mel jacobson on thu 29 mar 07
handles, often misplaced, often too big or too small, and more than
often have no relationship to the pot.
one has to be careful when designing handles. it is more
than `what you like`. handles have function first, aesthetic
second....and durability next.
remember, pots have visual balance and real balance.
handles have to make both of those concepts work.
for example.
the low small handle on a mug...many made in the sixties.
it was in the wrong place, made the mug tip over when it was
picked up and it looked stupid.
all the balance was wrong. classic design flaw that was copied
over and over because it was new...not because it was good.
handles that come from the rim.
the balance is too high...and they
do not allow the rim to have a `circle of life`.
the rim is also the weakest point of any pot, why
attach the handle to the rim? drop the attachment
point half an inch...there...just fine.
pitcher handles have to pick up a heavy pot, filled with
liquid. function is the most important aspect of pitchers.
lift and pour...your hand has to `feel` like you control the
pot. often i see pitchers with handles that are really thin straps.
they are too thin, and the customer cannot get a good grip
on the handle. balance, grip and pour.
function...and those aspects can be made to be beautiful.
negative space.
when you attach a handle on any pot, the hole of the handle creates
a negative space....the shape of the handle and the curve of the pot.
what does it look like? the hole..not the handle.
many potters want a shaped, pretty handle...never looking at the
hole...the negative space that the handle makes...air.
our subconscious mind sees the empty space. often it is very ugly.
lift and curve.
i can still hear warren...`handles are like the branch of a tree,
lift and curve.` and, he is correct...they should grow from the
pot...curve and fit.
left and right handed handles.
so often potters that are right handed make the mug handle with a slight
bend to the right...and it fits the right hand just fine...what about
left handed folks...? do we ignore that fact.? same with designs/patterns
that only point out to the front for right handed folks...silly.
how big, how many fingers?
mugs can be made for big hands, or small hands...one finger mugs,
two finger mugs...men, women. or, the entire hand.
you scale the handle to the size of the pot. what is it used for?
tea, coffee, beer....or two quarts of milk? or maybe a gallon of wine.
the handle must function for the weight of the container.
balance that load, and still look like it belongs.
how the handle is made, pulled and attached will dictate
the function. just think of how many handles you see that
stick out six inches from the pot. god, they are awful.
they look like a hoola hoop cut in half. thin, half round,
and set far away from the pot. no balance at all.
i know....`but mel, i like that look, i wanna do it...it is me.`
bull. actually we need more tough teachers that will not
accept just any old handle slapped on a pot.
it is a very concise, well thought out process to make a great handle.
and then, how do you put 100 handles on 100 mugs and get them
all the same...perfect, each one?
you measure. take your time...make them all the same.
just like throwing one hundred pots...all the same. handles too.
fussy...sure.
why not? it is called craftsmanship. that is pride of work.
well designed, well thought out...made for pride and perfection of function.
many more will add to this post. it is just a starting point.
lots of ways to skin this cat. but, sloppy, ill made and ill designed
cannot be accepted.
mel
amazing how many people explain away bad design, bad craftsmanship
as `personal creativity`. so, as i say...`it is your right to make junk,
poorly designed. but, don't ask others to respect it. or buy it.`
from: mel/minnetonka.mn.usa
website: http://www.visi.com/~melpots/
Clayart page link: http://www.visi.com/~melpots/clayart.html
Dale Neese on thu 29 mar 07
For all reasons and more that Mel, Mark, Vince and others have mentioned and
argued, there needs to be one evening in the New Orleans ClayArt room to
"get a handle on it".
All ClayArt members who want to enthusiastically participate in a handle
"pull" bring your best stuff and let's see what you got. This could be a
great sharing, fun, learning experience. I'm up to the challenge.
Dale Tex
"across the alley from the Alamo"
San Antonio, Texas USA
Don Goodrich on fri 30 mar 07
I dunno, the New Orleans Clayart Room may be too small a venue
for the thorough thrashing that the handle topic needs. This
might just call for a Potters Council Regional Conference.
For a couple hundred bucks apiece we could wrestle with handle
design considerations among experts for three days.
Any takers?
