ceramics on thu 10 apr 97
Renee from the Mojave in Ridgecrest would like to hear from some
Clayart handbuilders. Anybody listening? Thank you.
Joyce
Also in the Mojave
Peter Willis on fri 11 apr 97
Hi Renee and fellow ceramicists,
I handbuild ceramic women torsos. I have dones so since college a couple
or so years ago. I also throw functional ware and am trying to get my
meager studio into a marketable position. I have sold both sculpture and
pots on a small scale but hope to get a little larger
market...someday(she says dreamily) My ramshackle studio is in an old
barn on a piece of property with no other buildings and no running water.
It IS located near a pond and a beautiful view of Kentucky hills. I
live 30+ minutes away and Love the fact that I have a studio, finally.
Hope you don't feel so alone,
Becky Lowery
From Lexington, KY, where my dogwood is just blooming
Darrol F. Shillingburg on sat 12 apr 97
Hi Joyce and Renee,
I am a handbuilder (maker with hands?) and listening, always listening. Much of
my work is ritually functional, or made for the purpose of ritual. some pieces
are slab formed in multiple piece plaster molds of found stones and then carved,
inlaid, sigillated and fired. Many are multiple piece sculptures created are
shrines to the earth, or as individual sculptures that can be ritually used to
maintain psychological and spiritual balance in daily life.
The roots to the work are very ancient, multicultural and at times shamanic. And
yet born out of my current cultural esthetic and individual relationship to
nature, including human nature. Much of the work is metaphorical sculptural that
addresses things spiritual and psychological. Hopefully it is insightful and
informative to those who are able and interested in communication through the
high level language of metaphore.
I handbuild because it feels more compatible with what I create than throwing
and because it nurishes me in a way that wheel throwing doesn't. It's a choice
based on very personal needs, preferences and esthetics, wth no value judgement
implies. If there is more you would like to discuss about handbuilding, I am
open to that.
As an aside I spent years roaming the Mojave, studying it, painting it, sleeping
on it, loving it and being informed by it's 'desertness'. I enjoy your aside
'reports' on the 'Mojave'.
Darrol in Elephant Butte NM
74353,2316@compuserve.com
JoAnn Deck on thu 5 nov 98
------------------
Hi all, this is my first post to this list.
I have been lurking and learning for months. My art experience thus far, =
I'm a
=22mature=22 person with much life-experience, has been with 2-D and 3-D =
collage.
I particularly like to salvage whatever I can that might be destined for the
land-fills and use it to create something beautiful. The guys at the
construction sites love me=21 My work is non-representational, though my 3-D
pieces, made mostly from found wood, are quite architectural in nature.
If your still with me and I haven't bored you to tears, here is my question.=
I
have recently turned to clay as a medium because of pain and fatigue from
fibromyalgia. I am currently taking a college-level ceramics class, but the
instructor is enamored with the wheel and my interests and physical =
capabilities
will have to be in handbuilding. Does anyone on the list know of someone in=
the
Chicagoland area that really KNOWS about and embraces handbuilding? I live =
in a
southwest suburb, near Naperville, and am unable to travel long distances =
for
classes. I have been very fortunate, through this list, to meet a couple =
of
potters in this area and they have been very helpful, but they also =
routinely
use the wheel. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I LOVE the =
feel
of the clay.
Thanks In Advance, JoAnn Deck
Christine Dubois on sat 7 nov 98
Hi! I live in California so I can't find you an instructor; but, I do nothing
except hand-building sculpture from clay and I would just like to say this.
The secret is in the clay. If you use sculpture mix and let your pieces dry
slowly, protected from drafts with plastic, before you fire them then you can
build just about anything. I use a little tool called a "Sureform" that you
can find in hardward stores to sand off my finger prints and make nice
straight surfaces.
Marianne Lombardo on wed 2 jan 02
After making some beads with my little grandaughter on New Year's Eve, I =
started "playing" around with some clay. Just for fun. Kid stuff. But =
I've never really played with clay before; I think I am into my second =
childhood. I made a discovery --- it's FUN.
Last night I tried handbuilding a pot for the first time. Rolling out =
some clay, cutting it with an xacto knife and scoring and slipping it =
together, etc. Made a medium-size square jar then attached another roll =
of clay onto the rim and centered the square on my wheel this morning =
and threw a nice round rim. I found something with a cool texture and =
pounded it on some of the surface. Made a lid for it today. =20
I really surprised myself because it looks really great. In fact, it =
looks better than anything I've thrown on the wheel. Now, if it holds =
up through the drying process, and the firing I will finally feel that =
I've really accomplished something.
I can't believe it took me this long to try something that I thought I =
would hate doing, and discover I like it! Now I've got another idea =
that I have to try out after dinner.
Marianne Lombardo
Omemee, Ontario, Canada
Pat/Kent on thu 3 jan 02
Handbuilding! What a challenge! I learned to throw about 8 years ago.
