David Woof on mon 4 oct 10
Hi Vince=3D2C=3D20
Hi everyone=3D2C yes one must make sure the kitty litter is really clay=3D2=
C un=3D
less as you detail=3D3B one wishes the prospect of a timed release deterior=
at=3D
ing installation. =3D20
Good learning experience for the students though as long as none contaminat=
=3D
es the clay remix along with the occasional dreaded dose of sponges=3D2C pl=
as=3D
ter=3D2C parking lot sweepings...... which can include a two semester wail=
=3D2C=3D
cry and cuss while it all cycles out.
Also seeing a few posts responding to the Chicken Grit=3D2C and warnings ab=
ou=3D
t sea shells in the grit. Vince was specifically talking about chick grit m=
=3D
ade from grinding feldspar or granite and not the calcium enhanced grit sol=
=3D
d by some suppliers. good to pay attention to the warnings though.=3D20
The shells are of calcium compounds and included in some grit to help high =
=3D
egg producing hens keep up their supply of egg shell making material. Shel=
=3D
ls alone would not provide the hardness needed for efficient grinding of th=
=3D
e feed grains in the gizzard.=3D20
In fact the stone grit is needed to grind the shells as well as the food gr=
=3D
ains=3D2C bugs=3D2C mice=3D2C small snakes=3D2C pig poo and all the other u=
nmention=3D
able things that are ingested to create those delicious free range eggs=3D3=
B =3D
which FYI come out of a chickens feathered butt a long time before they com=
=3D
e out of a recyclable egg carton. Jee I offended someone I'm sure!!! But f=
=3D
olks if we are going to survive we have to tear down the facades and think =
=3D
real all the way to our lips and "down the hatch".=3D20
=3D20
Let's chew well and slowly as we contemplate our small but significant plac=
=3D
e in the grand scheme of interdependency.=3D20
After our last big flood that roared for days past and just below my studio=
=3D
subsided=3D2C I scooped up a pail of kitty litter size "grog" from a newly=
f=3D
ormed gravel bar and used this as grog in two four foot jars for the wood f=
=3D
ire.
=3D20
We have various forms of calcium deposits in the canyons and arroyos up riv=
=3D
er so=3D2C as I suspected and expected=3D2C after firing the lime pops bega=
n to=3D
crater these pieces. After sufficient time for new pops to subside I refir=
=3D
ed one with wood ash and salting which covered the naked craters. They are=
=3D
both permanent "installations" in a back corner of my extended yard. =3D20
=3D20
The hydroscopic energy developed by those little calcium balls=3D2C some im=
be=3D
dded deep in the vitrified clay is amazing and I include these pots in my f=
=3D
ield trips for the students and refer to them as a reference in subsequent =
=3D
discussions where I encourage trying exotic stuff in the clay.
=3D20
Re the chicken grit=3D3B along the Minn/Wisconsin border near Hudson there =
is=3D
a flint quarry and anyone interested can get flint/quartz chick=3D2C chick=
en=3D
=3D2C and finger nail size turkey grit for the intrepid from many of the Fa=
rm=3D
Co-ops in that part of the Upper M/West.
=3D20
David Woof... Clarkdale=3D2C Arizona..... Recently got word that Don Reitz =
an=3D
d ASU hace worked out the details and have announced their arrangment. Che=
=3D
ck ASU site for an upcoming wood firing class out at Don's. Plan to visit =
=3D
our Ceramics studio at Yavapai College=3D2C Verde Campus=3D2C and as always=
the=3D
welcome is out to visit and tour my kilns at David Woof Studios as well. =
=3D
Hot stuff is going on along the Rio Verde in Clarkdale. Don't want to ex=
=3D
clude or forget our friends from Jerome=3D2C Sedona=3D2C Camp Verde=3D2C Mc=
Guirev=3D
ille and all...... We have it going on. Come visit when you need a break f=
=3D
rom having your back pockets frozen to your skin. "We'll keep the light on=
=3D
for ya."
________________________________________________________________________
13a. Re: Discourse & "kitty"
Posted by: "Vince Pitelka" vpitelka@DTCCOM.NET=3D20
Date: Sat Oct 2=3D2C 2010 5:41 pm ((PDT))
David Woof wrote:
:Actually the non scented=3D2C fired clay=3D2C kitty litter( sold at your b=
ette=3D
r
Mega grocery malls) makes some mighty fine coarse grog for when you just
have to get your kitty paws on something slip covered and knarly.:
Hi David -
Be careful of that kitty litter. It is made out of any available absorbent
mineral=3D2C and sometimes it is chalk or a related porous calcium-carbonat=
e
material. I had a student at NDSU who bought a bag of kitty litter with the
intention of making some pieces with really gnarly grog. He wedged it into
the clay and threw a bunch of pots (I don't know how his hands survived).
