Don Lyons on mon 18 oct 99
I need more room in my studio and so would like to sell, at a nominal
price, most of my collection of Ceramics Monthly. I have complete years
(10 issues/year) from 1977 to 1996, as well as many issues dating back
to 1972. I live in Lexington MA and would hope for a buyer in the Boston
area. If interested, please respond by e-mail to
lyons_d@umbsky.cc.umb.edu,or by phone (781-861-0449) and NOT by posting
on Clayart. Thanks.
Val on tue 21 mar 00
Does Ceramics Monthly have a website...I would like to subscribe to
this magazine....
Thanks
Val Mann w.w.
val@tlaz.com
Production Micrographics, Tweedsmuir Histories,& Newspaper dupes available.
London Ont. Canada 35mm & l6mm microfilming, supplies
Yesterday's Child Ceramics, bisque available
www.tlaz.com
icq #1592406
fax-(519) 649-1025,phone (519)649-0119
BE HAPPY...IT'S A WAY OF BEING WISE!
Patty Rau on wed 22 mar 00
> Does Ceramics Monthly have a website...I would like to subscribe to
> this magazine....
they sure do, and you can even order online:
http://www.ceramicsmonthly.org
patty rau
thropots@visi.com
Joyce Lee on wed 29 nov 00
Even if I am the last potter in the contiguous U.S. to receive my copy
of CM, it is definitely worth the wait. As usual, I stood at the mailbox
by the gate and read all that I could manage in the ferocious wind. Yes,
yes, David.... absolutely those plates and the colors are breathtaking.
(No more exciting than my Clayart plate collection, but truly refreshing
just the same.) Mel's article on achieving black shino inspired me once
again to go mix yet another vat of a different shino than the four I'm
already using. AND I loved his pots ... touched that shino valve in my
heart.
I'll leave something for others to talk about ... the bowls, for
example... ahhhhh lovely. And did you see that potter's super clean
studio???? Impressive all by itself.
Joyce
In the Mojave thinkin' the devil, or Somethin' with an Evil Eye, is
trying to knock the house down and come in and get me..... powerful
gusts goin' on out there.... I'm stayin' in here....
claybair on sat 29 dec 01
Like the new look....
Don't mind the new glued spine
Don't mind the thinner pages
But... is it my old eyes or is the font used smaller???
Gayle Bair- please pass the Hubble lenses reading glasses!
Bainbridge Island, WA
http://claybair.com
Tommy wrote>>
Did anyone else notice something different this month???
Gone is the old familiar stapled together spine, instead there is a flat
glued spine, like 99% of all other mags out there. Also thinner pages, will
these hold up to repeated thumbing with muddy hands??
Somehow these changes seem to offset the positive changes, such as more
colorful layouts etc.
Tommy Humphries...
who still misses the old paper envelopes from years past.
Jeff Tsai on mon 4 feb 02
Hi,
Thought I'd chime in late as always.
Read somewhere along the lines people saying things like, When I see a great
pot, I want to know how it was made, not an essay on the emotions of the
potter.
That's fine. I feel the same way a lot of times though I've always been
something of an experimenter who likes to find his own way toward an end
result. Enjoy the idea of figuring it out more than anything else.
What I've come to learn is that most people already ask "how did you do it."
It becomes a little boring at times. I bring home a piece that I made and my
friends and roommates all ask "how did you do it?" I explain again, even
though I've probably explained before to every person who has seen the piece,
but they almost never ask why I made the piece the way I did. Why I painted
such designs on the surface. Why it is that I have a certain set up for the
work. I'd understand why they wouldn't ask if I was a production potter
churning out 20 bowls in 20 minutes, but I usually am not (though I
occassionally enter that mode when my dishes begin disappearing)
I spend a lot of time on my work, and I think a lot of the people who get
published in CM: art potters, production potters, sculpture people, etc.
spend equal amounts of time on their work.
Some people look at their work from a technical aspect, and from these people
we get more technical and how to oriented articles, but is it wrong for a
sculpture artist or studio potter who spends hours or days on a piece to ask
people to think about and ask more about a piece than, "how did you make it?"
I wouldn't expect an author who wrote a book to only speak about whether s/he
"typed it or wrote it by hand?"
or a painter to only to speak about the kinds of paints and brushes s/he used?
Likewise, I don't expect a potter to only tell me how they cut V-shapes and
reattached and used such and such slip. Yeah, Even I get lost in the artspeak
of some of these people( I too have no background in art and its language),
but then I recall how rarely these people get to express this aspect of their
work. I (being self-involved and knowing that my world applies to everyone
elses) expect most of their friends ask only the same technical kinds of
questions. Maybe I struggle through the reading cause I feel bad and would
hope these people would likewise be interested if I tried to explain the why
of my work. Maybe it's because I'm genuinly interested and won't let their
incomprehensible writing stop me. Maybe its because I've been a ESL tutor and
am used to not understanding everything. Whatever it is, I read on.