Liked it very much. But neuropathy began to interfere. I started to become
interested in handbuilding and haven't stopped. For me there is far more
challenge in combining handbuilding and sculpture. True, there are
significant challenges in wheel thrown work, but to me it has always been
more of a technical one. The "art of throwing" and the "art of glazing" and
the "art of fireing". With my work, I must think "outside the Lines" and
join that idea with technical knowledge of all the processes that will be
employed. I have started my second architectural fountain. I must be a
physicist, a civil engineer, a plumber and an electrician as well as a
ceramic artist and fireman. But I still throw - just to keep myself
"centered". I love all that can be done with the medium. If asked, I would
insist that both should be taught as interactive classes. I hope that you
find the love for clay in all its modes and forms.
Pat Porter
Aurora CO USA
pporter@4dv.net
Cindi Anderson on thu 3 jan 02
Maybe there is prejudice in schools... others can answer that as I never
went to school for ceramics.
But I get a lot of emails from people who "want to get into pottery" and
their primary exposure to it has been the movie "Ghost". The idea of
throwing on the wheel seems romantic and fun. I get many people who want to
buy a pottery wheel and don't have a kiln. I explain that they can't do
anything without a kiln, but with a kiln and no wheel they can still make
very nice work.
Actually, it would be nice if I could get a list of websites that featured
handbuilt work so I could show them what they can do without a wheel.
Cindi
----- Original Message -----
From: "Andi Fasimpaur"
To:
Sent: Thursday, January 03, 2002 4:22 PM
Subject: Re: Handbuilding
>
> Can someone tell me why handbuilding is so loathed and so easily
dismissed?
Alan D. Scott on thu 3 jan 02
Thanks for sharing your experience! Let us know how it turns out.
Alan
P.S. You've got me thinking in a new direction as well... :-)
> Last night I tried handbuilding a pot for the first time...
> I can't believe it took me this long to try something that
> I thought I would hate doing, and discover I like it! Now
> I've got another idea that I have to try out after dinner.
Nevin Murtha on thu 3 jan 02
I have been throwing for about one year and just had my first handbuilding
class last night. It is making me think diferntly about pots, clay, and the
wheel already.
Nevin Murtha
n.murtha@worldnet.att.net
-----Original Message-----
From: Marianne Lombardo
To: CLAYART@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG
Date: Wednesday, January 02, 2002 6:55 PM
Subject: Handbuilding
After making some beads with my little grandaughter on New Year's Eve, I
started "playing" around with some clay. Just for fun. Kid stuff. But
I've never really played with clay before; I think I am into my second
childhood. I made a discovery --- it's FUN.
Last night I tried handbuilding a pot for the first time. Rolling out some
clay, cutting it with an xacto knife and scoring and slipping it together,
etc. Made a medium-size square jar then attached another roll of clay onto
the rim and centered the square on my wheel this morning and threw a nice
round rim. I found something with a cool texture and pounded it on some of
the surface. Made a lid for it today.
I really surprised myself because it looks really great. In fact, it looks
better than anything I've thrown on the wheel. Now, if it holds up through
the drying process, and the firing I will finally feel that I've really
accomplished something.
I can't believe it took me this long to try something that I thought I would
hate doing, and discover I like it! Now I've got another idea that I have
to try out after dinner.
Marianne Lombardo
Omemee, Ontario, Canada
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Andi Fasimpaur on thu 3 jan 02
At 05:05 PM 1/2/02 -0500, Marianne Lombardo wrote:
>I can't believe it took me this long to try something that I thought I
>would hate doing, and discover I like it! Now I've got another idea that
>I have to try out after dinner.
I love handbuilding, have always loved handbuilding, was told by my
first ceramics instructor that if I was serious about clay I would learn
to throw... I learned to throw, hated every minute of it, kept working
at it, thinking that as I got better at it I would learn to love it, never
did... After dislocating my shoulder in college I quit throwing, was
told by a college professor that handbuilding was for elementary
students, so I quit... obviously there was no point in continuing...
I'm older now, and hopefully not as stupid as I once was... I know
that doing a thing well is the most important thing, and that a
ceramic artist is *ANYONE* who works in clay. But after all this
time, there is still a small part of me that is a little bit insecure
about my chosen approach to clay. That tiny voice speaks up when
I attend a presentation by "successful professional potters" and the
facilitator makes dismissive comments about handbuilding as
something you do until you can afford a wheel. The same tiny voice
says, "See, I was right." when another clayarter posts that "even a
handbuilt ___ will do" or "If you can't throw, I suppose that handbuilding
will do until you learn..." Sometimes the little voice is not so little, and I
seriously think about calling a temp agency, going back to work as a
receptionist or whatever, and trying to earn enough money so that my
husband can stay at home and write... "One of us," the tiny voice says,
"should be allowed to produce something meaningful and worthwhile,
and if you won't you should let him..."
Marianne, I'm not criticizing you for saying that you thought you would
hate handbuilding, but I cannot help but wonder why you thought that.
