDON THEATERS ARE OVER 150 YEARS OLD AND THEIR GILDED AND SCULPTURED INTERIORS REMINISCENT OF A GIANT PIECE OF POTTERY FROM THE GEORGIAN AND VICTORIAN PERIODS TURNED INSIDE OUT. THE GLITTERING INTERIORS COMBINED SOFT, MULTI-COLORED, PASTEL-LIKE WALLS ARE LIKE GIANT PIECES OF WEDGWOOD, SEVRES OR LIMOGE’S PORCELAIN. INSIDE A THEATER, I NEVER FELT FAR FROM CERAMIC CHARACTERISTICS, LIKE BEING IN A GIANT, HIGHLY DECORATED, VICTORIAN BOWL.

THE OLD VIC NATIONAL THEATER, LONDON

THE PALACE THEATER, LONDON

THEATER ROYAL, BATH

THEATER ROYAL NEWCASTLE

TOWARDS THE END OF THE MOVIE “HUGO”, YOU CAN SEE HOW THEY CREATED THE ILLUSION OF WAVES ON THE OCEAN AND HAVING MERMAIDS PLAYING IN THE WATER. THIS WAS EXACTLY HOW IT WAS DONE IN “PAN”. IT WAS ACCOMPANIED BE THE SOUNDS OF WIND CREATED ON A WIND-MACHINE, A LENGTH OF CANVAS WAS STRETCHED OVER A REVOLVING OVER A SLATTED WOODEN DRUM. THE TIGHTER THE CANVAS IS STRETCHED, THE HIGHER THE SOUND OF THE WIND. THIS WAS OFTEN ACCOMPANIED BY A THUNDER SHEET, A SHEET OF METAL THAT IS HUNG BACKSTAGE. IT USUALLY HAS A COUPLE OF HANDLES AT THE STAGE END THAT ARE VIGOROUSLY SHAKEN TO CREATE AN AMAZINGLY LIFELIKE CLAP OF THUNDER. THESE ARE SIMPLE SOUND EFFECT TRICKS BUT THEY WORK. ALMOST EVERY THEATER IN ENGLAND HAS THEM BACKSTAGE.
WIND MACHINES

THREE YEARS INTO MY PROFESSIONAL THEATER WORK, PROP-MAKING AND COMBINED TRAVEL WORK, I HAD SAVED ENOUGH MONEY TO BUY MY FIRST SMALL HOUSE IN BARNES, SOUTH-WEST LONDON. I SOON ALSO FOUND A DILAPIDATED, VICTORIAN, METHODIST CHAPEL IN A SMALL VILLAGE 60 MILES WEST OF LONDON. THIS BECAME MY FIRST STUDIO. IT BECAME “KINTBURY POTTERY”, IN THE VILLAGE OF KINTBURY, BERKSHIRE.

BY THE TIME I DECIDED TO LEAVE THE THEATER AND EUROPEAN TRAVEL WORLDS I HAD LEARNED A GOOD DEAL ABOUT BUSINESS AND SURVIVAL TACTICS FOR PEOPLE IN RISKY ART PROFESSIONS. THE TRAVEL PART SUPPLIED ME WITH ALMOST ENDLESS TIME IN MUSEUMS ANALYZING HOW THINGS WERE MADE AND WHAT THEY WERE MADE FOR. MY SKETCHBOOKS, ALWAYS AT HAND, WERE FULL OF DRAWINGS AND IDEAS FOR WHAT I WANTED TO MAKE IN MY NEW STUDIO. WHILE I WAITED IMPATIENTLY FOR THE RENOVATIONS TO BE DONE. I WENT BACK TO CROYDON WHERE THERE WAS A NEW THEATER AND CONCERT HALL COMPLEX NEEDING A BACKSTAGE DIRECTOR FOR THE CONNECTED BUILDINGS. IT WAS THE PEGGY ASHCROFT THEATER AND THE FAIRFIELD CONCERT HALL NEXT DOOR WAS THE NEW CROYDON COLLEGE OF ART. I HAD COME FULL CIRCLE

TOMORROW - ALL THAT JAZZ.

FLYING HIGH: TIMING AND PLACEMENT ARE EVERYTHING IN LIFE

2012-01-31T05:23:00.000-08:00

THE ROLES OF PETER, WENDY AND HOOK ARE NORMALLY PLAYED BY WELL-KNOWN BRITISH ACTORS, MORE OFTEN THAN NOT, STARS FROM THE BRITISH FILM WORLD. IN THE 108 YEARS THAT PETER PAN HAS BEEN PLAYING THE CAST LLISTS ARE A VERITABLE WHO’S WHO OF THE BRITISH ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY. IT HAS ALSO BEEN THE TRAINING GROUND FOR A LARGE NUMBER OF WELL-KNOWN CHILD ACTORS.

WHEN PAN FINISHED ITS SIX WEEK LONDON SEASON, IT THEN WENT ON THE ROAD FOR SIX TO EIGHT WEEKS TO OTHER THEATERS AROUND THE BRITISH ISLES. IT NORMALLY PLAYED FOR A WEEK, OR POSSIBLY TWO, IN SOME OF THE LARGER CITIES. THERE WERE A NUMBER OF CHANGES IN THE CAST, BASICALLY WITH ALL OF THE LOST BOYS AND WENDY’S BROTHERS JOHN AND MICHAEL. THIS IS BECAUSE OF THE AGE OF THE KIDS AND GOVERNMENT REGULATIONS ABOUT MINORS. SO THEY THEN AUDITIONED SHORT BOYS ABOVE THE AGE OF 16 TO FILL THOSE ROLES. SEVERAL WERE JOCKEYS, MOST WERE HELLIONS OR LITTLE DEVILS BACKSTAGE!
DAVY JONES

DAWN ADDAMS AS PETER AND JANE ASHER AS WENDY

DAVY JONES PLAYED THE

TOURING MICHAEL FOR TWO

SEASONS, BEFORE BEING CAST AS “THE ARTFUL DODGER” IN THE LONDON, AND LATER NEW YORK PRODUCTIONS OF “OLIVER”. THIS WAS FOLLOWED BY BECOMING ONE OF THE SINGING GROUP “THE MONKEES”.

ON THE ROAD, ALL THE THEATERS HAD DIFFERENT SIZED STAGES SO ADJUSTMENTS TO THE SETS HAD TO BE MADE TO ACCOMMODATE THEM. THIS OCCASIONALLY LED TO PROBLEMS, PARTICULARLY WITH SCENES WHERE THE ACTORS MIGHT BE FLYING.

TERRY THOMAS AS “HOOK” THE THEATER ROYAL, YORK.

A THEATER SINCE 1744 AD, BY ROYAL DECREE. THIS IS A SMALL THEATER BUILT INTO THE 14TH CENTURY SHELL OF A RUINED NUNNERY. IT IS RIGHT ACROSS THE STREET FROM THE YORK MINSTER, ONE OF THE LARGEST AND MOST BEAUTIFUL CATHEDRALS IN EUROPE. THE STAGE AT THE THEATER IS ONE OF THE SMALLEST POSSIBLE FOR TOURING PETER PAN INTO. ONE PARTICULAR PROBLEM IS THE PROCESS OF FLYING THE CHARACTERS OF PETER, WENDY JOHN AND MICHAEL. THIS IS DONE BY WHAT WAS CALLED KIRBY’S FLYING MACHINES. HIGH UP ABOVE THE STAGE IS WHAT IS CALLED “THE GRID” WHERE SCENERY IS INSTALLED ON CABLES TO BE LOWERED IN AND OUT AS NEEDED. THE LARGE PULLEYS THAT TAKE THE FLYING WIRES ARE INSTALLED ON THE GRID WITH STEEL WIRES THAT REACH DOWN TO THE STAGE. THE ACTORS WEAR A HARNESS UNDER THEIR COSTUMES THAT HAVE A CONNECTION RING THAT HOLDS A SPECIALIZED CLIP WHICH ATTACHES TO THE HARNESS. THE RAISING AND LOWERING OF THE ACTOR IN FLIGHT IS DONE BY AN OFF-STAGE WORKER WHO PULLS ON ROPES. THE PRINCIPLE IS THAT OF A PENDULUM WITH THE ACTOR BEING THE WEIGHT ON THE END. HE OR SHE THEN IS LIFTED ON THE THIN BLACK WIRE GIVING THE EFFECT OF A PERSON IN FLIGHT. THE ACTOR HAS TO STAND OR KNEEL IN EXACTLY THE RIGHT SPOT TO GET THE PENDULUM TRAJECTORY ACCURATE FROM START TO FINISH. THE HEIGHT OF MOST GRIDS IS BETWEEN 70 AND 75 FEET ABOVE THE STAGE, GIVING A LONG TRAJECTORY. THE GRID AT THE YORK THEATER IS ONLY 62 FEET, WHICH MEANS THAT THE FLYABLE DISTANCE IS MUCH SHORTER THAN NORMAL. AND IT IS SUPER CRITICAL WHERE THE ACTOR IS POSITIONED FOR FLIGHT. ON ONE PERFORMANCE, PETER WAS JUST ABOUT AN INCH OFF FROM WHERE SHE SHOULD HAVE BEEN. THE FIRST FLIGHT THROUGH THE WINDOW AND INTO THE BEDROOM, THE WIRE CAUGHT AT THE TOP OF THE WINDOW AND PULLED DOWN THE WHOLE BACK OF THE SET. TEN MINUTES LATER THE UNDERSTUDY WAS READY TO GO ON WITH THE SHOW!

THE THEATER ROYAL IS ONE OF MANY BRITISH THEATERS THAT ALSO HAS A RESIDENT GHOST. I HADN’T HEARD ANYTHING ABOUT HER BEFORE WE MET, AND I WOULD HAVE BEEN SKEPTICAL ANYWAY. I WAS WORKING IN A VERY DARK SCENE WHERE THERE WAS SOME TRICK FLYING INVOLVED. I SUDDENLY FELT TOTALLY CHILLED AND LOOKED TO MY LEFT WHERE THERE WAS A SHROUDED FEMALE FIGURE. I SUBSEQUENTLY HEARD THE STORY ORF A YOUNG NUN WHO HAD BECOME PREGNANT. SHE WAS BRICKED UP ALIVE IN A ROOM IN THE NUNNERY TO SLOWLY DIE OF STARVATION. THE BACK RIGHT HAND SIDE OF THE STAGE IS BUILT INTO THE WALLS OF THAT NUNNERY. SHE WAS A BENIGN SPIRIT, AND EVERYWHERE I WENT IN THE THEATER AFTER THAT, SHE WAS THERE!

YORK MINSTER CATHEDRAL, YORK, ENGLAND

FLOREAT ETONA

2012-01-30T05:22:00.000-08:00

THE CURTAIN GOING UP IN A THEATER, OR THE KILN DOOR OPENING ON A NEWLY FIRED GROUP OF WORK OFTEN PRODUCES THE SAME SORT OF HIGH ENERGY OR ADRENALIN RUSH. JUDI AND I JUST SAW THE GREAT MARTIN SCORSESE MOVIE ”HUGO”, MANY OF THE STAGING EFFECTS REMINDED ME OF BACKSTAGE AT PETER PAN.

THE WELL-EXPERIENCED ACTOR OR ACTRESS KNOWS BY BOTH INSTINCT AND EXPERIENCE HOW TO COACH THE BEST REACTIONS FROM THE AUDIENCE. THE LIFT OF AN EYEBROW OR THE SNEERFUL RAISING OF AN UPPER LIP WAS ENOUGH FOR ALISTAIR SIM TO EFFECT A WHOLE RANGE OF EMOTIONS IN THE 1951 MOVIE OF SCROOGE OR CHRISTMAS CAROL. THIS MOVIE IS USUALLY SHOWN SEVERAL TIMES OVER THE CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY PERIOD

ALISTAIR SIM AS SCROOGE.

ALISTAIR SIM AS CAPTAIN HOOK AND MR DARLING IN THE 1961 LONDON PRODUCTION OF ”PETER PAN”. HE WAS THE FIRST CAPTAIN HOOK I WORKED WITH.

ROBERT EDDISON, SHOWN HERE IN AN INDIANA JONES

MOVIE WAS ONE OF THE BEST “HOOK”

PERFORMANCES DURING MY TIME WITH THE SHOW.

SYLVIA SYMS

PLAYED PETER IN

1965

“THE HOOK”

“THE ADVENTURES OF PETER PAN” WAS FIRST SHOWN IN     1904 AND IT HAS PLAYED IN LONDON ALMOST EVERY YEAR SINCE FOR SIX     WEEKS OVER THE CHRISTMAS SEASON. IT THEN GOES ON TOUR AROUND     VARIOUS THEATERS THROUGHOUT THE BRITISH ISLES FOR SIX TO EIGHT WEEKS.     THE STORY REVOLVES AROUND PETER, THE BOY WHO NEVER GREW UP. (I TOTALLY     RELATE TO HIM!). HE LIVES IN     NEVER-NEVERLAND, HEADING UP A MOTLEY     COLLECTION OF LOST BOYS. HE IS ALWAYS AT THE MERCY OF CAPTAIN HOOK     WHOSE HAND HE CHOPPED OFF AND FED     TO A FRIENDLY CROCODILE. PETER FLIES     BACK TO LONDON REGULARLY ON HIS OWN POWER OF MAGIC OR FAIRY DUST. ON     ONE VISIT, HE ENTERS THE OPEN WINDOW OF A LONDON MANSION, THE HOME OF THE DARLING FAMILY, MUM AND DAD, AND THREE CHILDREN, WENDY, JOHN AND     MICHAEL. HE IS ALMOST CAUGHT WHEN MR DARLING SLAMS THE WINDOW SHUT,     CUTTING OFF PETER’S SHADOW IN THE PROCESS. HE ESCAPES, BUT RETURNS AT     THE SAME TIME THE NEXT YEAR TO     SEE IF HE CAN FIND HIS SHADOW WHICH     WENDY HAS KEPT NEATLY ROLLED UP IN A JEWELRY BOX. HE GETS CHATTING TO     WENDY AND EVENTUALLY PETER, WENDY, JOHN, MICHAEL AND PETER’S FAIRY     FRIEND, TINKERBELL, PLAYED BY A HIGH-POWERED FLASHLIGHT, FLY OFF TO     NEVER-NEVERLAND. BESIDES CAPTAIN HOOK THERE ARE A STRANGE SELECTION     OF INEPT PIRATES AND A BUNCH OF INDIANS THAT MAKE UP THE LARGE     CAST. THE     SHOW WAS HELD AT THE SCALA THEATER FOR MANY YEARS.

