Joseph Herbert on sat 13 sep 97
Phil Rogers, author of Ash Glazes and Throwing (in the australian series)
uses a roller from a pencil sharpener to make impressions on his pots. These
impressions sometimes take on a Herringbone appearance.
I guess sardines, in the cans, are actually small herring. I have never seen
a herring in some other state, and have certainly no had enough experience
with the result of filleted herring to name a weaving pattern after it. If
the weavers who gave us the name for the pattern had been from a land locked,
non-fishing country, we might be wondering how to make a "ski walking
pattern" or a "pattern down the sergents arm". So far there has been little
interest in the "Houndstooth" pattern, which would lead us off into
Conan-doyle stories and there is so little pottery there, you could get stuck
in that dead end for ever.
I mostly make 'Bearing Hone' Patterns on my pottery. It sounds a lot more
technical and is generally more impressive. I usually tell customers that
the irregularities of the pattern are generated by fractile methods to avoid
that stale feeling so common with lines generated by mere statistical random
variations. I usually have a card with a formula written on it, just in
case. If they aren't snowed by now, I show them the card and say, "Told Ya!"
or "See" or "Well?"
It works for me, but I am not supporting myself, or the entire low life,
good-for-nothing-potter's-guild, from pottery. Some have heald that my
devotion to technology is just a pose. Some have even held that view through
most of the stun gun/cattle prod demonstration. None have held it through
all.
Joe Herbert
JJHerb @aol.com
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