Ric Swenson on sat 10 nov 07
=20
It has been a quiet week in JingDeZhen. ....where all the women are strong,=
all the men are good looking and all the children are Chinese. (Thanks..=
.. and apologies to Garrison Keillor.) Teapots! Teapots are the bane of the=
potter. There is so much variety and possibility for the form of the body=
, lid, spout (with or without strainer) and finally the handle. So many ch=
oices...so little time. It really is the functional potter's greatest chall=
enge. That form working together visually AND it should function mechanica=
lly too! It must have at least three times the volume entering the spout at=
the base compared to the tip of the spout to make it pour in a smooth flow=
...and not dribble...or gush forth. Uff Da! I am in the midst of trying to =
create some teapots and cups for the Wu Yi Shan Intl. Tea Service Exhibitio=
n now...I have two weeks to finish and fire the pieces. Pressure, pressure=
.... The best teapot I ever owned...until the cat knocked it off it place o=
f reverence on the mantel above the woodstove in Bennignton....was a chun b=
lue porcelain beauty made by Ken Stevens of Brown's Point, Washington. The =
form was round and full and the fine spout poured a stream of tea that coul=
d travel quite a distance. The strainer, built by using a teaspoon to gent=
ly tap and stretch a concavity that he then punched with many small holes (=
what was that magic number? 72?). I watched him make this teapot in my An=
chorage studio back in 1979 when he came to demonstrate at the U. of Alaska=
, Anchorage to my classes there. Ken is a consumate craftsman and meticulou=
s far beyond anything I can imagine. We used to kid about "If Ken could fi=
nd a slower way to do something....he would try it that way." The lid was =
small and perfect and had a tiny steam hole. It fit tightly enough that ti=
pping the teapot wouldn't allow the lid to shift or fall off. You didn't h=
ave to tip it very far to get a good stream of tea form the delicately thro=
wn spout either. The handle sprung from the bulbous form and the balance, =
when held, and used, was superb. Damn cat! I think of that piece as I stru=
ggle to make something of my own character and form. I am using JingDeZhen=
porcelain...which is nothing like the Kenji or Kai porcelains (nee Laguna/=
Westwood porcelain clays of yore.) This porcelain is like trying to throw r=
oom temperature creamery butter. One must be quick and accurate and centere=
d to conquer this clay. I throw off the hump...so there is always some trim=
ming to be done of course. One cannot use much water to lubricate...but the=
clay is a bit sticky and pleads for something to keep the form from being =
ripped apart by the torque of the drag exerted by my fingers. I collect sl=
ip and that suffices to get me the lubrication needed...but I always feel j=
ust on the edge of disaster. Nerve wracking at times...but I do love throw=
ing...so it is a challenge I actually enjoy. Utah's John Neely, teaching he=
re now at the West Virginia U. Studio, is making some fine small teapots no=
w. He is using the stoneware clay and thrown handles. Nice stuff.I am plea=
sed with the 10 pieces I have now thrown and joined together. They are not=
as graceful as Ken Steven's chun beauty, but my style is more crude and my=
forms are just different. I am very pleaed with my spouts and lids. The h=
andles worry me, but I will go to the studio today and work on that issue t=
oday. I'm also working on a large box vase form made from the very groggy =
common brick clay.....LOTS of texture and a rough texture that I find a goo=
d contrast to working with the smooth yellowish JingDeZhen porcelain body. =
I will try to incorporate some porcelain into the piece today. I love to us=
e contrast as a media. The weather in East central China is cooler now. 'Th=
e frost is on the pumpkin'...to coin a phrase... No hard frost yet, so most=
leaves are holding on....but gradually going amber. I helped to judge a sp=
eech contest for 26 Chinese aspiring English speakers. They were all very =
good and I was pleased that the girl who won did a great job of describing =
the Olympic spirit in China now. She inspired the other 300 students who ob=
served the evening's competition. Eight months to go before Beijing opens=
their Olympic venues for the Games. I am trying to get tickets for the sw=
imming events. Halloween was fun. A party at the JCI /WVU studio where sev=
eral hundred folks paraded in silly costumes and danced and ate peanut butt=
er and jelly sandwiches. Three American boys had 'Gold leMay' suits made at=
the local tailor's shop and rivaled Travolta and Elvis in some weird ways.=
'Ace Ventura in Hawaiian shirt' was there in the person of a 19 year old =
girl from Utah...who in my opinion...stole the show....she had the attitude=
down flat. Hilarious. The Chinese students got into the spirit of the mask=
ed ball too...but some seemed nonplussed by the strange activities. Thanks=
giving approaches....no turkey and dressing and gravy for me. It's just not=
on the menu here. I will have to wait for such a meal at Christmas when I=
will return for a short visit to Atlanta and maybe Anchorage...during the =
winter holiday during Jan./Feb. between semesters. Happy Holidays to all. =
Good luck with your pottery sales to all y'all. Regards, Ric visit:
http://blog.sina.com/ricswenson=20
_________________________________________________________________
Boo!=A0Scare away worms, viruses and so much more! Try Windows Live OneCare=
!
http://onecare.live.com/standard/en-us/purchase/trial.aspx?s_cid=3Dwl_hotma=
ilnews=
Ric Swenson on sun 11 nov 07
I reaLly did put in " paragraphs' in my latest posting....clayart seems to =
suspend the paragraphs...sorry.