     PROBABLY THE BEST KNOWN PEOPLE TO WORK ON THAT STAGE WERE THE     BEATLES, MAKING THEIR FIRST MOVIE “HARD DAY’S NIGHT”. IT WAS FUN BEING     BACKSTAGE WITH THEM BEFORE BEATLEMANIA TOOK OVER. THAT EXPLOSION     HAPPENED     AFTER THEIR PERFORMANCE ON THE ED SULLIVAN SHOW OF 1965.

    PAUL’S GIRLFRIEND AT THE TIME WAS JANE ASHER, WENDY FOR TWO OF THE SIX     SEASONS I SPENT WORKING “PETER PAN”. THEY WERE FUN TIMES AND I WILL TELL     YOU MORE TOMORROW ABOUT “PAN” ON TOUR

THE THEATER OF EDUCATION

2012-01-27T05:28:00.000-08:00

THE THEATER OF EDUCATION

I SPENT APPROXIMATELY FOURTEEN YEARS OF MY LIFE INVOLVED IN BOTH AMATEUR AND PROFESSIONAL THEATER. UNFORTUNATELY I NEVER KEPT A JOURNAL SO I CAN’T CHECK ON DATES AND PLACES, BUT IT STARTED AT TWELVE WITH PROFESSIONAL TRAINING AND JUST KEPT GOING THROUGH HIGH SCHOOL AND INTO ART SCHOOL. TO EARN MONEY, I WORKED BACKSTAGE IN THE CROYDON GRAND THEATER, A REGULAR PICTURE FRAME OR PROSCENIUM STAGE, FOLLOWED BY A NEW EXPERIMENTAL THEATER IN THE ROUND, THE PEMBROKE, THAT HAD JUST STARTED UP. I PLAYED SMALL PARTS WHENEVER THE OPPORTUNITY AROSE. I WAS FASCINATED BY THE MAGIC OF THEATER, WATCHING A PLAY GROW FROM PRINTED WORDS ON A PAGE TO A LIVING COLLECTION OF CHARACTERS ON A STAGE. WATCHING ACTORS GOING ABOUT THEIR INTERPRETATION OF ROLES WAS FASCINATING AS THEY MORPHED.

I WAS VERY PRIVILEGED TO WORK WITH EXTREMELY WELL-KNOWN ACTORS AND ACTRESSES OF THE TIME. WATCHING ANDREW CRUICKSHANK TRANSFORM FROM A SCOTTISH SHAKESPEAREAN HEAVYWEIGHT TO A CHICAGO LAWYER, BASED ON RENOWNED 1920’S CLARENCE DARROW, WAS INDEED AN INSPIRING LESSON IN THEATRICAL INTERPRETATION. EACH VOCAL INFLECTION AND CHANGE OF PHRASE LENT MUCH TO THE TOTAL CHARACTERIZATION. I LEARNED A GREAT DEAL ABOUT PRESENCE AND CHARACTER BUILDING DURING THIS TIME. I HAD MY 21ST BIRTHDAY ON STAGE AT THE ST. MARTIN’S THEATER.

ANDREW CRUICKSHANK IN “INHERIT THE WIND”

I WORKED AGAIN WITH ANDREW IN A PLAY TITLED “LOOK HOMEWARD, ANGEL” THAT ALSO TRANSFERRED TO THE WEST END OF LONDON. WATCHING HIM BECOME IMMERSED IN HIS ROLE IN THAT PLAY WAS AGAIN MESMERIZING. I DID SEVERAL WEST END PLAYS AND MUSICALS IN SUCCESSION AFTER THIS, LA BONNE SOUPE, THE GINGERMAN, FAIRY TALES OF NEW YORK, FINIAN’S RAINBOW, AND OTHERS, ALL WITH MAJOR CASTS WHO I LEARNED MUCH FROM.

WHEN I LATER CAME INTO THE WORLD OF TEACHING, I QUICKLY REALIZED THAT GOOD TEACHING IS AN ACT OF THEATER AND THE MORE INTERESTING THE CLASSROOM EXPERIENCE CAN BE, THE MORE MEMORABLE IT IS FOR THE STUDENT.

THE SHOW THAT I SPENT MOST TIME WITH WAS J.M. BARRIE’S “PETER PAN”. FROM BUILDING A 20’ FULLY ARTICULATED NEW CROCODILE AND MANY OTHER PROPS, I BECAME THE PROPERTY MASTER FOR THE SHOW FOR TWO WINTER SEASON’S, FOLLOWED BY FOUR MORE SEASONS AS STAGE CARPENTER, THE PERSON WHO BASICALLY CONTROLS THE WHOLE OF THE BACKSTAGE AREA.

THERE ARE MANY STORIES THAT GO ALONG WITH MY EXPERIENCES ON “PAN”. I WILL EXPAND ON THEM NEXT MONDAY. BELIEVE ME, THEY DO HAVE RELEVANCE TO THE WORLD OF ACADEMIA!

GUIDES, GURUS, MENTORS AND ROLE MODELS

2012-01-26T05:59:00.000-08:00

    HARRY DAVIS

    HARRY, AND HIS WIFE MAY, PRODUCED SOME OF THE FINEST     FUNCTIONAL WORK BEING DONE IN ENGLAND FOR MANY YEARS     AT CROWAN POTTERY. THEY MOVED TO NEW ZEALAND IN THE     EARLY 1960’S. THE QUALITY OF THEIR WORK AND THEIR     RESEARCH INTO MATERIALS WERE VERY INFLUENTIAL TO MY         THINKING. HE WAS MY MENTOR AS FAR AS WORK ETHIC WENT.

ALAN CAIGER-SMITH

    ALAN HAD A WORKSHOP WITH UP TO SIX PEOPLE WORKING IN     ALDERMASTON, BERKSHIRE WHERE THEY MADE A BEAUTIFUL     RANGE OF COLORFUL MAJOLICA AND ALSO VERY SPECIAL ITEMS     USING ARABIAN LUSTER DECORATED WARES. ALAN’S STUDIO WAS     TWELVE MILES FROM MINE. IT WAS A GREAT OPPORTUNITY FOR     ME TO WATCH HIM AND HIS CREW DOING BRUSH DECORATION. I     WORKED IN SLIPWARE AND SGRAFFITO DECORATION AT THE TIME.



VIVIKA AND OTTO HEINO
    WELL KNOWN AMERICAN POTTERS WHO SPECIALIZED IN GLAZE     AND COLOR DEVELOPMENT. VIVIKA WAS TEACHING IN TORONTO     AT THE SAME TIME AS I WAS. WE DID FIELD TRIPS TOGETHER WITH     OUR STUDENTS, AS NEITHER COLLEGE HAD ENOUGH FUNDS TO     HIRE A BUS. STUDENTS FROM OCA ALSO JOINED US.

RAY FINCH

    THE MOST INFLUENTIAL POTTER IN THE FUNCTIONAL ARENA     AFTER THE BERNARD LEACH POTTERY AND BERNARD’S SON     DAVID. HE JUST PASSED AWAY RECENTLY AT THE AGE OF 92.
    HIS STUDIO AT WINCHCOMBE IN GLOUCESTER WAS A MECCA.     ALSO A GREAT INFLUENCE WITH REGARD TO WORK ETHIC.

PABLO PICASSO

        PICASSO WAS THE CONSUMMATE EXPERIMENTER WITH EVERY         ART MATERIAL THAT HE TOUCHED. I WAS GREATLY ENCOURAGED         TO EXPLORE AND EXPERIMENT WHILE LOOKING AT HIS WORK IN         ANY MEDIUM. I WAS PARTICULARLY EXCITED BY HIS APPROACH TO         WHEEL THROWN SCULPTURE.

THOMAS SAMUEL HAILE

         SAM HAILE WAS A STUDENT OF WILLIAM STAITE AT THE         ROYAL COLLEGE OF ART WORKING IN CONTEMPORARY PAINTING         ON THE CERAMIC SURFACE. HIS WORK IN SLIPWARE WAS VERY         INSPIRATIONAL AND EXCITING. HE DIED IN A MOTORCYCLE         ACCIDENT AT THE AGE OF 38.


WILLIAM STAITE MURRAY

        MURRAY WAS WELL KNOWN AS A PAINTER BEFORE RUNNING THE         CERAMICS DEPARTMENT AT RCA. HE WAS THE “FINE ART”         CERAMIC ARTIST WHERE BERNARD LEACH WAS MOSTLY KNOWN         FOR MAKING ORIENTALLY INSPIRED FUNCTIONAL WARES. THEY         WERE THE TWO BEST KNOWN CLAY WORKERS OF THE 1920 - 1940         PERIOD.

        LUCIE RIE

        LUCIE RIE MOVED FROM AUSTRIA TO ENGLAND IN 1933 TO         ESCAPE GERMAN AGGRESSION. SHE BECAME ONE OF THE MOST         INFLUENTIAL CERAMIC ARTISTS AND TEACHERS OF THE TIME         DEVELOPING BEAUTIFUL WORK IN PORCELAIN AND STONEWARE.
        HER SENSE OF FORM WAS EXQUISITE. SHE PASSED AWAY AT THE         AGE OF 95.

        HANS COPER

        HANS INITIALLY TRAINED AS AN ENGINEER IN GERMANY AND         ESCAPED TO ENGLAND. HE WAS ARRESTED AS AN ENEMY ALIEN         AND SHIPPED TO CANADA, WHERE HE WAS INCARCERATED IN A         CAMP IN NEWFOUNDLAND FOR MUCH OF THE WAR. THIS SET IN         MOTION SERIOUS HEALTH PROBLEMS THAT CULMINATED IN HIS         EARLY DEATH AT THE AGE OF 61, IN 1981. HE REMAINS THE MOST         INFLUENTIAL CERAMIC ARTIST IN EUROPE. MOST OF HIS WORK         HAS ITS GENESIS IN MARBLE SCULPTURE OF THE GREEK         CYCLADIC PERIOD.

        MICHAEL “MICK” CASSON

        MICK WAS ONE OF THE MOST INFLUENTIAL FUNCTIONAL POTTERS
        AND TEACHERS IN ENGLAND THROUGH THE PERIOD OF THE MID         1950’S UNTIL HIS DEATH IN 2003. HE SPENT A GREAT DEAL OF TIME         LIMITING HIS WORK TO A SMALL RANGE OF OBJECTS EXPLORED         IN A WIDE RANGE OF METHODS AND DECORATION PROCESSES.

I WAS INFLUENCED IN MANY WAYS BY ALL OF THESE ARTISTS EITHER DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY. I MET MOST OF THEM PERSONALLY. I ALWAYS GIVE THEM CREDIT FOR HELPING IN MY DEVELOPMENT AS A PRODUCING ARTIST AND EDUCATOR. IT IS IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER WHO HELPED YOU WHEN YOU WERE STARTING TO CLIMB THE LADDER. IF YOU DON’T WANT TO BE ACCUSED OF PLAGIARIZING THEIR WORK, FIND OUT WHERE THEY DEVELOPED THEIR IDEAS FROM AND GO ON A PARALLEL OR TANGENTIAL PATH. APART FROM THE VARIOUS THINGS THAT I LEARNED FROM THEM, MY WORK HAS MOST OFTEN BEEN INFLUENCED BY HUMAN CULTURE, CERAMIC HISTORY, LANDSCAPE, GEOLOGY, PLANTS AND GARDENS. THE OVERRIDING INFLUENCE HAS SOMEHOW ALWAYS BEEN NATURE IN ITS HUGE VARIETY.
TOMORROW - TEACHING AND THEATER

THE BATTLE BETWEEN ART AND CRAFT - STILL RAGING AFTER SIXTY YEARS

2012-01-25T05:58:00.000-08:00

THE BATTLE BETWEEN ART AND CRAFT - STILL RAGING AFTER SIXTY YEARS

ARTS PAGE - RH WORK DONE AS A STUDENT AT AGE 20.

“TOAD PLATE”

STONEWARE

IMAGE BORROWED FROM A PICASSO LITHOGRAPH

“PILGRIM BOTTLE VASE”

STONEWARE

GUIDES, GURUS, MENTORS AND ROLE MODELS

THESE ARE SOME OF THE ARTISTS WHO HAD A MAJOR EFFECT ON MY THOUGHTS ABOUT FORM, SURFACE AND FUNCTIONALITY. I KNEW I WOULDN’T BE ABLE TO MAKE A LIVING DOING ONE-OF-A-KIND WORK, SO I DECIDED ON 50% FUNCTIONAL AND 50% ONE-OF-A-KIND, A PATTERN THAT STAYED CONSTANT FOR 45 YEARS. THESE ARTISTS ARE ALMOST ALL FROM UK.

