Deborah Thuman on fri 28 sep 07
I've got to disagree with Kelly about being above caring if one can
"sneak in some art" or if one will be taken seriously by other artists.
What's the point of developing craftsmanship if we aren't going to care
about our work or what others think of our work? If a potter makes a
living selling functional ware, of course the potter has to care.
Without quality, without craft, without people liking the work, that
potter won't make a dime.
Can functional ware be art? Take a look at the work Clarice Cliff did.
Then take a look at current prices for her work.
Is there a link between functional ware and art? Absolutely! The skills
I develop and perfect to make a bread pan or a mug are the same
attention to detail I have to utilize when I make a sculptural piece.
The same link exists between art and functional ware. I made a menorah
in class last Saturday. All I "need" is a slab of clay with 9
indentations where I can stick in candles. All I wanted was a menorah
that I could put on the windowsill and watch people say, "Wow!!!!" I
had to think practically - this menorah has to fit on the windowsill,
not fall off because it's oversize. I had to think about how I was
going to get a flat base without cracking or warping. I had to think
about how I was going to make the vessels to hold the candles and how I
was going to get uniform candle hole size. I had to think about how I
was going to assemble this (it's in 19 pieces at the moment) and how I
would fire it. I had to think about how I would attach the vessels to
the slabettes on which they will rest. After everything is glaze fired,
I'll use epoxy so that there's no annoying tilt to any of the vessels.
That means I have to think about how I'm going to glaze the vessels so
I don't glue them to the kiln shelf.
Do I care what people think of my art? Yes! I care passionately. I want
to make beautiful pieces; and to do that I have to make technically
correct pieces. I intend to partially finance my retirement with my art
(12 years, 3 months to go). I can't sell my work if it's ugly or badly
made.
Deb
http://debthumansblog.blogspot.com/
sacredclay on sat 29 sep 07
I've always told all of my students that if you're going to do a half-
ass job, then it will LOOk like a half ass job. Attention to details is
important. If you're not going to bother making it perfect (and I don't
mean that literally),the piece will fail to grab the viewer's eyeballs
and make it roam over the piece, appreciating the curves, the
lines,textures,shape and the colors. Now that is starting sound like a
tad pornographic. I'm gonna go fan myself for awhile. Kathryn in NC
Lee Love on sat 29 sep 07
Deb,
I had the pleasure of hearing Philip Rawson speak at the
Walker art center. I believe Northern Clay arranged the engagement.
He said he thought modern art could learn a lot from the craft of
pottery, because while craftsmanship has always been an essential
aspect of art until recent times. Today, there is a lot of
"craftless art" being made.
Ideally, for the modern studio potter, craft and art
expression are like left and right hands. Mark Hewitt says it well
in The Potter's Eye. I don't have my copy of the book here, but from
my memory, he says in a living craft tradition, the craftsman takes
all his traditional craftskil and interprets it so it is relevant to
the lives of the people who are currently alive. All those potters
of the past that we admire so much did the best they could to make
their work relevant to their present time.
Hand made pottery isn't a practical necessity today. But I
believe it is even more important for the heart and soul.
On 9/28/07, Deborah Thuman wrote:
>
> Can functional ware be art? Take a look at the work Clarice Cliff did.
> Then take a look at current prices for her work.
>
> Is there a link between functional ware and art? Absolutely! The skills
> I develop and perfect to make a bread pan or a mug are the same
> attention to detail I have to utilize when I make a sculptural piece.
--
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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