I would love to have a forum where I got to speak about why and not just how
I made my work. Like everyone has mentioned already, there are other
technically oriented magazines, PMI and Clay Times among them. I like CM the
way it is.
-jeff
Joyce Lee on mon 4 feb 02
Kelly delineated precisely the differences between CM and other ceramic =
periodicals .... differences which are no doubt very purposeful in =
execution.
If someone requests names of pubs for potters/clay people, Ceramics =
Monthly is always the first that comes to my mind. When a new potter =
only wants to subscribe to one publication, CM is the one I recommend =
... for its broader, very contemporary perspective on the world of =
clay...... emphasis on "world." Read Clennell's post of yesterday where =
he writes of "old fogey" pots .... as seen by his students ... and their =
desire for the
brighter colors of low fire AND the durability of high or mid fire. They =
also want new young fogey forms (we're all fogies to somebody.). I do =
NOT see any of the potters on this list falling into the "old fogey" =
category ..... we're here, after all, seeking growth and change in our =
work. I do recognize, though, that there is a whole generation
who wants THEIR work to be different from OURS.... sound familiar? CM is =
for them, too ..... as well as for me..... and for most of you. It is =
what it is, as an old sage who is everybody's mentor, tells me often. =
What it is pleases me.
I've stated many times that PMI is perfect for someone at my level, =
though I'll continue to subscribe if I ever find that I already know all =
that can be found in a series of issues. I'm not anticipating such a =
happening anytime in the next decade, or my lifetime. As long as =
claybuds read the list, pick up on problem areas in "making pottery," =
and then write articles with pictures about methods to work around said =
problem ...
PMI will continue to be personally meaningful to most of us.... and thus =
to
thousands of other potters throughout the world.
Clay Times and Studio Potter are the other two publications that I take. =
I agree with the opinions already well expressed. They round out my =
current
readings.
Joyce
In the Mojave working with the wall furnace running .... working on =
bottles.... no idea why .... I don't even make a decent bottle ... =
didn't intend to make Bottles .... but there it is......
Kira-Umich on mon 4 nov 02
Hey there everyone.
We finally know what =8CFall=B9 means here in Ann Arbor- it got so cold so fast
that you walk outside and get pelted by the trees shedding their summer
clothes. Unfortunately, I=B9ve had the same problem with the latest Ceramics
Monthly. Every single one of the pages came away from the binding the firs=
t
time I opened it. Is anyone else having this problem?
Kira
Wearing a wool sweater for the first time this season, getting ready to ope=
n
a clay and print show at the U.
Judith S. Labovitz on mon 4 nov 02
I think a lot of us have...I emailed them, and they sent me another copy.
judy...also in Michigan.....brisk isn;t it?
At 08:52 AM 11/4/02 -0500, you wrote:
>Hey there everyone.
>
>We finally know what =8CFall=B9 means here in Ann Arbor- it got so cold so=
fast
>that you walk outside and get pelted by the trees shedding their summer
>clothes. Unfortunately, I=B9ve had the same problem with the latest=
Ceramics
>Monthly. Every single one of the pages came away from the binding the=
first
>time I opened it. Is anyone else having this problem?
>
>Kira
>Wearing a wool sweater for the first time this season, getting ready to=
open
>a clay and print show at the U.
>
>___________________________________________________________________________=
___
>Send postings to clayart@lsv.ceramics.org
>
>You may look at the archives for the list or change your subscription
>settings from http://www.ceramics.org/clayart/
>
>Moderator of the list is Mel Jacobson who may be reached at=20
>melpots@pclink.com.
Bacia Edelman on mon 4 nov 02
Phone or email the circulation editor. (one of the first
pages.) They replaced mine and so far it is hanging together.
Bacia
At 08:52 AM 11/04/2002 -0500, you wrote:
>Hey there everyone.
>
>We finally know what =8CFall=B9 means here in Ann Arbor- it got so cold so=
fast
>that you walk outside and get pelted by the trees shedding their summer
>clothes. Unfortunately, I=B9ve had the same problem with the latest=
Ceramics
>Monthly. Every single one of the pages came away from the binding the=
first
>time I opened it. Is anyone else having this problem?
>
>Kira
>Wearing a wool sweater for the first time this season, getting ready to=
open
>a clay and print show at the U.
>
>___________________________________________________________________________
___
>Send postings to clayart@lsv.ceramics.org
>
>You may look at the archives for the list or change your subscription
>settings from http://www.ceramics.org/clayart/
>
>Moderator of the list is Mel Jacobson who may be reached at
melpots@pclink.com.
>
Bacia Edelman Madison, Wisconsin
http://users.skynet.be/russel.fouts/bacia.htm
http://www.silverhawk5.com/edelman/index.html
Joyce Lee on mon 30 dec 02
I just received my copy a couple hours ago...... flipped
through from end to beginning fast, pausing here and
there at an unusual pot; lots of those ...... then
was going to put it aside for tomorrow ..... when I noted John
Nance's happily lengthy report on Tom and Elaine
Coleman.=20
Good job of reporting ...... did the Coleman's justice,
I think ..... and spectacular
pots! Their new glazes are far more than eye-candy.