TENMOKU PLATE BY HARRY DAVIS UK/NZ CASSEROLE BY RAY FINCH

GOBLET BY ALLAN CAIGER-SMITH VASE BY VIVIKA AND OTTO HEINO

PITCHER BY MICHAEL CASSON VASE BY HANS COPER

VASE BY LUCIE RIE VASE BY THOMAS SAMUEL HAILE

WILLIAM STAITE MURRAY PABLO PICASSO

PICASSO DECORATING LARGE PLATE PICASSO OWL

TO MY MIND, PABLO PICASSO WAS THE MOST UNDERRATED CERAMIC ARTIST OF THE 20TH CENTURY. HE WORKED CONSISTENTLY IN CLAY FOR OVER 20 YEARS FROM 1946 TO 1968. AS A STUDENT, I WAS FORTUNATE TO SEE A PICASSO NEW CERAMICS EXHIBIT EVERY YEAR IN LONDON. HE BROKE DOWN LONG-STANDING TRADITIONS IN CERAMICS, AS HE DID WITH VARIOUS MEDIA, AND ALLOWED A VIBRANT NEW ARTISTIC VISION TO DEVELOP.
FAVORITE PICASSO QUOTE:
“MEDIOCRE ARTISTS BORROW, GREAT ARTISTS STEAL”.
______________________________________________________________________

TOMORROW

MORE THOUGHTS ON GUIDES, GURUS, MENTORS AND ROLE MODELS

OFF TO ART SCHOOL 1955

2012-01-24T05:39:00.000-08:00

I WAS SIXTEEN WHEN I STARTED STUDIES AT CROYDON COLLEGE OF ART, A SMALL COLLEGE IN SOUTH LONDON. THE FIRST YEAR OF FOUNDATION STUDIES, WHERE ONE DID A LITTLE OF EVERYTHING, WAS DESIGNED TO PREPARE ONE FOR DIFFERENT DIRECTIONS IN ART. THERE WERE NO CERAMIC COURSES AS THAT PROGRAM WAS BEING RELOCATED TO ANOTHER VENUE IN ANOTHER PART OF TOWN. AT THE END OF THE YEAR IT WAS RECOMMENDED THAT, IN SECOND YEAR, I GO INTO DRAWING, PAINTING AND PRINTMAKING. JUST BEFORE CLOSING FOR THE SUMMER THERE WAS A SALE OF UNCLAIMED BISQUE WARE FROM THE POTTERY STUDIO. I BOUGHT A FEW PIECES FOR A FEW PENNIES AND, NOT KNOWING ANYTHING MUCH ABOUT WHAT WAS INVOLVED, WENT TO A SMALL, SIX-PERSON, PRODUCTION POTTERY TO SEE IF I COULD GET A GLAZE PUT ON THEM. WHILE I WAS THERE, I THOUGHT IT LOOKED LIKE AN INTERESTING PLACE TO WORK, SO I ASKED THE OWNER IF THERE WAS ANY POSSIBILITY OF A SUMMER JOB. HE SAID HE COULD EMPLOY ME BUT WOULDN’T BE ABLE TO PAY ME. I ASKED WHAT THE JOB MIGHT ENTAIL AND WAS TOLD “WEDGING”. I HAD NO IDEA WHAT THAT WAS, BUT TOLD THE OWNER I COULD DO IT. SO I SPENT THREE MONTHS, FIVE DAYS A WEEK, WEDGING AND PREPARING THOUSANDS OF POUNDS OF CLAY FOR THE THROWERS IN THE WORKSHOP. MY PAYMENT WAS ZILCH IN CASH, BUT DAILY THROWING LESSONS WITH THREE OF THE BEST THROWERS AROUND FOR A WHOLE SUMMER. I LEARNT MANY TIPS AND TRICKS THAT HAVE BEEN WELL USED EVER SINCE. BY THE END OF SUMMER, I WAS TOTALLY HOOKED.

LIFE DRAWING AND PAINTING WERE HELD IN THIS WONDERFUL CONSERVATORY OF AN OLD MID-VICTORIAN MANSION AT THE TOP OF A PARK

POTTERY, PRINTMAKING, SCULPTURE AND THEATER DESIGN WERE HELD IN THIS BUILDING, ONCE THE HOME OF GEORGE CRUIKSHANK, ONE OF CHARLES DICKENS’ BEST KNOWN ILLUSTRATORS.

WHEN I RETURNED TO COLLEGE IN THE FALL, I STARTED IN PAINTING. I WAS PHYSICALLY NAUSEATED BY THE COMBINED SMELLS OF OIL PAINT AND TURPENTINE, AND IT WAS BEFORE ACRYLIC PAINTS WERE IN COMMON USE, SO I TRANSFERRED TO CERAMICS - A MATCH MADE IN HEAVEN. EACH SUMMER AFTER THE FIRST ONE I SPENT 3 MONTHS HITCH - HIKING ALL OVER EUROPE TO DO FURTHER CERAMIC STUDIES IN THE MAJOR MUSEUMS AND GENERALLY GET TO KNOW MY WAY AROUND IN DIFFERENT COUNTRIES, USING DIFFERENT LANGUAGES.

ONE EXTRA SPECIAL THING ABOUT THIS COLLEGE WAS THAT IT HAD A GREAT REPUTATION AS A SCHOOL FOR STAGE DESIGN, SOMETHING I HAD BEEN INTERESTED IN THROUGHOUT MY HIGH SCHOOL YEARS. I HAD BEEN TRAINED AS A CHILD AND ADOLESCENT ACTOR AND IT WAS A DECISION BETWEEN THEATER AND ART THAT LIE IN THE FUTURE. THE COLLEGE HAD A GROUP OF ACTORS WHO PLAYED THE PARTS IN THE PLAYS THAT WERE BEING DESIGNED. I BECAME ONE OF THEM FOR THE WHOLE TIME I WAS IN COLLEGE. I ALSO AUDITED ALL THEATER-RELATED COURSES THAT WERE OFFERED, LEARNING ABOUT SCENIC AND COSTUME DESIGN, SCENE-PAINTING AND CONSTRUCTION, LIGHTING AND PROPERTY MAKING. ONE NEVER KNEW WHEN THESE SKILLS MIGHT BE USEFUL. IN MY LAST TWO YEARS OF COLLEGE I WORKED BACKSTAGE IN THE LOCAL PROFESSIONAL COMPANY AND PLAYING THE ODD SMALL ACTING ROLES. I WAS INVITED TO AUDITION FOR THE BRITISH PREMIERE OF A WELL-KNOWN AMERICAN PLAY, “INHERIT THE WIND”, GOT THE PART AND WAS APPEARING IN LONDON’S “WEST END” AT THE SAME TIME AS DOING MY NATIONAL DIPLOMA IN DESIGN (LIKE AN MFA). MY LIFE HAS ALWAYS BEEN CHAOTICALLY LAYERED. THE “WEST END” IS LONDON’S EQUIVALENT TO NEW YORK’S “BROADWAY”.

THIS IS ME IN THE LONDON PRODUCTION OF "INHERIT THE WIND", 1961. AGE 21.

AFTER GRADUATION, I STAYED IN THE THEATER BUSINESS WORKING ON SEVERAL PLAYS AS AN ACTOR AND STAGE MANAGER. I DIDN’T STAY AN ACTOR FOR LONG AS WITH A YOUNG FAMILY I NEEDED A REGULAR INCOME. EVEN WELL-KNOWN ACTORS ARE USUALLY ONLY EMPLOYED FOR THREE OR FOUR MONTHS PER YEAR. WITH ALL THE BACKSTAGE SKILLS I HAD DEVELOPED, I COULD BE EMPLOYED FULL-TIME AND MAKE A GOOD INCOME IN THE PROCESS.
A LIFE PATTERN EMERGED WITH THEATER FROM NOVEMBER TO MARCH, THEN TWO MONTHS PROP-MAKING, FOLLOWED BY FOUR MONTHS OF SUMMER AS A EUROPEAN TRAVEL GUIDE. THEN MORE PROP-MAKING UNTIL BACK INTO THEATER IN NOVEMBER. FIVE YEARS OF THIS REGIME AND I HAD SAVED ENOUGH MONEY FOR MY FIRST HOUSE AND STUDIO. I COULD NOW GET BACK TO CLAY. I DROPPED THE THEATER AND TRAVEL WORK, TOOK ON A LITTLE PART-TIME TEACHING AND DEVELOPED MY STUDIO, SELLING MY WORK IN GALLERIES THROUGHOUT THE SOUTHERN HALF OF ENGLAND.

WHEEL-THROWN BIRD SCULPTURE

TOMORROW

A LOOK AT CLAY WORK DONE WHILE IN COLLEGE AND INFLUENCES BEHIND IT.

EDUCATION

2012-01-23T05:12:00.000-08:00

SEVERAL PEOPLE WROTE AND ASKED ABOUT THE POTENTIAL LIKELIHOOD OF COLLEGE AND UNIVERSITY TEACHING POSITIONS. MY OBSERVATIONS HAVE BEEN THAT WHEN A TEACHING POSITION BECOMES AVAILABLE, THERE IS A VERITABLE HORDE OF POTENTIAL CANDIDATES. DEPENDING ON THE POSITION THERE IS USUALLY UPWARDS OF 20 FOR EACH AVAILABLE FACULTY POSITION. FOR POSITIONS THAT OFFER TENURE AND HIGH VISIBILITY, THE CANDIDATES IN THE RACE MIGHT GET TO OVER 100. FACULTY GENERALLY STAY IN A POSITION FOR BETWEEN 10 AND 35 YEARS, EFFECTIVELY ELIMINATING THAT POSITION FOR AS LONG AS THE PERSON REMAINS IN PLACE.

WHEN ADMINISTRATORS ARE WORKING ON SETTING COURSE COSTS THEY USUALLY WORK BASED ON THE SQUARE FOOTAGE OF SPACE NEEDED TO FULFILL THE JOB AT HAND. ON AVERAGE IT TAKES 27 SQ FT FOR A CERAMICS STUDENT AND, 9 SQ FT FOR A COMPUTER ENGINEER OR PROGRAMMER. THEREFORE YOU CAN GET 3 COMPUTER PEOPLE IN THE SPACE NEEDED FOR ONE CLAY WORKER. COURSE SUCCESS IS USUALLY MEASURED BY THE NUMBER OF JOB PLACEMENTS ACHIEVED. VIRTUALLY EVERY COMPUTER PERSON HAS A JOB WAITING. FOR CERAMIC ARTISTS IN IS NORMALLY 1 IN 20. THEY DON’T USUALLY COUNT BEING SELF-EMPLOYMENT AS HAVING A JOB!
SELF TEACHING

THIS IS A LITTLE OF A MISNOMER. WHAT IT REALLY MEANS IS LEARNING OUTSIDE OF THE NORMAL ACADEMIC ARENA THROUGH MANY POSSIBLY AVAILABLE AVENUES WITH MANY DIFFERENT SCENARIOS. YOU CAN START TO LEARN FAMILIARITY WITH CLAY AT THE KITCHEN TABLE WITH ONLY A FEW CHEAP TOOLS AND CLAY. LEARNING BASIC HANDBUILDING DISCIPLINES OF PINCHING, COILING SLAB-BUILDING AND COMBINATIONS OF THESE SIMPLE PROCEDURES WILL GIVE YOU THE POSITIVE FEEDBACK OF SIMPLE CONTROL. THEY TEACH YOU THE “FEEL” OF CLAY AT A SLOW SPEED. GETTING THIS BASIC FEEL IS PARTICULARLY IMPORTANT WHEN YOU START TO LEARN HOW TO THROW CLAY ON A WHEEL AND EVERYTHING IS SPEEDED UP. THE POTTERS‘ WHEEL IS A DECEPTIVELY SIMPLE LOOKING TOOL THAT TAKES MANY YEARS TO MASTER. EXERCISES SPEED UP THE LEARNING PROCESS BY CREATING AMBITION TO IMPROVE. THROWING EXERCISES ARE THE POTTER’S EQUIVALENT OF THE MUSICIAN’S PLAYING SCALES. WHEN I WAS A STUDENT WE WEREN’T ALLOWED TO KEEP ANYTHING UNTIL WE COULD THROW CYLINDERS 6” WIDE AND 18” TALL OR 18” WIDE AND 6” TALL. IF YOU CAN THROW THAT, YOU CAN BASICALLY THROW ANYTHING. MY ANALYTICAL BASIC THROWING VIDEO SHOWS MANY LEARNING VARIABLES AND EXERCISES TO HELP SPEED UP THE LEARNING PROCESS. AS WITH MUSIC, THE MORE YOU PRACTICE, THE BETTER AND MORE MELODIC THE MUSIC YOU CAN MAKE. WHEN YOU SEE VERY EXPERIENCED POTTERS THROWING IT ALL LOOKS SO EASY. THERE ARE MANY VIDEOS AVAILABLE THAT COVER A HOST OF CERAMIC TOPICS.

TRY TO LEARN GLAZING, DECORATING AND FIRING TECHNIQUES AT THE SAME TIME AS YOUR THROWING OR HAND-BUILDING. ALL YOUR SKILLS ARE THEN BEING DEVELOPED TOGETHER AND WON’T LEAVE YOU WITH A WHOLE LOT OF WORK AND NOT THE FAINTEST IDEA OF WHERE TO GO NEXT!

THERE ARE MANY PRIVATE INDIVIDUAL TEACHERS, PRIVATE SCHOOLS AND POTTERS GROUPS THAT PROVIDE AN ALTERNATIVE OPPORTUNITY FOR LEARNING. IN CONJUNCTION WITH WORKSHOPS, SEMINARS AND CONFERENCES YOU CAN BUILD YOURSELF A LEARNING PACKAGE THAT DOESN’T BREAK THE BANK AND ALSO DOESN’T LEAVE YOU OVERLY INFLUENCED IN ANY ONE STYLE OF WORKING, ALLOWING YOU TO GROW AS AN INDIVIDUAL AND ELIMINATE BECOMING A CLONE USING SOMEONE ELSE’S STYLE.

A WORD OF CAUTION.

DON’T GO OUT AND BUY ALL THE BEST EQUIPMENT AND SET YOURSELF UP WITH A FABULOUS, EXPENSIVE STUDIO UNTIL YOU HAVE PROVEN TO YOURSELF THAT THIS IS WHAT YOU REALLY WANT TO, AND CAN DO. ALSO, DON’T SELL YOUR WORK UNTIL IT IS A GOOD REPRESENTATION OF YOUR ABILITIES. REMEMBER THAT THE BEST TOOL IN THE POTTER’S STUDIO IS A LARGE, UNFORGIVING HAMMER BY THE SIDE OF THE KILN. IT IS THERE FOR QUALITY CONTROL. WE ALL MAKE JUNK SOMETIMES. BETTER TO GET RID OF IT BEFORE IT HAS THE CHANCE OF POLLUTING THE VISUAL ENVIRONMENT. IT IS VERY DIFFICULT TO GET THOSE MISTAKES BACK ONCE THEY HAVE BEEN SOLD TO SOMEONE ELSE. I MOVED FROM ENGLAND TO CANADA PARTLY TO ESCAPE THE LESS THAN GREAT POTS THAT I SOLD THERE!

