mel jacobson on sun 2 feb 97
It seems to me that if you asked 20 veteran potters "what is the first
thing you do when looking at a new potters pots." the answer is,
look at the bottoms.. it tells you so much, clay body, firing technique,
what kind of thrower, what type of potter, what history is kept, who are
the models, and what kind of passion the potter has for detail.
it is like a man with a new suit, tie, shirt, hair cut.......and rotten
dirty shoes.
don't miss anything...it will bite you on your bottom.
big silver bird go to south carolina, take melvin with and wife...get sea
food. hmm good.
Michael McDowell on tue 4 feb 97
I'll get my two cents worth in on this subject. I go to a lot more trouble with
my bottoms than most of the potters who are represented in the same shops &
galleries where I sell my work. Every piece is given a trimmed foot and glazed
inside the foot ring with a clear, non-crazing glaze which allows one to read
date & "chop" incised in the bottom. Once they come out of the glaze fire, each
foot ring is ground smooth with a worn down 100 grit sanding belt on a rubber
backed drum. This is certainly "less efficient" than other approaches, but I am
more satisfied with what I am doing with my life. I am not suggesting that this
should be any kind of universal standard, just relating what my personal
standard happens to be. Crusty old bachelor that I am, my pots are my
"children", and I wouldn't want to send them out to play without their
underwear.
I've been through "burn out" once in my pottery career, and it took nearly 5
years before I could bring myself back to clay. One of the things I have done to
prevent it from happening again is to be careful not to allow the standards of
others (or the marketplace) to lead me to do anything that will diminish the
pride that I take in my work. I would rather starve my body than my spirit, so I
allow myself numerous "inefficiencies" in the production process. In the end I
feel my personal "wealth" is greater for it, though my taxable income is
certainly diminished.
Michael McDowell
Whatcom County, WA USA
Valerie Glauser on tue 4 feb 97
I'm glad to see that other potters are conscious of their pot bottoms. I
usually tell my customers that I have a "foot fetish." I spend a good amount
of time trimming the foot on each piece. The only time I don't is if it's too
off-round (but I want to keep it anyway), or if it is a piece like a pitcher,
after I've pulled the lip.
While non-potter's don't know _why_ my forms have their own distinct look,
they know that is the case, and have a particular taste for my stuff (not
that many of them are friends has _anything_ to do with it ;-). Anyway, I
have the advantage that I am not a production potter, so I allow myself the
time to fuss with feet. For production, I can't blame any potter for not
bothering with a fancy or delicate foot -- most buyers at your average crafts
fair or store won't understand why they should pay more for a pot with a nice
foot.
So much for my 2 bits. Love the group. Since I now have my own studio, I miss
the give and take from a community studio. This is not a bad substitute.
Valerie @
Glauseware in Philly
Gerry Barbe on wed 5 feb 97
When I started making pots in the 70's my friend felt the bottom of
one of my mugs and said: "Yuk, this will scratch my wooden table."
Since then, I've sanded the bottoms of all my pots. I set the pot on
the Giffen Grip, sand it with a coarse, then very fine sandpaper.
Then I wipe the bottom with a damp sponge and dry it with a towel.
This makes the bottoms as smooth as glass! It's well worth the
effort, the customers appreciate the smoothness.
Oh yes, my clay body does not have any grog in it which makes a big
difference.................Marilyn
Marilyn & Gerry Barbe
Ailsa Craig, On, CANADA
gbarbe@julian.uwo.ca
Libby Ware on thu 6 feb 97
Marilyn,
I was glad to read your response to bottoms in that you sand your work
as do I. However, I need some help in the matter of ventilation and
dust collection. I am having a horrible time controlling the
environment when I sand. Do you use special equipment to clean the air
while you sand? Do you use a booth with a ventilating system? Any help
that you can give me in this area (equipment, costs, vendors) would be
greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Libby
Vince Pitelka on thu 6 feb 97
I know I have posted this before, but it has been quite a while. I had a
system for finishing bottoms which worked quite well. As the pots came off
the kiln car, I would first hold them against a 12"-dia. grindstone laying
flat on the wheel head, rotating at medium speed. This grindstone had a
chip in one edge (which I place face-down), so I was able to purchase it at
a flea market for $5.00. Adjacent to the grindstone/wheel, I had a 1/4 hp.
motor with a wire wheel mounted on it, and I would lightly wire brush the
bottoms. The result was a very smooth surface. The wire brush will deposit
a bit of iron, slightly graying the bottom, so I would not recommend this
for porcelain.
Although they are expensive, abrasive flap wheels do a spectacular job,
giving a very smooth satiny bottom on any clay. They also do an excellent
job of smoothing places where you have had to grind the surface of a pot.
An abrasive flap wheel mounts on a bench grinder or a motor with arbor, and
it is just a wheel with continuous strips of abrasive cloth tightly mounted
around the core.
- Vince
Vince Pitelka - vpitelka@Dekalb.Net
Phone - home 615/597-5376, work 615/597-6801
Appalachian Center for Crafts
1560 Craft Center Drive, Smithville TN 37166
David Donica on fri 7 feb 97
One way to eliminate the dust problem when finishing bottoms is to use a
carberendum (sp?) stone. Get it wet and file the bottom of the pot in the
sink. No dust. The only problem is with porcelain they may leave black
marks on the bottom- doesn't happen with my other white clay body however.
Available at hardware stores.
Maggie Shepard
FireWorks Pottery
Mt. Shasta, Calif.
David Thompson on sat 8 feb 97
There's an interesting article related to this topic in THE STUDIO POTTER (
Vol. 18 No. 1) It's entitled " In Praise of Feet "--photos and commentaries
on selected pieces from the Freer Gallery of Art. Additional comments are
provided by John Glick, Byron Temple and others. ( Vol 18 will take you back
to June 1990.)
