Frank Reed on tue 4 may 99
In an article on p. 41 of the April 1999 issue of Ceramics Magazine, Jeff
Lawrence writes of an interview with Clint Swink about emulating the
techniques of ancient Anasazi potters. They made decorating brushes from
yucca leaves by soaking them for weeks in water, then scraping away the
fleshy substance leaving behind the natural fiber. Does anyone know which
varieties of yucca (there are many) are suitable for this purpose?
The article states that:
"The 'paint' is from an indigenous plant, Rocky Mountain Beeplant (cleome
serrulata), which Swink boils to reduce to sticky, aromatic, semisolid that
works quite effectively with yucca brushes." Does anyone know a source of
seeds for this plant?
- Frank Reed
--
Frank Reed
Scottsdale, AZ USA
June Perry on wed 5 may 99
I don't know if they have web site but there is a company called "Native
Seed Search" that may carry the seeds. You can get Cleome seeds and plants
from your local garden centers. I don't know though, if the commercial seeds
and plants will yield the same results.
Regards,
June
Todd Turek on wed 5 may 99
Frank- The yucca plant is usually the broadleaf yucca, but a local variety
should do.
BTW an excellent book on the Southwest as it pertains to clay & pots is "Dirt
for Making Things" by Janet Stoeppelmann, published by Northland Publishing.
ISBN 0-87358-599-2. One excerpt having to do with the "Maricopa Pottery
Manufacture" states in gathering and processing clay "1. Taste clay. If
salty, don't use." pg 89! That is for obvious reasons of burnishing and
firing, but it is still good advice.
Todd Turek
Frank Reed wrote:
>
> ----------------------------Original message----------------------------
> In an article on p. 41 of the April 1999 issue of Ceramics Magazine, Jeff
> Lawrence writes of an interview with Clint Swink about emulating the
> techniques of ancient Anasazi potters. They made decorating brushes from
> yucca leaves by soaking them for weeks in water, then scraping away the
> fleshy substance leaving behind the natural fiber. Does anyone know which
> varieties of yucca (there are many) are suitable for this purpose?
>
> The article states that:
>
> "The 'paint' is from an indigenous plant, Rocky Mountain Beeplant (cleome
> serrulata), which Swink boils to reduce to sticky, aromatic, semisolid that
> works quite effectively with yucca brushes." Does anyone know a source of
> seeds for this plant?
>
> - Frank Reed
>
> --
> Frank Reed
> Scottsdale, AZ USA
Norma Campbell on wed 5 may 99
Shucks, Mary Lewis Garcia had us chewing on the yucca plant to make our
brushes~~~nothing like watching a bunch of middle-aged white folks sitting
around, spitting yucca juice. Spitting is becoming a lost art.
Roger Korn on thu 6 may 99
Most any yucca seems to work. I learned to make these brushes by chewing
on the end until nothing was left but the fiber. Try it - you'll find
out why they call it "yucca"! Soaking in water with some ammonia or lye
(danger danger - toxic/caustic substances) then rinsing in water speeds
the process a lot. The more you soak the brush, the softer it becomes,
so the possibilities are everything from hard, stiff, texturing tools to
soft pin-striping tools. Just do it.
Roger Korn
McKay Creek Ceramics
North Plains, OR where it's about to start raining some more.
----------------------------Original message----------------------------
In an article on p. 41 of the April 1999 issue of Ceramics Magazine,
Jeff
Lawrence writes of an interview with Clint Swink about emulating the
techniques of ancient Anasazi potters. They made decorating brushes
from
yucca leaves by soaking them for weeks in water, then scraping away the
fleshy substance leaving behind the natural fiber. Does anyone know
which
varieties of yucca (there are many) are suitable for this purpose?
The article states that:
"The 'paint' is from an indigenous plant, Rocky Mountain Beeplant
(cleome
serrulata), which Swink boils to reduce to sticky, aromatic, semisolid
that
works quite effectively with yucca brushes." Does anyone know a source
of
seeds for this plant?