I've wondered for a long time if perhaps pottery instructors, especially
the ones who teach wheel classes but focus their intro classes on
handbuilding, aren't doing handbuilding a huge disservice. In the days
before I had my own studio, when I was doing all of my work during the
open studio hours at a local arts center, I had the opportunity to observe
many introductory classes. The intro classes were almost always taught
in the "handbuilding room." There was always someone who asked "Will
we be learning how to use a potter's wheel in this class?" and there were
always at least 3 people who complained that there weren't enough
openings in the "real pottery" classes... To make matters worse, the first
project was always "Oh, not *another* pinch pot!" and the instructor's work,
which all students look to as a measure of what is expected of them, was
always wheel thrown, often fired in their own studio, with their own kiln, and
their own glazes, in a different firing range from the facility in which they
were teaching...
Can someone tell me why handbuilding is so loathed and so easily dismissed?
Andi.
Nancy Silver on fri 4 jan 02
Andi referred to ceramics instructors who stated only throwing is real =
ceramics art and comments from others that imply pinch pots or =
handbuilding are inferior to throwing pots. =20
Anyone who doubts the value of handbuilding or pinch pots should study =
the ancient and modern pueblo pottery. While some young native =
americans may be throwing, most are coiled and pulled, then paddled into =
shape. awesome to watch an artist hold a pot in the air and paddle the =
shape into absolute symmetry.=20
i also share a studio spot near some handbuilders that create =
technically and artistically amazing work.
as a newcomer to throwing, i'm in awe of experienced potters as they =
throw pots and i know i have a lot of practice ahead of me to become =
mediocre. still this will never lessen my respect for handbuilding in =
all its forms
nancy in cincinnati
(the other nancy in cincinnati, apparantly there are 2 of us)
Dannon Rhudy on fri 4 jan 02
......At 08:12 PM 01/03/2002 -0800, you wrote:
>Maybe there is prejudice in schools... others can answer that as I never
>went to school for ceramics.......
There is indeed "prejudice" in colleges and grad schools. However,
it might surprise you to know that it is in favor of handbuilding
and sculpture. Many schools consider wheels an unneccessary
tool - and they see handbuilt/sculptural works as "art", and
wheel thrown work as "craft". Odd, but true.
regards
Dannon Rhudy
Barbara Craver on fri 4 jan 02
At 07:22 PM 1/3/02 -0500, Andi wrote:
>I love handbuilding, have always loved handbuilding, was told by my
>first ceramics instructor that if I was serious about clay I would learn
>to throw... I learned to throw, hated every minute of it, kept working
>at it, thinking that as I got better at it I would learn to love it, never
>did...
Andi:
Thank you so much for this post! I am a very, very new potter and knew from
the very beginning that I wanted to learn handbuilding. Don't ask me how I
knew - I was just not interested in the wheel. Perhaps the fact that I am
63 years old has something to do with it. After watching others at the
wheel I realized that I probably didn't have the strength nor the back to
do this long term. I could not find anyone in the city of Houston who was
willing to teach me *just* handbuilding. In fact, I decided *not* to take a
class at the nearby community college just because it included a much
smaller proportion of teaching time in handbuilding, compared to teaching
focus on the wheel. Finally, a woman who runs a ceramic store and teaches
on the wheel agreed to show me the basics (pinch, coil, slab) and then I
have continued on my own. I've also bought all the books I can find on
handbuilding, as well as videos.
I *love* handbuilding, also, and don't think I would ever achieve the
calmness and relaxation on the wheel that I find in handbuilding. I think I
would be a nervous wreck! I do bonsai, which is *very* relaxing, and am
learning pottery so that I can make my own bonsai pots. I don't think I
could possible have any more fun by adding wheel throwing than I am having
right now.
Nell
Texas
Marianne Lombardo on fri 4 jan 02
>> Marianne, I'm not criticizing you for saying that you thought you would
> hate handbuilding, but I cannot help but wonder why you thought that.
Hi Andi
I know you aren't criticizing. I think the reason I felt that way, was
because my start with clay (20+ years ago) was with pouring slip into molds,
trimming and decorating. Underglazing, glazing, air brushing, lustres,
decals, low fire (lead) glazes that worked every time, etc. Instant
gratification. All so perfect. No warps, dents, or imperfections. At the
time it satisfied my creativity and I made a good extra income from teaching
the same in my own home studio. My work sold easily (lots of lamps that I
would wire myself and make my own shades, and some gimmick products like the
famous "boob mugs"). I worked in a large corporation full time and sold to
co-workers, neighbors, etc.
I remember taking an old record player and converting it into a "banding
wheel". That was when I started thinking about throwing clay. But I had
never actually gone out and looked at thrown pottery, just had this urge to
learn to throw. That urge was unsatisfied for over 20 years because I had
to work full time.
Then we moved from Toronto to Peterborough. Big city to small city. Slower
lifestyle. Started teaching part-time at the college. Nice income, fewer
hours. Lots of spare time to remember that old urge.
