MATERIAL GUY - PART 3

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

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!"

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!

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

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

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.

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

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.