Mel Jacobson on tue 6 jan 98
the love and care of tools is one of the great separators in the art/craft
discussion.
when i paint, i can use any white surface, can use any brand of paint, even
oil, or house paint.....old ink....mix glaze materials with clear
pva....any brushes, or even my hands.....
but when i make pots, any pots, tools become very important to me.
in fact, i love my tools....just like an `old world`cabinet maker with his
back saw, hammer, chisels....tools that have weathered with time...my
wheels, kilns, even the total studio, with the little hand made 45 sticks,
cut off wires....nails in the ends of dowel rods.....tools from japan,
brushes made from my old dogs hair....they have great importance.
when i paint on pots with hot wax the brush that i use is very
important...i have 6 of them...would not trade for anything. they are
perfect for hot wax.
i think that it is vital that crafts people believe in what they do, be
proud of it, and don't wish to be something else. when i make pots i
think as a potter, not as a painter.....i deal with three dimensions, i
deal with clay, heat, tools, chemistry, physics......
when my pots come from the kiln and are all lined up on the shelves, i do
not think of them as art objects, i think of them as well crafted
pots...and those that do not make the grade are hit with a hammer.
i have often said `let others give our craft names like, artistic,
creative, beautiful, wondrous images`, but as potters we should think of
ourselves as `makers of things`and hope that we carry on the long tradition
of `good craftsmanship`.
there are many that make `art objects` from clay, and that is their obvious
right, but they are not potters.....they are often not craftsmen, but art
makers. but as our family has learned from a great deal of travel....we do
not judge others as `right or wrong`, we just find them different. and as
potters we do not have to judge the work of clay sculptors as `good and
bad`.....we just say that their clay work is `different`.
i have never apologized for being a potter, just as i have never apologized
for being a high school teacher, or a swimming coach.
only if you do those things poorly do you have to apologize.
mel \mn
http://www.pclink.com/melpots
Joyce Lee on wed 7 jan 98
Just need to say that being a potter, high school teacher, coach are
among the more noble ways we could choose to spend our time. What an
opportunity to influence, and be influenced by! It's even better when
we're just doing what we love with no intention of being "noble." Much
as I love Twain, including his biting sarcasm, I don't agree with his
"To do is noble. To teach is nobler...and no trouble." He obviously
never taught. It's a whale of a lot of trouble! But the rewards...those
intangible rewards...a good teacher receives...If that secret got out,
they'd be bailing out of their stuffy cubicles and salesrooms all over
the country to "pick up" (love that phrase. Not.) their credentials. To
also have the opportunity to be outdoors, in the water, teaching kids
PLUS the much-envied (by me) rewards of being a fine craftsman...that's
a "good life."
Joyce
In the Mojave
Dave Eitel on wed 7 jan 98
>----------------------------Original message----------------------------
>the love and care of tools is one of the great separators in the art/craft
>discussion.
>
>but when i make pots, any pots, tools become very important to me.
>in fact, i love my tools....just like an `old world`cabinet maker with his
>back saw, hammer, chisels....tools that have weathered with time...my
>wheels, kilns, even the total studio, with the little hand made 45 sticks,
>cut off wires....nails in the ends of dowel rods.....tools from japan,
>brushes made from my old dogs hair....they have great importance.
>
>when i paint on pots with hot wax the brush that i use is very
>important...i have 6 of them...would not trade for anything. they are
>perfect for hot wax.
>
>i think that it is vital that crafts people believe in what they do, be
>proud of it, and don't wish to be something else. when i make pots i
>think as a potter, not as a painter.....i deal with three dimensions, i
>deal with clay, heat, tools, chemistry, physics......
>
Mel's is certainly a valid way of thinking about and using tools. My
alternative point of view is to avoid becoming reliant on a single special
tools. I want the versatility of being able to make my pots with my hands
and simple tools. I would dislike having a certain form or pot be
unavailable to me because I lost or broke a particular tool--so my tools
are commonplace, easily purchased or replicated by hand.
Dave Eitel
Cedar Creek Pottery
Cedarburg, WI USA
http://www.cedarcreekpottery.com
Jan Lipuma on wed 7 jan 98
> as potters we should think of ourselves as `makers of things`and hope
>that we carry on the long tradition of `good craftsmanship`.