When I went to the Art School to enquire about lessons, the first thing I
saw when I walked into the pottery room were a bunch of children doing
handbuilding. All I could see was the imperfection. Lumps, bumps, crooked,
etc.
Strange how we change, evolve and mature isn't it? Now I look at the work
of a child and I see beauty and creativity. Creativity that far surpasses
my own, because a child has no built-in mind-blocks or ideas about what
things "should" look like.
Anyway, I think I am rambling, as usual. I better get downstairs and finish
some work.
Marianne Lombardo
Omemee, Ontario, Canada
Snail Scott on fri 4 jan 02
At 07:22 PM 1/3/02 -0500, you wrote:
>...was told by my
>first ceramics instructor that if I was serious about clay I would learn
>to throw...
Pffffthbbbt!
The wheel is a great tool, but it's only a tool.
It's worthwhile to learn the use of as many tools
as may be useful in the pursuit of your chosen work,
(and a few others, too, in case your chosen work
ends up being something different than you expected).
It won't make you a 'real' clay artist, but maybe a
more versatile one. Your choice. No requirement.
Wheels do some things very well. They make things
symmetrically round. (handy for making lids that fit
in any direction.) It allows rapid forming of the
object. And, the compression and alignment of the
clay particles during throwing allows for a strong
object even when very thin.
Wheels do some other things rather badly.
Avoiding wheel-throwing because the learning curve
is inconveniently steep is not a crime, but it does
limit your options for creating your work. Skipping
it for other reasons, like lack of access, lack
of instruction, or whatever, may be unavoidable in
your personal circumstances, but like many other
limitations, it needn't be the end of your work.
It's certainly not a moral failing. Depending on
the work you want to do, it may not even be a
restriction!
I learned the basics of throwing, got to where I
didn't suck at it, and still concluded that while
it was a great way to make round things, fast,
that wasn't what I wanted to do. Should someone
be obligated to try it first, before drawing that
conclusion? I don't think so. I'm glad I know how
to throw. And play the saxophone. Neither one of
those skills makes my claywork better, though.
I've still got a few thrown pots kicking around.
For some people they're my 'license to handbuild'.
"Oh, you CAN do 'real clay', so it's just your
choice not to...OK, that's different." Why?
Is a person who was never taught the wheel going
to be doing inferior work to someone who was; by
definition? Of course not. Not if that person is
making work appropriate to their chosen medium and
technique, and doing it well. If that person's
work is just 'fake thrown work' that would have
been better accomplished on the wheel, then maybe
it's the choice of work that's at fault, not
the technique. Or maybe it is.
If the work someone wants to make is going to be
better-made (according to its own standards) by
another method, perhaps they should learn that
method. Or make different work.
An instructor who says "Real claywork is thrown",
really means "My frame of reference is solely based
on the types of work which are best when thrown,
and thus, axiomatically, they would be worse if not
thrown". Duh! A person with broader horizons would
say that certain types of objects are 'best' made
on the wheel, and other types are 'best' made by
other methods. What's 'best'? It's what makes the
object in question the most like its intended
self as possible, with the greatest satisfaction
to the maker.
If the work you want to make 'should' be thrown,
then learn to throw! If it's not, then skip it,
with a clear conscience.
-Snail
Snail Scott on fri 4 jan 02
At 07:22 PM 1/3/02 -0500, you wrote:
>...that "even a
>handbuilt ___ will do" or "If you can't throw, I suppose that handbuilding
>will do until you learn..."
What's the slogan for that old board game...
'A minute to learn, a lifetime to master'?
It's true that while wheel-throwing takes a considerable
amount of learning before you can produce anything
worthwhile, handbuilding allows a fair degree of instant
gratification. That's why we teach handbuilding to kids.
You can make something the very first day you try! Some
people never go beyond that level, though, which is a
shame. For them, handbuilding will always be just a step
up from mudpies. No wonder the handbuilding process seems
clunky, if you're still applying standards you learned at
age six! This seems especially true among potters, for
whom the wheel is so very well suited. To use handbuilding
as a substitute for the wheel is obviously going to be
awkward, yet some people never go beyond the wheel
paradigm, to use the handbuilding process for its own
special properties.
I once showed my portfolio to an intermediate ceramics
class. When the learned that all the work was coil-built,
one of them asked, "But how did you make those shapes? I
thought coiling could only make round stuff!"...That's
what comes of treating handbuilding as a 'not-wheel',
instead of as its own process with its own strengths
and appropriate applications.
-Snail
Andi Fasimpaur on fri 4 jan 02
At 09:34 AM 1/4/02 -0600, Dannon Rhudy wrote:
>There is indeed "prejudice" in colleges and grad schools. However,
>it might surprise you to know that it is in favor of handbuilding
>and sculpture. Many schools consider wheels an unneccessary
>tool - and they see handbuilt/sculptural works as "art", and
>wheel thrown work as "craft". Odd, but true.
