DESIGNING A LINE OF DOMESTIC POTTERY

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