Michael McDowell on thu 21 may 98
Fellow Sufferers,
More than one of you have expressed great interest and support for this
daydream which appears to be whooshing it's way into reality at a pace that
literally frightens me. I'm so glad of that, for I'll be needing your
support and participation if it is to succeed. There are signs of some
thawing in our willingness to bare our souls, and reveal a little more of
our hearts' purposes in maintaining our multiform relationships with our
shared medium. I fully intend to be clipping these out of the digests I
receive to share with my students, should any materialize. I do hope that
the full spectrum of heartsongs be sung here, and I would like to invite
that any who feel reticent about so exposing themselves before the many be
so kind as to e-mail me privately and share what they feel so that I in turn
may relay that to my few, not many of whom do I expect to be claymakers
themselves.
The opportunity that presents itself to me to hold this class in a location
accessible to sufficient numbers of potential students to attract a minimum
of five or six does not allow for any "mess". Hence this will be a course
"hands on" only finished wares. The only class time available at this
location is Tuesday afternoon from 4 to 6:30 PM. This would not have been my
choice of hours if I had one, but it has caused me to focus on a "target
market" of women who shop for a life. There is no slight intended here, but
don't hesitate to communicate it if you detect one, for I believe I'll need
to expunge it from my being if there is any such trace. I see these
potential students as people who are in continuous exercise of their tastes.
Just as in my communication with you all here, I'll not be wanting to impose
a new set of tastes on them. Certainly I'll be revealing my tastes to them,
that will be part of the process I intend that we all partake of. But I hope
to be doing so in a spirit of simple honesty rather than "authority", just
as I'll be encouraging them to do each with all.
I just got the announcements (I'm not sure what to call these, too tiny for
"handbill" or "flyer" in my mind), done up on my laser printer four to a
page and 150 sheets copied at a local copy shop neatly cut up to make 600,
finished at 5 PM this evening. Half went to the facility, the Fairhaven
Working Art Center. The other half I'm planning to place myself. Given the
format and intent of the class I've been successful in placing them this
evening at a spectrum of locations around Fairhaven ranging through the
photo shop, the card and "knick knack" shop where I have my P.O. Box, a
paint it yourself ceramics and tea shop, a "fine art" gallery as well as the
expected venues where handmade pottery is sold. Now I know that I've already
lost some of you who had envisaged different manifestations than what you've
heard so far. In my mind I can hear a deep sigh over lost potential from
those. But let's face it, as things go in my life, this deserves still to be
a daydream. It may become a nightmare all too soon. Who knows? Let's all
learn what we can from this manifestation. Whatever the outcome I'll try to
share it with you as long as there is some interest current among you.
Perhaps a fatal flaw will be exposed to someone who can pick up the thread
and carry on experimenting. We must all be interested in furthering
appreciation of clay product, mustn't we?
I could go on at great lenth as I am wont to do (already have), but believe
it or not I am a believer in dialogue over diatribe. So I'll just append the
text of the announcement, in hopes that the conversion to plain text does
not make too big a jumble of it, and sign off for now...
Pottery Appreciation
A Class in Seminar Format
Led by Michael McDowell
Every person s taste is equally valid. Some people s tastes are more fully
informed.
This will be one of the central tenets of this class, which will explore the
world of pottery that is currently available in the marketplace. Questions
of utility, collectibility, quality and significance will all be explored in
a format where each participant will be required to do independent research
outside of class and make periodic presentations to the group. This class
will require significant effort from all participants. The payoff will be a
world of wealth you perhaps never imagined, at your very fingertips.
Fairhaven Working Art Center
1010 Harris St., Suite 101
phone 715-3099
Contact Michael at 384-2543
Class will be held Tuesday afternoons from 4 to 6:30 PM at a charge of $15
per session on a continuous enrollment basis in four week blocks.
I'm though for tonite...
Michael McDowell
Whatcom County, WA USA
http://www2.memes.com/mmpots
mmpots@memes.com
Barney Adams on sat 23 may 98
It's too bad this cant be presented through streaming video
across the net. Being for the most part self-taught, this
is a difficult aspect to garner from reading a book. If you
ever take this on the road as a workshop and can swing around
the Chicago area I'll sign up.
Barney
Michael McDowell on wed 27 may 98
Still at the stage of =22refining the vaporware=22 on this class. =
Unsurprisingly,
putting announcements around has not produced a flood of eager students
immediately. This hiatus can be most worthwhile to me as alternative methods=
and
concepts slowly (not all that slowly) crystallize.