So is the wheel bias I see in my interactions with potters
(I've seen it here on ClayArt, I've seen it at NCECA, I've seen
it at Empty Bowls events, I've talked to other handbuilders
who have seen it as well) simply backlash? I'm not trying to
be a pain, I just don't get it... I'm not a product of a college
ceramics program... I've never attended grad school... My
love of handbuilding is rooted in my study of art history and
my enduring fascination with the mysteries of pre-bronze
age civilizations... I have never ceased to be amazed by
longevity of forms / shapes / profiles which were common
long before the invention of the wheel...
The whole Art vs Craft thing, it's never been an argument
that I got anything out of... what do I care what it's called,
I'm one of the fortunate people who doesn't have to do
something she hates for 40 hours a week and hope that
maybe, just maybe, in the remaining hours, I will find the
time/energy to do something i kinda like... I make what I
love, I use the processes I enjoy, and have been blessed
with the occasional opportunity to teach others from this
place...
Maybe I should go back to school... it sounds like the
atmosphere there is considerably different from what
I've encountered in community art/craft centers...
Toodles,
Andi
maker of "cute" handbuilt things...
vince pitelka on sat 5 jan 02
As Nancy stated, "Andi referred to ceramics instructors who stated only
throwing is real ceramics art and comments from others that imply pinch pots
or handbuilding are inferior to throwing pots."
I did not have an opportunity to respond to Andi's post when it first
appeared. I was a studio potter doing exclusively thrown work for many
years, and now I do mostly handbuilt work, and I teach a lot of handbuilding
classes and workshops. I cannot say with certainty that handbuilding is any
more difficult than throwing or the other way around, but I do know with
certainty that anyone who claims that handbuilding is inferior to throwing
or is just for beginners does not know the first thing about handbuilding.
It is often the case that those who most vociferously condemn a thing know
the least about it. Some people are terribly afraid of what they do not
know, or of their ignorance being discovered, and so they cover with empty
bluff and bluster. There are people out there who only know how to throw,
and by some twisted logic they defend their ignorance of handbuilding by
condemning it. Occasionally handbuilders do the same thing regarding
throwing. Such negative blanket statements about handbuilding or throwing
(or anything else) are not worth the time to ponder them.
Best wishes -
- Vince
Vince Pitelka
Appalachian Center for Crafts
Tennessee Technological University
1560 Craft Center Drive, Smithville TN 37166
Home - vpitelka@dtccom.net
615/597-5376
Work - wpitelka@tntech.edu
615/597-6801 ext. 111, fax 615/597-6803
http://www.craftcenter.tntech.edu/
Dannon Rhudy on sat 5 jan 02
....... I'm not trying to
>be a pain, I just don't get it... I'm not a product of a college
>ceramics program...I make what I
>love, I use the processes I enjoy,........
Hmmm. I don't get what you don't get. I was merely stating
that many colleges promote handbuilding and sculpture and
have little respect for wheel-work. What difference does it
make? None. People should use the tools that they like and
need. If you don't like/need a wheel - don't use one. If you
believe that there is some kind of "prejudice" in favor of
wheel-thrown work - no, I don't think so in general.
Specifically, some people may have a prejudice one way
or the other. No importa. It may be that a
majority of those who subscribe/post to clayart use wheels,
so a lot of the conversation may refer to them. Again, so
what? There's no disrespect intended to different ways of
working. I happen to do both wheel work and hand-building,
and sometimes I combine them. It matters not at all HOW I
make a piece of work. I use the best method I can think of
to achieve what I'm after. I expect most folks do.
Others opinions and/or ways of working don't
hurt my feelings. If there's something useful for me, I
take it. If not, I let it go. Seems practical. You state that
you make what you love, and use the processes you enjoy.
Excellent. What could be better?
regards
Dannon Rhudy
Andi Fasimpaur on sat 5 jan 02
At 08:40 AM 1/5/02 -0600, Dannon wrote:
>Others opinions and/or ways of working don't
>hurt my feelings. If there's something useful for me, I
>take it. If not, I let it go. Seems practical. You state that
>you make what you love, and use the processes you enjoy.
>Excellent. What could be better?
You're right, of course... and most days this is exactly how
I feel... but, unfortunately, there are the other days, the
days when the class brochure from the art center arrives and
I see that they are offering yet another handbuilding class
taught by a wheel person who I've heard complaining about
how much they hate teaching handbuilding...
The people who take these classes are often the best
customers we could ask for at shows... they know what
goes into what we do, and they have learned how to
recognize quality and craftsmanship, and they develop a
sense of what's "worth it" and what's not... Educated buyers
are a gift to artists and crafts persons. When someone who
hates a technique and who never works in that technique
teaches that technique because they need to teach an extra
class to pay their bills they are ultimately doing the rest of us
a disservice...
