Elizabeth Priddy on mon 14 may 07
I think the fracus finally achieved critical mass:=0ASteve hit on the real =
semantic point.=0A=0AIt is not whether it is slip cast or ceramic or clay, =
but whether=0Athere is more than one of them at the end of the day.=0A=0AI =
have the same reaction to slip cast work that I do to =0Aproduction work t=
hat is identical to a "T". =0A=0AI like the uniqueness of clay work. And =
I really don't care how=0Ayou get there. =0A=0AI threw production for so l=
ong and can do it so accurately,=0Athat it doesn't impress me anymore, not =
in that wow way.=0A=0AI still respect it. I respect all art endeavors, as =
they are keeping=0Aour souls refreshed in a world of plastic lego houses. =
But if=0Ait comes down to unique or well made simulucroms, I'll take=0Athe=
thing with personality.=0A=0AIt so happens that industrial design is my ba=
g, baby. And it is something=0Athat I think every potter should embrace at=
this point in history. You =0Aneed all the help you can get to compete in=
an eBay, global economy.=0A=0AEven the stuff from China is looking pretty =
good at the Pier One.=0A=0ASo a little production design cn help you make t=
hings like my painted=0Atile pieces. I have made literally hundreds of the=
m to sell and no two are =0Aalike. The features of the items, the details =
of making, generate unique=0Aitems. Fast. And that is not an accident. P=
lanned randomness is not=0Aa joke. It is the heart of creative design that=
is fast enough to make a =0Aprofit. I sell the small tiles for about $40-=
$125. I make each one discounting=0Afiring and drying time, in about 10 mi=
nutes average, including the painting.=0AYou have to work consciously and f=
ocus to work that fast.=0A=0AThe price is justified, because it took a long=
time to learn to work =0Aspontaneously and quickly on a production piece o=
f tile that is unique=0Aby the nature of it's making.=0A=0AAnd like I said,=
no two are alike. I have pictures. The motifs may reappear=0Aas my mood =
for painting strikes, but the firing process, the combination of=0Ashape an=
d decoration, the subjects...all of it combine in infinite variations.=0AVe=
ry different from the same leaf like mark on the same iron red cup with the=
=0Asame handle, but hand-made, by hook or by crook!=0A=0AI used to make pre=
tty mugs, now I make things that sometimes surprise me in =0Atheir unique c=
haracter and beauty. Out of a kiln full of about 40 of these pieces,=0AI k=
eep one. I have a nice collection of them (as do many others), but the one=
=0AI choose is not a second, nor necessarily an example of what the kiln lo=
oked =0Alike for reference, but one that *I* the maker like better than the=
rest.=0A=0AMy point here is that if you cannot choose one of a kiln load a=
s being special, =0Ayour process may be lacking randomness and spontanaity.=
And that is a recipe=0Afor burnout. Pottery takes quite a few prisoners =
to burnout, hence all the idle=0Aequipment out there.=0A=0AI will be showin=
g this by example at the conference in June. I learned it from=0Athe NC St=
ate School of Design and 20 years on the wheel and selling. And it is=0Awh=
y I still bother making pots, rather than getting a more reliable income an=
d a=0Aretirement package. I hope some of you will make it here to the beac=
h and we=0Acan get a chance to talk about it.=0A=0AAnd to eat some BBQ, and=
fire the wood kiln, and all the other bits and pieces=0Athat make up a pot=
ters' council conference, especially the six other potters who=0Awill be he=
re to share and enjoy the professional and personal meet-ups.=0A=0AWrite if=
you have questions. Link to the Potters Council information site through=
=0Amy website below.=0A=0A=0A=0A=0A =0AElizabeth Priddy=0A =0ABeaufort, NC =
- USA=0Ahttp://www.elizabethpriddy.com=0Ahttp://www.flickr.com/photos/79732=
82@N03/=0A=0A=0A----- Original Message ----=0AFrom: Angela Davis AMPABAY.RR.COM>=0ATo: CLAYART@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG=0ASent: Sunday, May 13, 2007=
10:52:15 AM=0ASubject: Re: PAPER CLAY/Kim=0A=0A=0ANow that is interesting.=
Could you give a couple of examples=0Aof the changes that might occur w=
ith the different minerals left=0Abehind in the clay body?=0A=0AAngela Davi=
s=0A=0AWhipping up buckets of paper-clay in Homosassa.=0A=0A=0A----- Origin=
al Message ----- =0AFrom: "Jeoung-Ah Kim" =0ATo: YART@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG>=0ASent: Saturday, May 12, 2007 6:48 AM=0ASubject: Re=
: PAPER CLAY=0A=0A=0A> Not true. We know inorganic ingredients from the pap=
er will not burn away. =0A> It means after the firing, the clay mixed with =
paper is not the clay you =0A> started with. Any relict minerals from the p=
aper composition interface to =0A> minerals from clay which will start tran=
sformation during the firing =0A> process. The phase transformation influen=
ces to characteristics of the =0A> clay not only the green state but also t=
he fired state.=0A>=0A> Kim=0A>=0A> brian wrote:=0A> =
after the paper burns away you are left with the clay that you started =0A>=
with...=0A> it will bend and warp or stay flat and behave according to its=
=0A> nature.........=0A> 'inconvenient but for large slabs to be sure bett=
er fire clay on very=0A> flat shelves,especially if you are firing to a hig=
h temperature=0A>=0A> the paper's influence only works at the forming stage=
=0A>=0A> Dr. Kim Jeoung-Ah=0A> Speldosegatan 4=0A> SE-42146, V=E4stra Fr=F6=
lunda=0A> Sweden=0A> Tel: +46-739-849906=0A>=0A> --------------------------=
-------=0A> Yahoo! Answers - Got a question? Someone out there knows the an=
swer. Tryit =0A> now.=0A>=0A> _____________________________________________=
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