- Frank Reed
NakedClay@aol.com on thu 6 may 99
Hi Frank, and other fans of Yucca:
Some varieties of yucca are really difficult to propigate from seed. I don't
know if the variety listed on your post is one of these, but it might be best
to check with your local university botanical department.
The yucca varieties which are native to S. California deserts are propigated
solely by God. These are the ones which one finds locally (Mojave Desert):
Spanish Sword(also know as "Bayonette Plant"), Joshua Tree, and Mojave Yucca.
All of these have extremely sharp woody fronds (leaves), which can easily
gouge the skin (I know this by experience!). But alas, none of these can be
grown from seed, or even transplanted.
Please let me know if you want further information about yucca found in the
desert.
Milton NakedClay@AOL.COM
Yucca Valley, CA (Now you know where the town gets its name--the YV logo is a
big, blooming Spanish Sword Yucca!). The birds out here cherish the shelter
of the Joshua Tree, in the Oasis Garden.
Julie Jospe on thu 6 may 99
Frank
I have taken yucca leaves from Northern Arizona back to Mass and soaked them
and had my students peal away the rough fibers and use the brushes for their
pottery. They do not last too long, but they work beautifully. There is a
example of how to make the brushes in a viedo called Daughters of the Anasazi
by Lucy Lewis' daughters. They actually chew on the yucca getting it just
right.
Good Luck
Julie
Jeff Lawrence on fri 7 may 99
Frank Reed was asking about those brushes...
Hi Frank,
The yucca plants around here look a lot to me like those near Mesa Verde,
and are called yucca filamentosa (sp?). The same genus/species name is
used around here for both narrow and broad-leaf varieties. I seem to
recollect Clint uses both kinds.
Clint found out sunflower makes a good substitute for beeplant, but I don't
know about the domestic cleome species at the greenhouses. I'd say your
hands are tied -- you'll just have to visit Colorado! If it were me, I'd
spend some time near Cortez at Mesa Verde, maybe swing up for the bluegrass
fiesta in Telluride, and if you have time, cut over from Montrose to go
south to Lake City. You should probably spend at least a week in Lake City
looking for that beeplant, seeing if any is growing on any of the nearby
fourteeners or lurking along any of those incredible trout streams or old
mining trails. Who knows? maybe the trip is deductible.
Have fun,
Jeff
Jeff Lawrence
jml@sundagger.com
Sun Dagger Design
Rt. 1 Box 394L
Espanola, NM 87532
vox/fax 505-753-5913
Karen L. Cejka on fri 7 may 99
The yucca brushes we made in the Mary Lewis Garcia workshop last summer
were made of the shortish, skinny leafed yucca, NOT the broadleaf yucca.
I've tried the broadleaf and it just stays floppy when you dry it, not
stiff enough to make the brushes, nor does it have the same types of
fibers.
See Kenneth Chapman's "Pueblo Pottery Designs", pp. 12-13, where he
refers to "yucca glauca" as the type needed. ISBN 0-486-28476-X.
Chew the piece of yucca the length you want (3-4" for fine-line) and draw
between your clenched front teeth to get off all the green. (By the way,
green yucca is truly yukky; dried yucca tastes slightly better -- do this
outside cuz you'll spit a lot.) Take the flat edge of a knife and scape
the chewed end, getting off the rest of the green. Cut of the little
straggly fibers. Cutting in from the edge of the blade of yucca, cut
away the fibers on each side until you have enough fibers to make a line
of the desired thickness.
For a filler brush, chew about 1/2" of the yucca leaf. Follow the above
procedure through cutting off the little scraggly fibers, but don't cut
in from the edge. Instead, cut off the end at an angle so you can get
into corners.
You want the "handle" of the brush to be about 4" long. This stiffens up
as the yucca dries. Yucca brushes don't last forever, but longer than
you'd think. I love 'em.
Karen
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