Don Goodrich
William & Susan Schran User on fri 30 mar 07
On 3/30/07 2:34 AM, "Don Goodrich" wrote:
> For a couple hundred bucks apiece we could wrestle with handle
> design considerations among experts for three days.
Or we could simply forget the handles and go straight to mud wrestling!
Imagine the vision - a couple dozen gray haired, pot bellied, 50/60 year old
panting guys covered in slurry - now that's a conference! ;^)
--
William "Bill" Schran
wschran@cox.net
wschran@nvcc.edu
http://www.creativecreekartisans.com
Dannon Rhudy on fri 30 mar 07
Dale said: .....
........> For all reasons and more that Mel, Mark, Vince and others have
mentioned and
> argued, there needs to be one evening in the New Orleans ClayArt room to
> "get a handle on it"........
I'm up for that, too - though I'm not sure
I'm up for New Orleans. We'll see, we'll
see. So - an evening with handles. Maybe.
I think we're running out of "evenings", what
with the opening whatevers, the Randall
session, cup exchange, etc etc etc.....
regards
Dannon Rhudy
Jonathan Kirkendall on fri 30 mar 07
In my second apprenticeship my teacher, Susan Greenleaf, told me that
she had looked at thousands of handles to figure out what worked and
what didn't work. She sat me down, gave me a mug, and together we
looked at every inch of the handle and then in detail described
what-where-why. Then I was given pencil and paper and told to sketch a
handle over and over - she would critique each one, showing me where the
curve faltered, where the negative space was too cramped. She drilled
into me that handles have to 1) be fully functional 2) balance the piece
upon which they are attached 3) create and define the negative space.
I wish I could say that I now can craft the perfect handle, but alas I
still struggle. As I said in an earlier post, handles still serve to
remind me that details count. Lift and curve, lift and curve - thanks
for the reminder!
Jonathan in DC
Cherry blossoms this weekend
mel jacobson wrote:
> when you attach a handle on any pot, the hole of the handle creates
> a negative space....the shape of the handle and the curve of the pot.
> what does it look like? the hole..not the handle.
> many potters want a shaped, pretty handle...never looking at the
> hole...the negative space that the handle makes...air.
> our subconscious mind sees the empty space. often it is very ugly.
>
> lift and curve.
> i can still hear warren...`handles are like the branch of a tree,
> lift and curve.` and, he is correct...they should grow from the
> pot...curve and fit.
>
> and then, how do you put 100 handles on 100 mugs and get them
> all the same...perfect, each one?
> you measure. take your time...make them all the same.
> just like throwing one hundred pots...all the same. handles too.
> fussy...sure.
> why not? it is called craftsmanship. that is pride of work.
> well designed, well thought out...made for pride and perfection of
> function.
>
>
>
>
>
Ann Brink on fri 30 mar 07
>I dunno, the New Orleans Clayart Room may be too small a venue
> for the thorough thrashing that the handle topic needs. This
> might just call for a Potters Council Regional Conference.
> For a couple hundred bucks apiece we could wrestle with handle
> design considerations among experts for three days.
>
> Any takers?
>
> Don Goodrich
>
Oh sure, Don, and then we could have another regional conference delving
into the various shapes of mugs to which these perfect handles are attached!
Hmmmm, maybe the two subjects are related!
I just thought of a great exercise for potters at a hands-on workshop: have
each person throw several mugs of varied shapes, and then others would make
the handles for them. It would be an exercise in "seeing".
Good firings,
Ann Brink in Lompoc CA
(mostly about pottery)
Liz Willoughby on fri 30 mar 07
Thanks Mel for such a good explanation on the holy handle. Gosh
though, it is true, we are all partial to our own handles, and many
of us can't get past just liking our own handles.
I just have a little disagreement on the statement below. Sometimes
the form of the mug will allow the handle to be attached from the
rim, and reattached to the base. I have a very nice mug from Mark
Shapiro that I bought at Red Star Studios. The top third of the mug
is perhaps twice as narrow than the flat base, with a slight inward
curve in the middle. It is extremely comfortable to hold, and
visually is very balanced. Another bonus attaching a mug in this
way, is that there is a natural thumb rest because of the shape of
the handle, it flows down, not up and out. I have been experimenting
with different forms of mugs, and realize that many of those forms
require different placements of the handle, just for the visual
aspect.
