mel jacobson on mon 21 feb 11
huge storm just breeezed through our area.
my apprentice could not get to my studio, so her pots
are half glazed. of course, my stuff has been ready for four days.
at least 14 inches of snow in my yard. and wind.
i told her: `better to wait. do things right, and we will have a good
fire.`
never push to fire your kiln. it is always a small disaster waiting
to bite you. poor weather...wait til clear.
it is the same for commission work, always build
in an extra ten days. just because. they can wait.
i have the same theory about over stacking your kiln.
leave some room, and those pots you cram in there will
probably not be racers, ever, and have to be thrown out, or
re/fired. better to wait for the next firing, and give them
room to fire in the kiln.
there is more and more evidence that over stacking, cramming
everything in, is not prudent, or ecological.
you want to fire for perfection, every time. no waste.
every potter works to a certain standard of excellence in their
pots. you work to your standard. i have found over the years
that prudent firing, good skill will always win over `hoping for
some good pots.` we all get surprises from time to time, but
over the long haul, it is the body of work that counts. and you
set that standard. as i said the other day, even my experiments
are never so far out there, that they cannot be on the sale table.
it is a very expensive, and waste riddled system that
strives for `the exotic only`. you would have to be a very
wealthy potter to be able to throw away 60 percent.
happy for you, if you can do that, and make a living.
but, don't tell me you are a `green, helper of mother, eco
wonder person.` you are the cause of the problem, not
the cure.
mel
from: minnetonka, mn
website: http://www.visi.com/~melpots/
clayart link: http://www.visi.com/~melpots/clayart.html
new book: http://www.21stcenturykilns.com
alternate: melpots7575@gmail.com
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