We happened to unload the bisque-firing on a Friday=3D2C putting the wares =
on=3D
a
shelf=3D2C and no one was in over the weekend. By Monday morning=3D2C the c=
alci=3D
ned
chalk had absorbed enough atmospheric humidity to expand=3D2C and those bis=
qu=3D
ed
pieces simply disintegrated. Small sections of them were left on the
shelves=3D2C but radiating out from them over a radius of perhaps twenty fe=
et
was a diminishing concentration of small chunks of clay and calcined chalk.
It was pretty spectacular=3D2C and would make a great installation sculptur=
e.
Now=3D2C if you can get chicken grit=3D2C then it is usually granite or fel=
dspa=3D
r=3D2C
and works great as very coarse grog.
- Vince
=3D20
=3D
Neon-Cat on mon 4 oct 10
Hi all,
Since my humble beginnings three years ago I've used and love high
calcium native clays -- last year out of necessity because I was too
poor to buy the fixings to make standard clays. But I'm hooked now on
"my" clay and even though I could purchase real clay-fixings, I'm not
inclined to go mainstream "normal" now. The rather large white specks
in my work are old fossil shell inclusions. The stringers in native
volcanic ash glazes are high calcium. We sit on enormous beds of
limestone here in Central Texas and calcium carbonate is everywhere in
soils and clays. I'm about to begin messin' around with a mid-bank
clay that probably has 30% limestone -- it fires a nice, smooth
blue-blushed-white. Other clays are rough and have great texture
depending on how I sieve or flux them. These clays I dig have a long
range, from pit-fire temperatures to cone 10. I've only lost one piece
and that was way-back-when and I forgot to treat the clay. It is easy
and simple to make calcareous clays and additives limeblow and
lime-pop-proof. Early-on I learned a valuable trick from some of our
ancient native American potters through our friends in ceramic
archeology and my chemistry background told me the technique was a
winner. Shell and limestone temper was the technological rage during
one early North American pottery phase. All unglazed and unsealed
originals here are still doing fine after numerous tests inside and
out-of-doors. Other native cultures in Africa and Spain many, many
years ago have been documented to have used the same technique, too.
Had I listened to everyone telling me the clays would never work I'd
have made very few lovely works and had no fun at all.
'Never say never'
Who is Don Reitz?
And what exactly am I missing in Arizona?
Marian
aka, your loving list cat,
off to feed wee baby Devon Rex kittens and to teach them how to use
and sharpen their gloriously long, razor-sharp claws...
http://www.flickr.com/photos/neon-cat/
Randall Moody on tue 5 oct 10
He is also a great ceramic artist with a long list of great work and is in
numerous collections world wide. Don't miss the chance to see his work or
meet him.
On Tue, Oct 5, 2010 at 5:44 PM, Eric Hansen
wrote:
> Neon: Don Reitz was a guy who would phone home to his students to say
> he was returning to the studio long enough to fill and fire a kiln
> load he needed for an upcoming show. They would have the clay made up
> and the kiln empty and he would start throwing and stack the wet
> pieces directly into the kiln, when the last piece was loaded he
> started the firing - yes - with wet clay. The students would unload
> the kiln after the firing and ship to his showing, and he was gone,
> again.
>
> He also is a guy who got 86'ed by a Korean master potter for being
> drunk at a kiln site in Korea.
>
> - h a n s e n
>
>
> On Mon, Oct 4, 2010 at 4:46 PM, Neon-Cat wrote=
:
> > Hi all,
> >
> > Since my humble beginnings three years ago I've used and love high
> > calcium native clays -- last year out of necessity because I was too
> > poor to buy the fixings to make standard clays. But I'm hooked now on
> > "my" clay and even though I could purchase real clay-fixings, I'm not
> > inclined to go mainstream "normal" now. The rather large white specks
> > in my work are old fossil shell inclusions. The stringers in native
> > volcanic ash glazes are high calcium. We sit on enormous beds of
> > limestone here in Central Texas and calcium carbonate is everywhere in
> > soils and clays. I'm about to begin messin' around with a mid-bank
> > clay that probably has 30% limestone -- it fires a nice, smooth
> > blue-blushed-white. Other clays are rough and have great texture
> > depending on how I sieve or flux them. These clays I dig have a long
> > range, from pit-fire temperatures to cone 10. I've only lost one piece
> > and that was way-back-when and I forgot to treat the clay. It is easy
> > and simple to make calcareous clays and additives limeblow and
> > lime-pop-proof. Early-on I learned a valuable trick from some of our
> > ancient native American potters through our friends in ceramic
> > archeology and my chemistry background told me the technique was a
> > winner. Shell and limestone temper was the technological rage during
> > one early North American pottery phase. All unglazed and unsealed
> > originals here are still doing fine after numerous tests inside and
> > out-of-doors. Other native cultures in Africa and Spain many, many
> > years ago have been documented to have used the same technique, too.
