mel jacobson on tue 25 sep 07
the acts of throwing, slab building and a thousand other
tasks in ceramics.....are not art, metaphor, smarty pants...
they are craft/skill.
it is skill based.
when you control the skill and understand your materials...
clay/glaze/fire most anything can be done and you may sneak
into some art.
far too many teachers in the past two decades did not want to
teach craftsmanship...they wanted to teach big A art.
craft was treated like a disease. idea became the savior of art.
it did not work. bad ideas, executed with zero skill is still junk.
clay/glaze and fire are far too complex to be treated as art alone.
as teachers teach teachers, and skill is minimized, the next generations
of teachers do not know a thing about the skill of making clay objects.
and, like many things in life, when you do not understand things...minimize it.
make it a joke, make it someone else's stupidity.
our other social ill is ...`just do it`. you do not need a coach, or
a teacher...
just `do it`. yup...and the skill will show....failure often follows.
like watching a school team that does not have discipline. it is
chaos. hell, just pick up a clarinet and play as well as benny goodman...
well, give it two days. `just do it.`
it always amazes me that we hold discipline so high in music, sports,
science...but, we deny it in art.
a real story:
i have a friend that is a master fashion designer. studied in rome,
paris...his drawings are like magic. how he can show wool with three
quick lines amazes me. he taught for many years at the mpls college
of art and design. the last years for him where pure hell...he finally quit.
no one, not any of his students could draw. they wanted to design
clothing on a computer. as he says....`the computer is the last step
in the design...the pencil is the first step. the ideas, for formation
of the pattern all come from a pencil.` no one understood....because
they just wanted to `do it`...they did not want to learn `how` to do it.
he had parents calling him and chastising him because he wanted
the kids to learn to draw...`leave my kid alone, you are not being fair`.
it reminds me of a professor that said to me...`you skilled people annoy
me...` my answer of course is: `nah nah nah....you can't take that
away from me.` i was the enemy. he was shown up as what he was.
unskilled, bad ideas, and lazy as hell. you know...`those damn kids want
me to show them how to do things...hell, i don't know how.`
why was he paid?
i see great strides in teaching...people/both men and women who
are seeing the light, and understand that ceramics is about knowledge,
information...sharing insite into the craft and of course skill and
discipline. clayart is at the front lines of this movement. i am proud
to be a part of it.
i have watched tom wirt learn his craft. he entered
this field as an adult, with the drive to learn from scratch. yes, he
just `did it`....but, it took years of dedication and practice. lots of
failure...but he climbed the mountain...and stands at the summit.
there is no short cut. you just climb every day.
to make ceramics appear to be simple and easy...is a real dis/service
to the next generation. it is hard work, it takes years of study....those
that keep at it...will learn it, and have a long life of joy. the journey
is wonderful. but, if you have to purchase your clay and glaze ready
made, use
only an automatic kiln...programmed by someone else...and follow a
pattern...life as a clay person can really be boring. but as an old line
from clayart reminds me...`when is laguna coming out with self centering clay?`
mel
heidi haugen from montana gave me the book...`the meadow` by
thomas galvin...if you only read the chapter on
how lyle was stuck in his cabin during a long winter storm..and made
a violin....from a picture. it actually played music.
lyle was a craftsman...he could make anything...craft tumbles
from wood, to metal to clay. the base of it being a craftsperson.
from: mel/minnetonka.mn.usa
website: http://www.visi.com/~melpots/
Clayart page link: http://www.visi.com/~melpots/clayart.html
primalmommy on tue 25 sep 07
mel wrote:
"the acts of throwing, slab building and a thousand other
tasks in ceramics.....are not art, metaphor, smarty pants...
they are craft/skill.
it is skill based.
when you control the skill and understand your materials...
clay/glaze/fire most anything can be done and you may sneak
into some art.
far too many teachers in the past two decades did not want to
teach craftsmanship...they wanted to teach big A art.
craft was treated like a disease. idea became the savior of art.
it did not work. bad ideas, executed with zero skill is still junk."
------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------
---
OK, mel, that post was my 2X4 for this evening. I pulled into my
driveway tonight ready to quit school.
(I won't go into personal details, family drama, health issues, etc. but
take my word when I say it's been a rocky, worrisome week to begin with,
so I didn't have a lot of "reserve" for school.)
I hadn't seen my kids since yesterday lunch, or hubby since sunday
night. I came inches from hitting a deer on the way home (she turned at
the last second) and my hands shook for three miles afterward.