SO, BASICALLY, THERE ARE YOUR EDUCATIONAL OPTIONS, DEPENDING ON WHO YOU ARE AND YOUR REASONS FOR WANTING TO WORK IN THIS COMPLEX, BUT VERY BEAUTIFUL, MEDIUM. JOINING AND PARTICIPATING IN ORGANIZATIONS WITH LIKE-MINDED PEOPLE IS ALSO A GOOD WAY TO GET INTEGRATED INTO THE GREGARIOUS GLOBAL CERAMIC SCENE. THE MORE INVOLVEMENT, THE BETTER THE LEARNING AND APPRECIATION SEEMS TO BE. THE FURTHER YOU STAY FROM WHERE IT IS HAPPENING, THE SLOWER THE LEARNING PROCESS.

MY ENGLISH ART COLLEGE EXPERIENCE

TOMORROW I START TO RE-CONNECT TO MY PERSONAL JOURNEY IN SCHOOL AT THE CROYDON COLLEGE OF ART IN SOUTH LONDON. THE LAST THING IN MY MIND WAS WANTING TO TEACH, I JUST WANTED TO DO CLAY ON THE ONE HAND AND WORK IN THEATERS ON THE OTHER. I FOUND THE PERFECT MARRIAGE FOR MY SKILLS.

OBITUARY

2012-01-19T05:22:00.000-08:00

RAY FINCH - 1914 - 2012

IT HAS JUST COME TO MY NOTICE THAT RAY FINCH PASSED AWAY THIS MORNING AT THE AGE OF 98. KNOWING RAY, HE WAS PROBABLY IN THE STUDIO AT 8AM YESTERDAY THROWING HIS SIGNATURE VESSELS. RAY, A FORMER STUDENT OF MICHAEL CARDEW, WAS THE PREMIER ENGLISH POTTER OF FUNCTIONAL WARES FOR MORE THAN HALF A CENTURY. MOST BRITISH FUNCTIONAL POTTERS OF THE LAST HALF OF THE 20TH CENTURY OWE RAY A GREAT DEBT.

HOROSCOPE

IF ONE DISCOUNTS THE NEGATIVES AND OCCASIONAL TRAGEDIES OF LIFE, AND DECADES OF WORKING SEVEN DAYS PER WEEK, 12 - 16 HOURS PER DAY,

I MUST SAY THAT I MUST HAVE BEEN ONE OF THE LUCKIEST GUYS AROUND. I WAS BORN UNDER THE ASTROLOGICAL SIGN OF TAURUS, LUCKIEST SIGN IN THE ZODIAC.

I WAS BORN IN APRIL 1939, IN CHINESE ASTROLOGY THE YEAR OF THE RABBIT, ACKNOWLEDGED TO BE THE LUCKIEST SIGN IN THE CHINESE CALENDAR. WHOOPEE, A DOUBLE GOOD-LUCK WHAMMY! MY WONDERFUL PARENTS HAD PERFECT TIMING IN THE PROCESS OF CONCEPTION IN THE THIRD WEEK OF AUGUST 1938. THIS TIMING PHENOMENON ONLY OCCURS FOR FIVE SPECIFIC DAYS IN EVERY TWELVE YEARS. I HAVE ALWAYS BELIEVED THAT THE SUCCESS OF EVERYTHING IN LIFE WAS DEPENDENT ON TIMING! WORKING IN CLAY CERTAINLY PROVES THIS POINT

YOU CAN’T CONTROL THE TIMING OF YOUR OWN BIRTH, BUT IT IS REALLY WONDERFUL WHEN OTHERS HAVE THE FORESIGHT TO DO IT FOR YOU!

EDUCATION

BACK TO EDUCATION IN THE CERAMIC ARTS

GOOD K-13 ARTS EDUCATION IS NOT AVAILABLE EVERYWHERE IN PRIMARY OR SECONDARY EDUCATION LEVELS UNFORTUNATELY. IN MANY PARTS OF THE U.S. IT IS LOOKED AT AS A MAJOR PROGRAM HELPING YOUNG DEVELOP IN A CIVILIZED SOCIETY THROUGH CREATIVE CULTURE AND CREATIVE THINKING. ONE CAN SEE THE RESULTS OF THIS ANNUALLY AT THE NATIONAL COUNCIL FOR THE CERAMIC ARTS (NCECA) ANNUAL CONFERENCE. THIS YEAR IT IS IN SEATTLE, WASHINGTON. UNDER THE WATCHFUL EYE OF BOB FEDER AND HIS HARD-WORKING COMRADES, THERE IS ASSEMBLED A JURIED EXHIBIT OF WORK FROM SCHOOLS ALL OVER. FOR MY MONEY, THIS IS ALWAYS ONE OF THE MOST VIBRANT, AFFIRMATIVE AND EXCITING SHOWS AROUND THESE CONFERENCES. THESE SCHOOLS ARE ONE OF THE MAIN VENUES WHERE OUR NEXT GENERATION OF CERAMIC ARTISTS WILL COME FROM. THE BETTER THE EXPOSURE AT A YOUNG AGE, THE MORE LIKELY THE EXCITING GROWTH AT THE LEVEL OF TERTIARY EDUCATION. LEARNING GOOD HABITS IN SKILL DEVELOPMENT EARLY IN WORKING WITH CLAY, SETS THE STUDENT UP FOR LIFE, NO MATTER WHAT LINE OF WORK HE OR SHE FOLLOWS. GOOD BASICS ARE THE FOUNDATION OF EVERYTHING.

UNFORTUNATELY, NOT ALL MINISTRIES OR DEPARTMENTS OF EDUCATION ARE EQUALLY FAR- SIGHTED. IN CANADA, FOR INSTANCE, THERE IS LITTLE IN THE

WAY OF PLANNED ARTS AND CULTURE EDUCATION IN RELATION TO TEAM SPORTS. CREATIVE THINKING IS REDUCED TO A MINIMUM. TO MY MIND, THE DEPARTMENTS OF EDUCATION SHOULD BE SUB-DIVISIONS OF THE DEPARTMENTS OF HEALTH. HEALTH IS ABOUT IMPROVING LIFE AND LONGEVITY. CULTURAL ACTIVITIES ARE ABOUT A LIFELONG PURSUIT WHERE AGGRESSIVE SPORTS SO OFTEN LEAD TO EARLY BURNOUT, AS THE BODY REFUSES TO TAKE MORE PUNISHMENT.

SO THIS IS WHERE PARENTAL POSITIVITY COMES IN. INSTEAD OF COMPLAINING AT THE MESS, ENCOURAGE CREATIVITY AND SELF-EXPRESSION. THESE WILL HELP THE CHILD’S DEVELOPMENT TOWARDS ANY AVENUE IN LIFE. THE CREATIVE THINKER IS THE MOST SOUGHT AFTER EMPLOYEE IN ANY AVENUE OF WORK. THE RAGGLE TAGGLE GROUP OF METAPHORICAL SHEEP SOON TURN INTO A SMART FLOCK FROM WHICH THE INDIVIDUALS HAVE A CHANCE TO EMERGE AND BECOME LEADERS IN THE FIELD.

TERTIARY EDUCATION - COLLEGE, UNIVERSITY AND SELF-TEACHING

UNLESS YOU HAPPEN TO BE A PRECOCIOUS CULTURAL GENIUS THE LIKE OF MOZART, MENDELSOHN, PICASSO AND RODIN, YOU ARE GOING TO HAVE TO WORK HARD AND DILIGENTLY FOR MANY YEARS TO BECOME A MASTER OF THE CERAMIC MEDIUM. THE EDUCATIONAL DIRECTIONS THAT YOU TAKE AT THIS POINT ARE NORMALLY RELATED TO HOW YOU SEE YOUR JOURNEY THROUGH LIFE. TO BE A FIRST RATE WORKING ARTIST YOU NEED ONE THING. TO TEACH IN INSTITUTIONS FUNDED BY THE PUBLIC PURSE YOU HAVE NO OPTION BUT UNIVERSITY.

TOMORROW: WHO ARE YOU AND WHICH FORM OF TERTIARY EDUCATION IS RIGHT FOR YOU?

SCHOOLS ARE CLOSED

2012-01-18T04:57:00.000-08:00

SCHOOLS ARE CLOSED BECAUSE OF SNOW TODAY. WE INTERRUPT THE DISCUSSION ON CERAMICEDUCATION TO BRING YOU IMAGES OF BEAUTY FROM THE GARDEN UNDER SNOW. UNLIKE MOSTOF CANADA, SNOW IS A RARITY ON SOUTHERN VANCOUVER ISLAND AS WE HAVE A MARITIMEMEDITERRANEAN CLIMATE, SIMILAR TO THE SOUTH OF FRANCE. IT IS USUALLY GONE IN AFEW DAYS. IN COUNTRY AREAS IT MAINTAINSITS PRISTINE WHITENESS, UNLIKE THE SMELLY, BROWN AND YELLOW VERSIONS THATPERMEATE URBAN AREAS. SNOW HERE IS VERY DANGEROUS FOR DRIVING IN, AS IT NEVERGETS COLD ENOUGH TO PACK DOWN ON THE ROAD. IT IS MORE LIKE A SHEET OF GREASEAND YOU HAVE ALMOST NO TRACTION. BEST THING TO DO IS STAY HOME!

THE SILENCE IN THESE IMAGES OF OUR INNER MEDITATION GARDENIS LIKE THAT OF THE SILENCE FOUND IN MEDITATION ITSELF. THIS IS PART OF OUR 2.5ACRE GARDEN THAT INCLUDES MY INTERPRETATION OF THE FIVE BASIC FORMATS OFJAPANESE GARDEN. IT IS NOT SUPPOSED TO BE A JAPANESE GARDEN. WE CALL THISORIGINAL STYLE ANGLOJAPANADIAN.

WINTER SCENE GLAZE PAINTING ON PORCELAIN CANVAS SUBSTRATE

PORCELAIN SLAB/THROWN BOTTLE

WINTER LANDSCAPE SERIES 1978

IRON KOI GATE TO MEDITATION GARDEN BY ARTIST: BEVERLEY PETOW

WOOD LANTERNS BY ARTIST: DAVID SEAGER

EAT YOUR HEART OUT DR. T. MLSD, MFA, ET AL

THE SNOW IS ALREADY MELTING! BACK TO REGULAR EDUCATION COLUMN TOMORROW.

OBITUARY

2012-01-17T05:10:00.000-08:00

Eva Zeisel: November13, 1906 – December 30, 2011

EVA ZEISEL WAS THEPRE-EMINENT CERAMIC DESIGNER OF THE 20^T CENTURY. HER ELEGANT WORKGRACES HOMES AND TABLES THE WORLD OVER. SHE WAS 105 YEARS YOUNG AT THE TIME OFPASSING.

EDUCATION

IN YESTERDAY’S POST IMENTIONED TWO OF MY BOOKS, “FUNCTIONAL POTTERY” AND “MAKING MARKS”. INCONJUNCTION WITH “CERAMIC SPECTRUM”, THE CONTENT THESE THREE BOOKS WAS DESIGNEDTO GIVE THE READER THE EQUIVALENT OF A FOUR YEAR PLUS COLLEGE DIPLOMA OR BFADEGREE. TOGETHER, THEY COVER FORM, SURFACE AND CERAMIC TECHNOLOGY. YOU CANEASILY TEACH YOURSELF FROM THIS TRILOGY. IF YOU CAN GET THE VIDEOS, SO MUCH THEBETTER. BOOK AND VIDEO ARE LIKE A TEAM.

RH PERSONALITY TRAITS

I WAS DEFINITELY THEBLACK SHEEP OF THE FAMILY, A DREAMER, REBEL AND RESEARCHER OF THE RARE,UNUSUAL, IMPROBABLE AND IMPOSSIBLE, ONE WHO NEVER TOOK “NO” FOR AN ANSWER ANDNEVER FINISHES SEARCHING.

MY GREATEST MENTORSTHROUGHOUT MY LIFE HAVE BEEN MICKEY MOUSE AND PETER PAN. THEY BOTH REPRESENTPLAYFUL BUT SERIOUS AND POSITIVE FORCES AND JOY IN LIFE - THE ETERNAL CHILDREN.

MY BRAIN PROBABLY LOOKSLIKE THE DALE CHIHULY GLASS SCULPTURE, ENDLESSLY MOVING IN MANY DIRECTIONS ATTHE SAME TIME AND FOCUS ING DEEPLY TO UNDERSTAND THE VISION, IDEA OR CONCEPTTHAT PRESENTS ITSELF, NO MATTER HOW OBSCURE OR TRIVIAL THEY MIGHT SEEM.REMEMBER THE OLD ADAGE: “GREAT OAKS FROM LITTLE ACORNS GROW”

AS ONE’S SKILLS IN MANIPULATING CLAY DEVELOP, ONE USUALLYNEEDS FURTHER STIMULATION TO GROW IN ABILITY. THIS MIGHT BE IN THE FORM OF ATTENDING WORKSHOPS, CONFERENCES,DEMONSTRATIONS AND EXHIBITIONS. FORMAL SCHOOLS AND HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS COME INTO THEIROWN HERE. DEPENDING WHERE ONE MAY LIVEIN THE WORLD, ART EDUCATION MAY GO FROM KINDERTEN TO GRADE 13. IN THE USA THEREARE TERRIFIC K-13 ART AND CERAMICS PROGRAMS IN MANY STATES. IN CANADA, THERE ISALMOST NOTHING. ARTS AND CULTURE FUNDING IN CANADA IS ALMOST THE WORST IN THEWESTERN WORLD. I LIVE ON THE WEST COAST IN A PROVINCE NAMED BRITISH COLUMBIA.IT HAS THE WORST CULTURAL FUNDING RECORD IN THE COUNTRY. DESPITE LACK OFGOVERNMENTAL ARTS SUPPORT, BC HAS THE SECOND LARGEST NUMBER OF CULTURALWORKERS BEHIND FRENCH-SPEAKING QUEBEC. QUEBEC, ON THE OTHER HAND, VALUES ITS CULTURE AND PROVIDES THE BESTENVIRONMENT FOR CREATIVITY ANYWHERE IN MY ADOPTED COUNTRY. I WAS VICE CHAIR OFTHE BC ARTS COUNCIL FOR FIVE YEARS, AN EXERCISE IN FRUSTRATION IN NOT BEINGABLE TO PUT ARTS AND CULTURE IN A HIGH PRIORITY POSITION. A STRONG CULTURALIDENTITY MAKES FOR CREATIVE COMMUNITIES, WHERE SO MANY TEAM SPORTS ACTIVITIESARE OFTEN BREEDING GROUNDS FOR AGGRESSION. A CULTURE CONSCIOUS COMMUNITY IS AHEALTHY COMMUNITY.

