Tracy Shea on wed 5 aug 09
I'm a righty, so share some insight with me, those of you in leftyworld.
I have lefty students who come to my class- they want to throw, I want to
teach them. At the art center where I teach, we do have a couple of
reversible wheels, and I have to say it's great fun for me, doing everythin=
g
in "reverse" of my righty inclinations. But, of course, I'm waiting for our
2 lefty wheels to be repaired. So, this "left" me wondering, can one learn
to throw with the wheel going either way, working on either side? Is it
just a matter of comfort, or how one learned in the first place?
Enlighten me, lefties!
Do you work on the left side of the wheel, with it spinning clockwise? Di=
d
you learn from a lefty teacher?
Thanks,
Tracy Shea
--
SheaClay Pottery
http://www.sheaclay.com
http://www.sheaclay.etsy.com
http://www.sheaclay.1000markets.com
Jennifer Boyer on wed 5 aug 09
No no no, No reverse is necessary. I actually think we lefties have an
advantage with our dominant hand on the inside of the pot.
But there is some awkwardness holding a trimming tool. It's sort of
back-handed but it works. I remember someone on Clayart mentioning
that lefties always look at a tape measure with the numbers upside
down. I have used a tape measure ALOT in my life and until that moment
had never noticed......trimming is like that.
Jennifer
On Aug 5, 2009, at 8:57 AM, Tracy Shea wrote:
> I'm a righty, so share some insight with me, those of you in
> leftyworld.
>
> I have lefty students who come to my class- they want to throw, I
> want to
> teach them. At the art center where I teach, we do have a couple of
> reversible wheels, and I have to say it's great fun for me, doing
> everything
> in "reverse" of my righty inclinations. But, of course, I'm waiting
> for our
> 2 lefty wheels to be repaired. So, this "left" me wondering, can
> one learn
> to throw with the wheel going either way, working on either side?
> Is it
> just a matter of comfort, or how one learned in the first place?
>
> Enlighten me, lefties!
> Do you work on the left side of the wheel, with it spinning
> clockwise? Did
> you learn from a lefty teacher?
> Thanks,
> Tracy Shea
> --
> SheaClay Pottery
> http://www.sheaclay.com
> http://www.sheaclay.etsy.com
> http://www.sheaclay.1000markets.com
***************************
Jennifer Boyer
Thistle Hill Pottery
Montpelier, VT
thistlehillpottery.com
jboyerdesign.com
artisanshand.com
***************************
Kris Bliss on wed 5 aug 09
Tracy,
I am a lefty, i throw the same as everybody...
I feel it is wrong to have your students start out backwards of everybody.
it just makes it so difficult.
I use both hands when trimming and feel i have more control than
rightys. that is i switch hands depending on what i need at the time.
My right handed teacher showed me what he called the crossover tech. for
trimming, that is i use my right hand to brace and lay my left with the
trimmer in it and trimm away..
We as potters are all a little ambidextrous anyway right?
my opinion,
teach your leftys the same as everybody.
thanks.
kris
-----Original Message-----
From: Clayart [mailto:Clayart@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG]On Behalf Of Tracy Shea
Sent: Wednesday, August 05, 2009 4:57 AM
To: Clayart@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG
Subject: Hey, Lefty, how do you potters throw?
I'm a righty, so share some insight with me, those of you in leftyworld.
I have lefty students who come to my class- they want to throw, I want to
teach them. At the art center where I teach, we do have a couple of
reversible wheels, and I have to say it's great fun for me, doing everythin=
g
in "reverse" of my righty inclinations. But, of course, I'm waiting for our
2 lefty wheels to be repaired. So, this "left" me wondering, can one learn
to throw with the wheel going either way, working on either side? Is it
just a matter of comfort, or how one learned in the first place?
Enlighten me, lefties!
Do you work on the left side of the wheel, with it spinning clockwise? Di=
d
you learn from a lefty teacher?
