Stephani Stephenson on sun 27 sep 09
I have to say I had a similar experience as Snail with low fire.
I had a strictly cone 10 undergrad experience,
grad school was making the transition from cone 10 to cone 6
but we also had access to pitifre/saggar fire at any temp, raku,woodfire =
=3D
and salt fire.
in retrospect the variety was a gift.
from there i went to teaching
at a cone 10 program at a community college=3D20
but i also introduced the students to firing with a 100 per cent raw clay=
=3D
dung fire=3D20
experience...
After that temporary position ended, i found setting up my my first so=
=3D
lo studio=3D20
in a 1920s duplex, urban rental , putting a studio in the basement. usin=
=3D
g a dryer plug for=3D20
a too big Skutt!
i couldn't get it to fire above cone 06 without blowing the breaker.
the electrician could not legally divert more juice or higher amp breake=
=3D
r to that circuit.
i couldn't get above a soft cone o6.
i also finessed it by not turning on all 3 switches, and ,if i had smalle=
=3D
r work could achieve=3D20
a higher temp by removing one of the rings entirely and making the kiln s=
=3D
maller.
my strength has also been form and got use to using staains and oxides at=
=3D
high temps.=3D20
when i first moved into low fire glazes i experimented with slips and mor=
=3D
e oxides and=3D20
lichen glazes and glazes from little jars,=3D20
I also fell back on the pitfire look, by pulling pieces red hot from the =
=3D
electric kiln, running=3D20
up one flight of stairs, and out the back door with a hot piece and plun=
=3D
gging it into a=3D20
double garbage can smoker, sometimes with a fire already going inside of =
=3D
it...where i=3D20
would continue to wood fire the piece, by doing a simulated, oxidation/=
=3D
reduction ,=3D20=3D20
alternating " lid on/smoke it: lid off /fan it" cycles to get dramatic =
=3D
affects.=3D20
if the piece was small, i would place it in a pre reducing bucket, (a st=
=3D
ainless steel milk=3D20
bucket, with a gold panning pan a lid)
I would run up the stairs and out the door with that in tow. i cannot =
=3D
in good faith=3D20
recommend this technique...the running up the stairs part anyway.
=3D20=3D20
i am STILL working in low fire , though now the range goes from 04 to con=
=3D
e 2 or 3.
still, most of my work is at cone 03-01.
i respect the fact that people have put in a lot of time and effort into =
=3D
high firing and=3D20
stoneware. i think work at higher temps is a beautiful, It is a vital, im=
=3D
portant part of the=3D20
ceramic lagacy and is thankfully kept alive by so many. i understand whe=
=3D
n , if this is=3D20
your love and this is you area of knowledge.. this is what you want to sh=
=3D
are..=3D20
in the larger picture...don't give it up. i am really thankful i have had=
=3D
the opprtunity to=3D20
experiment and work in all temperature ranges!
my favorite lowfire artists would have to be in broad categories:
and not necessarily in any order
Mochica, Chimu and Nazca culture ceramics from Peru
Mimbres pottery, or actually ,pre-Columbian work from many many places =
=3D
in the=3D20
western hemisphere. and some contemporary work done in those traditions.=
=3D
=3D20
architectural terra cotta of Gladding McBean
European terra cotta sculptures. )many renowned sculptors such as Donatel=
=3D
lo did work in=3D20
terra cotta.
tin glazed ware /majolica tile and pottery from Europe, the middle east,=
=3D
mexico.
if you are interested in table ware, this is rich.
jomon pots..maybe those are high fired, but i can see them low fire.
contemporary artists who work or have worked in low fire : Mary Frank, =
=3D
David=3D20
Macdonald, Deborah Horrell,Patrick Loughran, Annette Corcoran, George Kok=
=3D
is, Nino=3D20
Caruso, Not sure about the firing temp, but Grace Nickel, Arcadio Blasco,=
=3D
Carmen=3D20
Dionyse, Gilbert Portanier, Ulla Viotti , Gwen Heeney...(though their wor=
=3D
k is on a pretty=3D20
grand scale...still, one can dream!)
also , i can see William Daley's work translating to lower fire terra cot=
=3D
ta.
Marcia Selsor on sun 27 sep 09
Della Robbia --all of them
On Sep 27, 2009, at 11:24 AM, Stephani Stephenson wrote:
> I have to say I had a similar experience as Snail with low fire.
> I had a strictly cone 10 undergrad experience,
> grad school was making the transition from cone 10 to cone 6
> but we also had access to pitifre/saggar fire at any temp,
> raku,woodfire and salt fire.
> in retrospect the variety was a gift.
> from there i went to teaching
> at a cone 10 program at a community college
> but i also introduced the students to firing with a 100 per cent raw
> clay dung fire
> experience...
>
> After that temporary position ended, i found setting up my my
> first solo studio
> in a 1920s duplex, urban rental , putting a studio in the basement.
> using a dryer plug for
> a too big Skutt!
> i couldn't get it to fire above cone 06 without blowing the breaker.
> the electrician could not legally divert more juice or higher amp
> breaker to that circuit.
> i couldn't get above a soft cone o6.
> i also finessed it by not turning on all 3 switches, and ,if i had
> smaller work could achieve
> a higher temp by removing one of the rings entirely and making the
> kiln smaller.
>
> my strength has also been form and got use to using staains and
> oxides at high temps.