> > Had I listened to everyone telling me the clays would never work I'd
> > have made very few lovely works and had no fun at all.
> >
> > 'Never say never'
> >
> > Who is Don Reitz?
> > And what exactly am I missing in Arizona?
> >
> > Marian
> > aka, your loving list cat,
> > off to feed wee baby Devon Rex kittens and to teach them how to use
> > and sharpen their gloriously long, razor-sharp claws...
> > http://www.flickr.com/photos/neon-cat/
> >
>
>
>
> --
> Eric Alan Hansen
> Stonehouse Studio Pottery
> Alexandria, Virginia
> americanpotter.blogspot.com
> thesuddenschool.blogspot.com
> hansencookbook.blogspot.com
> "To me, human life in all its forms, individual and aggregate, is a
> perpetual wonder: the flora of the earth and sea is full of beauty and
> of mystery which seeks science to understand; the fauna of land and
> ocean is not less wonderful; the world which holds them both, and the
> great universe that folds it in on everyside, are still more
> wonderful, complex, and attractive to the contemplating mind." -
> Theodore Parker, minister, transcendentalist, abolitionist (1810-1860)
>
--
Randall in Atlanta
http://wrandallmoody.com
Jeff Jeff on tue 5 oct 10
Eric,
Any reason for your disparaging comments about Don?
You sound bitter about something.
I attended Madison and spent a semester in Don's class. I didn't hear such
negative comments when I was there.
Jeff Longtin
Minneapolis
In a message dated 10/5/2010 7:42:44 P.M. Central Daylight Time,
eric.hambone.hansen@GMAIL.COM writes:
Neon: Don Reitz was a guy who would phone home to his students to say
he was returning to the studio long enough to fill and fire a kiln
load he needed for an upcoming show. They would have the clay made up
and the kiln empty and he would start throwing and stack the wet
pieces directly into the kiln, when the last piece was loaded he
started the firing - yes - with wet clay. The students would unload
the kiln after the firing and ship to his showing, and he was gone,
again.
He also is a guy who got 86'ed by a Korean master potter for being
drunk at a kiln site in Korea.
- h a n s e n
On Mon, Oct 4, 2010 at 4:46 PM, Neon-Cat wrote:
> Hi all,
>
> Since my humble beginnings three years ago I've used and love high
> calcium native clays -- last year out of necessity because I was too
> poor to buy the fixings to make standard clays. But I'm hooked now on
> "my" clay and even though I could purchase real clay-fixings, I'm not
> inclined to go mainstream "normal" now. The rather large white specks
> in my work are old fossil shell inclusions. The stringers in native
> volcanic ash glazes are high calcium. We sit on enormous beds of
> limestone here in Central Texas and calcium carbonate is everywhere in
> soils and clays. I'm about to begin messin' around with a mid-bank
> clay that probably has 30% limestone -- it fires a nice, smooth
> blue-blushed-white. Other clays are rough and have great texture
> depending on how I sieve or flux them. These clays I dig have a long
> range, from pit-fire temperatures to cone 10. I've only lost one piece
> and that was way-back-when and I forgot to treat the clay. It is easy
> and simple to make calcareous clays and additives limeblow and
> lime-pop-proof. Early-on I learned a valuable trick from some of our
> ancient native American potters through our friends in ceramic
> archeology and my chemistry background told me the technique was a
> winner. Shell and limestone temper was the technological rage during
> one early North American pottery phase. All unglazed and unsealed
> originals here are still doing fine after numerous tests inside and
> out-of-doors. Other native cultures in Africa and Spain many, many
> years ago have been documented to have used the same technique, too.
> Had I listened to everyone telling me the clays would never work I'd
> have made very few lovely works and had no fun at all.
>
> 'Never say never'
>
> Who is Don Reitz?
> And what exactly am I missing in Arizona?
>
> Marian
> aka, your loving list cat,
> off to feed wee baby Devon Rex kittens and to teach them how to use
> and sharpen their gloriously long, razor-sharp claws...