.....we do not judge others as `right or wrong`, we just find them
different. and as
>potters we do not have to judge the work of clay sculptors as `good and
>bad`.....we just say that their clay work is `different`.
>
Mel, your post brings to mind a revered teacher, craftsman and artist,
John Tuska.
He often was heard to mutter during the dreary art vs. craft debates,
"We're ALL just workers."
Regards,
Jan Lipuma
Lexington KY, USA
David Hendley on thu 8 jan 98
Mel, I love my tools, too.
With a passion. (a quiet passion).
When I get a good one I hold on to it for years, decades.
It feels so natural it becomes an extension of my body.
In fact, a good tool is not a dead, static, and sterile instrument,
but a constantly changing, almost organic thing.
Maintenence, with a real feeling for the tool, is required to keep it in
top condition.
The point on the end of my needle tool must be 'just so',
and the point I've sharpened on the handle end must also be just right.
My throwing rib must have a crisp, but not a sharp, edge,
and my sponge must be trimmed when one part of it is worn too thin.
It's a sad day when an old friend is finally so worn out it has to be retired.
Oh, yeah, I could do fine without that special tool, but I wouldn't be as
happy while working.
And, you know what, all my best tools are handmade.
Most are simple little things.
Most I've made myself, but I also have a special Mel Jacobson
cut off wire and a 20 year old Ric Swenson extra large bowl rib.
Like Dan Saultman taking his time, savoring his kiln building,
I relish the time spent using tools to make more tools.
You know, the tool one uses affects the look and feeling
of the finished work, so if it's a choice of buying or making a
similar tool, I'll go for homemade, because I want my pots to
be as personal as they can be.
Mel, I recently had to retire my trusty old hot wax brush,
and I don't know how to pick out another good one.
What makes for a good hot wax brush?
David Hendley
At 12:11 PM 1/6/98 EST, you wrote:
>----------------------------Original message----------------------------
>the love and care of tools is one of the great separators in the art/craft
>discussion.
>
>when i paint, i can use any white surface, can use any brand of paint, even
>oil, or house paint.....old ink....mix glaze materials with clear
>pva....any brushes, or even my hands.....
>
>but when i make pots, any pots, tools become very important to me.
>in fact, i love my tools....just like an `old world`cabinet maker with his
>back saw, hammer, chisels....tools that have weathered with time...my
>wheels, kilns, even the total studio, with the little hand made 45 sticks,
>cut off wires....nails in the ends of dowel rods.....tools from japan,
>brushes made from my old dogs hair....they have great importance.
>
>when i paint on pots with hot wax the brush that i use is very
>important...i have 6 of them...would not trade for anything. they are
>perfect for hot wax.
>
>i think that it is vital that crafts people believe in what they do, be
>proud of it, and don't wish to be something else. when i make pots i
>think as a potter, not as a painter.....i deal with three dimensions, i
>deal with clay, heat, tools, chemistry, physics......
>
>when my pots come from the kiln and are all lined up on the shelves, i do
>not think of them as art objects, i think of them as well crafted
>pots...and those that do not make the grade are hit with a hammer.
>
>i have often said `let others give our craft names like, artistic,
>creative, beautiful, wondrous images`, but as potters we should think of
>ourselves as `makers of things`and hope that we carry on the long tradition
>of `good craftsmanship`.
>
>there are many that make `art objects` from clay, and that is their obvious
>right, but they are not potters.....they are often not craftsmen, but art
>makers. but as our family has learned from a great deal of travel....we do
>not judge others as `right or wrong`, we just find them different. and as
>potters we do not have to judge the work of clay sculptors as `good and
>bad`.....we just say that their clay work is `different`.
>
>i have never apologized for being a potter, just as i have never apologized
>for being a high school teacher, or a swimming coach.
>only if you do those things poorly do you have to apologize.
>
>mel \mn
>
>http://www.pclink.com/melpots
>
>
David Hendley
Maydelle, Texas
See David Hendley's Pottery Page at
http://www.sosis.com/hendley/david/
Akitajin \"Lee Love\" on fri 9 jan 98
-----Original Message-----
From: Mel Jacobson
>brushes made from my old dogs hair....they have great importance.
Mel,
Could you tell us more about making brushes from the hair of an
old dog? Z:^>
/(o\' Lee In Saint Paul, Minnesota USA
\o)/' mailto:Ikiru@Kami.com ' http://www.millcomm.com/~leelove/
| |
|