Years ago, when I was thinking more of design than comfort, I made
coil handles and then rolled them with a butter pat. All those
ridges were so uncomfortable. What was I thinking?
The best handles are the ones that are not wimpy, are comfortable to
hold, and blend the aesthetic of the form with the function of that
form, and yes that negative space is so important.
I also like the idea of the handle demo at NO, but agree about the
mess it might make. So, we would have to really lay down a good
floor covering. I think giving a critique is not really quite the
same as demonstrating how a good handle is made.
Liz from Grafton, Ontario, Canada
who is at last firing her kiln with many mugs in it. god I hope that
shino is good this time.
cloudy and cool, perfect for firing.
Mel says:
>
>handles that come from the rim.
>the balance is too high...and they
>do not allow the rim to have a `circle of life`.
>the rim is also the weakest point of any pot, why
>attach the handle to the rim? drop the attachment
>point half an inch...there...just fine.
>
>many more will add to this post. it is just a starting point.
>lots of ways to skin this cat. but, sloppy, ill made and ill designed
>cannot be accepted.
>mel
>amazing how many people explain away bad design, bad craftsmanship
>as `personal creativity`. so, as i say...`it is your right to make junk,
>poorly designed. but, don't ask others to respect it. or buy it.`
>
William & Susan Schran User on fri 30 mar 07
On 3/29/07 10:41 PM, "Dale Neese" wrote:
> For all reasons and more that Mel, Mark, Vince and others have mentioned and
> argued, there needs to be one evening in the New Orleans ClayArt room to
> "get a handle on it".
> All ClayArt members who want to enthusiastically participate in a handle
> "pull" bring your best stuff and let's see what you got. This could be a
> great sharing, fun, learning experience. I'm up to the challenge.
This could be an opportunity for a great learning experience!
For the mug exchange, everyone actually bring a mug with handle.
Line them all up and during the day folks can pick them up, feel the handle
and the relationship to the mug/cup.
Then everyone votes on which cups have the best handles.
We all meet before the exchange, Mel declares which mugs got the most votes
and decides whether they deserve recognition.
Then the three top winners may not post anything about handles for the
following year!
--
William "Bill" Schran
wschran@cox.net
wschran@nvcc.edu
http://www.creativecreekartisans.com
Gay Judson on fri 30 mar 07
Speaking of handles. I love the handles on Gay Smith's pots that are
featured on the cover of Ceramics Monthly this month. I've been trying to
figure out how she gets the big knob on both ends of the handle. Any ideas?
Aside from the puzzle of the construction I am attracted to the assertive
statement that her handles make--well all of her work is strongly
assertive--but I really like those handles.
Gay Judson in San Antonio, TX
Kathy McDonald on fri 30 mar 07
mel jacobson wrote:
> when you attach a handle on any pot, the hole of the
handle creates
> a negative space....the shape of the handle and the curve
of the pot.
> what does it look like? the hole..not the handle.
> many potters want a shaped, pretty handle...never looking
at the
> hole...the negative space that the handle makes...air.
> our subconscious mind sees the empty space. often it is
very ugly.
I wish that we could use the net to post pictures
of our mugs and handles so that we could all provide
feedback to one another on both process and product.
A person does not need to even identify themselves
but there are places where pictures can be posted and
comments about each picture can be registered,
If people are interested in this type of process I can look
into
a free posing site and will volunteer to get the pictures
posted.
I guess the disclaimer can be,,,if you are afraid to get the
feedback then
don't post the picture.
I guess Mel will have to give his blessing to such a process
if
Clayart is the vehicle for it's inception...what say ye all?
Kathy Mc
--
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Vince Pitelka on fri 30 mar 07
> Imagine the vision - a couple dozen gray haired, pot bellied, 50/60 year
> old
> panting guys covered in slurry - now that's a conference! ;^)
Hey, I'd do it.