-- Desvides
David Hendley on wed 17 dec 97
Dana Henson wrote:
>Personally, it would never occur to me to be concerned about
>writing on the bottom of a pot as I keep my pots turned right side
up---somehow
>it is aesthetically more pleasing to look at them that way.
>
My reply:
Dana, the bottoms of my pots are very important to me.
In fact, pottery is one of the few arts where the bottom IS important.
Every time someone takes a drink from a cup, the bottom is in full view.
Pots are meant to be held, felt, turned over and around.
The bottom can reveal a lot about the piece.
For a study in frustration, watch a potter looking at
a great pot that is behind glass in a musuem.
When I'm making a pot I'm thinking about the bottom - how it
will be finished, how it will integrate with the rest of the piece,
and yes, how any writing will relate to the overall intent
and feeling of the work.
David Hendley
Maydelle, Texas
See David Hendley's Pottery Page at
http://www.sosis.com/hendley/david/
Ric Swenson on thu 18 dec 97
>----------------------------Original message----------------------------
>Dana Henson wrote:
>>Personally, it would never occur to me to be concerned about
>>writing on the bottom of a pot as I keep my pots turned right side
>up---somehow
>>it is aesthetically more pleasing to look at them that way.
>>
>
>My reply:
>Dana, the bottoms of my pots are very important to me.
>In fact, pottery is one of the few arts where the bottom IS important.
>Every time someone takes a drink from a cup, the bottom is in full view.
>Pots are meant to be held, felt, turned over and around.
>The bottom can reveal a lot about the piece.
>For a study in frustration, watch a potter looking at
>a great pot that is behind glass in a musuem.
>
>When I'm making a pot I'm thinking about the bottom - how it
>will be finished, how it will integrate with the rest of the piece,
>and yes, how any writing will relate to the overall intent
>and feeling of the work.
>
>David Hendley
>Maydelle, Texas
>See David Hendley's Pottery Page at
>http://www.sosis.com/hendley/david/
----------reply--------
and on top (or in this case 'on the bottom'...) of all that, the
signature being a vital part of finishing all ceramic and craft/art
pieces. of sculpture, painting, drawing.....IMHO.....
try being totally 'nerdy' by checking out every ceramic piece at every
restaurant a potter has ever eaten at... for the past 30
years....embarasses family, friends and draws attention to diner as an'
eclectic' of some sort.
Hardy anyone understands the interest someone might have with a chinese
knockoff of a BUFFALO ro SYRACUSE CHINA mug.......but I need to
know.....for some reason....
ric
#####################################
From: Ric Swenson, ( home ) : P.O. Box 494,
North Bennington, VT 05257 - 0494 U.S.A
home telephone ( 802 ) 447 - 4744
( work ) : Bennington College, Route 67 - A
Bennington, Vermont 05201 - 6001
( 802 ) 440 - 4621 ( fax 440 - 4582 )
email: rswenson@bennington.edu
#####################################
"Outside a dog, a book is a man's best friend.
Inside a dog, it's too dark to read."
.....Groucho Marx
Kathi LeSueur on fri 19 dec 97
<restaurant a potter has ever eaten at... for the past 30
years....embarasses family, friends and draws attention to diner as an'
eclectic' of some sort.>>
It's comforting to know that there are others out there with this obsession
to look at the bottom of every pot the come across.
Kathi LeSueur
Sandra Dwiggins on sat 20 dec 97
Ric--
I ALWAYS look at the bottom of every piece of dinnerware I eat from. It
probably does embarass those I am with, but I don't care, I'm too old to
care, and I've been doing it for too long, anyway. At dinner parties, I
always turn over the plate in front of me--or I ask about the crystal, if I
can't identify it. I also look at the silver patterns, or the expensive
stainless. If it's a buffet dinner, no one cares. If it is a dinner party, I j
tell people I'm a potter--if they don't know already--and that means I'm
arty so there's no explaning what arty people will do, sometimes.
I have even been known to look at the bottoms of chairs if I suspect that
what I'm sitting on or someone else is sitting on is an original. I've
discovered original Stickleys at friends' summer cabins, for example.
That gets a bit more complicated--during a party, I mean.
Just don't invite me anywhere you don't want your furniture turned
upside down!
Sandy
Paul Lewing on sun 21 dec 97
I also am glad to know I'm not the only one who turns their dinnerware
over and looks at the bottom wherever I go. I'll bet I'm also not the
only one out there who has dumped liquid into his lap when doing it,
either.
Paul Lewing, Seattle
Dannon Rhudy on mon 22 dec 97
Oh, Paul, that made me laugh. Not only have I done that when
OUT, I have done it just walking through a ceramics department
as someone was unloading a kiln onto a big table. Most of the
stuff was already out, I was just looking, reached out and picked
up a salt-fired mug, turned it over - and dumped out the coffee
of the person unloading the kiln. Coffee splattered everywhere,
floor, table, work, me. Life is never dull.
----------------------------Original
message----------------------------
.... not the only one ... bet I'm also not the
only one out there who has dumped liquid....
Eydie DeVincenzi on mon 22 dec 97
------------------
=3C=3C
I also am glad to know I'm not the only one who turns their dinnerware
over and looks at the bottom wherever I go. I'll bet I'm also not the
only one out there who has dumped liquid into his lap when doing it,
either.
=3E=3E
I went to the opening of a Corcoran-sponsored =22working=22 gallery (I =
think
it was called Project Place). There were some beautiful paintings by a
woman, all signed except for one. I started to obsess on that one painting
-- closely examining it, searching for signs of a signature, wondered WHY
she had not signed it. I do the same with pots.
The signature IS important. I don't know why
Eydie
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