Awe-inspiring is what they are.
I'm thankful that I squeezed in a workshop/class at
Tom's studio/school in Henderson before he decided
to go in another direction. AND that I'm awaiting
his Mud book to arrive from Branfman's Potters
Shop. Lucky one that I often am, since the new
version won't be ready for a spell, Steve had a few
copies of the original edition for ONLY $12.00 with
the various discounts he had going this month. I
ordered it, of course, plus a couple other titles. Can't
wait to glom on to those either.
Great way to begin
2003 ...... with CM at the ready and new clay books
in route. I've often been enthused about the many=20
journeys life has offered me ........ sometimes tempting
me down the path; other times capturing me and
dragging my feet along until the path was well worn and
I was willing to continue alone. There's nothing equal, in
my experience, to the present journey ...... that of a=20
dedicated potter.... pure joy. How fortunate we on this list are
to have clay in our lives....... and Clayart as a daily
guide ...... helping us map out where we're going
and who we are. Many of us believed we already knew
who we were..... precisely who we were ... and how
we got there ...... had=20
been working on our persons for a long time. =20
Clayart changed many of our self-perceptions as well
as the way we perceive others. Quite a bonus, eh?
Gush. Gush. BUT it's true and
I am grateful.
Joyce
In the Mojave where the westie bit off the nose of
her new fuzzy bear (designed for puppies), unbeknownst
to me, leaving the
computer room FULL of its filling, which I will now
need to pick up. Sigh.
artimater on fri 31 jan 03
I knew there was a reason to take the plastic cover off this month's =
CM.....There it was on page 88.....A serious suggestion about how you =
can use plastic bedpans after you leave the hospital to hold your =
throwing water....Best laugh I've had in months....Kinda shows you where =
they keep they heads I thinkHOHOHO....Yep, plastic vessels are not good =
enough for dogs but some people just lap 'em up....What a crock!
PAX,
Rush
"I only indulge when I've seen a snake, so I keep a supply of =
indulgences and snakes handy"
http://artimator.com
rush@artimator.com
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/texasceramics/
Artimator Galleries
2420 Briarwood Ln.
Carrollton, TX 75006
972-841-1857
Hendrix, Taylor J. on sun 2 feb 03
Arti,
I'm sorry but I don't think you could make a crock pot out of plastic.
Tell me if I'm wrong, but wouldn't it just melt?
Taylor, in Waco
-----Original Message-----
From: artimater [mailto:artimater@ATTBI.COM]
Sent: Friday, January 31, 2003 10:11 PM
To: CLAYART@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG
Subject: Ceramics Monthly
I knew there was a reason to take the plastic cover off this month's =
CM.....There it was on page 88.....A serious suggestion about how you =
can use plastic bedpans after you leave the hospital to hold your =
throwing water....Best laugh I've had in months....Kinda shows you where =
they keep they heads I thinkHOHOHO....Yep, plastic vessels are not good =
enough for dogs but some people just lap 'em up....What a crock!
...
Dupre Mr Marcy M on thu 6 feb 03
Hey, all Mudbuds,
Got home from work last night and found an envelope on the table containing
a Ceramics Monthly.
Woo-hoo! SNAG! R-I-I-I-P-P-P!!
Flipped the pages to see what pots might grab my eye and noticed an ad with
the header "Happy Holidays." Huh? What holiday? Presidents' Day? Not
with holly and tree decorations...
Check the cover.
Turns out the issue is December 2002. Thinking my mail may have been
delayed because of the local anthrax scare, I dug the envelope out of the
trash and checked the mail date--"1/31/2003."
Anyone else have a similar experience?
Tig
in soon-to-be-snowy Springfield
Sandy Cryer on thu 6 feb 03
In a message dated 2/6/2003 10:29:42 AM US Mountain Standard Time,
dupremm@MSTP.QUANTICO.USMC.MIL writes:
> Anyone else have a similar experience?
>
Yes, often if you subscribe to a magazine for a year, they start your
subscription by sending 1-3 old issues......usually ones you have already
purchased. I would call and complain.
Sandy
ranmcc on tue 11 feb 03
How long does it usually take to get a new subscription from Ceramics
Monthly?
Randy
South Carolina
logan johnson on sat 27 mar 04
My first thought was "is that a pile of broken fire bricks with kiln shmootz" (rhymes with books) Then the ideas started fast & furious....hmmmmmmmmm
Susan Fox-Hirschmann wrote:In a message dated 3/27/2004 7:08:12 AM Eastern Standard Time,
Potwork@AOL.COM writes:
<< My new CM arrived today. The featured object on the cover disturbed me a
great deal. Inside there were some marvelous "pots" that deserved to be
featured
on the cover. The cover "pot" looks like something I have in the corner of my
yard.
Anyone else have thoughts on the subject >>
Actually I thought the cover photo looked like the pile of cut clay piled up
on the pug mill reading for pugging!
