DonKopy@aol.com on fri 18 jul 97
Hi Marshall,
This is an old post but very relevant to your question and the ensuing
discussion. We need to talk about it more, but I'll drop this in your lap for
the moment. It's a re-run folks. Sorry for that but I'm too busy making pots
(many thrown and some jiggered---Oh about 70/30), swimming, watching movies,
getting pelted with water balloons, and generally having a productive and fun
summer for a new rant so I'm re-posting this summer re-run with a few minor
changes. Off to work and play....Don
*************
My first exposure to jiggering was from some high profile "potters" in Rhode
Island. They used to do one of the same retail shows as I did. I used to look
at their work and think "cheap copies passing themselves off as thrown pots".
I used to tell my wife I couldn't believe that they would stoop so low. The
pots were very heavy and not particularly well designed in my opinion. I used
to think that this was the limitation of the process. It didn't help when I
stopped in their booth, not letting on that I was also doing the show to
check out their work. I asked if they were doing any jiggering (which I
already knew) and he said it was great, he could undercut all the potters and
no-one suspected a thing. I used to think that this was the intention of all
who jiggered and I viewed the process as a threat to what I did.
It was several years later when I discovered a group of potters who were
using jiggers that were producing quality pots that I appreciated. It was
then that I realized that I was wrong in my previous judgment. When I
realized that the process could be used to make good pots that I admired, it
was clear that it deserved another look. My friend Martha Gold was ready to
get into jiggering. She investigated the sources and spoke to those using the
process. I think she still had some reservations and was trying to justify it
to me. We had many discussions about it and I came to see this as a viable
alternative. When it came time to make the decision, she instead with great
reservation and soul searching, decided to get out of the business and
concentrate her efforts on doing what she enjoyed most about this business
which was selling (working very happily as a sales rep today). I had seen
many local potters fall victim to burnout and those who had followed the same
path I was on (towards wholesaling and reasonably priced, functional,
production pottery) fell by the wayside one by one. There were so many
talented people who, after giving their all, decided they had enough. They
are living their various lives as teachers, bankers, sales reps, retailers,
waitresses, and a variety of other careers no
longer associated with clay. (I told Howard Haas if some potter comes in
needing a loan to upgrade their studio, he had better approve it)
I decided what kind of pots I wanted to make long ago. I'm not making fine
art here, these are cereal bowls, and chip and dip plates. I also made the
decision that wholesaling was to be my primary method of marketing. My wife
works as a teacher during the week and wants to see me on the weekends. In
addition, we now have a young son and I want to spend the time with him he
deserves. I want to take some days off to play and catch the baseball, to go
on vacations, and to watch and help him grow up happily and secure.
Fatherhood is the greatest joy and responsibility I've ever had in my life.
I also realized that in order to make it with my overhead expenses that I
was going to have to produce more pots than I was physically able to do on my
own without overworking myself, alienating my family, and probably causing
myself physical harm. I brought some helpers into the studio and this was an
improvement. I was still doing too much in the studio and beginning to resent
it. This is what I love to do, I'm a potter and intend to stay one. I decided
that the jigger was the alternative for me. It didn't revolutionize the
making of pots quite as I had expected. It is still a lot of work and
requires skill to get it set up and working well. You may have seen highly
exagerated claims of productivity gains and how it's all so easy. There is a
lot of preliminary work that must be done before you reap any of the benefits
and there are new sets of problems to overcome. When things go wrong with raw
materials or a process related problem, as they do from time to time in my
experience, the losses of work in progess are greater. These machines aren't
a magic bullet to solve all your problems. The time savings can be measured
in minutes per piece. It takes time to recoupe all the time and effort that
goes into setting it all up. You'll have warping and cracks you've never seen
before and they're not listed in Hamer either. There are a whole new set of
bugs to be worked out. It all takes time to get set up and running smoothly.
Some of the ads I've seen make it seem much more productive than is my
experience. Don't beleive everything you read.
The jigger is simply a tool for me and just that. There have been those who
have very subtly expressed their displeasure with my use of the jigger in
production and others who vehemently denounce me. Some of these same people
have had no problem letting others throw pots and sign their name to them or
roll out a slab with a slab roller, drape it over a form and call it a plate.
Most of those who may have rolled their eyes a bit have no concept what it's
like to need to sell pots for a living not to mention running a production
studio. I have had people come to the studio and act surprised to find me at
the wheel throwing. They said "I thought you had machines make it all for you
now". These are people who couldn't put together an order for a ton of clay
between them and they dismiss me as not a "real potter" thinking that I just
push a button on a machine and pots come out the other side. In fact, I'm a
good potter. I threw about ten thousand pounds of pots last year, and a
hundred thousand + pots in my career. For some this may not be a lot, for
others it's more than they will use in a few years. They're not terribly
innovative pots admittedly, but they are straight forwardly functional, well
made, use everyday kind of pots. That's what I make, and it's what I like to
make.
