Mike Gordon on sun 19 sep 10
Mel wrote......the issue of course is: know what your are doing with
the layers.
keep a simple tracking method.
you will often not have a clue when you open the kiln as to what
has happened if you do not `remember`. it becomes that moment of,
`what the hell is this?` and, then it cannot be repeated.
Very wise words! I have a coffee cup that I dunked the lip in some
glaze I had around and didn't make any notes. Guess what?? Damned color
is exactly what I've been trying to get for years! Did a lot of
testing, tried to remember what it could have possibly been... no
luck..yet! I'll keep trying. I keep notes now. Mike Gordon
Vince Pitelka on sun 19 sep 10
Mel wrote:
"Know what you're are doing with the layers. Keep a simple tracking =3D
method.
You will often not have a clue when you open the kiln as to what has
happened if you do not `remember`. it becomes that moment of, 'What =3D
the
hell is this?' and then it cannot be repeated."
As Mike Gordon said, this is very good advice. I suppose the ultimate
example is the story of the Ming Dynasty potter in China who was
experimenting with oxides in glazes in a rather free-form manner, and =3D
when
he unloaded the next firing and cracked open the saggers, he came across =
=3D
a
large jar with a brilliant overall blood-red glaze. Overcome with
enthusiasm and ambition, he immediately took it to the palace, and was
quickly ushered in to see the emperor, who immediately elevated the =3D
lowly
potter to a place in the imperial pottery at Jingdezhen, assigning him =3D
the
ongoing creation of the red-glazed pottery. The potter went back to his
village and examined his notes, but could not figure out what he had =3D
done to
create the glaze. He immediately did a series of experiments, but after =
=3D
a
certain number of failures he finally gave up and hurled himself into =3D
the
firemouth of a hot kiln. So the moral is, "keep good notes so this =3D
doesn't
happen to you!"
Seriously, it is my suspicion that this is a fabricated "legend," =3D
because it
is well known that through Sung and Ming dynasties, the potter became a
chemist, carefully refining and weighing glaze material and keeping good
records in order to achieve reproducible results. The first solid-red
copper glazes resulted from mixing the copper into an appropriate glaze,
rather than the earlier effect where copper washes were painted over the
glaze, giving a fluctuating pink-red effect. It is hard to believe that =
=3D
the
Ming Dynasty potters responsible for discovering copper-red glazes =3D
(oxblood,
flamb=3DE9, sang-de-boeuf) weren't keeping accurate records. =3D20
I just tell my students that when it comes time for critique, if they =3D
cannot
tell the rest of us exactly what they did in decorating/glazing each =3D
piece,
the grade will suffer. =3D20
- Vince
Vince Pitelka
Appalachian Center for Craft
Tennessee Tech University
vpitelka@dtccom.net; wpitelka@tntech.edu=3D20
http://iweb.tntech.edu/wpitelka
| |
|