=20
Ric
=20
"...then fiery expedition be my wing, ..." Wm. Shakespeare, RICHARD III, Ac=
t IV Scene III Richard H. ("Ric") Swenson, Teacher, Office of Internationa=
l Cooperation and Exchange of Jingdezhen Ceramic Institute, TaoYang Road, E=
astern Suburb, Jingdezhen City.JiangXi Province, P.R. of China. Postal code=
333001. Mobile/cellular phone :13767818872 < RicSwenson0823@hotmail.com>
> Date: Sat, 10 Nov 2007 20:56:20 -0500> From: ricswenson0823@HOTMAIL.COM> =
Subject: Ric Swenson - November 11, 2007- JingDeZhen, China> To: CLAYART@LS=
V.CERAMICS.ORG> > > It has been a quiet week in JingDeZhen. ....where all t=
he women are strong, all the men are good looking and all the children are =
Chinese. (Thanks.... and apologies to Garrison Keillor.) Teapots! Teapots a=
re the bane of the potter. There is so much variety and possibility for the=
form of the body, lid, spout (with or without strainer) and finally the ha=
ndle. So many choices...so little time. It really is the functional potter'=
s greatest challenge. That form working together visually AND it should fun=
ction mechanically too! It must have at least three times the volume enteri=
ng the spout at the base compared to the tip of the spout to make it pour i=
n a smooth flow...and not dribble...or gush forth. Uff Da! I am in the mids=
t of trying to create some teapots and cups for the Wu Yi Shan Intl. Tea Se=
rvice Exhibition now...I have two weeks to finish and fire the pieces. Pres=
sure, pressure.... The best teapot I ever owned...until the cat knocked it =
off it place of reverence on the mantel above the woodstove in Bennignton..=
..was a chun blue porcelain beauty made by Ken Stevens of Brown's Point, Wa=
shington. The form was round and full and the fine spout poured a stream of=
tea that could travel quite a distance. The strainer, built by using a tea=
spoon to gently tap and stretch a concavity that he then punched with many =
small holes (what was that magic number? 72?). I watched him make this teap=
ot in my Anchorage studio back in 1979 when he came to demonstrate at the U=
. of Alaska, Anchorage to my classes there. Ken is a consumate craftsman an=
d meticulous far beyond anything I can imagine. We used to kid about "If Ke=
n could find a slower way to do something....he would try it that way." The=
lid was small and perfect and had a tiny steam hole. It fit tightly enough=
that tipping the teapot wouldn't allow the lid to shift or fall off. You d=
idn't have to tip it very far to get a good stream of tea form the delicate=
ly thrown spout either. The handle sprung from the bulbous form and the bal=
ance, when held, and used, was superb. Damn cat! I think of that piece as I=
struggle to make something of my own character and form. I am using JingDe=
Zhen porcelain...which is nothing like the Kenji or Kai porcelains (nee Lag=
una/Westwood porcelain clays of yore.) This porcelain is like trying to thr=
ow room temperature creamery butter. One must be quick and accurate and cen=
tered to conquer this clay. I throw off the hump...so there is always some =
trimming to be done of course. One cannot use much water to lubricate...but=
the clay is a bit sticky and pleads for something to keep the form from be=
ing ripped apart by the torque of the drag exerted by my fingers. I collect=
slip and that suffices to get me the lubrication needed...but I always fee=
l just on the edge of disaster. Nerve wracking at times...but I do love thr=
owing...so it is a challenge I actually enjoy. Utah's John Neely, teaching =
here now at the West Virginia U. Studio, is making some fine small teapots =
now. He is using the stoneware clay and thrown handles. Nice stuff.I am ple=
ased with the 10 pieces I have now thrown and joined together. They are not=
as graceful as Ken Steven's chun beauty, but my style is more crude and my=
forms are just different. I am very pleaed with my spouts and lids. The ha=
ndles worry me, but I will go to the studio today and work on that issue to=
day. I'm also working on a large box vase form made from the very groggy co=
mmon brick clay.....LOTS of texture and a rough texture that I find a good =
contrast to working with the smooth yellowish JingDeZhen porcelain body. I =
will try to incorporate some porcelain into the piece today. I love to use =
contrast as a media. The weather in East central China is cooler now. 'The =
frost is on the pumpkin'...to coin a phrase... No hard frost yet, so most l=
eaves are holding on....but gradually going amber. I helped to judge a spee=
ch contest for 26 Chinese aspiring English speakers. They were all very goo=
d and I was pleased that the girl who won did a great job of describing the=
Olympic spirit in China now. She inspired the other 300 students who obser=
ved the evening's competition. Eight months to go before Beijing opens thei=
r Olympic venues for the Games. I am trying to get tickets for the swimming=
events. Halloween was fun. A party at the JCI /WVU studio where several hu=
ndred folks paraded in silly costumes and danced and ate peanut butter and =
jelly sandwiches. Three American boys had 'Gold leMay' suits made at the lo=
cal tailor's shop and rivaled Travolta and Elvis in some weird ways. 'Ace V=
entura in Hawaiian shirt' was there in the person of a 19 year old girl fro=
m Utah...who in my opinion...stole the show....she had the attitude down fl=
at. Hilarious. The Chinese students got into the spirit of the masked ball =
too...but some seemed nonplussed by the strange activities. Thanksgiving ap=
proaches....no turkey and dressing and gravy for me. It's just not on the m=
enu here. I will have to wait for such a meal at Christmas when I will retu=
rn for a short visit to Atlanta and maybe Anchorage...during the winter hol=
iday during Jan./Feb. between semesters. Happy Holidays to all. Good luck w=
ith your pottery sales to all y'all. Regards, Ric visit:> http://blog.sina.=
com/ricswenson > __________________________________________________________=
_______> Boo! Scare away worms, viruses and so much more! Try Windows Live =
OneCare!> http://onecare.live.com/standard/en-us/purchase/trial.aspx?s_cid=
=3Dwl_hotmailnews> ________________________________________________________=
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eramics.org> > You may look at the archives for the list, post messages, or=
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si.com> =01
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