mel jacobson on sat 28 may 11
as i age, my number of clay bodies and glazes
dwindle. i have never wanted multiple clay bodies
in my studio. it has taken me a half century of trial
and error to come up with a body that i love, and works
with all my glazes. high grog, dark iron bearing.
if i make a new glaze, it has to work on my standard
clay body. and that glaze would take some time to
make perfect.
in some cases, i will slather 1x4 porcelain on my pots as
a slip. that would be sort of under pete's red, or under a
mlb blue. only to make a white canvas for something.
i use porc slip under my black and white raku.
white raku glaze on iron bearing clay will turn pink.
makes one sick.
if i put out frying pans at my sale next weekend
folks would laugh, walk right past.
your clients should share your aesthetic and taste.
`good god mel, what in the hell are you making
frying pans for?...dopey. i will take that big platter
and three bowls.`..cash.
i am very pleased that folks are working with flameware.
if that is their choice, their aesthetic, good for them...i admire
that...i just don't want to mess with it.
i am often half crazed when i visit other clay studios and see
50 glaze buckets and three clay bodies in the work flow. how is
it ever going to get solved? make and switch, slather and fire.
it is just not my way of thinking..it takes hundreds of pots to make
a body and glaze work together with your personal style.
as tony eluded to the other day...often those big casseroles and sort of
huge cannot-functional pots are really just sit around, almost
sculptural pieces
are just that...to look at. same for huge platters. my god, they would ho=
ld
12 chickens. or, as i say...`if you have all of minnetonka for lunch, they
would work great`.
and, just a reminder...there is a huge difference between liability insuran=
ce
and `product liability` insurance. often folks think their home insurance
will cover a product they make...most often, not the case. and, in a court
of law....i think we as potters would lose. we make stuff for sale,
just a fact.
it is not a hobby. and, when you see bea harnish, going off to methodist
hospital, with burned legs from your broken casserole...no matter what
happened over the last years with that clay piece that you made...you
will have a very dry mouth.
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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