TOMORROW’S POST WILL LOOK AT FORMAL EDUCATIONALACTIVITIES, FROM KINDER GARTEN TOCOLLEGE AND UNIVERSITY

DEFINITELY AN INDIVIDUAL SHEEP AND CERTAINLY NOT A CLONE!

CAREER CHOICE #1: ZOOLOGY: PRIMATOLOGY AND ORNITHOLOGY

2012-01-13T05:32:00.000-08:00

“ GUY”: MALEGRASSLANDS GORILLA, 45 – 50 YEARS OF AGE AT DEATH. INCARCERATED AT THE REGENT’SPARK ZOO, LONDON’ WEIGHT 600 – 700 POUNDS. THIS IS THE TAXIDERMISTS’S VERSIONOF A FORMIDABLE

ANIMAL WHO I SPENTMUCH TIME WITH IN MY TEENS. I FOUND THE WORLD OF NATURE, ANIMALS AND BIRDS TOBE INFINITELY PREFERABLE AND MORE INTERESTING TO BE AROUND THAN ANY OF THE KIDSI MET.

ZOOLOGY IS THESCIENTIFIC STUDY OF ANIMALS. PRIMATOLOGY IS THE STUDY OT THE TAILLESS MEMBERSOF THE MONKEY FAMILY, KNOWN AS APES OR PRIMATES. THEY ARE THE ONES MOSTLIKE HUMANS EXCEPT THAT THEY ARE ALL NORMALLY PEACE LOVING EXCEPT WHEN PROVOKED.THEY WILL FIGHT FIERCELY WHEN THEIR FAMILIES ARE UNDER THREAT.

THE PRIMATES. THE GENUS IS MADE UP OF TWO SPECIES OFGORILLA – PLAINS OR GRASSLANDS, AND MOUNTAIN GORILLAS. THEY ARE FOUND IN ANDAROUND THE COUNTRY OF RUANDA IN CENTRAL AFRICA.

MALE ORANG – UTAN – AKA OLD MAN OF THE WOODS. NATIVE TO BORNEO, SUMATRA AND OTHER ISLANDSOF THE SOUTH PACIFIC

YOUNG CHIMPANZEE – NATIVE TO CENTRAL EQUATORIALAFRICA. GENERALLY THOUGHT TO BE THE MOSTINTELLIGENT OF THE GENUS.

THE GIBBON IS THE SMALLEST, FASTEST AND MOST AGILE OF THEPRIMATE SPECIES. THEY COME FROM SOUTHEAST ASIA AND THE EAST INDIES. THEY ARE ALL THREATENED WITHEXTINCTION DUE TO HUMAN PREDATION AND LOSS OF HABITAT, AS ARE MANY ANIMAL ANDBIRDS WORLDWIDE. THEY ARE THE INNOCENT VICTIMS OF HUMAN GREED.

SINCE I WAS SPENDING MUCH TIME IN ZOOS, THEY TEMPORARYDISPLACED MY REGULAR MUSEUM GOING ACTIVITIES. MUCH AS I AM AGAINSTINCARCERATING ANY WILD CREATURES, OUR UNDERSTANDING OF THEM ULTIMATELY BRINGSGREATER UNDERSTANDING OF HUMAN KIND, PROBABLY THE SICKEST ANIMALS ON THE PLANET.

THE DIFFERENT DIVISIONS OF THE NATURAL WORLD CAN SHOWUS MUCH OF VALUE

ORNITHOLOGY: THE STUDY OF BIRDS.

I AM JUST GOING TO SHOW ONE BIRD, THE PEACOCK, CLOSESTLIVING CREATURE TO THE MYTHICAL PHOENIX OR FIREBIRD.

MY EARLY TEENS ALSO INCLUDED MUCH WORK IN THEATER WHERE ICOULD HIDE BEHIND OTHER CHARACTERS IN A PLAY, AND SEA CADETS, WHERE I COULD PLAYMY BUGLE, TRUMPET AND TROMBONE IN THE MARCHING BAND. AT SIXTEEN I CAME TO THEEND OF FORMAL HIGH SCHOOL. MY PARENTSWENT TO SEE THE SCHOOL PRINCIPAL TO FINDOUT WHAT I MIGHT BE USEFUL FOR. THEPRINCIPAL REPLIED “NOT MUCH! HE IS A DREAMER BUT HAS A GOOD TALENT IN ART THATSHOULD BE FOSTERED” AND SUGGESTED THAT MY NEXT DIRECTION WOULD BE TO ARTSCHOOL. I HAD A FRIEND WHO WAS A LITTLEOLDER AND STUDYING AT THE LOCAL ART SCHOOL. HE HAD GLOWING REPORTS OF NAKED WOMEN ( THE LIFE DRAWING CLASS MODELS.) AS A HEALTHY, TESTOSTERONE CHARGED YOUNG MALE,THIS SOUNDED TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE, SO I STARTED AT CROYDON COLLEGE

OF ART THAT FALL. IT WAS 1955 AND I WAS READY FOR THEWORLD.

ME AT SIXTEEN IN 1955.

THANKS TO JAMIE KOZLOWSKI FOR THE CRYSTALLINE GLAZE PAINTINGIN YESTERDAY’S POST.

PUBERTY HERE WE COME! THE FLOWERING OF YOUTH!

2012-01-12T05:32:00.000-08:00

I WAS SEVEN AT THE END OF THE WAR. I HAD SEEN MORE DEATH AND DESTRUCTION BY THATTENDER AGE THAN ANYONE SHOULD SEE IN A LIFETIME. BECAUSE OF CIRCUMSTANCES,THERE WERE NO OTHER KIDS AROUND.

MY MOTHER RAN THE FAMILY BUSINESS AND HAD NOTMUCH TIME FOR ME. MOST OF MY BRINGING UP THROUGH THIS TIME WAS BY AN

ELDERLY SPINSTER AUNT WHO DIDN’T LIKE ME, AND I DIDN’T LIKEHER RIGHT BACK. THE BOMBING OF LONDON TOOK THE LIVES OF THIRTY-THREE THOUSANDWITH A HUGE NUMBER OF CASUALTIES ON TOP. I ONLY RECEIVED GASHES ON MY LEFT ARMAND LEFT THIGH FROM FLYING GLASS. SURROUNDED BY ONLY ADULTS, I BECAME APRECOCIOUS MINIATURE ADULT AND STARTED MY FIRST BUSINESS AT AGE SEVEN. MYPARENTS REALIZED THAT I HAD MY STREET SMARTS AND NEVER PUT A DAMPER ON ANYTHINGI HAD IN MIND. THAT EARLY TRUST ANDFREEDOM BUILT AN INNER STRENGTH INTO WHATEVER DIRECTION. IT WAS ALL TOTALLYPOSITIVE. HOW OFTEN DOES ONE SEE THESPIRIT OF YOUNG LIFE BECOME GRADUALLY EXTINGUISHED BY NEGATIVE PARENTING.

1940 THE FAMILY. MEAT AROUND 12 MONTHS BEING HELD BY MY FATHER

AT EIGHT, I STARTED TO VISIT MUSEUMS, ALL WERE FREE,EASILY ACCESSIBLE FROM MY HOME BY BUSAND OFFERED A WEALTH OF INTERESTING THINGS TO LOOK AT, AND INTO. THE FIRST WAS THE HORNIMAN MUSEUM, PRIMARILY ANETHNOGRAPHIC COLLECTION WHERE I FIRST BECAME AWARE OF THE DIVERSITY OF HUMANCULTURES. THE FIRST POTS I REMEMBERSEEING AND BEING STRUCK BY WERE THOSE FROM THE AMERICAN SOUTHWEST. MY NEXTMUSEUM WAS THE IMPERIAL WAR MUSEUM THAT HAD ALL MANNER OF INTERESTING ANDDISGUSTING THINGS THAT PEOPLE USED FOR KILLING EACH OTHER. A SECURITY GUARDTHERE SUGGESTED THAT I VISIT THE VICTORIA AND ALBERT AND BRITISH MUSEUMS WHERETHERE WERE OLD THINGS FOR KILLING EACH OTHER AND THEY WERE VERY BEAUTIFUL. SO,OFF I WENT AND FOUND MAGNIFICENT SWORDS, ARMOUR, FIREARMS, KNIVES AND MILITARYHARDWARE FROM CULTURES WORLDWIDE. ANDTHEN THERE WERE POTS IN THEIR THOUSANDS. LONDON’S MAIN MUSEUM DISTRICT IS IN SOUTH KENSINGTON, THERE YOU WILLFIND MUSEUMS OF NATURAL HISTORY, DECORATIVE ARTS, GEOLOGY, SCIENCE, AND OTHERS,ALL WITHIN A COUPLE OF BLOCKS. WHAT AN INCREDIBLE PLAYGROUND FOR A CHILD

WITH A RECEPTIVE MIND AND THE POSSIBLE DREAMS OF AN ARTIST.

ACOMA OLLA, 19^TH CENTURY

I HAD NO FRIENDS BECAUSE OF THE LONELINESS INFLICTED BY THEWAR PERIOD AND HAD LEARNED TO BECOME VERY SELF-SUFFICIENT AS A SURVIVOR OFINTENSE NEGATIVITY. THERE WAS NOBODY TODISTRACT ME FROM MY THIRST FOR LEARNING.

FROM THE NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM I LEARNED MUCH ABOUTANIMALS, REPTILES AND BIRDS, BUT THEY WERE STUFFED TAXIDERMISTS RECREATIONSWITH NO VOICE. FINDING THE LONDON ZOO IN REGENT’S PARK THERE I FOUND THEM IN FULL VIGOR, COMPLETEWITH VOICE AND PROFOUND PRESENCE. THISWAS MY KIND OF STUFF!!

BY THE TIME I WAS 12,I HAD DECIDED THAT I WANTED TO GO INTO ZOOLOGY, EITHER AS A PRIMATOLOGIST ORORNITHOLOGIST. I STARTED TO LEARN URDU AND SWAHILI, LANGUAGES FROM CENTRALAFRICA, HOME TO MANY OF THE SPECIES THAT I WAS PARTICULARLY INTERESTED IN.

ME AT 12 YEARS OFAGE.

I REALLY DISLIKED MOST SPORTS, STILL DO! I WAS A CHUBBY KID AND NOT PARTICULARLY FASTON MY FEET. SO IN SOCCER THEY PUT ME BETWEEN THE GOAL POSTS AND KICKED THINGSAT ME. IN CRICKET, THEY PUT ME BEHINDTHE WICKET AND THREW NASTY, HARD LEATHER BALLS AT ME.

I REBELLED AT THIS STUFF AND HAVE DISLIKED ALL AGGRESSIVETEAM SPORTS EVER SINCE. I VIEW THEM ASMILITARY TRAINING EXERCISES, THE WAY THAT MANY CULTURES KEPT THEIR ARMIES FITBY AGGRESSIVE TRAINING. TO ME, THIS IS WHERE GLOBAL OBSESSION WITH VIOLENCEAND HATE STARTS TO TAKE ROOT.

MAYAN VASE: SOLDIERSOFF TO DO BATTLE ON THE BALL COURT. PENALTY FOR LOSING THE GAME - DEATH

HI THERE, WELCOME BACK TO MY NEWSPAPER BLOG. TODAY’S EDITION IS ABOUT THE SCIENCES OF GENEALOGY AND HERIDITY, THE STORY OF FAMILY LIFE AND USES MY EARLY LIFE FOR EXAMPLES.

2012-01-11T05:42:00.000-08:00

I WAS BORN A TWIN IN SOUTH LONDON, ENGLAND IN 1939, SIX MONTHS BEFORE THE START OF THESECOND WORLD WAR. WE WERE THE YOUNGEST IN A FAMILY OF FIVE BOYS AND TWOGIRLS. MY TWIN SISTER’S NAME WASAVRIL . WE SPENT MANY HAPPY MONTHSTOGETHER IN MY MOTHER’S WOMB AS WE DEVELOPED FROM EGG AND SPERM THROUGH EMBRYOAND FOETUS, UNTIL WE WERE THRUST FROM THE WARM COCOON INTO THE COLD HARDREALITY OF THE REAL WORLD. UNFORTUNATELY, AVRIL DIED TEN DAYS LATER FROM SOMEINTERNAL PROBLEM. I BELIEVE SHEPASSED HER ENERGY ON TO ME. THIS WAS THE FIRST DEVASTATING LOSS IN MY LIFE ATTHE TENDER AGE OF TEN DAYS. I THINK OF HER OFTEN.

FLOWERS FOR A DEAD PRINCESS.