I had come to school Monday with two big flat boxes full of new mug and
creamer forms I had stormed up over the weekend, only to learn that they
were too this, too that, wrong here, heavy there, poorly designed, etc.
I spent this morning with my head in a dirty clay mixer, and the rest of
the day dripping sweat in a hot, windowless cinder block room over a
shimpo that sounds like a John Deere.
The kicker is that last night I attended the lecture of Dr. James
Elkins, prof of Art History, Theory and Criticism at the school of the
Art Institute of Chicago. His 18 books include "The Object Stares Back:
on the Nature of Seeing" -- and he was the keynote speaker at an NCECA
once (Kansas City, maybe?) His talk was interesting and not at all dry.
This morning he came to the ceramics grad studio to critique the
intricate sculptural work of my studio mates Joanne North and Nancy Sly.
Sculpture is, of course, capital-A-art. It looks damn good in a gallery,
and profs from all over the art department accept it as a valid form of
creative high-art expression.
Joanne invited me to sit in. It was exciting to listen to the discourse.
He challenged her to think about why she was making the choices she
made, what her work means, how much information about her work she
would/should share with the viewer in her show, and the pros and cons of
sharing vs. not. They talked about color and surface, her artist
statements, her vision for future work, where her limits were and what
she might do if she could surpass them. They talked about ideas. Damn, I
love ideas.
He talked with the same insight and reflectiveness about Nancy's massive
stupa forms, and suggested to both of them that they imagine their "big
break" one woman show, the one "someday", where the media and reviewers
show up -- and then picture what would be in that show.
Meanwhile, there I sat in my corner, making pots. I felt like Cinderella
in rags watching her stepsisters (though these two are not the least bit
wicked) dance with the prince.
Though I'd declined the offer, Diana suggested that he look over a
year-old project of mine, the only thing handy, collecting dust on a
shelf. It was a series of ancient Anatolian jugs (somewhat awkwardly
thrown and embarassing, now, to my more trained eye) that I'd tried to
"evolve' from the original funerary decoration form to something more
functional, utilitarian and "pourable".
He suggested what every prof except mine suggests to me, sooner or
later, in one way or another: forget function. Try another series,
making it increasingly LESS functional. I sighed and shrugged at Diana.
How do I tell him that's out of the question?
I have been given the task, for these two years, of throwing utilitarian
work until I can do it without flaw, without effort, without doodads or
gimmicks, and with some kind of personal style. Non-functional is NOT an
option. Not with this prof, not for me.
No metaphor, no narrative, no deep personal motivations, symbolism or
meaningful statements for me. I am to make pots.
Some days it feels like a very short leash.
No artist's statement I can write will keep the Capital A artists from
thinking, "craft" about my making "dishes". Even if I fancied myself a
writer -- and most days I doubt it -- I can't imagine what might be
said, beyond the clicheed, oft-repeated sentimentalities about the
intimacy of the cup we hold in our hand every day, the niceness of using
handmade things, bla bla bla. That doesn't make it Art. Ask anybody.
I work without my shoes because it is so blazing hot in the studio,
summer or winter, kilns or no, and the cement floor feels cool on my
feet. Often I forget that I am barefoot, and travel the hall with my
board of pots, headed for the kiln. Our building is full of tech
classes, and I often pass students from India, Pakistan, Africa... they
take in my bare feet and muddy clothes and my board of pots with an
ironic smile. I imagine some of them come from towns where potters often
walk barefoot in the street, carrying their wares. If so, they likely do
not have -- or need -- tuition bills or letters behind their names.
But I am too far invested in this project to quit. Diana is too much a
product of Alfred to see any possible grey area between Utilitarian work
and Sculpture. It's an either-or proposition. And mostly, I hear mel's
taunt/challenge in my head: do you say it's dull to throw good work in
series because it's dull, or because you don't have the ability? I can't
let myself quit because it's hard, or the bar is set high.
Still, I am crit-weary. I rarely see Patrick anymore, and he was my
moral support/fellow thrower in the program; we're on different
schedules and are no longer "roomies" at Diana's. Surrounded in the grad
studio by 4 sculptors I feel like the one onion in the petunia patch.
And profs Lee and Diana waste no time gushing over anybody's work; they
cut straight to the failures. Usually it feels useful and necessary,
like dental work. And usually it's about as enjoyable. On a bad day it
just makes me want to surrender, like there is no such thing as "getting
there" -- no milestone, no light at the end of the tunnel, no wiggle
room in my assigned role.
