mel jacobson on thu 13 dec 07
every tool we buy has a big brother or sister that
is better and better.
and, more expensive.
it all depends...how often you are going to use it.
how hard will you drive that tool.
the battery in the hybrid car is very expensive to replace.
no one ever asks that question..thousands...and they do fail.
just like any battery. it is not a free replacement.
(and like roy at the gas station said when he bought his
first new honda...`man, if you want economy, you have to
pay for it.`)
if you buy a harbor freight angle grinder (24 bucks) to clean your shelves
every three years...it will be fine.
if you work on a job site...use it every day...it will last three weeks.
false economy to purchase anything at harbor freight.
i have a 1966 skutt kiln. use it for bisque. works fine.
low, medium, high. i just take my time, go slow and keep
the alarm clock set in my hearing range.
i sure don't need a new skutt auto kiln. waste of money.
my big rebuilt L@L that i got free works just fine. i fire glaze in a
home made flat top kiln. 50 years old are the bricks. works
fine. gas lines are always new..stack is new every five/seven years.
it is like spending a thousand dollars on a website because someone
said...`oh, you need that fancy exposure`..bull. for a simple potter,
doing your daily work....a home made website will more than serve
your purpose. when people tell me they makes thousands of dollars
a month selling pots online...i say...`show me your bank statement`.
they never do. the web is only as good as your advertising budget
will allow. if you have a three thousand dollar website, and no one
knows that address...well, it is worthless.
i think many of us must be reminded `often` that we are in a hand work
profession. all the tools and high tech will not make those hands and
your mind work any better.
in fact, i think many of us would be served better to get rid of half
the funky tools in the studio....go back to hand work. make your
own tools. keep it simple.
i was reminded again by david shaner...being in his space, with
his pots, just how simple it all is. a guy with some clay, a wheel,
some glazes and a kiln. nothing fancy..simple...but what great pots.
and they reflect that simple, non imposing character of the man.
in fact, i often shutter when looking at the new magazines and the
high tech pots.....and i think...`who in the hell made that star wars
pot...total junk, it is rap music put to clay, it is brittany screaming
at me.`
i was in total peace in the `arizona state university research center`.
surrounded by pots...maria to shaner. hand made work...carefully crafted,
thoughtful pots...simple, direct communication.
all the new tools on display at nceca could be shipped to your
studio and it should not impact your pots in any way. your mind and
your hands will have the biggest impact on what you make.
tools are adjunct.
mel
i love tools, i hound garage sales, looking for old tools.
hand tools...i just like to use them, touch them...hands and
work/age. nice thought. but, tools i use every day...have to
be the best. the very best.
from: mel/minnetonka.mn.usa
website: http://www.visi.com/~melpots/
Clayart page link: http://www.visi.com/~melpots/clayart.html
Donna Kat on thu 13 dec 07
At a certain level I agree with the spirit of what you say - that is how
pottery works for me - it is the simplicity, the earthiness, the economy,
the ability to make use of anything and everything for the work - I
should not leave out the love of mud and fire. If life were ideal I would
have a wood burning kiln. However without the electric kiln I could not
practice my craft. Without all of those who took the modern way by buying
expensive electric kilns and computers the price of todays kiln would not
have come down to one that I could afford. The first to buy any new
technology pay more and they make it possible for it to become affordable
for the rest of us. Those who are buying that hybrid auto today are doing
a great service for all of our children and those that follow. My taste
is not towards the cutesy, the abstract modern, the glitzy, etc. That
doesn't mean that I can't enjoy well done craft no matter what 'style' it
takes. And it is here that I part ground with you. My son listens to Rap
music. It is foreign to my ear and not immediately appealing but he is a
great musician and if he says it is good, I know enough to listen and find
the art in it. It may never be what I listen to when I'm throwing but it
may be just what I need for recycling clay on a hot summer day. Just
because I don't want to bring a piece of art home to add to my home
atmosphere doesn't mean I can't appreciate the work and skill of the
artist who produced it.
Chris trabka on fri 14 dec 07
mel jacobson wrote:
>
>in fact, i think many of us would be served better to get rid of half
>the funky tools in the studio....go back to hand work. make your
>own tools. keep it simple.
>
There are 5 tools that have their specific places on my wheel when I throw.
* 2 sea sponges, one for centering, one for applying slip prior to a pull
* a bamboo knife to cut unreachable clay away from the bottom of the pot
(made from a skiing racing gate)
* a stout needle tool to cut clay off the bat after using the bamboo knife
* a strip of bicycle tire inner tube to make a smooth and round lip (works
on any clay from wet to leather hard)
Sometimes I will sit down start to work and reach for a tool that is not in
it's place. I can't continue until I find it an put it where it belongs.
Unfortunately, the back-up doesn't work as well as the original (I must
have 2 back-ups for each tool that is "necessary").
Chris
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