Vince Pitelka on thu 17 jul 97
This thread is a bit old, but I just got back from vacation, and wanted to
respond.
> I suspect that the name of the woman in Penland is Jane Piezer
>(sp). Her exquisite work is shown in
>In the on of the books about Penland. I'm guessing the name is "The Penland
>Book". I'm not sure of the title or the spelling of her name because my copy
>is on my shelves at work.
The name of the woman is Jane Peiser, and the name of the book is the
Penland Pottery Book, long out of print, but a wonderful little book. I
discovered the book just as I began doing my inlaid colored clay work in the
mid 80s. But the term "clay millefiore" is not appropriate. Millefiore is
of course an Italian term meaning "thousand flowers", referring to the glass
paperweights and other glass items which appear covered with hundreds of
tiny flowers. In other words, the term refers only to FLOWERS! Millefiore
is just one kind of MURINI, which is the correct term, referring to any
glass imagery which involves making and combining glass canes to create a
rod or loaf with an image or pattern running through the length of it.
Small slices or chips taken off these canes or loaves are then used as
surface decoration on glass forms, as in the work of Dick Marquis, Ro
Purser, and other contemporary glass artists.
So, "clay millifiore" is accurate only if the imagery involves lots of
flowers. "Clay murini" encompases any kind of imagery, as long as it
involves creation of a clay loaf with the pattern or image running the
length of the loaf. Slices are cut off the loaf and used to create clay
forms, or as surface decoration on clay forms.
Sorry to sound like a grump here, but I'm a little touchy on this subject.
When an article on my work was published in CM in October 1990, the editors
substituted "clay millifiore" everywhere I had used "clay murini" without
checking with me first. I was appalled.
> Why do so many people on this list have "humble opinions"?
They don't, or they would not post them to the list. Let's drop the use of
IMHO!!!
- Vince
Vince Pitelka - vpitelka@DeKalb.net
Home 615/597-5376, work 615/597-6801, fax 615/597-6803
Appalachian Center for Crafts
1560 Craft Center Drive, Smithville TN 37166
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