I have met potters who think pots should only be thrown on a kickwheel, one
who insisted the only correct way to throw a pot was with the wheel running
clockwise, others who feel that all clay should be spiral wedged before
throwing, some who won't extrude handles but do extrude pots, some who feel
every pot must be extensively trimmed, others who only roll or sponge the
bottoms, some who use only the simplest of tools and others who get and use
all the available equipment to assist them. Who's making the rules here? Who
has the right to dictate to whom what is appropriate for them in their unique
situation.
As I mentioned before, I think that much of the discord caused by the use of
technology in the studio is a result of the perception that others will gain
an unfair advantage in the marketplace. I know potters who only throw their
pots and charge a full 15-20% less than I do for comparable work. They have a
low overhead, are single, and as best I can tell not much of a life outside
of the studio. For me this is an unfair advantage. There are others who come
from areas of the country where they can hire studio help at $5.00 and hour
(some under the table) to perform the same duties mine do for $8.00 plus
bonuses, payroll taxes, unemployment (state and federal), and workman's
comp., this is an unfair advantage. I know of some who sell to the public yet
don't carry product liability insurance. They rationalize it by thinking
that they have nothing to lose, so if they ever do get sued, no-one will be
able to collect a cent. I don't tell these people how to make their pots or
run their studios and they don't tell me how to run mine either. It's up to
everyone to decide what resources are available to them, and which they
choose to use.
The jigger has helped me increase my production and maintain the quality. I
simply can't do everything in the studio. I have attempted to delegate as
much as possible in the studio. I used to think that I could train most
anyone to perform most of the jobs in the studio. I have observed that there
are two kinds of people, those who are potters and those who are not. I
remember reading in "A Potters Book" by Leach something to the affect that it
takes seven years to make a potter and being exasperated at the prospect. In
retrospect, it was probably a bit of an understatement. Often when I ask a
studio assistant to do something in the studio, I get something just a little
different than I had envisioned. I have paid people to ruin my day's
production. What seems so painfully obvious to me, isn't seen by those not
sensitive to the process. I do not have the energy to expend to train someone
to be as skilled as I am at the wheel. Many potters who have, are frustrated
to watch their assistants train at their expense and when they get to an
acceptable level of proficiency they decide to leave and set up their own
studio. There is not a pool of trained throwers in my area from which to
draw. I have had assistants move here for a while to work in the studio but
the disproportionately high cost of living has eventually caused them to move
away. I must therefore rely on the available local talent for my staff. The
jigger enables these relatively unskilled throwers to produce consistent pots
to my specifications and they come out like I want them to. (One of them
dubbed it my "talented assistant") I can still throw faster than my jiggerer
can make pots on the machine but I can't keep it up all day every day. How
about those times when I'm sick in bed with a killer sinus infection? Is it
necessary for me to jeapordize my business because I can't pick up my head?
In other crafts the method of production of an item is less an issue as it
seems to be with clay. Jewelers routinely have their designs cast and
sometimes they are not always done in house. I remember a stained glass
artist who hired others to cut and wrap glass as piece work. I never remember
anyone complaining that he didn't do all the work himself. I may have heard
one of the hand wrappers grumbling about someone who was using a "wrapping
machine".
Is it necessary for the real potters of the world to have the scars of
carpal tunnel surgery as a badge of honor? (Hi Mel) Must we work day in and
day out at the expense of all other aspects of our lives? For me the answer
is no, and I'm not asking for anyone's permission. These are individual
choices for each of us to make. I don't impose restrictions on others and I
ask that they offer me the same courtesy. For me the real craftsmanship is
being able to offer a quality product that is consistent from one order to
the next. There are so many subtle details that go into the making of what I
consider to be a good pot. I have proven that I can throw bowls and plates
with great consistency and speed. Is the fact that I may not have spent an
extra 2 minutes forming a bowl really make a difference if it is attractive
in it's design and is well executed. Does it matter to the user? Does it
matter to the cereal? If my pottery serves the user well, stands up to the
rigors of daily use, and somehow enriches the lives of those who own it, then
to me, I have done my job.
Please don't be so pretentious as to judge me for using a particular tool
until you've walked a mile in my orthodicly enhanced, clay covered,
Rockports, carrying a fully loaded ware board in one hand.
Glad I made the decision to use the jigger as a tool at my disposal,
Don Kopyscinski
Bear Hills Pottery
Newtown, CT
DonKopy@AOL.com
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