> http://www.flickr.com/photos/neon-cat/
>
--
Eric Alan Hansen
Stonehouse Studio Pottery
Alexandria, Virginia
americanpotter.blogspot.com
thesuddenschool.blogspot.com
hansencookbook.blogspot.com
"To me, human life in all its forms, individual and aggregate, is a
perpetual wonder: the flora of the earth and sea is full of beauty and
of mystery which seeks science to understand; the fauna of land and
ocean is not less wonderful; the world which holds them both, and the
great universe that folds it in on everyside, are still more
wonderful, complex, and attractive to the contemplating mind." -
Theodore Parker, minister, transcendentalist, abolitionist (1810-1860)
Eric Hansen on tue 5 oct 10
Neon: Don Reitz was a guy who would phone home to his students to say
he was returning to the studio long enough to fill and fire a kiln
load he needed for an upcoming show. They would have the clay made up
and the kiln empty and he would start throwing and stack the wet
pieces directly into the kiln, when the last piece was loaded he
started the firing - yes - with wet clay. The students would unload
the kiln after the firing and ship to his showing, and he was gone,
again.
He also is a guy who got 86'ed by a Korean master potter for being
drunk at a kiln site in Korea.
- h a n s e n
On Mon, Oct 4, 2010 at 4:46 PM, Neon-Cat wrote:
> Hi all,
>
> Since my humble beginnings three years ago I've used and love high
> calcium native clays -- last year out of necessity because I was too
> poor to buy the fixings to make standard clays. But I'm hooked now on
> "my" clay and even though I could purchase real clay-fixings, I'm not
> inclined to go mainstream "normal" now. The rather large white specks
> in my work are old fossil shell inclusions. The stringers in native
> volcanic ash glazes are high calcium. We sit on enormous beds of
> limestone here in Central Texas and calcium carbonate is everywhere in
> soils and clays. I'm about to begin messin' around with a mid-bank
> clay that probably has 30% limestone -- it fires a nice, smooth
> blue-blushed-white. Other clays are rough and have great texture
> depending on how I sieve or flux them. These clays I dig have a long
> range, from pit-fire temperatures to cone 10. I've only lost one piece
> and that was way-back-when and I forgot to treat the clay. It is easy
> and simple to make calcareous clays and additives limeblow and
> lime-pop-proof. Early-on I learned a valuable trick from some of our
> ancient native American potters through our friends in ceramic
> archeology and my chemistry background told me the technique was a
> winner. Shell and limestone temper was the technological rage during
> one early North American pottery phase. All unglazed and unsealed
> originals here are still doing fine after numerous tests inside and
> out-of-doors. Other native cultures in Africa and Spain many, many
> years ago have been documented to have used the same technique, too.
> Had I listened to everyone telling me the clays would never work I'd
> have made very few lovely works and had no fun at all.
>
> 'Never say never'
>
> Who is Don Reitz?
> And what exactly am I missing in Arizona?
>
> Marian
> aka, your loving list cat,
> off to feed wee baby Devon Rex kittens and to teach them how to use
> and sharpen their gloriously long, razor-sharp claws...
> http://www.flickr.com/photos/neon-cat/
>
--
Eric Alan Hansen
Stonehouse Studio Pottery
Alexandria, Virginia
americanpotter.blogspot.com
thesuddenschool.blogspot.com
hansencookbook.blogspot.com
"To me, human life in all its forms, individual and aggregate, is a
perpetual wonder: the flora of the earth and sea is full of beauty and
of mystery which seeks science to understand; the fauna of land and
ocean is not less wonderful; the world which holds them both, and the
great universe that folds it in on everyside, are still more
wonderful, complex, and attractive to the contemplating mind." -
Theodore Parker, minister, transcendentalist, abolitionist (1810-1860)
Neon-Cat on wed 6 oct 10
Thanks, Eric, for your candid note. As a former drinker (sober over 24
years now) I actually like drinkers if they are not too far gone and
messed up. Drinkers can be creative and interesting people (something
that doesn't change should they one day stop.)
Re moderation -- of the list -- words and male silliness don't offend
me in the least. I'll just read and delete (and under-my-breath may
exclaim some version of "f_cker!" while deleting), but in a way I
think it is good, especially for women, to be able to learn all kinds
of stuff about those on clayart and in our pottery community from some
of the more off-the-wall posts folks send in.
I am not completely happy with the image I project on-list when in the
science niche -- that's a very small part of me and leaves little room
for me to be me -- it affords about as much leeway and levity as
multiplication tables.
I asked about Don R. because he'll be in Tx (or may already have been
and gone). It is a bit of a ride from here to there but someone asked
me if I'd like to ride with them. I can Google an artist or potter but
it doesn't give me any personal sense of someone or the quality of
their workshops. But no big deal. Many old timers seem to think newer
folks ought to just know who they are or who someone else is. How the
heck should I know if someone is "famous" or not? Fame, as most people
seem to think of it, is not something I am much into anyway...
Now for a news flash -- re calcium carb in clay or additives -- salt
to taste for a complete fix.
Works like a charm.
Marian
neoncat
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