mel jacobson on tue 28 feb 12
there was a line i gave to my students.
`if you make one pot a semester you may not
like it in the end. if you make 100 pots a semester
i bet you will find several that you really like, and
so will the rest of the class like those pieces`.
if you play one round of golf a year, and it is a bad
round, it is memorable. if you play 20 rounds of
golf a year...there will sure be one round that stands
out.
i am trying to show my apprentice that a `body of work`
is what she is trying to accomplish, not a couple of great
pots.
i have added shelves to a room in my basement. it is just for
pots that i have found to be `special`. there are boxes
of pots that i have hidden away for my grandchildren to
own when they are adults. my choice. no one else can pick those
out for me. it is my choice. but then, i make thousands of
pots...i sure can find a few that are really nice. and, of course
like many of you...i have a really good critic that looks over my
shoulder every time i open a kiln. `WIFE`. and, the words
are never pc.
in most cases, if you are a working potter, you will have some
serious ideas how they should look, fire and be memorable.
it is not guess work, it is skill and artistic decisions.
it should not be hope and accident. it should be predictable to
a degree.
tony is on a new track. everything has changed...but a couple of great
gifts remain...his years of experience and a perfect partner that
shares that experience and gift of predictability. they will make
great pots at any temperature, in any kiln.
that is very predictable.
mel
it is joyful to open kilns full of pots at hay creek. a gang stands
around the tables and starts to point....`that one, that one, how
about this one?` we all know the good ones...no question about
it. and, what is amazing...never arguments. we will miss kurt
saying....`now that is a great pot.` and, he was always right.
http://www.visi.com/~melpots/
clayart page below:
http://www.visi.com/~melpots/clayart.html
Dannon Rhudy on tue 28 feb 12
I am reminded of those who are unhappy because
they "only" fire to cone 6, oxidation. There's
lots of ways to make excellent work at any temperature.
Indeed, in this issue of Ceramics Monthly there is
some gorgeous functional work by Steven Hill; he's
experimenting (key word). I've not read the whole
magazine yet, but I believe I also noted an ad with
some stunning work by Tom Turner, electric fired.
Back page of mag, I think.
As Mel said in an earlier post, if you make a lot
your chances of making good just grow. As your work
increases, your ideas of "good" and what you "love"
will change too. Ceramics is no different than any
other work: it changes and grows, you change and
grow, magic happens.
regards
Dannon Rhudy
Lee on tue 28 feb 12
"It is better to have a better eye than skill, than it is to have a
better skill than an eye." --Clay Mudman
When you can perceive what is good or bad, you can always improve.
If you have good skill, but a weak eye, you have to either copy good
work or be guided by someone who knows the difference.
If your eye is better than your skill, it is difficult to be
happy with your work. You are always aiming for better in the next
firing. It cracks you up when you hear someone say, "I just fired
a kiln full of racers." You always gotta think "are their
standards that low or are they really the creative genius they are in
their own minds?" :^)
--
=3DA0Lee Love in Minneapolis
http://mingeisota.blogspot.com/
=3DA0"Ta tIr na n-=3DF3g ar chul an tI=3D97tIr dlainn trina ch=3DE9ile"=3D9=
7that is, =3D
"The
land of eternal youth is behind the house, a beautiful land fluent
within itself." -- John O'Donohue
Taylor Hendrix on wed 29 feb 12
I think that as craftspeople, our "eye" and our "skill" continually
swap the lead in this race towards whatever it is we are racing. One
moment we possess the skills to make adequate pots yet fail to see
their flaws, the next moment our eyes are opened to all the
shortcomings of our latest production. Which is preferable oblivion or
omniscience?
Hee haw the seesaw, I need a drink.
Taylor, in Rockport TX
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On Tue, Feb 28, 2012 at 2:38 PM, Lee wrote:
> "It is better to have a better eye than skill, than it is to have a
> better skill than an eye." --Clay Mudman
>
> When you can perceive what is good or bad, you can always improve.
> If you have good skill, but a weak eye, you have to either copy good
> work or be guided by someone who knows the difference.
...
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