Susan
Annandale, VA
______________________________________________________________________________
Send postings to clayart@lsv.ceramics.org
You may look at the archives for the list or change your subscription
settings from http://www.ceramics.org/clayart/
Moderator of the list is Mel Jacobson who may be reached at melpots@pclink.com.
Logan Johnson Audeo Studios
www.audeostudios.com
"Carpe Argillam!!"
Concepts in Clay on sat 27 mar 04
Here it is 1:20 am and I'm feeling brave for "mostly a lurker". I could be
stirring up a hornet's nest with this. Consider the hour. Not only witches come
out after midnight.
My new CM arrived today. The featured object on the cover disturbed me a
great deal. Inside there were some marvelous "pots" that deserved to be featured
on the cover. The cover "pot" looks like something I have in the corner of my
yard.
Anyone else have thoughts on the subject?
Bobbi in Central PA where it hit 80 degrees today... in March?
Ababi Sharon on sat 27 mar 04
Hello Bobbi
You should see the last Ceramic Review..
A potter did in the museum what I had done when I was a little kid but
unlike him I paid attention that there will not be any camera around!
Ababi Sharon
Glaze wizard
Kibbutz Shoval Israel
ababisha@shoval.org.il
http://ababi.active.co.il
http://www.matrix2000.co.nz/Matrix%20Demo/Ababi.htm
A fast link Ceramics forum in Hebrew:
http://www.botzpottery.co.il/kishurim.html
-----Original Message-----
From: Clayart [mailto:CLAYART@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG] On Behalf Of Concepts in
Clay
Sent: Saturday, March 27, 2004 8:29 AM
To: CLAYART@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG
Subject: Ceramics Monthly
Here it is 1:20 am and I'm feeling brave for "mostly a lurker". I could
be
stirring up a hornet's nest with this. Consider the hour. Not only
witches come
out after midnight.
My new CM arrived today. The featured object on the cover disturbed me a
great deal. Inside there were some marvelous "pots" that deserved to be
featured
on the cover. The cover "pot" looks like something I have in the corner
of my
yard.
Anyone else have thoughts on the subject?
Bobbi in Central PA where it hit 80 degrees today... in March?
________________________________________________________________________
______
Send postings to clayart@lsv.ceramics.org
You may look at the archives for the list or change your subscription
settings from http://www.ceramics.org/clayart/
Moderator of the list is Mel Jacobson who may be reached at
melpots@pclink.com.
pdp1@EARTHLINK.NET on sat 27 mar 04
Hi Bobbi,
It was 91 when I got home on Sunday eve the other day, from
the 'nceca'...quite a change from the cool sweet of
Indianapolis...
As for me, I am annoyed at any Magazine as presupposes or
indulges irresponsibly to it's readership, with a cover as
has any 'pictures' on it at all.
I have often wondered how it is that no publisher can give
enough credit to the prospective reader, that they shall or
might 'read' something as has a simple calm text cover? Or a
playful text cover, or even a colorful or clever text cover?
Even as Books once had, or may yet sometimes have, 'under'
the dust jacket...
We are not 'Babboons' afterall...even if publishers wish to
make us so, or suppose us so, or to be so, themselves... to
then presume or impose the example for other's interests,
or, to entice them.
But, as I do not subscribe to anything anyway...I do not get
to tell what the image was...so I am useless as for your
actual question...
If they elected to have a fun or earnest text cover, and got
rid of all them vulgar 'ads' as confuse for me the question
of WHAT the Magazine IS 'about' anyway, I might
subscribe...or I would in fact subscribe...
I told them so too, but they got that glassy-eyed way about
them...and just gazed over my head...
Oh well...
Phil
Las Vegas
----- Original Message -----
From: "Concepts in Clay"
> Here it is 1:20 am and I'm feeling brave for "mostly a
lurker". I could be
> stirring up a hornet's nest with this. Consider the hour.
Not only witches come
> out after midnight.
>
> My new CM arrived today. The featured object on the cover
disturbed me a
> great deal. Inside there were some marvelous "pots" that
deserved to be featured
> on the cover. The cover "pot" looks like something I have
in the corner of my
> yard.
>
> Anyone else have thoughts on the subject?
>
> Bobbi in Central PA where it hit 80 degrees today... in
March?
daniel on sat 27 mar 04
Hi Bobbi,
As weather reports seem to be the order of this thead :) It was raining
this morning in Belmont. Couple birds trying to dry out as it cleared. A
good morning.
To your point. I had pretty much decided to let my CM subs lapse and then I
received the final plea and a copy of the March 2004 CM which I assume is
the one you mean. I had just been down Carlsbad Caverns in NM recently and
this reminds a little of that. The article on the process of getting to that
piece was to me very interesting. In fact the issue had a number of articles
I found interesting, Dick Lehman's as an example, or the one on the pottery
in the Phillipines.
I dunno, I've seen worse and yes its off-putting at times. I tried out
ClayTimes a bit for a few issues and it varies too. Probably can't expect
that every thing in every issue will be what I want to read about. Of course
if it were so I'd never get any potting done.
