grandfeu on thu 23 aug 07
Hello,
I have purchased a home and am working towards building my clay studio in u=
pstate NY in Broome County. During this period of transition, I am seeking=
firing access and will pay for firing fees in order to fire in your kiln e=
ither ^6 ox. or ^10 Red. or will exhange my studio labor as your production=
or studio assistant (kiln loading, glaze weighing/mixing, mopping, etc.) i=
n exchange for access, hopefully through spring 2008. Am willing to drive =
to Binghamton, Ithaca, Northern PA, Syracuse, to Finger Lakes or other near=
by areas within 1-2 hrs of Broome county. =20
It is my hope to have secured a kiln builder and to start building kilns on=
my property by spring of 2008. In the meantime, I am a potter without a k=
iln looking for temporary kiln access. I have my own wheel and my own tool=
s and am hoping to throw at my home and to fire at your facility for either=
kiln fees or for fair exhange for my labor. I can order my own glaze chemi=
cals and can mix up my own glazes and run test tiles to prove these glazes =
won't drip or ruin your shelves. Or if you want me to use your glazes, I'm=
ok with that and can pay to contribute towards expenses so that its fair a=
nd provided that your glazes are lead free, food safe, and are in the color=
families mentioned below. Also, I am a neat and clean glazer/waxer and I =
won't trash up your studio.
Not seeking a classroom situation because it is my experience that the non-=
university upstate NY classroom situations cater to strictly beginner or in=
termediate level students. I offer over 10 years of experience of studying=
and working with clay with various instructors and potters in workshops an=
d classrooms and and although I am open to new ways of working and learning=
, I do not presently seek a teacher, a "discipleship", or lessons. I like =
to sell my pots and am hoping to find a way to keep making pots in a mutual=
ly acceptable respectful arrangement with another studio until I can get ga=
s kilns built here next spring.
Assets are:
Over 10 years experience in clay and have studied with various potters thro=
ughout the U.S.A. and internationally. Recent studio experience in a produ=
ction studio as a helper/assistant doing things like putting handles on bul=
k batches of mugs for this potter's production line, using the extruder to =
make handles for those mugs, bulk finishing work, production trimming, stac=
king kilns, unloading kilns, weighing glazes, doing glaze tests, making mul=
tiple test tiles, cleaning the studio and mopping the floor and helping whe=
rever asked. I am capable and will respect you and your work environment s=
uch that I know better to not make dusty or toxic problems with chemicals, =
I don't ruin kiln shelves, I put tools back wherever I found them, I usuall=
y leave things as clean or cleaner than I found them, and I have my own too=
ls, and I'm not a prima donna such that I ain't afraid to get my hands dirt=
y while swinging a mop or pugging some clay. I use safety equipment and kn=
ow how to handle chemicals and materials safely. I am available afternoons=
and evenings (have work and other obligations for the morning time frame).=
Rather than be underfoot at your studio, I hope to throw at home and hope=
to bisque fire, glaze, and fire at your facility. I can pay for my own gl=
aze materials and will mix my glazes and can respect your firing schedule a=
nd can fit in my work and meet your space requirements such that I won't ov=
erwhelm your kilns or your facility and I'll respect your boundaries. =20
=20
I believe in reciprocity and if I'm able to establish a cool professional w=
orking relationship with another potter in upstate, once my kilns are built=
, I'd be willing to offer access to my kilns. My plans are to have a propa=
ne ^10R gas kiln and ^8-10 soda fired/propane kiln to be built here at my s=
pace in spring/summer 2008. In the meantime, I'm presently a potter withou=
t a kiln and I'm seeking access and am willing to offer my work and experie=
nce to help make that a possibility. =20
Please note, I'm professional and won't exploit your intellectual property,=
your trade contacts, your studio facilities, or whatever. I am drug and a=
lchol free and am a responsible and fit adult. I can work independently an=
d am capable, clean, and responsible. Please also note that I like to thro=
w B-Mix and porcelain and prefer white clays to groggy or "stiff" bodied cl=
ays. I am hoping to find ^10 kiln access but will take ^6 access. I am us=
ed to working in production studio settings where they tend to save time an=
d physical labor by using deairing pugmills and/or clays that don't insist=
upon hand wedging. =20
Lastly, I like to glaze in all vibrant hues including ALL shades of blue, r=
eduction ^10 purples and oxidation ^6 purples, celadon greens, reduction re=
ds, and bright colors. If blue glaze is disdained and prohibited at your k=
iln/facility, then I am not a good philosophical fit for your working prefe=
rences. I say this not to provoke any type of clayart "blue glaze" debate =
or any type of ire whatsoever because although I respect all glaze choices =
by potters and artists, I have already studied at certain facilities that s=
trictly enforce and prhobit the use of blue glaze in their klns. Although =
I learned alot about the nuances of other glazes and other firing techiniqu=
es from these instructors, I know what I like and what I'm presently seekin=
g. I mention my glaze preferences not as a value judgement, and state them=
to clarify exactly what I seek so that we're not wasting each other's time=
.
If you think we can work some type of mutually acceptable deal, please emai=
l me off list at the following address (without spaces or parenthesis) at: =
grandfeu (atsign) earthlink (d0t) net =20
I look forward to hearing from you and yes, let's talk!
With grattitude,
Anna
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