On the way home I thought about how often I correct my kids. When I got
home tonight I went to kiss each one goodnight and promised that I would
tell them something wonderful about them, every day. My Tyler is
trustworthy and responsible. Connor is enthusiastic and generous. Molly
is affectionate and has a great sense of humor. I told them to remind me
if they hadn't had their compliment for the day, and I would come up
with a new (and honest) one every time.
Mel, I have eight months left, give or take. I am not ungrateful, and
feel my prof is one of the best anywhere for teaching the skills, the
design, the craftsmanship of good pots. But it's a long road. The
possibility of my ever "sneaking into some art" seems discouragingly
remote at this point. And the chance of my "art" being taken seriously
by the other profs/students seems slimmer still. I know I should be
above caring. I'm working on that.
Yours
Kelly in Ohio... a little hesitant to hit send after the recent, er,
unpleasantness on clayart. I would guess that for every off list email I
got saying "I love your clayart posts!", E. got one saying "Thanks for
shutting her up!" ... I'm sending this anyway, though, as a note in a
bottle, hoping somebody who has done this can offer advice.
http://www.primalpotter.com
http://www.primalmommy.com/blog.html
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Michael Wendt on tue 25 sep 07
mel wrote:
"the acts of throwing, slab building and a thousand
other
tasks in ceramics.....are not art, metaphor, smarty
pants...
they are craft/skill.
it is skill based.
when you control the skill and understand your
materials...
clay/glaze/fire most anything can be done and you may
sneak
into some art."
In that vein, I want to share a surprising discovery
we made about the Helmer clay body. Fast drying
it with moving air results in less warping and cracking
than slow drying. It might be something
others would like to try with their clays to.
The furnace is a constant run Trane so the air flow
is 24/7 resulting in very fast dry times for our work.
The platter in the slump mold always warped when
dried slowly in the damp box but stays flat as can
be when fan dried.
See the setup at:
http://www.wendtpottery.com/clayart.htm
Regards,
Michael Wendt
Wendt Pottery
2729 Clearwater Ave.
Lewiston, Id 83501
U.S.A.
208-746-3724
wendtpot@lewiston.com
http://www.wendtpottery.com
http://UniquePorcelainDesigns.com
Marta Matray on wed 26 sep 07
primalmommy wrote:
>>>>... I pulled into my driveway tonight ready to quit school.
... (snip)
>Kelly in Ohio... a little hesitant to hit send after the recent, er,
>unpleasantness on clayart. >>>>>>>>>>
hey wonderful primal-kelly,
welcome back on clayart, i missed you!
art vs function? ... think of the work of lucie rie!
and a quote from the lucie rie book:
"she said that she is 'just a potter' and avoided
any kind of philosophical discussion in relation
to her work."
and talking about lucie rie, hans coper comes to
mind, who wrote on his studio wall:
"endure your destiny"
is this good enough for you today?
love,marta
Tom at Hutchtel.net on wed 26 sep 07
2 other things noted, as you throw more, you see more. You will see
subtlety in shapes. You will begin to understand shapes. A big reason for
making as many pieces as you can when you start.
Also, I don't want to discourage anyone by talking large numbers....after
100 or 150 of most things you will/should be throwing presentable work, but,
being able to mentally design and execute as mel said takes knowing how to
move the clay where you want it. Time after time. I think Mel's the one
who told the tale of the student who brought up a really nice piece and
asked for his "A". The reply was, I think, "you'll get the 'A' for the
second one.
As has been said, the secret is to throw throw throw...is this true in
handbuilding? John Heck ending every demo with "make more pots".
Your techniques will refine, and you'll move from struggling to throw 5 an
hour to being able to confidently make 20 good shapes an hour.
Mr. MacKenzie used to say, in regard to throwing series, the first is good,
then that shape doesn't reappear until number 8. Again a good rule of thumb
even for an experienced potter.
All of this also explains why you should be focusing on one clay, one firing
method, a few glazes picked wisely.
In 15 years of production (I'm still a beginner) I've used 3 clay bodies,
one at a time. I test a number of them, but stick to one for everyday work.
It's the only way I get to know the variations and inconsistencies. How
it's going to dry, will there be s-cracks. It's the only way Betsy gets to
know how the glazes will react. When I read messages of people casting
about for this glaze or that, this clay or that, I know they're in for a
struggle. The only magic bullet here is hard work. There is no Suzuki
Method to clay. At least not that I've heard of.