THE DECLARATION OF WAR WITH GERMANY WAS MADE ON SEPTENBER3^RD, 1939. AFTER GERMAN TROOPS ENTERED POLAND. WITHIN FOUR DAYS OF THIS DECLARATION,THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT PUT INTO ACTION A PLAN TO SHIP ALL CHILDREN UNDER 16YEARS OF AGE TO BILLETING FAMILIES ALL OVER ENGLAND AND TOCOMMONWEALTH COUNTRIES SUCH AS CANADA, AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND. IT WAS KNOWNAS THE GREAT EVACUATION.

LEAVING FOR WHO KNOWS WHERE!

COLLATERAL DAMAGE

IMPROVED BALLISTICSS GERMAN V2 ROCKET READY TO COMMIT CARNAGE

IT WASN’T GREAT FOR A HUGE VOLUME OF THE PARTICIPANTS,MANY OF WHOM SUFFERED GREATLY FROM ALL MANNER OF EVIL FROM BEATING TOMOLESTATION AND MASSIVE SEXUAL AND PHYSICAL ABUSE. THEY COULDN’T PROTECT THEMSELVES FROM THE PEOPLE WHO WERESUPPOSED TO BE PROTECTING THEM. MY TWO OLDEST BROTHERS WERE OVER THE AGE OFSIXTEEN, SO JOINED THE WORK FORCE. MY REMAINING SISTER AND TWO BROTHERS WERESHIPPED OUT TO THREE DIFFERENT FAMILIES IN THREE DIFFERENT CITIES IN THE NORTHOF ENGLAND. IN FOUR DAYS, THREEAND A HALF MILLION KIDS WERE EVACUATED TO PLACES THAT WERE SUPPOSED BE OUT OFENEMY BOMBING RANGE. IN A VERYSHORT WHILE GERMAN BALLISTICS DEVELOPMENT MADE THEM ALL VULNERABLE. I CONTRACTED CHICKEN POX THE DAY BEFOREAND WASN’T ALLOWED TO GO AND THE AUTHORITIES WOULDN’T ALLOW ME TO BE SENT ONLATER BECAUSE OF MY AGE. I DIDN’T SEE MY SIBLINGS FOR OVER TWO YEARS. I STAYEDWITH MY MOTHER WHO WAS RUNNING THE FAMILY BUSINESS AS MY FATHER WAS AWAY ATTHE WAR EFFORT. I SPENT FIVE AND AHALF YEARS DODGING BOMBS ON A DAILY BASIS. THIS MADE ME INTO THE ULTIMATE SURVIVOR, A GREAT THING FORSOMEONE IN THE ART! LONDON IS ALLBUILT ON A HUGE SEAM OF BLUE CLAY. WHEN THE BOMBS CAME DOWN THE CLAY CAME UP INGREAT CRATERS – FREE ART MATERIALS FOR LIFE THANKS TO ADOLF HITLER!!

THREE YEARS OLD IN THE MIDDLE OF A WAR JUST STARTING TOWORK WITH CLAY

AT THE AGE OF THREE, I STARTED MY 70 YEAR LIFE IN CLAY.MODELLING ANIMALS AND MAKING VASES THAT I USED TO FIRE IN MY MOTHER’S KITCHENSTOVE. I HAD A NATURAL TALENT INART AND AN INQUISITIVE MIND., ALWAYS TRYING NEW THINGS. I FOUND A COMMERCIAL PRODUCT CALLEDBARBOLA PASTE, A SELF-HARDENINGMODELLING MATERIAL THAT I COULD USE FOR MAKING JEWELERY, AT THE AGE OF SEVEN I STARTED MY FIRSTBUSINESS, MAKING JEWELRY AND SELLING IT TO CLIENTS IN THE MANY HAIRDRESSERSSTORES OF THE NEIGHBOR HOOD. I ALSO BECAME AN AVID CERAMIC RESEARCCHERTO FIND OUT WAT ELSE IS OUT THERE THAT I CAN USE. I STILL DO IT. MY MOST RECENT GREAT FIND HAS BEEN WITH A NEW HIGH TECH PODUCT INITIALLY FOR THE NASA SPACE EXPLORATION ASWELL AS PERFORMING THE ROLE OF COMPUTER CARDS. THE MATERIAL IS A BEAUTIFUL THINPORCELAIN-LIKE PRODUCT WHICH WECALL PORCELAIN CANVAS SUBSTRATE. IF YOU WANT TO KNOW MORE ABOUT IT, YOU CAN CLICK ON THE LINK CERAMICARTCART.COM . LAST JANUARY I WROTE ANARTICLE ABOUT USING IT FOR CERAMICS MONTHLY MAGAZINE WHICH IS ON THAT WEBSITE.

ROBIN AT SEVEN WITH BOBBY. ARTIST, MISFIT AND BUSINESS BOY

BOBBY WAS LATERPOISONED BY THIEVES WHO BROKE INTO MY PARENTS’ GROCERY STORE. MY SECOND IMMEASURABLE LOSS

HERE TWO IMAGES OF GLAZE PAINTINGS BY ME USING PORCELAINCANVAS SUBSTRATES , AND A CRYSTAL PAINTING BY JAMIE

I’M TIRED NOW SO I HAVE TO GET SOME REST.

SEE YOU TOMORROW, WHEN I MOVE INTO THE MAGICAL AGE OFPUBERTY.

THE POWER OF POSITIVE THOUGHT AND ACTION.

2012-01-10T05:06:00.000-08:00

MANY THANKS TO ALL MYREADERS FOR THEIR RESPONSES TO MY LAST BLOG, TEACHERS ALSO SUFFER FROM THE “LACK OF RESPONSE SYNDROME

THIS WEEK I BEGIN TOMAKE THESE POSTS INTO COLUMNS, USING THE NEWSPAPER ANALOGY, METAPHOR OR SYMBOL.TODAY AND TOMORROW ARE IN THE SIMPLE SCIENCE FOLDER

THIS MORNING I WAS OUT WALKING ON THE BEACH WITH MY DOGKEEDA. SHE IS A NINE-YEAR-OLD AUSTRALIAN SHEPHERD CROSS. HER COLORATION ISBASICALLY BLACK AND WHITE BUT HAS ALL THE VARIATIONS OF AN 11POINT GREY SCALE,PART OF THE PAINTER’S TOOL AND KNOWLEDGE KIT. I WAS WEARING A NICE, BLACK,LEATHER JACKET WHICH A FAT, ART -APPRECIATING SEAGULL OBVIOUSLY THOUGHT WOULDBE A GREAT BACKGROUND FOR A GRAVITY-PROPELLED SPLAT OF WHITE, YELLOW AND GREENEXCREMENT, A BIT LIKE A JACKSON POLLOCK TASCHIST PAINTING FROM THE EARLY1950’S.

THANK GOD COWS DON’T FLY OR WE’D NEED A JACKET THE SIZE OF AN OGRE, OR GIANT OR CANVAS FROM ONE OF REMBRANDT’SLARGE BIBLICAL PAINTINGS TO CATCH THE FLYING DOLLOP OF COLORFUL POOP!!

IN ENGLAND, TO BE HITBY SUCH ART IS VIEWED AS A MAJOR COUP, A GOOD LUCK SYMBOL OF ALMOST BIBLICALPROPORTIONS. (SOME THINGS ABOUT BRITS REMAIN IN THE REALM OF THE SUPERNATURAL,SOMETHING I EXPECT TO REPORT ON AT A LATER DATE.) THIS IS A GOOD EXAMPLE OF SIRISAAC NEWTON’S TREATISE ON GRAVITY

A FEW PEOPLE HAVECOMPLAINED AT MY USE OF CAPITAL TYPE FACE. I DO IT FOR MY OWN BENEFIT.

I'M TOLD THAT USINGCAPITAL TYPE IS THE CYBER EQUIVALENT TO SHOUTING AT THE RECIPIENT. NO,I'M NOT DOING CYBERSHOUTING. WHEN I TYPE, THE SLIGHT TREMORS OF MY AGING LEFTHAND BABY FINGER KEEPS SLIDING FROM THE "A" KEY ONTO THE "CAPSLOCK" KEY NEXT DOOR. THIS HAS GONE ON FOR AT LEAST A YEAR NOW. I KEPTRE-TYPING AND CORRECTING AND IT TOOK FOREVER TO WRITE ANYTHING. I’M A SLOWTYPIST AT BEST, USING ALL THE APPROPRIATE FINGERS FOR THE SECIFIED KEYS. THE“SAVE “ KEY IS RIGHT NEXT TO THE “KILL” KEY AND I HAVE SUFFERED MANY LOSSES OFINTERESTING TEXT BECAUSE OF THAT. IF I CANREVERSE THE EFFECT OF THE TREMORS SOMEHOW, I WILL HAVE MUCH MORE TIME TO WRITE,AND THE WRITING WILL BE BETTER. THEPOWER OF POSITIVE THOUGHT MAYBE A GOOD WAY TO DO THIS. FUTURE KEYBOARD DESIGNERS AND MANUFACTURERSMIGHT BE COERCED INTO RE ASSIGNING THE NEGATIVE KEEY INSTRUCTIONS TO ANOTHERKEY, PERHAPS CLOSER TO THE “DELETE” KEY AND ALMOST AS FAR AS YOU CAN GET FROMTHE “SAVE” KEY.

I HAVE NOW FOUND A COMPUTER APP THANKS TO MY KNOWLEDGABLEREADERSHIP, THAT CHANGES FROM UPPER CASETO THE CORRECT MIX OF UPPER AND LOWERCASE. ALL I HAVE TO DO IS LEARN HOW TOUSE IT. CAPITALS, BOLD AND UNDERLINE WILL BE RESERVED FOR SPECIAL CONTENT. ALL I NEED NOW IS THE TIME TO FIND OUT HOW TOWORK IT!!

THE POWER OFNEGATIVE THOUGHT!

YES, THAT’S RIGHT –NEGATIVE THOUGHT IS A POWER ALMOST AS STRONG AS THE POWER OF THOUGHT, BUTUSUALLY NOT QUITE. POSITIVE GENERALLYHAS THE EDGE. IF YOU WANT YOUR LIFE TO IMPROVE, THINK POSITIVE AND SMILE!

IF YOU WANT TO WALLOW IN MISERY ANDSELF-LOATHING, THEN GRUNT AND GET DRUNK! IT’S YOUR CHOICE.

COLOR MY WORLD

2012-01-08T08:49:00.000-08:00

HI EVERYONE,HAPPY NEW WEEK!

I’M GOING TO STARTTHIS WEEK WITH A NEW IDEA, A THOUGHT OF THE WEEK SPECIAL FROM BOTH MY AND OTHERPEOPLES’ EXPERIENCES. THE FIRST ISABOUT GIVING THANKS. THIS ISN’T A SERMON, JUST OBSERVATIONS.

WAY BACK IN THE MID 1970’S WHEN I STARTED TO WRITE ANYTHING,I WROTE A SERIES OF ARTICLES FOR THE BRITISH CERAMIC MAGAZINE “CERAMIC REVIEW”.THEY WERE IN RESPONSE TO ONE OF THEIR READERS QUESTIONS ABOUT SIMPLIFIED GLAZEAND COLOR DEVELOPMENT. THE ARTICLES CAME OUT IN A THREE MONTH SEQUENCE, APRIL,MAY AND JUNE 1976.. I WAS STUNNED AT THEDEAFENING SOUND OF SILENCE THAT FOLLOWED. IN THE FOLLOWING FIVE YEARS I RECEIVED FIVE LETTERS AND ABSOLUTELY NOOTHER FOLLOW UP. NATURALLY, I THOUGHT IT WAS OBVIOUSLY A WASTE OF TIME AND ENERGYAND I COULD USE MY TIME MORE PROFITABLY ELSEWHERE. SO I QUIT WRITING SINCE ITAPPEARED OBVIOUS TO ME THAT NOBODY WAS INTERESTED OR THERE WOULD HAVE BEEN MORERESPONSE THAN FIVE LETTERS IN FIVE YEARS. THE WORLD OF THE WRITER IS PROBABLYMORE ISOLATED THAN ANY OTHER AND FEEDBACK RESPONSE TO WHAT YOU WRITE IS CRUCIALTO THE WRITER’S MINDSET. HEARING NOTHINGCAN BE DEVASTATING. THE WRITER ISN’T LOOKING FOR PATS ON THE BACK, JUST PROOFTHAT HE OR SHE ISN’T THE ONLY PERSON LEFT IN THE WHOLE WIDE WORLD, OR THAT HEOR SHE IS TALKING TO A VOID..

COLORS FROM COPPER

COLORS FROM NICKEL IN VARIOUS GLAZE BASES

IN 1981, I WAS INVITED TO DO A THREE-MONTH TOUR OF WORKSHOPSTHROUGHOUT AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND. PEOPLE KEPT COMING UP TO ME AND ASKING IF I WAS THE ROBIN HOPPER WHOWROTE THE GLAZE ARTICLES, AND WHY DID I STOP. I SAID ”BECAUSE I GOT ALMOSTZILCH RESPONSE FROM PEOPLE LIKE YOU!”