In what may appear to be a blatant plug for those in my homeland one of the
best mags out there in my view is Ceramics Technical published in Oz. It is
alas only out twice yearly but the quality is very high and the advertising
is pretty much non-existent - I think only for some books they sell.
Advertising in CM can get out of hand but if the subs are to stay low
etc.etc. (BTW much as I love CT I have no connection with the publication -
it is apparently necessary to say this, in case my opinion was to have any
effect - never has before, well not positively anyway - used to be that you
could say what you wanted and people just ignored you. Ah the good ol' days.
Still happens to me :)
So no, not a hornets nest. I too wonder about the cover art of mags and the
fact that you often struggle to find a list of what's in the issue as Phil
points out - I don't know why the index is not the first thing after the
cover if there is to be no contents list on the cover. So there you have it,
a weather report, an opinion and an alternative. All in one mail !!! I think
its the impending workshop this afternoon :)
Thanx
D
David McBeth on sat 27 mar 04
I was going to go to the movies the other day but when I got to the
theatre I was stunned to discover that one of the six movies playing was
something I had no interest in seeing, so I drove on. I decided to go ou=
t
to dinner instead but one look at the menu told me the resturant had the
audacity to serve a few dishes I would never think of eating. So it was
off to the grocery store where I thought I'd find something to take home
and cook. Can you believe that my local grocery store actually sells foo=
d
I don't want to buy? And now I have learned that one of my trusted
friends, Ceramics Monthly, is a magazine that might not appeal to everyon=
e
all the time, and that they might even be trying to broaden my horizons.
What is this world coming to?
Carl Finch on sat 27 mar 04
At 01:28 AM 3/27/2004 -0500, Concepts in Clay wrote:
>My new CM arrived today. The featured object on the cover disturbed me a
>great deal. Inside there were some marvelous "pots" that deserved to be
>featured
>on the cover. The cover "pot" looks like something I have in the corner of my
>yard.
OK, I'll bite--what exactly DO you have in the corner of your yard?! ;-)
Bobbi, my first exposure to CM was over 30 years ago, and then, as now,
letters to the editor were very much like yours. Though often far less polite.
>Anyone else have thoughts on the subject?
My Dad did: "'There's no accounting for taste,' said the old woman, as she
kissed the cow." (circa 1950)
And so did ol' Annie Landers (about whether to stay in an unhappy
marriage): "Honey, decide whether you're better off with him or without him."
--Carl
in Medford, Oregon
Susan Fox-Hirschmann on sat 27 mar 04
In a message dated 3/27/2004 7:08:12 AM Eastern Standard Time,
Potwork@AOL.COM writes:
<< My new CM arrived today. The featured object on the cover disturbed me a
great deal. Inside there were some marvelous "pots" that deserved to be
featured
on the cover. The cover "pot" looks like something I have in the corner of my
yard.
Anyone else have thoughts on the subject >>
Actually I thought the cover photo looked like the pile of cut clay piled up
on the pug mill reading for pugging!
Susan
Annandale, VA
Paul Lewing on sat 27 mar 04
on 3/27/04 4:06 PM, Carl Finch at hozho@MINDSPRING.COM wrote:
>> Anyone else have thoughts on the subject?
>
> My Dad did: "'There's no accounting for taste,' said the old woman, as she
> kissed the cow." (circa 1950)
I wish I could remember the author of the quote I was continually reminded
of at NCECA, but here it is:
"In art, as in love, we are constantly amazed at the choices of others."
Paul Lewing, Seattle
sdr on sun 28 mar 04
David McBeth said:
I was going to go to the movies the other day but when I got to the
theatre ....one of the six movies ...had no interest in ......resturant had
the
audacity to serve ...dishes I would not.....eat...... What is this world
coming to?.....
I'm certainly glad someone finally brought this up!! It IS a disgrace
that there are so many things available in which I have no interest.
What a waste! There's no reason others can't conform to my tastes
and preferences - any reasonable person(s) would. As an example,
someone at NCECA (usually Vince - or maybe it's Ron Roy)
always wants to have sushi somewhere, when everyone should know
that I don't like it and see no need for it to be available. On an even
more practical note, I saw at the garden center literally hundreds of
seeds for vegetables and flowers that I don't need, won't use, and
are merely taking up space and interfering with my ability to find the
things that are actually useful to me. Wasted a good deal of my time.
I've written a harsh letter to Burpee and several other suppliers to
complain. I started to have second thoughts about it, but David's
experience has encouraged me to voice my annoyance with all this
clutter of alternative choices that simply take up unnecessary space
when I already KNOW what I need, want and like.
regards
Dannon Rhudy
Lee Love on mon 29 mar 04
sdr wrote:
>complain. I started to have second thoughts about it, but David's
>experience has encouraged me to voice my annoyance with all this
>clutter of alternative choices that simply take up unnecessary space
>when I already KNOW what I need, want and like.
>
>
Ceramics Monthly is a lot like ClayArt in its diversity. I am happy
to see pots on the front cover again, instead of glamor shots.
