Joseph Bennion on mon 24 nov 97
While writing this letter I accidentally sent it unfimished. Here is
the rest of the thought.
Chris Campbell wrote something to this effect: Use your hammer, it's
only dirt. I have no problem with the hammer. Hammering pots is good
work. It frees clay from the shapes we impose on it. It can turn bad
pots into usefull road fill. It is said to be therapeutic. I winced at
the part about it's only dirt. My dictionary's first entry for dirt
says something like filth, obscenity or such. At best it defines it as
loose soil. The conotation was not the best. How do we value this
material we use. Is it only dirt?
===
Joseph Bennion "stay together
PO Box 186 learn the flowers
Spring City, Utah 84662 go light"
801-462-2708
joe.the.potter@rocketmail.com Gary Snyder
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clay&maxwell on tue 25 nov 97
Hi "Joe the Potter" - to the kids that I teach I am Mrs. Clay (they can't
seem to say Ms.!). These are 4,5 and 6 year olds and they sometimes think
clay is a grey type of playdough! I tell them that clay is a very special
kind of dirt, a special "blend" that's sticky and let's you make things out
of it. "Dirt" is a word they can understand better than "earth" though I
admit "earth" sounds nicer. The kids are usually amazed that a sticky lump
of grey stuff can make plates, cups, flower pots, sculpture etc. etc.. (I
have only had one child tell me that he prefers playdough). They love to
watch the "lump" change into a cup on the wheel and I love to watch their
faces watching the clay. How much better can it get? Clay's value comes
from its transformational abilities - from the ground to the hand to the
kiln to the table. . .and in the hand again. It would be great to hear
other variations on this theme!
deb clay
in sunny, sunny warm Calgary
At 09:48 AM 11/24/97 EST, you wrote:
>----------------------------Original message----------------------------
> Chris Campbell wrote something to this effect: Use your hammer, it's
>only dirt. I have no problem with the hammer. Hammering pots is good
>work. It frees clay from the shapes we impose on it. It can turn bad
>pots into usefull road fill. It is said to be therapeutic. I winced at
>the part about it's only dirt. My dictionary's first entry for dirt
>says something like filth, obscenity or such. At best it defines it as
>loose soil. The conotation was not the best. How do we value this
>material we use. Is it only dirt?
>
Joseph Bennion "stay together
>PO Box 186 learn the flowers
>Spring City, Utah 84662 go light"
>801-462-2708
>joe.the.potter@rocketmail.com Gary Snyder
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