mel jacobson on thu 8 oct 98
thank you jonathan for that timely post.
many should read that, keep it, and re/read it.
and then do as you say.
many of us, that have taught for years, have gone
through the `impossible glaze syndrome`, over and over.
students will always find the most bizarre glazes in cm
and want to do them.........and will they listen to the teacher?
no.
simple, reliable glazes in combination, layers, slips, color......will
do the things that make great forms better.
mr. uchida said it often.........`too much makeup does not make
a woman beautiful. and just think, does a beautiful woman even
need makeup`? (remember, he was an old japanese man, sexist of
the first order, and used these analogies often.)
of course he is referring to form as the most important thing.
so, again, thank you jonathan for your letter.
and again i say.......electric firing is as noble and good as gas.
make your kiln work for you, make things that are suitable for you.
don't make an electric kiln be a reduction kiln.......that is not its purpose.
build a small reduction kiln if that is what you want.
very few people realize that in japan today, 1998, there are almost no
fuel fired kilns......pollution standards do not allow it. and the pots that
i see are wonderful.....they work within the system, and make it work,
and they use great science and glaze calculation.
fast firing.
i do not have any answer to the question of `how fast is fast`. bisque
is another story all together.......that is careful, slow in the early stages,
and many factors depend on results. i just know that i super dry my pots
on the previous bisque firing and do not have problems with breakage, and
i bisgue fire rather fast.
blue,
i hate raw blue pots. so, i, rather than make them, turn all of my blue
glazes into teal.
add some chrome to the cobalt, then use my base rhodes over a
deep blue underglaze of rhodes. the result is a rather nice, sellable,
blue/tinged with green.
makes me happy and i cannot keep the stuff on the shelf.
and everyone that comes to buy a wedding gift selects that same color.
it seems universal.
i am not going to argue with my customers. just keep making it.
farm,
had a wonderful pair of firings at the farm, new salt kiln.
it still works, 5 hours to cone 11.......
i have a great deal of traveling to do this and next month....will include
a trip to london, chicago, denver, northwest coast and the southwest.
busy time.
so/last post to clayart for some time.
good luck.
love, mel
http://www.pclink.com/melpots
| |
|