But maybe someday we will be able to get our magazines through a filter
like we use with our email. Keeping out the spam and sparing the
glaze recipes at whatever cone we don't fire at. It would help us
save trees and ink. ;-) Could subscribe to these magazines by
the word and numbers of photo and then resubscribe when we run out of
the alloted material. I'd pay extra for this.
-- Lee In Mashiko http://mashiko.us
John Britt on wed 31 mar 04
I love Ceramics Monthly. I get lots of other ceramics magazines but could
not live without CM.
John Britt
Linda Ferzoco on wed 31 mar 04
Hi Karen,
Please educate me as best you can in an email. I've seen pedantic work in CM, but I guess my eye is not so good, since I haven't seen anything I thought was terrible. Please elucidate. What do you mean by terrible? Lousy?
Thanks, Linda
karen gringhuis wrote:
- the real issue is the overall quality of
the work shown in Ceramics Monthly. Functional,
sculptural, vessel or whatever - much of it is flat
out TERRIBLE work. And no, it is NOT simply a matter
of "taste" as some posts have suggested. Lousy work is
lousy work, period.
Merrie Boerner on wed 31 mar 04
Write an article.
Send your slides.
Provide a solution.
Quality.
CM wants your work.
Everybody.
You can do it.
M
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John Britt on wed 31 mar 04
P.S. The cover is beautiful this month!
John Britt
karen gringhuis on wed 31 mar 04
Just catching up on ClayArt and have not seen the
current Ceramics Monthly cover but Bobbi's comment
raises a serious issue. The COVER is just the tip of
the iceberg - the real issue is the overall quality of
the work shown in Ceramics Monthly. Functional,
sculptural, vessel or whatever - much of it is flat
out TERRIBLE work. And no, it is NOT simply a matter
of "taste" as some posts have suggested. Lousy work is
lousy work, period.
In my opinion, personal but well-educated, Ceramics
Monthly has of late has shown more awful work than any
other magazine I see. (I rarely see Clay Times but
subscribe to both Australian magazines, suggested by
another Clayart post, and Ceramic Review.)
The reasons for this are probably many starting with
publication costs which drive editors to publish
almost anything sent to them for which they pay very
little. CM is not alone is this regard.
Another reason is the almost total absence of serious
critical thought and writing in the field of ceramics.
Much ceramic writing is self-written publicity. Other
articles simply make descriptive nice-nice -- god
forbid we should hurt anyone's feelings by saying what
we really think. Bobbi, maybe we should ask why did
your post NOT stir up a hornet's nest. Have we all
looked at mediocre work for so long we're just too
numb to tell the difference?
If the work pictured in CM truly reflects the quality
of work being done in this country, this is really
sad. If it only reflects work of the publicity savvy
and there is more good work out there which never gets
pictured, then this is sadder still because CM
represents American claywork to a large audience.
All of this recently came home to roost as a newbie
friend was copying a pot(?) seen in CM. Unbeknownst
to my friend, the pot was terrible. As I cringed, I
realized that I had given her the CM subscription for
Christmas. Next year, the gift will definitely be
Ceramic Review!!
-----------------------------
Date: Sat, 27 Mar 2004 01:28:46 EST
From: Concepts in Clay
Subject: Ceramics Monthly
Here it is 1:20 am and I'm feeling brave for "mostly a
lurker". I could be stirring up a hornet's nest with
this. Consider the hour. Not only witches come
out after midnight.
My new CM arrived today. The featured object on the
cover disturbed me a great deal. Inside there were
some marvelous "pots" that deserved to be featured
on the cover. The cover "pot" looks like something I
have in the corner of my yard.
Anyone else have thoughts on the subject?
Bobbi in Central PA where it hit 80 degrees today...
in March?
=====
Karen Gringhuis
KG Pottery
Box 607 Alfred NY 14802
__________________________________
Do you Yahoo!?
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Mildred Herot on thu 1 apr 04
Hi Lili: So nice to read your comments. I haven't read anything from you
recently and missed your insightful thoughts. Hope you are well and you
also be of good courage. Mildred Herot
----- Original Message -----
From: "Lili Krakowski"
To:
Sent: Thursday, April 01, 2004 7:17 PM
Subject: Ceramics Monthly
If you wanted something in a kiln ad, you might have sent your piece to the
kiln maker. A magazine is not in charge of selecting the art work for ads.
If you got a rude and mean reply, whoever wrote it--magazine, kiln maker, ad
agency, the janitor's kid brother is a rude and bad person, and that is
that.
As to CM itself. I have read it for I think every year of its life. Ups
and downs; great stuff; oh for pity's sake stuff. ALWAYS however NOW stuff.
I cannot claim to be happy with much of what is going on in the clay world
today. (See my CM "Comment" "Shrinkage" ). But there it is. But then, I
am not happy with what passes for fashion nowadays, I am not happy with a
lot of film these days, once swell general magazines are unreadable,
contemporary popular music is, to my mind, awful to the tenth degree. What
passes for social dancing passes understanding. So?
Be your own potter. Read CM as you would the daily paper. Bad news, good
news, boring news....