Thanks,
Tracy Shea
--
SheaClay Pottery
http://www.sheaclay.com
http://www.sheaclay.etsy.com
http://www.sheaclay.1000markets.com
Lee Love on wed 5 aug 09
I am a lefty and I throw counter-clockwise. My first teacher
explained we could throw in either direction, but that all demos were
counter clockwise. Because I am mildly dyslexic (many lefties seem
to be), I found it easiest not to have to flip directions in my head.
So my dominant hand is on the inside of the pot, like they do in
Asia.
--
Lee Love, Minneapolis
"The tea ceremony bowl is the ceramic equivalent of a sonnet: a
small-scale, seemingly constricted form that challenges the artist to
go beyond mere technical virtuosity and find an approach that both
satisfies and transcends the conventions." -- Rob Sliberman
full essay: http://togeika.multiply.com/journal/item/273/
Dawn Kleinman on wed 5 aug 09
I am a lefty. I was taught with my wheel facing the teacher's wheel, so I
mirrored what she did. My wheel turns clockwise though it has a reverse
switch on it. I center mostly with my left hand on the side and my right on
the top, then I switch and pull open with my right hand. Then my left hand
goes inside with my right on the outside as I am pulling more and shaping.
I trim with my tools in my left hand
I am reading this thinking I switch back and forth throughout the process,
hhhhmmmmm. . .
I guess I have just adapted over the years to what different teachers have
taught and how they had taught. I can make a pretty decent pot though - Im
just not sure if I can teach anybody
Dawn
-in Philly where it is hot & humid and my pieces are never going to dry
On Wed, Aug 5, 2009 at 8:57 AM, Tracy Shea wrote=
:
> I'm a righty, so share some insight with me, those of you in leftyworld.
>
> I have lefty students who come to my class- they want to throw, I want to
> teach them. At the art center where I teach, we do have a couple of
> reversible wheels, and I have to say it's great fun for me, doing
> everything
> in "reverse" of my righty inclinations. But, of course, I'm waiting for o=
ur
> 2 lefty wheels to be repaired. So, this "left" me wondering, can one lea=
rn
> to throw with the wheel going either way, working on either side? Is it
> just a matter of comfort, or how one learned in the first place?
>
> Enlighten me, lefties!
> Do you work on the left side of the wheel, with it spinning clockwise? D=
id
> you learn from a lefty teacher?
> Thanks,
> Tracy Shea
> --
> SheaClay Pottery
> http://www.sheaclay.com
> http://www.sheaclay.etsy.com
> http://www.sheaclay.1000markets.com
>
--
www.DawnPottery.home.comcast.net
www.DawnPottery.etsy.com
Larry Kruzan on wed 5 aug 09
I'm a lefty and I throw just like you do - no issue.
Larry Kruzan
Lost Creek Pottery
www.lostcreekpottery.com
-----Original Message-----
From: Clayart [mailto:Clayart@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG] On Behalf Of Tracy Shea
Sent: Wednesday, August 05, 2009 7:57 AM
To: Clayart@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG
Subject: Hey, Lefty, how do you potters throw?
I'm a righty, so share some insight with me, those of you in leftyworld.
I have lefty students who come to my class- they want to throw, I want to
teach them. At the art center where I teach, we do have a couple of
reversible wheels, and I have to say it's great fun for me, doing everythin=
g
in "reverse" of my righty inclinations. But, of course, I'm waiting for our
2 lefty wheels to be repaired. So, this "left" me wondering, can one learn
to throw with the wheel going either way, working on either side? Is it
just a matter of comfort, or how one learned in the first place?
Enlighten me, lefties!
Do you work on the left side of the wheel, with it spinning clockwise? Di=
d
you learn from a lefty teacher?
Thanks,
Tracy Shea
--
SheaClay Pottery
http://www.sheaclay.com
http://www.sheaclay.etsy.com
http://www.sheaclay.1000markets.com
Dannon Rhudy on wed 5 aug 09
You can learn to throw in either direction.
If you know nothing of throwing, then - what
difference? Both hands learn what they need
to do - or we couldn't play musical instruments,
or type, eh?
Either hand works; on either side of the clay.