> when i first moved into low fire glazes i experimented with slips
> and more oxides and
> lichen glazes and glazes from little jars,
>
> I also fell back on the pitfire look, by pulling pieces red hot from
> the electric kiln, running
> up one flight of stairs, and out the back door with a hot piece and
> plungging it into a
> double garbage can smoker, sometimes with a fire already going
> inside of it...where i
> would continue to wood fire the piece, by doing a simulated,
> oxidation/reduction ,
> alternating " lid on/smoke it: lid off /fan it" cycles to get
> dramatic affects.
> if the piece was small, i would place it in a pre reducing bucket,
> (a stainless steel milk
> bucket, with a gold panning pan a lid)
> I would run up the stairs and out the door with that in tow. i
> cannot in good faith
> recommend this technique...the running up the stairs part anyway.
>
> i am STILL working in low fire , though now the range goes from 04
> to cone 2 or 3.
> still, most of my work is at cone 03-01.
>
> i respect the fact that people have put in a lot of time and effort
> into high firing and
> stoneware. i think work at higher temps is a beautiful, It is a
> vital, important part of the
> ceramic lagacy and is thankfully kept alive by so many. i
> understand when , if this is
> your love and this is you area of knowledge.. this is what you want
> to share..
> in the larger picture...don't give it up. i am really thankful i
> have had the opprtunity to
> experiment and work in all temperature ranges!
>
>
> my favorite lowfire artists would have to be in broad categories:
> and not necessarily in any order
>
> Mochica, Chimu and Nazca culture ceramics from Peru
>
> Mimbres pottery, or actually ,pre-Columbian work from many many
> places in the
> western hemisphere. and some contemporary work done in those
> traditions.
>
> architectural terra cotta of Gladding McBean
>
> European terra cotta sculptures. )many renowned sculptors such as
> Donatello did work in
> terra cotta.
>
> tin glazed ware /majolica tile and pottery from Europe, the middle
> east, mexico.
> if you are interested in table ware, this is rich.
>
> jomon pots..maybe those are high fired, but i can see them low fire.
>
> contemporary artists who work or have worked in low fire : Mary
> Frank, David
> Macdonald, Deborah Horrell,Patrick Loughran, Annette Corcoran,
> George Kokis, Nino
> Caruso, Not sure about the firing temp, but Grace Nickel, Arcadio
> Blasco, Carmen
> Dionyse, Gilbert Portanier, Ulla Viotti , Gwen Heeney...(though
> their work is on a pretty
> grand scale...still, one can dream!)
> also , i can see William Daley's work translating to lower fire
> terra cotta.
>
Marcia Selsor
http://marciaselsor.com
Snail Scott on mon 28 sep 09
On Sep 27, 2009, at 11:24 AM, Stephani Stephenson wrote:
> I have to say I had a similar experience as Snail with low fire.
> I had a strictly cone 10 undergrad experience,..
I am very grateful in retrospect (and was at
the time, too) for the diversity of options that I
saw as an undergrad. The first and second-
semester courses were run as ^10 reduction,
but students beyond that level were expected
to mix their own clay and fire their own work.
The faculty's own work (previously and at the
time) had ranged from production pottery to
salt-fired stoneware and raku objects to unfired
installations of dirt and audio, and as well as
earthenware sculpture with brightly colored
commercial glazes.
I settled into ^4 reduction for my own work
while I was there, for a number of reasons,
but I could see the handwriting on the wall.
I'd be out on my own in no time, and I'd better
figure out what I could do in a rental unit. I
started looking for secondhand electric kilns,
but all too pricey or too small. Then, a
professor passed me the classified ad for a
storage-unit auction mentioning a kiln, and I
snagged it for $75. Fixing it up was out of
budget at first, so I made do. (Didn't tell the
landlady about the sub-panel I installed on
the house, or the 18" deep trench I dug to
run the 220V cable out to the shed until
after I moved out.)
At first, I figured,"oxidation, and low-fire?
Might as well do lots of color." Turns out that
isn't really me, but it was a start, and worth
having doe it just to figure that out.
I went back to ^4 when I could, in oxidation
still, for what I see as the 'fleshy' qualities of
vitrified stoneware, and then to ^6 later on
when I quit mixing my own clay.
Off to throw some earthenware this morning -
an art-history professor is bringing her 'History
of Greek Vase Painting' class by for a demo.
-Snail
Lee Love on mon 28 sep 09
On Sun, Sep 27, 2009 at 11:24 AM, Stephani Stephenson
wrote:
>
> jomon pots..maybe those are high fired, but i can see them low fire.
They were primitive lowfire. I don't know if anybody has mention
Susan McGilvery of Omaha.
--
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/
May Luk on mon 28 sep 09
Although she mostly work with white porcelain and decals, I like how Claire
Curneen mixed unglazed terra cotta with gold lustre. Warm earthy texture an=
d
blink; For the right job, it's a winning combination:-
http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/4OYvBeUxjtotal7TCPu51A
May
Brooklyn NY
On Mon, Sep 28, 2009 at 11:16 AM, Lee Love wrote:
> On Sun, Sep 27, 2009 at 11:24 AM, Stephani Stephenson
> wrote:
>
> >
> > jomon pots..maybe those are high fired, but i can see them low fire.
>
> They were primitive lowfire. I don't know if anybody has mention
> Susan McGilvery of Omaha.
>
--
http://twitter.com/MayLuk
http://www.flickr.com/groups/handmade_mugs/
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