The atmosphere may be different in college and grad school,
but in most of the community art centers I've encountered,
handbuilding is taught as children's art, and something that
you do when you aren't ready for the wheel... and it's not so
much how others work that bothers me but how others teach
and the message that it sends to people who may ultimately
buy pottery...
Best Wishes,
Andi.
Joyce Lee on sun 6 jan 02
Vince spoke of teaching handbuilding in his classes and workshops. My =
only formal exposure to handbuilding processes was in Vince's week-long =
workshop at McDowell's in Washington state. =20
I learned much that week that has extended into each of my present =
firings ..... from the wee kiln god (the "little king") that was the =
first object I'd ever handbuilt and who continues to watch over all =
firings .... to my ongoing fascination with slabs, and Chris's tools =
for working with slabs.... and the extruded work I both love&hate. =
Learning about terra sigillata and then pitfiring in the same workshop =
have influenced other aspects of clay for me, too, probably because they =
were part of my initial learning and Vince brought out the excitement =
inherent in such group activity. Thank you, Vince.
Although I'm struggling again with "pinch" potting and am using the =
exercises several of you suggested to improve these skills, as well as =
dredged up Vince's detailed printed instructions, ..... they're working, =
too ..... I would never give up throwing on the wheel which is an =
enduring&endearing challenge every day. I don't know why one form must =
be considered somehow "superior" to the other .... seems that kind of =
thinking has no place in the craft/art of clay. So far, each new use of =
clay that I've stumbled into has been at least "not easy;" most all are =
very difficult to get it right. Each innovation has left me with new =
respect for those who've mastered it ..... including the Mold Pourers =
and Painters that were my very first experience ... other forming =
methods beckoned me so I didn't remain with them, but I learned a great =
deal that I use today, having been extremely impressed at some of the =
artistry exhibited by some participants ...... reminding me, once again, =
that only a very small percentage of us possess True Fullblown Natural =
Talent .... and remindful that some of those who do are out there =
pouring, cleaning greenware, painting, creating masterpieces. Others =
are simply having a good time with their moldwork, laughing and making =
new friends. That's wrong???
Joyce
In the Mojave where the Plainest Sparrow of All resented it when I =
turned off the patio light last night, which evidently was warming her =
nest ...
fluttered to the deck, peered in just above the metal rail on the =
sliding-glass door, squeaked and glared up at me and =
pecked&squeaked&pecked ... I turned the light back on.... but just for =
this one night.... jeez....
Cyberpotter@AOL.COM on sun 6 jan 02
Vince writes:
>>I cannot say with certainty that handbuilding is any
>>more difficult than throwing or the other way around, but I do know with
>>certainty that anyone who claims that handbuilding is inferior to throwing
>>or is just for beginners does not know the first thing about handbuilding.
Amen to that. IMHO handbuilding is harder to do really well, and requires
amazing dedication as it is certainly more time consuming. Perhaps folk who
pooh pooh handbuilding are giving themselves too much credit for simply
having learned the first thing about throwing, i.e., how to center and pull
up.
Nancy in Cincinnati
Roger Korn on wed 9 jan 02
Watching my graphic designer wife Kayo build her southwest-inspired
coil and scrape vessels, I notice her calm as contrasted to my tension when
I'm throwing a tall vessel. Her process flows, my process is a series of
critical climaxes. The difference reflects our personalities as well. Hmmm!
Roger, at Arkysanto in the Verde Valley of AZ, where it was 70 yesterday
and the doves are now eating bird seed five feet away. Haven't got them
eating on my shoulder yet, but I may succeed. Getting soft in my old age -
where's my 20 gauge ?
Barbara Craver wrote:
> At 07:22 PM 1/3/02 -0500, Andi wrote:
>
> >I love handbuilding, have always loved handbuilding, was told by my
> >first ceramics instructor that if I was serious about clay I would learn
> >to throw... I learned to throw, hated every minute of it, kept working
> >at it, thinking that as I got better at it I would learn to love it, never
> >did...
>
> Andi:
>
> Thank you so much for this post! I am a very, very new potter and knew from
> the very beginning that I wanted to learn handbuilding. Don't ask me how I
> knew - I was just not interested in the wheel. Perhaps the fact that I am
> 63 years old has something to do with it. After watching others at the
> wheel I realized that I probably didn't have the strength nor the back to
> do this long term. I could not find anyone in the city of Houston who was
> willing to teach me *just* handbuilding. In fact, I decided *not* to take a
> class at the nearby community college just because it included a much
> smaller proportion of teaching time in handbuilding, compared to teaching
> focus on the wheel. Finally, a woman who runs a ceramic store and teaches
> on the wheel agreed to show me the basics (pinch, coil, slab) and then I
> have continued on my own. I've also bought all the books I can find on
> handbuilding, as well as videos.
>
> I *love* handbuilding, also, and don't think I would ever achieve the
> calmness and relaxation on the wheel that I find in handbuilding. I think I
> would be a nervous wreck! I do bonsai, which is *very* relaxing, and am
> learning pottery so that I can make my own bonsai pots. I don't think I
> could possible have any more fun by adding wheel throwing than I am having
> right now.