Just takes a bit of practice. I'm ambidextrous,
generally, but - some things I do right handed,
some left handed. I learned to throw right handed,
learned to bat and shoot left handed; draw with
either hand, depending on what was convenient.
My head may get a bit mixed sometimes, but my
hands just do what they were trained to do. Inside
the pot, outside the pot - all the same, eventually.
Both hands have to work together to throw a pot,
and the direction of the wheel is immaterial.
regards
Dannon Rhudy
> I'm a righty, so share some insight with me, those of you in leftyworld.
>
> I have lefty students who come to my class- they want to throw, I want to
> teach them. At the art center where I teach, we do have a couple of
> reversible wheels, and I have to say it's great fun for me, doing
everything
> in "reverse" of my righty inclinations. But, of course, I'm waiting for
our
> 2 lefty wheels to be repaired.
Veena Raghavan on wed 5 aug 09
Hi Tracy,
When I was teaching in New York some years ago, I had a student who was
left-handed and all our wheels at the studio were for righthanders. She was
having a problem centering and pulling up. I worked out a method for her.
Centering was done with the left hand on top and the right hand on the side=
. I
solved the pulling up problem for her by putting the right hand in front of
her rather than on the side, and then pulling up with the left hand inside.
This worked for her, and she was able to make good pots.
Hope this is of some help to those who cannot adjust to a right-handed
wheel throwing the way righthanders do.
Veena
In a message dated 8/5/2009 1:26:21 PM Eastern Daylight Time,
sheaclaypottery@GMAIL.COM writes:
>
> I'm a righty, so share some insight with me, those of you in leftyworld.
>
> I have lefty students who come to my class- they want to throw, I want to
> teach them. At the art center where I teach, we do have a couple of
> reversible wheels, and I have to say it's great fun for me, doing
> everything
> in "reverse" of my righty inclinations. But, of course, I'm waiting for
> our
> 2 lefty wheels to be repaired. So, this "left" me wondering, can one
> learn
> to throw with the wheel going either way, working on either side? Is it
> just a matter of comfort, or how one learned in the first place?
>
VeenaRaghavan@cs.com
Rikki Gill on wed 5 aug 09
Hi Tracy,
I am left handed, but throw as a right handed person. I have heard that in
some places everone throws to the left.
Maybe it really doesn't matter, since you are using both hands in either
case.
Best,
Rikki Gill
rikigil@sbcglobal.net
www.rikkigillceramics.com
----- Original Message -----
From: "Tracy Shea"
To:
Sent: Wednesday, August 05, 2009 5:57 AM
Subject: Hey, Lefty, how do you potters throw?
> I'm a righty, so share some insight with me, those of you in leftyworld.
>
> I have lefty students who come to my class- they want to throw, I want to
> teach them. At the art center where I teach, we do have a couple of
> reversible wheels, and I have to say it's great fun for me, doing
> everything
> in "reverse" of my righty inclinations. But, of course, I'm waiting for
> our
> 2 lefty wheels to be repaired. So, this "left" me wondering, can one
> learn
> to throw with the wheel going either way, working on either side? Is it
> just a matter of comfort, or how one learned in the first place?
>
> Enlighten me, lefties!
> Do you work on the left side of the wheel, with it spinning clockwise?
> Did
> you learn from a lefty teacher?
> Thanks,
> Tracy Shea
> --
> SheaClay Pottery
> http://www.sheaclay.com
> http://www.sheaclay.etsy.com
> http://www.sheaclay.1000markets.com
Johanna San Inocencio on wed 5 aug 09
--=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3DAVGMAIL-5B3851F3=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D
This is a multi-part message in MIME format.
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=3DISO-8859-1; format=3Dflowed
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I am a lefty and asked the same question when I began throwing. The
instructor told me I was better off learning to throw in the same
direction as everybody else. I believe he is a lefty also. I think it
has to do with how you learned initially, not that the skills need to be
learned from one side to the other. When you are throwing, both hands
are active and require proficiency, so I think left handed or right
handed is irrelevant to the process.
Johanna
"A man is as free as he chooses to make himself,
never an atom freer."