Increasingly, I am getting the impression that the thread =22On Knowing the
potter...=22 offers much of value to my prospective students. If they are =
game for
it, I think there may be more than a few =22field trips=22 to view potters =
=22in
matrix=22. It still seems that the =22first assignment=22 to bring two =
pieces from
home, is firmly entrenched as =22a good start=22. But where do I go with =
that? These
pieces might be anything from slipcast figurines to wall mount =22art=22 =
pieces. How
do I begin to deal with that? I've pondered the question of how to frame
distinctions between different parts of the spectrum of clay work, without
imposing a hierarchy, ever since I became sensitive to the wide range of
=22heartsongs=22 being sung here on Clayart. Right now, I'm thinking I'll =
try to
present this to my students through an analogy to the field of music.
Music has many different genres. Rock, rap, jazz, blues, chamber, symphonic =
all
come quickly to mind, and these are further subdivided where greater =
interest
requires greater specificity, yet there is no necessary hierarchy thus =
created.
We claymakers could do well to better define a set of non-pejorative classes=
for
our work. The difficulty in keeping competitive exhibitions such as SFPN =
focused
on what they are looking for has much to do with our failure to distinguish =
such
meaningful classes of work. SFPN might get more submissions from potters if =
it
maintained separate divisions for =22Utilitarian=22 and =
=22Non-utilitarian=22 function.
Though I must say I don't care for the negative implication of the =
=22non=22.
Another similarity, or useful analogy, from music to clay, is the =
recognition
music gives to both composers and performers. Many utilitarian potters, for
instance, adhere so closely to a given tradition, yet interpret it so
beautifully, that they deserve our affirmation as artists, but we, many of =
us,
have a hard time giving it. Do we diminish Pavarotti for not writing his =
arias?
Michael McDowell
Whatcom County, WA USA
http://www2.memes.com/mmpots
mmpots=40memes.com
Barney Adams on thu 28 may 98
I think what causes so much difficulty is that the artform of clay
has much more freedom in breaking the rules. To learn the "art" one must
first learn some rules that establish a discipline. This discipline is
very important and I'm afraid many "artists" push this aside too early.
Once the disipline is achieved then the artist can invoke the last rule
"The are no rules."
I feel from my own personal appreciation of form, color, etc. that it was
having the discipline established or maybe just recognizing the
underlining discipline dispite it having no clear structure.
I dont know if it helps you out, but I have been looking at my own work
using what I know from drawing and painting. It is difficult to get a feel
for composition in the thrown pot area for me (partly because handles are a pain
Where does one start?
It would seem proper lighting would be crucial
not just to bring out shadow, but to take in the glaze color and texture.
Since I have yet to produce a glazed piece so would it be a good idea to place
a pot on the wheel, and have the wheel turn slowly? Maybe a banding wheel so
the pot is more at eye level? Even lighting? So far I can just say, "I like
the way the throwing ribs work with the form" or "The curve should have stopped
but I'm not looking at completed work only the earthware or bisque.
Barney
> ----------------------------Original message----------------------------
> Still at the stage of "refining the vaporware" on this class. Unsurprisingly,
> putting announcements around has not produced a flood of eager students
> immediately. This hiatus can be most worthwhile to me as alternative methods a
> concepts slowly (not all that slowly) crystallize.
>
> Increasingly, I am getting the impression that the thread "On Knowing the
> potter..." offers much of value to my prospective students. If they are game f
> it, I think there may be more than a few "field trips" to view potters "in
> matrix". It still seems that the "first assignment" to bring two pieces from
> home, is firmly entrenched as "a good start". But where do I go with that? The
> pieces might be anything from slipcast figurines to wall mount "art" pieces. H
> do I begin to deal with that? I've pondered the question of how to frame
> distinctions between different parts of the spectrum of clay work, without
> imposing a hierarchy, ever since I became sensitive to the wide range of
> "heartsongs" being sung here on Clayart. Right now, I'm thinking I'll try to
> present this to my students through an analogy to the field of music.
>
> Music has many different genres. Rock, rap, jazz, blues, chamber, symphonic al
> come quickly to mind, and these are further subdivided where greater interest
> requires greater specificity, yet there is no necessary hierarchy thus created
> We claymakers could do well to better define a set of non-pejorative classes f
> our work. The difficulty in keeping competitive exhibitions such as SFPN focus
> on what they are looking for has much to do with our failure to distinguish su
> meaningful classes of work. SFPN might get more submissions from potters if it
> maintained separate divisions for "Utilitarian" and "Non-utilitarian" function
> Though I must say I don't care for the negative implication of the "non".
>
> Another similarity, or useful analogy, from music to clay, is the recognition
> music gives to both composers and performers. Many utilitarian potters, for
> instance, adhere so closely to a given tradition, yet interpret it so
> beautifully, that they deserve our affirmation as artists, but we, many of us,
> have a hard time giving it. Do we diminish Pavarotti for not writing his arias
>
> Michael McDowell
> Whatcom County, WA USA
> http://www2.memes.com/mmpots
> mmpots@memes.com
>
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