>
> Nell
> Texas
>
> ______________________________________________________________________________
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--
Roger Korn
McKay Creek Ceramics
In AZ: PO Box 463
4215 Culpepper Ranch Rd
Rimrock, AZ 86335
928-567-5699 <-
In OR: PO Box 436
31330 NW Pacific Ave.
North Plains, OR 97133
503-647-5464
Russel Fouts on wed 9 jan 02
Cindi,
> But I get a lot of emails from people who "want to get into pottery" and their primary exposure to it has been the movie "Ghost". The idea of throwing on the wheel seems romantic and fun. <
Are you sure it isn't the idea of "sharing" the wheel with Patrick
Swayzee? I guess they wouldn't be coming to you for that, huh? ;-)
Where I went to school, both handbuilding and throwing were encouraged.
Billy-Eddie's explanation of why some people were attracted to throwing
was that they thought it was "sexy" (are we back to Patrick again?).
But handbuilding is sensuous. Much better.
Ru
--
Russel Fouts
Mes Potes & Mes Pots
Brussels, Belgium
Tel: +32 2 223 02 75
Mobile: +32 476 55 38 75
Http://www.mypots.com
http://www.Japan-Net.ne.jp/~iwcat
"There is a theory which states that
if ever anyone discovers exactly what
the universe is for and why it's here,
it will instantly disappear and be
replaced by something even more bizzarly
inexplicable."
"There is another theory which states
that this has already happened!"
Douglas Adams' The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy
Khaimraj Seepersad on wed 9 jan 02
Now that's odd ,
Ru [ Russel ] ,
exactly what was said to me years ago.
That handbuilding was so - sensuous .
For me the biggest jump was when I realised that
coils should be rolled when softest , becoming
self adhering [ of course my 40 % cullet used as
grog , will aid physically in the greenware state and
in the fired finish state ].
No more scratch and apply slip - labourious.
After I learned to handbuild , I tried the wheel ,
didn't really enjoy it that much and even with the
microwheel [ less clay mess ] , I still prefer a
run on the 25+lb banding wheel , gifted to me by
a mature potter or my old no.5 Amaco wheel .
Nothing like taking 300 to 600 gms of shapeless
mass and producing a wide mouthed vase or
an Egyptian paste [ beach sand ] bottle .
Coiling , it's the pleasure.
Khaimraj
-----Original Message-----
From: Russel Fouts
To: CLAYART@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG
Date: 09 January 2002 7:27
Subject: Re: Handbuilding
>Cindi,
snip -
>Where I went to school, both handbuilding and throwing were encouraged.
>Billy-Eddie's explanation of why some people were attracted to throwing
>was that they thought it was "sexy" (are we back to Patrick again?).
>
>But handbuilding is sensuous. Much better.
>
>Ru
>
>--
>
> Russel Fouts
> Mes Potes & Mes Pots
> Brussels, Belgium
> Tel: +32 2 223 02 75
> Mobile: +32 476 55 38 75
> Http://www.mypots.com
> http://www.Japan-Net.ne.jp/~iwcat
>
> "There is a theory which states that
> if ever anyone discovers exactly what
> the universe is for and why it's here,
> it will instantly disappear and be
> replaced by something even more bizzarly
> inexplicable."
>
> "There is another theory which states
> that this has already happened!"
>
> Douglas Adams' The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy
mel jacobson on thu 25 apr 02
the most humbling experience, of any potters life
here in north america, is a trip to mata ortiz.
i have done that.
unashamed crafts people, in control of the their materials.
hand building, coil method. decoration that makes an adult
male cry. precision.
just because i teach the wheel, and am a wheel potter does
not mean that i do not understand the process of making
pots in clay. as i have said before, i have been to 88 countries
on this globe. i have seen pots made in a thousand ways.
i respect all methods. plaster molded pots, when made
with care, and great design, are wonderful clay objects.
the reason that i taught the wheel so vigorously, is that it
is the lead in to all clay in america. kids understand the
machine, and are fascinated by it. if you can teach them to
throw, well, they are on their way. they graduate to hand
building, and only a very special few could do it with ease
and consistency.
as an artist, i feel that sculpture is the king. three dimensional
design, all the way to architecture. building, and big building,
is the pinnacle of doing art. control of scale, control of materials,
and control of design.....that is what makes the great artist.
if you come to my house...you will see my treasures.
a mata ortiz pot, thin as a whisper. two spouts, a handle
over the top. coil. patterns so small and delicate that can
almost not be seen. made by a husband and wife. equal.
a small coiled pot, round bottom. tiny hand prints and finer nail
patterns. central america, two thousand years old. pit fired.
black inside, red out. i can feel the woman's hands on that
pot.
a picture of me, with dale eldred, on top of the multifoods building
in minneapolis, building a 70 x 20 foot de fraction panel.