- Vince
Vince Pitelka
Appalachian Center for Craft, Tennessee Technological University
Smithville TN 37166, 615/597-6801 x111
vpitelka@dtccom.net, wpitelka@tntech.edu
http://iweb.tntech.edu/wpitelka/
http://www.tntech.edu/craftcenter/
Vince Pitelka on fri 30 mar 07
Bill Schran wrote
> Then the three top winners may not post anything about handles for the
> following year!
No, no, Bill, the three top winners earn the right to post self-righteous,
inflexible, dogmatic posts about handles for the following year.
- Vince
Vince Pitelka
Appalachian Center for Craft, Tennessee Technological University
Smithville TN 37166, 615/597-6801 x111
vpitelka@dtccom.net, wpitelka@tntech.edu
http://iweb.tntech.edu/wpitelka/
http://www.tntech.edu/craftcenter/
Vince Pitelka on fri 30 mar 07
Jonathan Kirkendall wrote:
> She drilled
> into me that handles have to 1) be fully functional 2) balance the piece
> upon which they are attached 3) create and define the negative space.
Jonathan -
She was a good teacher. I would add "4) should not extend any further from
the center of gravity than necessary." But maybe that fits under "1) be
fully functional." I am always surprised by handles that extend too far
from the form. It accomplishes nothing, and generally looks wrong. We
often forget that aesthetics have always been informed by utility, so the
most utilitarian handle is often the most beautiful. A handle that makes a
sweeping statement by extending far from the form pretty much denies
practical utility.
- Vince
Vince Pitelka
Appalachian Center for Craft, Tennessee Technological University
Smithville TN 37166, 615/597-6801 x111
vpitelka@dtccom.net, wpitelka@tntech.edu
http://iweb.tntech.edu/wpitelka/
http://www.tntech.edu/craftcenter/
Marta Matray on fri 30 mar 07
oh, vince
when did this happen?
i didnt know we already had the top winners!?!?
but it certainly seems like it...
was it self-selection?
shoot, i missed it!
? is this the correct smiley face: :)
he-he?
marta
Vince Pitelka wrote:
>>No, no, Bill, the three top winners earn the right to post self-righteous,
>inflexible, dogmatic posts about handles for the following year.
>- Vince
William & Susan Schran User on sat 31 mar 07
On 3/30/07 11:44 PM, "Marta Matray" wrote:
> oh, vince
> when did this happen?
> i didnt know we already had the top winners!?!?
> but it certainly seems like it...
> was it self-selection?
> Vince Pitelka wrote:
>
>>> No, no, Bill, the three top winners earn the right to post self-righteous,
>> inflexible, dogmatic posts about handles for the following year.
>> - Vince
Oh man, I'm so sorry Arti's not around to help with this one. ;^)
--
William "Bill" Schran
wschran@cox.net
wschran@nvcc.edu
http://www.creativecreekartisans.com
Eleanor on sat 31 mar 07
>
Don Goodrich said:
> I dunno, the New Orleans Clayart Room may be too small a venue
> for the thorough thrashing that the handle topic needs. This
> might just call for a Potters Council Regional Conference.
> For a couple hundred bucks apiece we could wrestle with handle
> design considerations among experts for three days.
Sign me up!
The local Art League (a fine organization) here on Long Island
recently offered a course: Handles, Lids and Spouts to be taught by a
competent local potter. I signed up along with one other person. The
course was cancelled.
I, a dabbler recently turned (part time) pro, can't be the only one
who would benefit from instruction and demo on how to make
symmetrical handles, -- mine are thick on one side, thin on the other
but they never break off -- lids that fit and spouts that pour.
A Regional Conference seems to be the way to go. The one I attended
last year was terrific. I'm ready.
Eleanor Kohler
Centerport, NY
Snow melted, forsythia blooming
Vince Pitelka on sat 31 mar 07
Bill Schran wrote -
> Oh man, I'm so sorry Arti's not around to help with this one. ;^)
Dear Bill -
Yes, his absence is conspicuous quite often. We miss him. In case anyone
is wondering, I really do mean that.
- Vince
Vince Pitelka
Appalachian Center for Craft, Tennessee Technological University
Smithville TN 37166, 615/597-6801 x111
vpitelka@dtccom.net, wpitelka@tntech.edu
http://iweb.tntech.edu/wpitelka/
http://www.tntech.edu/craftcenter/
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