The Raven, Lillith by George MacDonald
Tracy Shea wrote:
> I'm a righty, so share some insight with me, those of you in leftyworld.
>
> I have lefty students who come to my class- they want to throw, I want to
> teach them. At the art center where I teach, we do have a couple of
> reversible wheels, and I have to say it's great fun for me, doing everyth=
ing
> in "reverse" of my righty inclinations. But, of course, I'm waiting for o=
ur
> 2 lefty wheels to be repaired. So, this "left" me wondering, can one lea=
rn
> to throw with the wheel going either way, working on either side? Is it
> just a matter of comfort, or how one learned in the first place?
>
> Enlighten me, lefties!
> Do you work on the left side of the wheel, with it spinning clockwise? =
Did
> you learn from a lefty teacher?
> Thanks,
> Tracy Shea
> --
> SheaClay Pottery
> http://www.sheaclay.com
> http://www.sheaclay.etsy.com
> http://www.sheaclay.1000markets.com
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>
> No virus found in this incoming message.
> Checked by AVG - www.avg.com
> Version: 8.5.392 / Virus Database: 270.13.44/2283 - Release Date: 08/05/0=
9 05:57:00
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Stephani Stephenson on wed 5 aug 09
As a left handed student I had no idea which way to throw,=3D20
as it seemed a two handed, two armed endeavor.=3D20
Not that anyone asked, but
I learned how to throw right handed with no problems.
i'll never know if it would have been different if I had learned left han=
=3D
ded...but=3D20
really ,throwing righthanded still involves a lot of the left hand, so i
was just fine with it.
a few years later another lefty tried to teach me how to throw left hande=
=3D
d with=3D20
reverse wheel and opposite side.
It screwed me up.
for awhile after that i was so confused i'd have to have
a committee meeting with me, my right and my left,=3D20
to figure out who did what.
set me back for awhile.
when i resumed...it was a la derecha....right.
a lot of lefties are fairly ambidextrous anyway=3D20
Snail Scott on wed 5 aug 09
-
On Aug 5, 2009, at 7:57 AM, Tracy Shea wrote:
> ...can one learn
> to throw with the wheel going either way, working on either side? Is
> it
> just a matter of comfort, or how one learned in the first place?
I teach all my students to throw counterclockwise,
European-style, since most wheels they will
encounter later on will be of that sort. There are
a lot of reversible wheels out there, including
the ones in my classroom studio, but they aren't
universal, and I don't want to handicap my
students by teaching them a technique that
they may not be able to use elsewhere later on.
I've never had a student, righty or lefty, who
couldn't learn this way. A few lefties, after a
lifetime of inappropriately-designed tools,
(scissors, school desks, etc.) have ascribed
their early difficulties in throwing to the 'right-
handed' wheel, but I believe it's nearly always
simple inexperience with an unfamiliar physical
activity. They seem to catch on at the same rate
as right-handed students (i.e. some quicker
than others), and fare about the same in the
end.
Throwing, in my experience, is not a strongly
hand-dominant activity. Left and right hands
get used about the same amount, with similar
levels of required dexterity. Some actions
are mildly 'handed', such as trimming, but
doing that two-handed often works out best
for beginners anyway. Personally, I trim the
outsides of most things right-handed and the
insides, left-handed. I think it's mainly the
similarity of the trimming tool shape to a
writing implement that makes it seem at
all hand-dominant anyway.
I strongly believe there are about a hundred
ways to do anything in ceramics, and most of
them work pretty well. Whatever works for you
is the right way to do it. That said, it's much
easier to learn when everyone around you is
doing something similar, and you can learn
new things from other people more easily if
your underlying technique is similar to theirs,
requiring no translation.
The reason for wheel direction, historically,
has less to do with handedness than with
'footedness'. European-style wheels used to
be kicked, mainly with the right foot, so they
naturally run counterclockwise. Asian wheels
were not kicked but turned, so they run the
other way. Nothing to do with the actual
throwing process. Unless you are actually
using a kickwheel, it won't matter at all, and
even if you are, it won't matter much.
-Snail
(Not a lefty - mostly ambidextrous.)
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