Tom Wirt
Hutchinson, MN
twirt@hutchtel.net
www.claycoyote.com
And one other thing.....you have to be your own hardest critic.
From: "primalmommy"
Subject: Re: newbie advice 3
> mel wrote:
>
> "the acts of throwing, slab building and a thousand other
> tasks in ceramics.....are not art, metaphor, smarty pants...
> they are craft/skill.
>
> it is skill based.
>
> when you control the skill and understand your materials...
> clay/glaze/fire most anything can be done and you may sneak
> into some art.
>
>
> OK, mel, that post was my 2X4 for this evening. I pulled into my
> driveway tonight ready to quit school.
>
>
> I had come to school Monday with two big flat boxes full of new mug and
> creamer forms I had stormed up over the weekend, only to learn that they
> were too this, too that, wrong here, heavy there, poorly designed, etc.
>
Gay Judson on thu 27 sep 07
Kelly, I've been thinking about the complements to your kids each day. I
was wondering if it would be a wiser tact to ask each one what they did that
day that they were especially happy about or proud of. Seems like your
providing the satisfaction for them could create a dependence on outside
approval or recognition. Seems much more helpful to lead them to find their
sense of worth from within instead. I do think a daily dose of your love,
expressed to them each, is a great thing. Just my 2 cents. Gay
Janet Starr on fri 28 sep 07
Kelly,
I enjoy reading your posts. I admire that you are going to school with 3
kids at home.
I hate this distinction between ART & Functional Art. Since I make tile, I
have never felt accepted by either fine artists or potters. When I started,
I painted on commercial tile and it was never taken seriously at all by
anyone. I seemed to be relegated to the category of little old ladies who
paint molded Santas and chickens. When I taught myself to make tiles from
clay and make my own glazes, it got a little better - but not much because
artistic work is not supposed to be functional. No matter how much I do
completely from scratch, if it's not abstract, it's 'too commercial'. And I
just don't do abstract.
When I was in college I studied painting and drawing. In the late 60's in
NY, the only acceptable form of art was hard edged geometric painting. In
my class, only myself and one other person were attempting representational
work. At the critiques we were just destroyed. I almost went home crying.
I faked a painting with masking tape and a roller and got an excellent
review. Subsequently, I applied to art school in California and left. At
least in CA, people were doing different kinds of art and every style was
acceptable.
So if you want to make pots, don't worry about the sculptors and the snooty
professors. That's what you do. They have no right to put you down.
Janet
--
Janet Starr
www.craftsmantiles.com
www.featuretile.com
featuretile@gmail.com
Lee Love on sat 29 sep 07
On 9/25/07, primalmommy wrote:
> shutting her up!" ... I'm sending this anyway, though, as a note in a
> bottle, hoping somebody who has done this can offer advice.
One think I have been thinking of while working at Craig Edwards a
couple days a week for the last month (making stuff to put in his
anagama), that maybe for functional work, an apprenticeship or working
at a production pottery might be more rewarding than an MFA, if a
person is interested in making every day pots. I thought of this
while working next the Craig and he was coming to the end of a huge
order of mugs that has kept him busy all summer.
Another thing occurred to me, after skimming PM's post, is that
art and functional pots do not exclude each other. The sculpture I
have made has influenced my functional work. Not everybody who makes
art has to do it to compete with other artists. You can simply make
it to learn. Especially if you are paying attention to process and
materials.
I fail to see any conflict between art and pots.
It isn't a distinction that is present in Japan. Unless there is
something the profs see in your work they are reacting to
specifically, I would think that they should expand their minds a
little bit.
For an example of what I say above:
A friend of mine who lived at the Northern Warehouse
Artist Cooperative when we did, was told by Paul Soldner that she was
a painter, not a potter during a critique. She was primarily
interested in dripping and blending colored slip onto the surfaces of
the pots. She told me it was the best advice any of the teachers
there gave her. She switched from clay to painting and feels much
more at home.
A blanket prejudice against functional ware is simply bigotry.
--
Lee in Minneapolis, Minnesota USA
"We are not afraid to entrust the American people with unpleasant
facts, foreign ideas, alien philosophies, and competitive values. For
a nation that is afraid to let its people judge the truth and
falsehood in an open market is a nation that is afraid of its people."
--JFK
http://mashikopots.blogspot.com/
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