And also. Be fair. New editor. Hard place to be. Especially when you are
following some real greats. Wish the man luck. I think "his" issues have
been splendid.
Lili Krakowski
Be of good courage
____________________________________________________________________________
__
Send postings to clayart@lsv.ceramics.org
You may look at the archives for the list or change your subscription
settings from http://www.ceramics.org/clayart/
Moderator of the list is Mel Jacobson who may be reached at
melpots@pclink.com.
Dave Finkelnburg on thu 1 apr 04
Karen,
You have touched a nerve with me.
First, be warned that I have a conflict of interest -- I have written an
article that was printed in Ceramics Monthly (CM).
Your comment about "....the almost total absence of serious
> critical thought and writing in the field of ceramics...." has validity.
As you point out, the low pay for articles printed in ceramics magazines (CM
does pay better than any other American ceramics magazine I know of) tends
to attract stories with other motivations than the writer's income, like an
artist or gallery promoting some work. So that doesn't always bring the
best art forward, but rather the most aggressively represented. At least,
it doesn't tend to foster vigorous debate about ceramics, and we do need
that.
Still, your post has bashed the very hard work of a group of diligent,
dedicated editors and their staff. They have, I feel, produced a very good
product for a long time.
Respectfully,
Dave Finkelnburg, looking forward with interest to reading your,
" personal but well-educated," critical analysis of current American ceramic
art...
----- Original Message -----
From: "karen gringhuis"
To:
Sent: Wednesday, March 31, 2004 4:42 PM
> Just catching up on ClayArt and have not seen the
> current Ceramics Monthly cover but Bobbi's comment
> raises a serious issue. The COVER is just the tip of
> the iceberg - the real issue is the overall quality of
> the work shown in Ceramics Monthly.
Gene and Dolita Dohrman on thu 1 apr 04
I was just getting ready to send in an post stating:
If you didn't like last month's cover, get a load of this month's! Sorry
John, I don't think the cover is beautiful at all. The layout and
presentation is lovely, the subject matter is the issue. I have a real
problem with that kind of "art". But I certainly acknowledge that it is my
problem and only my opinion.
Dolita
dohrman@insightbb.com
Louisville, KY
----- Original Message -----
From: "John Britt"
To:
Sent: Wednesday, March 31, 2004 10:45 PM
Subject: Re: Ceramics Monthly
> P.S. The cover is beautiful this month!
>
> John Britt
>
>
____________________________________________________________________________
__
> Send postings to clayart@lsv.ceramics.org
>
> You may look at the archives for the list or change your subscription
> settings from http://www.ceramics.org/clayart/
>
> Moderator of the list is Mel Jacobson who may be reached at
melpots@pclink.com.
Jaqartstudio on thu 1 apr 04
Hello all commenting on CM, the cover work, etc.........
Considering all the ceramic publications most widely circulated in
North America, they each have a unique style and thankfully so. I can get a little something out of all of them.
I feel compelled to defend CM and some negative comments regarding the publication, without affiliation of course.
Dolita, and many others have expressed their opinions namely about the coverwork of the current CM. Dolita's statement that the
"subject matter is the issue" is very true and I add to that too, "it's
IN the issue"........
The hardest hit of negative opinion came from a comment that the person hadn't even seen the cover or picked up a CM for some time, but bitterly doused the publication!? I do not find it a
plausable opinion if someone hasn't at least looked past the cover
and into the body of the article to find out just what that work
maybe all about. Although the style of the work may not be
intriguing to everyone...the old, 'you can't make everybody happy
all the time' cliche. Or perhaps the style of the publication doesn't
suit that person's need. But is that a reason for discredit? I don't
think so. I find that the article(s) themselves usually contain
information that can be insightful and possibly an inspiration to
what I may be working on, or simply a spark to the imagination. It
can be as subtle as a texture achieved or the process of thought
that the article portrays about a particular style of work of that
artist/craftsman. Even if the work doesn't appeal to me.
The same discreditor stated that the articles were self-serving
marketing of worthless work for the benefit of the artist....or
something of that nature. That is also is false. In fact, I was
suprised to see Dorthy Joiner's article on Joe Bova's work (April 04). Although I do not think I'll be working on figures in context
of political jabs and droopy genitals, the work of this artist was
interesting. The suprise was that Dorthy Joiner was my Professor
of French and gave one hell of an Art History course. Don't see the subserviant intentions there. Haven't thought of her or thought
of using my French in more than 10 years......She moved on just
like I did, but glad to have run into her on the pages of CM, and to
hear her insight and intellegent critique once again. In light, I'm
glad I opened up that CM, and CT and PMI......and I take out what
I can use and move on.
Merci Boucoup!
( i think...)
Pamela
~jaq
Of all the publications most widely circulated in North America, they each have a unique style and
Gene and Dolita Dohrman wrote:
clip>John, I don't think the cover is beautiful at all. The layout and
presentation is lovely, the subject matter is the issue. I have a real
problem with that kind of "art". But I certainly acknowledge that it is myproblem and only my opinion.
