Lili Krakowski on sun 30 may 10
Brandon:
In your beginning is your end--as Mary Stuart said backward.
Your nickname, or "nom de terre" is "Fuzzy". Someone may have named you =
=3D
that for reasons we do not necessarily want to know--but can assume =3D
speak to a pleasant hairiness, or maybe a slight problem with =3D
clarity..or something loving and kind.
Originally the term meant: drunk, intoxicated--and dates back to 1685. =3D
Later on it came to mean tipsy (1770) incoherent or dense or bewildered; =
=3D
rough (1825) and, applied to a ship, rotten and unsound (1860)* The =3D
Brits use "knocking someone up" to mean waking someone one--which caused =
=3D
a lot of shock and amusement in our military when British soldiers =3D
offered to "knock X up"...
Language is as fluid as the creek (which would be a lot more fluid had =3D
we not a drought!) And translation is one of the most difficult arts in =3D
the world (Bonjours, Edouard!) Language moves across culture, religion, =
=3D
class, country. ("Our" English is not British English, etc. Nor is =3D
French the same in all francophonic countries. ....Puns are near =3D
impossible to translate...even among related languages. A socially =3D
acceptable word in English may be considered coarse and vulgar in some =3D
other tongue...
=3D20
IF you are going to take potters as a group (profession) then all you =3D
really can do--I mean seriously--is to go to THEIR culture and examine =3D
what social class or caste they belong to "at home".
An Indian friend was shocked I am a potter. In India, potters are a =3D
CASTE, and a [properly] low one.
Rhodes (?) tells a story about Hamada {Think it was he) wanting to =3D
apprentice with a folk potter. The potter said ok, but he would have to =
=3D
clear it with his wife. Potter came back and said wife said NO. "Why?" =
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Hamada asked. "Because we live off radishes [or was it turnips?] all =3D
winter. And she would be humiliated to offer a fine gentleman like you =3D
such poor fare. And if she gave you food suitable for a gentlemen then =3D
the children would feel deprived...And we cannot afford finer food for =3D
all..." Hamada swore and promised he would eat just the same as the =3D
children got...And was taken on as apprentice. (I like the story =3D
because H had the sensitivity to realize that buying great food for all =3D
out of his own pocket would make matters worse.)
There are many other stories --all illustrating same point.
You write: "[A]re there any common characteristics that most potters =3D
share?"
My guess is skin problems,arthritic, and other work related injuries =3D
including silicosis.
These would be universal whether you were born into a traditional folk =3D
potter's family
a pottery making caste, or chose to go into clay as a middle class =3D
"youngster", or as
a hobbyist, or a retired adult. Among those who "chose" clay a love of =
=3D
clay is the lone commonality.
You write: "When you discovered the word "greenware" what did you do? =3D
Did you look it
up somewhere? Talk to a more experienced potter? Ignore it and go on? =3D
Guess at what it meant?
What do you think most potters do when they come to a word that they =3D
don't
know? These are some of the things I'm trying to find out."
What did I do? Come on! I burst into tears, and when I stopped crying, =
=3D
I sang "Greensleeves" with "ware" replacing "sleeves"
I got "fuzzy"....Ok. I learned the term from pottery class. I learned =3D
most of my "lingo" in the field.
When I have a difficulty I look the word up in Fourier's "Illustrated =3D
Dictionary of Practical Pottery (ISBN 0442299508) Main difficulties are =
=3D
Briticisms.
As to the language of criticism? Oy! DON'T get me started! It boils =3D
down to "I like/hate this" --and then come rationalizations: I like =3D
this because: my teacher likes it/ owning it would show I am rich/ the =3D
Zeitgeist tells me to "like" this for PC reasons (it is made in some =3D
inaccessible place by tribeswomen eager for cash to buy themselves out =3D
of slavery.)
Or because this pot speaks to my heart; it brings tears to my eyes (I =3D
have seen two such pots in my life); because it fills a need in human =3D
life--as a mug does--JUST BECAUSE I LIKE IT, DRAT IT, WHY DO I NEED A =3D
**&&%%$#@ REASON AT $100 A CREDIT???
You make a huge, huge casserole. Your grandma loves it: "Ah! My Golden =
=3D
Boy is making a pot to cook baked beans/chili/ =3D
pasta/bouillabaisse/tajini/lamb stew/lion's head casserole/ Kawareh bi =3D
Hummus/glumkis in for a large family! My darling is getting married!" =
=3D
The shop owner says: "I don't think I can sell this...[explanation =3D
follows] Gallery owner says: "My clientele would not accept so prosaic a =
=3D
statement..." [explanation follows]. Art critic says: "If this is an =3D
homage to Peter Voulkos huge MOMA casserole c.1953?)...: And on and on. =
=3D
Your mastiff says: "Woof woof, more food, more food. Cannonball would =3D
say: " I can use that for a nap."
And a clay buddy says: "Nice throwing, Dude! Cool! What clay, temp, =3D
glaze etc did you use." A teacher might say: "Where would one keep this =
=3D
huge pot? " or "I do not think that glaze appetizing..." Or: "I think a =3D
lid should FIT. Don't you?"
=3D20
I anarchistic ally suggest you sell that textbook instanter and use the =
=3D
cash to buy Roger Shattuck's wonderful "The Banquet Years" (ISBN =3D
0394704151).
And I hope soon you will be in pursuit of happiness, not grades!
Lili Krakowski
Be of good courage
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