COLORS FROM CHROMIUM

WHEN I RETURNED HOME TO CANADA THERE WAS A HUGE PILE OF MAILWAITING TO BE DEALT WITH. ONE OF THEM WAS FROM THE LATE TOM MARSH, OFU.LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY, USA, A FINDER OF NEW AUTHORS FOR THE CHILTON BOOKCOMPANY. THEY WERE LOOKING FOR A GLAZEAND COLOR BOOK TO FOLLOW UP ON DANIEL RHODES’ “CLAY AND GLAZES FOR THEPOTTER” I SAID I MIGHT BE INTERESTED BUTDIDN’T THINK THERE WOULD BE MANY SALES, AND MY TIME WAS VALUABLE, CITING THENEGATIVE RESPONSE TO THE ARTICLES IN CERAMIC REVIEW. TOM TOLD ME IN REPLY THATHE KNEW OF PEOPLE ALL OVER THE WORLD USING MY ARTICLES AS COURSE TEXTS INCOLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES, AS WELL AS BY STUDIO ARTISTS. I WAS LITERALLY DUMBSTRUCK AS I HAD NO IDEAOF THIS. AS FAR AS I WAS CONCERNED, THERE WERE ONLY FIVE INTREPID SOULS WHO HADEVER READ THEM! SO I AGREED TO WRITE THE BOOK AND TITLED IT “THE CERAMICSPECTRUM”. IT WAS PUBLISHED IN 1984 AND IS STILL GOING VERY STRONG NEARLYTHIRTY YEARS LATER. THINK WHAT MORE I COULD HAVE WRITTEN IN THOSE INTERIM YEARS. HALFWAY THROUGH WRITING “SPECTRUM” ISTARTED THINKING OF ALL THE BOOKS I USED TO LOOK FOR THAT JUST WERE NOT THERESO I WROTE “FUNCTIONAL POTTERY: POTS OF PURPOSE”. HALFWAY THROUGH THAT I THOUGHT THERE

NEEDED TO BE AN IN-DEPTH BOOK ON THE CERAMIC SURFACE. ITBECAME “MAKING MARKS”. BETWEEN THEM THEYDEALT WITH ALMOST ALL ASPECTS OF ACERAMIC OBJECT. – FORM, SURFACE AND TECHNOLOGY – A CERAMIC TRILOGY.

SO THE MORAL OF THIS STORY IS: IF YOU READ SOMETHING, BE ITBLOG, BOOK OR ARTICLE, THAT CHANGES YOUR LIFE OR THOUGHT PATTERNS AND IMPROVES YOUR UNDERSTANDING, THEN JUST JOT DOWN A LITTLE NOTE AND SEND ITTO THE AUTHOR. THAT SINGLE POSITIVE ACT COULD ELEVATE THE WRITERS PSYCHE, MAKEYOU FEEL GOOD AND POSSIBLY BRING FORTH MORE. NOW, IS THAT SO REVOLUTIONARY – SAYING THANKS OR GIVING CREDIT WHERECREDIT IS DUE. AT THE TIME WHEN I WASGROWING UP SAYING “THANKS” WAS AN EXPECTATION. IN TODAYS “GIMME, GIMME” SOCIETY IT APPEARS TO BE A DISTINCT RARITY.IN PSYCHOLOGICAL TERMS IT IS CALLED ”POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT”.

COLOREDCRYSTALLINE GLAZES – CONE 6 ELECTRIC FIRING

THE GRINCH.

2012-01-06T09:52:00.000-08:00

THE GRINCH IS A NASTY CHARACTER FROM THE BRAIN OF DR SUESS. HE LARGELY REPRESENTSNEGATIVE THINGS OR NEGATIVE THOUGHT

HE IS GENERALLY MEAN, DESTRUCTIVE, MALEVALENT, SMELLY ANDCERTAINLY NOT SOMEONE YOU WOULD WANT TO GET CLOSE TO. OFTEN, PARTICULARLY OVER THE LAST TEN YEARS,I HAVE STRONGLY RELATED TO HIM WHILE IN A NEGATIVE FRAME OF MIND AND THINGS INMY LIFE JUST WERE’NT GOING THE WAY I WANTED THEM TO GO. I GET VERY ANGRY, ANNOYED, FORGETFUL AND NOTTOO PLEASANT TO BE AROUND. YOU JUST ASK MY WIFE!

WELL, I COMMITED THE CARDINAL SIN OF OMITTING TO GIVE CREDITWHERE CREDIT IS DUE TO MY LONGTERM STUDIO ASSISTANT, ARLENE YARNELL. SHE IS ALMOST PART OF THE FAMILYHAVING HAS WORKED WITH JUDI AND I FOR 21YEARS AS PART OF THE TEAM THAT IS‘CHOSIN POTTERY. IF YOU WANT TO SEE WHATWE DO AND THE ENTITY WE HAVE CREATED GO TO THE TOP OF THE LINKS AND YOU WILLLIKELY FIND OUT MORE THAN YOU EVER WANTED TO KNOW. GETTING BACK TO ARLENE,PROFUSE APOLOGIES, DEAR, WILL YOU EVER FORGIVE ME? I PROMISE TO NEVER OVERLOOKYOU AGAIN. OR YOU JUDE. IT REMINDS ME OF ONE OF THE BLOG SECTIONS THAT I PLAN AS A REGULAR COLUMN –“WHY ARE MEN SO STUPID?” I FEEL TRULYHUNG OUT TO DRY!

YESTERDAY, I HAD A CALL FROM MY OLDER DAUGHTER KAREN, WHOLIVES IN EASTERN CANADA. SHE HAD BEEN OUT WITH HER MOTHER, MY FIRST WIFE, SUEHARA, CHECKING OUT THE SECOND HAND STORES. IN ONE THEY FOUND A CASSEROLE THAT I HAD PROBABLY MADE 45 YEARSPREVIOUSLY IN MY ONTARIO STUDIO. THEPRICE WAS MARKED AT $6.50 SO KAREN BOUGHT IT TO KEEP IT IN THE FAMILY. NOW I KNOW MY TRUE VALUE AS AN ARTIST! I’MGLAD THAT THERE IS NO IMAGE OF THAT CASSEROLE. I HATE LOOKING AT MY OLD WORKWITHOUT A HAMMER IN HAND. IF ITS OWNEDBY SOMEONE ELSE ITS TOO LATE FOR QUALITY CONTROL. THE HAMMER IS THE BEST TOOLFOR QUALITY CONTROL, EVERY STUDIO SHOULDHAVE A BIG ONE BESIDE THE KILN FOR A QUICK AND FINAL DECISION.

WELL, TIME TO QUIT FOR THIS WEEK NICE TO THINK POSITIVELY THAT WE ARE NOW ONEWEEK CLOSER TO SPRING, AND I CAN CELEBRATE THE FIRST WEEK OF THIS BLOG. SO, WE ARE HAVING A PARTY WITH SESAME STREETBAND.

I LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU ON MONDAY. HAVE A RESTFULWEEKEND

PS. I JUST HEARDTHAT TWO DEAR ARTIST FRIENDS HAVESERIOUS HEALTH PROBLEMS. PLEASE SENDPOSITIVE ENERGY TO CRAIG ROGERS AND RACHEL KINGSTON.

TWELFTH NIGHT; OR, WHAT YOU WILL

2012-01-05T05:43:00.000-08:00

“IF MUSIC BE THE FOOD OF LOVE, PLAY ON, GIVE ME EXCESS OF IT;”

THE FIRST LINE IN WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE’S VERY POPULAR COMEDY.

THE FIFTH OF JANUARY IS ALSO KNOWN AS TWELFTH NIGHT, THE TIME, ACCORDING TO ENGLISH FOLKLORE, WHEN ONE IS TRADITIONALLY EXPECTED TO HAVE REMOVED ALL CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS AND MADE ONE’S NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS. HAVE YOU DONE YOURS?

I MISSED OUT SOME SPECIAL PEOPLE IN MY LIST IN YESTERDAY’S POST. I KNOW IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO EVER COMPLETE THIS LIST AS IT IS ALWAYS CHANGING. MY APOLOGIES TO THOSE I MISSED BEFORE AND THOSE I WILL MOST CERTAINLY IN THE FUTURE. HERE IS THE CONTINUED LIST:

ANN MORTIMER, ELAINE LIMBRICK, JOHN BRITT, ANGELA FINA, CHARLES SPAHR, SHERMAN HALL, TOM AND ELAINE COLEMAN, DANIEL RHODES, TOM AND GINNY MARSH, POLLY BEACH, BILL VAN GILDER, VINCE PITELKA, BRIAN AND GAIL MACARTHY, VAL CUSHING,

JULIE AND GERRY WILLIAMS, CHARLIE BLIM, JOHN GLICK, CYNTHIA BRINGLE, DAN FINCH, DICK LEHMAN, MARY BARRINGER, PHIL ROGERS, BERNARD PUCKER, JAN SCHACTER, GRAHAM TURNBULL, MICK CASSON, VIC MARGRIE, BERNARD LEACH AND FAMILY, VIVIKA AND OTTO HEINO, MICHAEL CARDEW AND HANS COPER. ALL THESE WONDERFUL PEOPLE HAVE GIVEN GREATLY OF THEMSELVES FOR THE ETERNAL BENEFIT OF OTHERS, NOT ONLY IN THE CLAY COMMUNITY BUT IN THE GREATER REACHES OF THE WHOLE WORLD. TO THEM WE OWE A GREAT DEBT.

PS.

TODAY MARKS MY SIXTEENTH WEEK OF NONSTOP, DEBILITATING HEADACHES. IF THERE ARE ANY MORE POSITIVE HEALING THOUGHTS AVAILABLE, PERHAPS YOU CAN CHANNEL THEM TOWARDS MY CRANIUM.

SEE YOU TOMORROW FOR THE LAST DAY OF THE FIRST WEEK IN THE LIFE OF THIS BLOG. TTFN RH

An Umbrella Organization

2012-01-04T15:38:00.000-08:00

THE CREW

THE LATE MALCOLM DAVIS: PRESIDENT EMERITUS , CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD, MENTEE, VISIONARY AND AGENT FOR CHANGE.

STEPHEN BRANFMAN: GUARDIAN ANGEL, HEALTH CONSULTANT AND INFORMANT

ROBIN HOPPER : PUBLISHER, MANAGING EDITOR, DREAMER, ARTIST, REPORTER, GARDEN CONSULTANT., COMPUTER INCOMPETENT AND KLUTZ.

JUDI DYELLE: WIFE AND PARTNER, OFFICE MANAGER, COMPUTER NERD, PORCELAIN ARTIST EXTRARDINAIRE, SOUNDING BOARD, CRITIC, CHAUFFEUR, CHIEF COOK AND BOTTLE WASHER, ACCOUNTANT AND DOER OF EVERYTHING THAT ROBIN OVERLOOKS DUE TO MYOPIA

MORGAN SADDINGTON: PERSONAL ASSISTANT TO RH

TONY CLENNELL: GUARDIAN ANGEL, MENTEE, ADVISOR.

SHEILA CLENNELL: OFFICE ASSISTANT AND COMPUTER ADVISOR.

OTHER IMPORTANT MEMBERS OF THE BOARD, INVALUABLE TEAM PLAYERS, OBSERVERS AND ADVISORS.

JOHN AND DARLENE WILLIAMS AND FAMILY, LES MANNING, MEL JACOBSEN, RANDY BRODNAX, RACHEL KINGSTON, CAROLYN SAVAGEAU BARBARA BROWN, PO, CYNDI CASEMEIR JOHNSTON, BILL JONES, MIKE SIEVERS, STEVE HAECKER, JENNIFER HARNETTY, DAVID ARMSTRONG. LANA WILSON, LINDA ARBUCKLE, THE BOARD OF NCECA, JANET MANSFIELD, ELAINE O. HENRY, NICOLE NICOLE, CARLA O’BRIEN, FRANK COLSON, BILLY RAY AND BEVERLEY MANGHAM, DEE AND TERRY BUCK, CARK BLOCK, THE CLAYWORKERS OF TEXAS AND OTHER INDIVIDUALS AND GROUPS THAT ARE TOO MANY TO FIT HERE.

THEY ALL WHO BELIEVE IN THE CAUSE AND GO ALL OUT TO MAKE THINGS HAPPEN AND IMPROVE THE HEALTH OF THE WORLD THROUGH THEIR BELIEF IN A BETTER ONE BY THE POWER OF POSITIVE THOUGHT AND CONSUMMATE ACTION.

MAY THE FORCE BE WITH YOU ALL.

PUBLISHER’S NOTE

THIS DAILY NEWSPAPER BLOG WILL BE PUBLISHED DAILY FROM MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY. I TAKE SOLE RESPONSIBILITY FOR ITS CONTENT. WE PLAN TO HAVE IT ON YOUR DESK EACH WEEKDAY MORNING. THE WEEKEND IS FOR REST AND REJUVENATION.

THE POTTER IS A METAPHOR FOR SUPREME CREATOR, BUT ONLY A MAXIMUM OF 10 - 15% WILL BE GEARED TO CLAY WORKERS. THE PRIMARY CONTENT WILL BE FOR EVERYONE. ITS CONTENT WILL BE LIKE A NEWSPAPER, WITH SECTIONS DEVOTED TO ARTS, POLITICS, HEALTH, SPORTS, FOOD, MUSIC, HOROSCOPE, HOME, CLAIRVOYANCE, HUMOR, OBITUARIES, BUSINESS, GARDENING AND SPECIAL FEATURES. I HOPE IT WILL RELATE TO PEOPLE WHO USE BOTH SIDES OF THEIR BRAIN AND BELIEVE IN THE POWER OF POSITIVE THOUGHT AND ACTION. HOPEFULLY, THIS MIGHT HELP TO BRING HEALTH BACK FROM A SICK AND NEGATIVE WORLD TO ONE THAT IS POSITIVE, CREATIVE, FORWARD-THINKING AND RE-ENERGIZED. I FULLY REALIZE THE ENORMTY OF THIS TASK BUT WITHOUT MASSIVE POSITIVE THOUGHT, WE AIN’T GOIN NOWHERE, BABY! RH.

THE FORCE

2012-01-03T15:03:00.000-08:00

THE GUY IN THE IMAGE IS A FORCE TO BE RECKONED WITH. FROM THE LOWEST OF DOWN TO THE HIGHEST OF UP, HE IS NOW ON A SUPER-POSITIVE TRAJECTORY WHERE ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE

WHEN SERIOUSLY DOWN FROM DEPRESSION AND MYSTERIOUS VIRAL DISEASE, HE WAS ADMINISTERED WITH A HUGE DOSE OF LOVE FROM THE WORLD CERAMIC COMMUNITY. THE RESULTING SURGE OF POWER MADE ME THINK OF DOING THIS BLOG, SOMETHING I HAD STAYED AWAY FROM BECAUSE I DIDN’T KNOW WHAT I HAD TO SAY THAT WASN’T ALREADY IN ONE OF MY BOOKS. AFTER MY CATHARSIS, I SUDDENLY HAD MORE ENERGY THAN I HAD HAD WHEN I WAS IN MY PRIME. I IMMEDIATELY KNEW WHAT I WANTED TO SAY AND MY BRAIN IS STILL WORKING WELL ENOUGH TO BE ABLE TO MAKE IT HAPPEN.