for many years my closest friend in art. he died, falling from
30 feet, onto a concrete floor. i have an idea what it takes to
be a sculptor. i was not made to do that.
as a teacher, when students wanted to make sculptor, i was thrilled.
it was a natural move for many fine students.
they would start on the wheel, master the early technique, with
the tools we had. then moved many directions in clay. some
hated the wheel, had trouble with hand eye thing..so, i moved
them to other technique. our program was not a one note song.
that was the center of my old bias.
one note programs with no variety. no technique, no science,
to compliment what was being done. just make crap, and then
talk and talk and talk. bored kids to tears. made them angry.
it was the emperor's new cloths...all new it but the blather head
doing it. tommy's story of last night could be told over and
over and over.
we all find our own way in clay. it is all about finding something
that you love to do.
if you hire me to teach you to throw...that is what will happen.
if you want to learn to coil, go to mata ortiz, look first. see how
difficult it is. see what it takes.
mel.
From:
Minnetonka, Minnesota, U.S.A.
web site: http://www.pclink.com/melpots
Jeff Tsai on thu 25 apr 02
I remember starting out as a handbuilder. I never used the wheel except when
my teacher forced us to do so. Then, after a couple years I began looking
around and thinking "why am I going about this the slow way. I can make a
lot
of what I want faster on the wheel if I only knew how to throw." So, in
order
to open up my vocabulary and work faster, I learned to throw. I got pretty
decent at it and still throw a lot today.
Then, one day I was sitting at the wheel struggling to make several thrown
pieces that would be attached together and distorted. I needed them to fit
well and I just couldn't get what I wanted. My friend looked at me and asked
why I was so frustrated. I explained, and he just looked at me funny and
said. "Why the hell are you throwing it? just pinch and coil the sculpture
with supports."
I just sat there stupidly. The thought to handbuild it hadn't occurred to me
at all. I had almost forgotten that my hands knew how to do other things
besides center, pull, widen, and make handles. The entrancing power of the
wheel had made me blind to the other areas of ceramics.
nowadays my work is mostly a mixture. if I need to throw a part, I do. I
handbuilt other sections, pressmold more parts, etc. etc. For some reason,
the idea that one doesn't necesarily negate the other, that one can
handbuild
and throw on the same piece, took a long time to register.
-jeff
Pat Stern on tue 12 nov 02
I handbuild in earthenware with slabs 1/2 centimeter thick. I work the same way as Carol Ross (leatherhard, 45 degree miter, etc.) but I also add APT Ceramic Enhancer to the slip--works like glue--joints never come apart! Comes in both low-fire and high-fire form. On the bottle it says, " acrylic emulsion additive; compatible with all slips and glazes; food safe and non-toxic; indefinite shelf life."
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Billie Mitchell on wed 13 nov 02
just wanted to add alittle to the subject.. i am mostly a handbuilder
and i add coils on mostly just really fragile pieces. ones that i think
might crack in the corners.. i used lana wilsons magic water always
on everything.. when i am working on pieces that have taken me 3 days
to build i mist them with her magic water.. that helps in the drying
process and to avoid cracks. her magic water is really magic for the
type of work i do..
i also wanted to add that no wonder other potters told me that my work
was to cheap.. i didnt realize that handbuilders got more for their work
than thrown.. my prices just went up! i wonder how many of us out there
dont realize what our work is worth.. to bad we dont have someone to help
us put a value on what our work is worth..
billie mitchell
artistswc@bellsouth.net
Overall's on thu 2 nov 06
Attached link will show the latest work I learned from
Vince Pitelka in his Houston October 2006 three day
workshop. WARNING: pots will be VERY simplistic to you
experts.
http://www.houstonpotters.com/Kim%20Overall.htm
I have NEVER EVER been the least bit interested in
handbuilding until then. Like it wouldn't even enter
my mind to consider it. I'm surprised I signed up for
his class; but I go into his site a lot to learn
(lately to see his leg healing) so I figured there
would be more for me to gain than not.
The first day of trying to make something I came home
in frustration as I didn't have the "feel" without a
wheel. By the third and last day, I was determined to
make at least one closed form by hand because everyone
else in the class could do it well. Sheeze, they were
building coil pots half their height! I figured I
better start smaller to get comfortable. Like 1/2
pound of clay. Advantage to that is they did stiffen
up quicker.
I reverted back to my childhood in making and playing
with blocks using Vince's templates. At home and
making my own, it was unbelievably hard to make a
truly square template from a protractor or roofing
square. Triangles and trapezoids no problem. And try
making a slab without a slabroller! Let's see how
thick we can make the middle and have paper thin edges
shall we?
In sharing my new found experience, Lotus, a fellow
guild member and ceramics instructor, suggested I use
a folded piece of paper to make a template for the
templates. I haven't done it yet, but know it will
work.
ISN'T CLAY A BLAST!!
Kim in Houston
Kim Overall
http://www.houstonpotters.com
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