TUNE IN TOMORROW FOR THE NEXT EDITION AND BRING SOME FRIENDS WITH YOU FOR COMPANY. HAVE A GOOD DAY! ROBIN

MAY THE FORCE BE WITH YOU.

ANYONE CAN BE COOL, BUT AWESOME TAKES PRACTICE (LORRAINE PETERSON)

2012-01-02T06:35:00.000-08:00

WHAT IS THIS BLOG ABOUT?????

YESTERDAY I TOLD YOU THAT TODAY I WOULD TELL YOU WHAT I’M PLANNING WITH THIS DAILY BLOG. IT WILL BE A DIVERSE COLLECTION OF TOPICS FROM A BUSY AND DIVERSE PERSONAL JOURNEY. IT WITH A CENTRAL THREAD OF MY LIFE STORY AS AN ARTIST, OVER 70 YEARS, WHEN I FIRST FOUND CLAY AT THE AGE OF THREE, A PERSONAL GIFT FROM ADOLPH HITLER DURING WW ll.

I PLAN IT TO BE INFORMATIVE, FUNNY, PROFOUND, POSSIBLY PROFANE, PHILOSOPHICAL, PRACTICAL, VISIONARY, TEAR-JERKING, THOUGHT-PROVOKING AND MANY OTHER AREAS NOT YET IN MIND. AT PRESENT I HAVE MANY FOLDERS OF DIVERSE TOPICS THAT I HAVE EXPERIENCED THROUGH MY LENGTHY LIFE.

DAILY TOPICS WILL INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING IN RANDOM ORDER:

PHILOSOPHY: PEOPLE: ANIMALS: ART: EDUCATION: BOOKS: MUSIC: HEALTH: DEPENDS: THEATER: PETER PAN: MEN ARE SO STUPID SOMETIMES: GARDEN: CLAYART: GHOST STORIES: HERESY: LIGHT: MADNESS: PATS AND KUDOS: THE BEATLES: T-SHIRTS: SYMBOLS AND METAPHOR: TRAVEL: TWINS: UPLIFT: VAN GOGH: WRITING: WORK:

I HOPE YOU WILL COME WITH ME ON THIS WINDING AND WELL-ILLUSTRATED JOURNEY THROUGH THE WILDERNESS AND WILDNESS OF LIFE IN THE FAST LANE,

SEE YOU TOMORROW,

LOVE IS ALL YOU NEED. - JOHN LENNON - 1940 - 1980.

2012-01-01T10:11:00.000-08:00

AFTER THE NEW YEAR FESTIVITIES IN NEW YORK LAST NIGHT, MY HEAD WAS JAZZY AND I COULDN'T SLEEP. THAT, IN ITSELF, ON LENNON WAS FAIRLY REGULAR. WHERE I OFTEN GET JERKY AND LESS THAN THREE HOURS SLEEP PER NIGHT. JUDI HAD GIVEN ME A DOCUMENTARY ON JOHN LENNON, ONE OF MY MUSIC MENTORS. I AWOKE TO THE SOUND OF GUNFIRE AND THE QUICK SPREADING NEWS OF JOHN'S UNTIMELY DEMISE. I HAD WORKED BACKSTAGE AT THE CHARLOTTE ST THEATER DURING THE TIME THE BEATLES WERE MAKING "HARD DAY'S NIGHT". JOHN AND PAUL WERE ALWAYS WORKING SIDE BY SIDE AT A WHITE, BABY GRAND PIANO, AT STAGE RIGHT, COMPOSING NEW MUSIC. AT THE TIME I WAS 23, EIGHTEEN MONTHS OLDER THAN JOHN AND THREE YEARS OLDER THAN PAUL.! IT WAS 1963 , BEFORE THE BEATLES WENT TO THE USA AND THE BEGINNING OF THE "BEATLEMANIA" PHENOMENON. KIDS IN LONDON WERE REALLY PUMPED AND TRYING TO BREAK INTO THE THEATER BY CLIMBING UP THE OUTSIDE DRAIN PIPES. ONE OF MY JOBS WAS TO KEEP THEM OUT.

Phoenix Rising

2011-12-31T18:02:00.000-08:00

__________________________________________________________________

ABOUT THE PHOENIX, INSPIRATION BEHIND THIS BLOG.

The phoenix or phenix (Greek: Φοίνιξ Greek pronunciation: [ˈfiniks], Armenian: Փիւնիկ, Persian: ققنوس, Arabic: العنقاء أو طائر الفينيق, Chinese: 鳳凰 or 不死鳥, Hebrew: פניקס) is a mythical sacred firebird that can be found in the mythologies of the Arabian, Persians, Greeks, Romans, Egyptians, Chinese, Indian and (according to Sanchuniathon) Phoenicians.

A phoenix is a mythical bird with a colorful plumage and a tail of gold and scarlet (or purple, blue, and green according to some legends^{[weasel words]}). It has a 500 to 1000 year life-cycle, near the end of which it builds itself a nest of twigs that then ignites; both nest and bird burn fiercely and are reduced to ashes, from which a new, young phoenix or phoenix egg arises, reborn anew to live again. The new phoenix is destined to live as long as its old self. In some stories, the new phoenix embalms the ashes of its old self in an egg made of myrrh and deposits it in the Egyptian city of Heliopolis (literally "sun-city" in Greek). It is said that the bird's cry is that of a beautiful song.

The Phoenix's ability to be reborn from its own ashes implies that it is

immortal, though in some stories the new Phoenix is merely the offspring of the older one. In very few stories they are able to change into people.

My close relationship with the bird that rose from the ashes started about 45 years ago, shortly before I moved from England to Canada to teach in TORONTO. I fell of the roof of my country studio in Kintbury, Berkshire and was concussed for over 24 hours. I came back to life but have had sporadic chronic headaches ever since. the most recent has been with me since mid October, 2011, after doing three large workshops in the space of fifteen days in Minnesota, Illinois and Ontario, Canada. My wife, Judi, had told me to cancel them, but as a long time performer I stuck to the old theater adage of ‘THE SHOW MUST GO ON!” after being sick from a viral infection for the previous four months. The three workshops were each large, with 75, 70, and 150 attendees in succession. I was totally tired out when I returned home and made my way to bed. On the way I stopped in the bathroom and sat on the edge of our old cast –iron bath. My eyes quickly closed into a deep sleep. I fell over backwards into the dry bath, hitting my head on the shower faucet and getting another concussion. As a result, the intense headaches started that have now gone on unabated for almost three months despite various attempts to shift it by any method. At the time of writing this , I have had a chronic, debilitating headache that has persisted for 15 weeks.

I had two more workshops planned for Southern California in February 2012. Judi pleaded with me to cancel them. My doctor gave the ultimatum that I must cancel them, so I reluctantly contacted the organizers and started to feel a little relief from my killing, self-imposed pressure of doing workshops around the world. I have now decided to quit performance teaching as it just about did me in. So there will be no further workshops I was hoping to make 200 that would have put me at 75 years of age, if I could make it that far. I have done 189 workshops in England, Australia, New Zealand, China, Japan, Korea, Israel and I43 states of the United States. People seem to like my workshops and I am deeply sorry to cut them from my life. They have been fun, given the actor part of me an opportunity for a terrific audience, given me the opportunity to travel and induldment in visiting museums, something I started at age eight, and provided a significant source of income at the same time

On December 16^th, the anniversary of my favorite composer Beethoven’s birth. BEETHOVEN was a chronic sufferer of various health problems, I had an amazing CATHARSIS that I can only call a miracle or DEEP RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE. As a life-long agnostic this was strange indeed. Unlike atheists, or anti GOD people, agnostics always leave the door slightly open to belief in a higher power. The light that came through the door immediately started the healing process. With my renewed energy and more available time, I plan to do a daily blog. I currently have over 30 diverse topic folders for its content. Tomorrow I will tell you what they are.

SOME THOUGHTS AND OBSERVATIONS ON CHANGE.

I HAVE JUST GONE THROUGH THE MOST AMAZING SEQUENCE OF EVENTS, WHICH, ALTHOUGH CERTAINLY NOT FRAUDULENT, FEEL UNCOMFORTABLY CLOSE. I FEEL THAT I MUST EXPLAIN TO ALL THOSE FRIENDS WHO CARE.

· ALTHOUGH THE YEAR STARTED VERY POSITIVELY WITH AN ARTICLE ON CERAMIC SUBSTRATES FOR CERAMICS MONTHLY, EXCITING NEW DIRECTIONS IN WORK AND THE CLOSING LECTURE FOR NCECA, FOR THE MOST PART IT HAS BEEN A DOWNHILL SPIRAL WITH STRANGE ONGOING AND UNRESOLVED HEALTH PROBLEMS. THEY STARTED WITH PICKING UP A NASTY BUG IN FLORIDA AROUND THE TIME OF NCECA AND BEING WAYLAID FOR MOST OF THE YEAR, BECOMING WEAKER AS TIME WENT ON. I’VE BEEN DOING SPORADIC TEACHING THE WHOLE TIME. AFTER MONTHS OF INCONCLUSIVE TESTS MY DOCTOR FINALLY DIAGNOSED THE PROBLEMS AS TOTAL PHYSICAL AND MENTAL EXHAUSTION, OR BURNOUT, AND ORDERED MAXIMUM REST AS THE ANSWER TO REJUVENATION. BLOOD AND EKG TESTS OF THE PAST WEEK MAKE IT NECESSARY FOR ME TO UNDERGO GERIATRIC ASSESSMENT AFTER ANOTHER ROUND OF TESTS. SOUNDS OMINOUS FOR SURE! IT SHOULD TELL ME IF I’M REALLY NUTS OR NOT.

· THIS WILL TAKE PLACE SOMETIME EARLY IN 2012. SERIOUS MEMORY LOSS AND GRADUAL LOSS OF MOTOR SKILLS, TREMORS AND SHAKES SEEM TO BE AT THE ROOT OF ALL THIS. PHYSICALLY, I DON’T FEEL TOO BAD, BUT THE COMBINED QUESTIONS OF WHERE WE GO FROM HERE AND A TIMELINE HOVER LIKE A GREY SPECTER. IN TWO WEEKS I SHOULD KNOW A LOT MORE, SO IT WILL BE A LONG, SLOW CLOSE TO A VERY WEIRD YEAR.

I DECIDED THAT I HAD NO OPTION BUT TO CANCEL TWO WORKSHOPS. SLATED FOR SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA IN FEBRUARY 2012. WITHIN AN HOUR I STARTED TO RECEIVE MESSAGES WISHING ME WELL. THIS LED TO A PHONE CALL FROM AN OLD FRIEND/POTTER/EDUCATOR/BOOKSELLER, WHO HAD BEEN ASKED IF HE COULD FILL IN FOR ME. IT WAS THE MORNING WHEN NEWS CAME THROUGH OF THE UNTIMELY DEATH OF MY VERY GOOD FRIEND, MALCOLM DAVIS, WHO I HAVE MENTORED FOR MANY YEARS.. I KNEW I WAS FRAGILE BUT I HAD NO IDEA JUST HOW FRAGILE.

IN MY WEAKENED EMOTIONAL, PHYSICAL AND MENTAL STATE, I JUST BROKE DOWN UNCONTROLLABLY. MY OTHER FRIEND PUT OUT THE WORD THAT I NEEDED HELP AND GOOD THOUGHTS AT THIS TIME. WITHIN A MATTER OF MINUTES, I STARTED TO RECEIVE AMAZING MESSAGES OF LOVE AND GOODWILL FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD, MAINLY FROM PEOPLE WHO I DON’T RECALL MEETING, BUT OBVIOUSLY PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN TOUCHED IN SOME VISCERAL WAY THROUGH MY WRITINGS, VIDEOS, WORK OR WORKSHOPS. I HAVE ALWAYS BEEN A GREAT BELIEVER IN THE POWER OF POSITIVE THOUGHT, BUT THE DEPTH OF THIS OUTPOURING TOOK ME TOTALLY BY SURPRISE.

I’M NOT THROUGH THE ORDEAL YET BY A LONG WAY AND HAVE A RECOVERY ROAD THAT WILL TAKE MUCH TIME TO HEAL. MASSIVE TESTING WILL BE HAPPENING TO REGAIN PHYSICAL CONTROL AND COGNITIVE ABILITIES. THE PROGNOSIS IS LENGTHY AS OF NOW, BUT WITHOUT THE FIRST STEP ON RECOVERY ROAD WHO KNOWS WHERE THE JOURNEY MAY LEAD.

THANKS SO MUCH TO MY WONDERFUL WIFE, JUDI, ALL MY FRIENDS, ACQUAINTANCES AND THOSE WHO CARE. HOPEFULLY THIS BLIP IN MY PERSONAL JOURNEY WILL BE JUST THAT, AND THE AMAZING ADVENTURES OF THE LAST 70+ YEARS WILL CONTINUE, IF NOT TO THE EXCESSES OF THE PAST, AT LEAST TO CONTINUE TRYING IT, SEEING IT AND SETTING ONGOING GOALS FOR PERSONAL GROWTH.

I WILL TRY TO KEEP YOU INFORMED ON PROGRESS.

THIS IS THE FIRST POST ON THE FIRST DAY OF MY NEW BLOG. I THOUGHT YOU MIGHT HAVE TIME TO READ IT ON A SUNDAY AT THE BEGINNING OF A NEW YEAR, 2012. I APOLOGISE FOR THE LENGTH OF THIS POSTING, BUT I HAVE A LOT TO SAY SINCE MY FIRST BRUSH WITH DEATH, ALMOST 73 YEARS AGO, FURTHER DAILY POSTINGS WILL BE MUCH, MUCH LESS WORDY, I PROMISE.

___GRASS__________________________________________________