____________________________________________________________________________
__
> Send postings to clayart@lsv.ceramics.org
>
> You may look at the archives for the list or change your subscription
> settings from http://www.ceramics.org/clayart/
>
> Moderator of the list is Mel Jacobson who may be reached at
melpots@pclink.com.
______________________________________________________________________________
Send postings to clayart@lsv.ceramics.org
You may look at the archives for the list or change your subscription
settings from http://www.ceramics.org/clayart/
Moderator of the list is Mel Jacobson who may be reached at melpots@pclink.com.
---------------------------------
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Hendrix, Taylor J. on thu 1 apr 04
Karen, Bobbi,
I don't take CM at the moment, but this is not the first, second, or
third time I have read this very criticism of CM. Apparently I have no
life because I have read through (not very carefully) all the CMs from
the 80s and 90s, and quite a few from the 70s. In every issue I made it
a point to read a few lines from each letter to the editor. I was
mostly looking for letters from ClayArters past and present (there are
quite a few btb) but often I would find myself reading a series of
letters expressing very much the same idea as you two are now
expressing. Often times I would back track so that I could see what all
the hubbub was about and almost always the cover was either a portrait
shot of an artist or some avant garde (or should that be en garde?)
piece, something unsettling, something more artsy than potsy, decidedly
non-functional.
Now I don't claim to have the sensibilities to know if what I am looking
at is truly something on the edge, something before its time, or if I am
looking at something better wired off into the reclaim. What is it we
want from CM though? Are we looking for definitive assessments or are
we looking to be let in on what is happening? Does CM pick safe,
'established' pieces for its cover or does it mix it up? When I read
those comments in the older CM I was often struck by the very strong
emotions that some of the covers evoked. Is that a bad thing? Must the
cover always be the best, the most long-legged of the pieces? I have no
idea. I just thought that you two would like to know that you are
participating in an old and honored tradition of CM. I sure hope people
weigh in on this thread.
Peace out,
Taylor, in Waco
-----Original Message-----
From: Clayart [mailto:CLAYART@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG] On Behalf Of karen
gringhuis
Sent: Wednesday, March 31, 2004 5:42 PM
To: CLAYART@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG
Subject: Ceramics Monthly
Just catching up on ClayArt and have not seen the
current Ceramics Monthly cover but Bobbi's comment
raises a serious issue. The COVER is just the tip of
the iceberg - the real issue is the overall quality of
the work shown in Ceramics Monthly. Functional,
sculptural, vessel or whatever - much of it is flat
out TERRIBLE work. And no, it is NOT simply a matter
of "taste" as some posts have suggested. Lousy work is
lousy work, period.
...
Lili Krakowski on thu 1 apr 04
If you wanted something in a kiln ad, you might have sent your piece to =
the kiln maker. A magazine is not in charge of selecting the art work =
for ads. If you got a rude and mean reply, whoever wrote it--magazine, =
kiln maker, ad agency, the janitor's kid brother is a rude and bad =
person, and that is that.
As to CM itself. I have read it for I think every year of its life. =
Ups and downs; great stuff; oh for pity's sake stuff. ALWAYS however =
NOW stuff. =20
I cannot claim to be happy with much of what is going on in the clay =
world today. (See my CM "Comment" "Shrinkage" ). But there it is. But =
then, I am not happy with what passes for fashion nowadays, I am not =
happy with a lot of film these days, once swell general magazines are =
unreadable, contemporary popular music is, to my mind, awful to the =
tenth degree. What passes for social dancing passes understanding. So?
Be your own potter. Read CM as you would the daily paper. Bad news, =
good news, boring news....
And also. Be fair. New editor. Hard place to be. Especially when you =
are following some real greats. Wish the man luck. I think "his" =
issues have been splendid. =20
Lili Krakowski
Be of good courage
Zoe Johnson on thu 1 apr 04
My kids love to sit down over dinner at IHOP and critique the latest issue
of CM showing me what shapes and glazes they like. It is sort of a family
ritual. They are both geologists (and automotive restorers) and they
thought the cover photo and it's associated article and pictures were quite
funny, especially since the piece and the artist's other pieces were
intended as a tribute to geologic forms. My daughter said the stuff looked
a lot more like broken bricks from an abandoned kiln than anything she has
come across geologically. My son who also does tech writing thought the
article was an excellent example of what he calls "art babble". They
thought the whole think was meant as an April Fool's joke, which seems to
occur in April issues of some science magazines (like Discover).
zoej
Jeff Tsai on thu 1 apr 04
So much to say about this topic after reading all those posts.
I still like ceramics monthly, but my favorite part is the upfront because it
usually has much more interesting work pictured and slightly higher quality
work, to me, than in the rest of the magazine.
I don't think the type of criticism in CM is ever going to change, after all,
it is a submission magazine. They don't send crtics out to review shows. and
why would anyone take the time to write an article about work they didn't
like. Obviously whoever is writing the articles about their or other people's work
are fans.
It might be refreshing to see some real criticism of the quality of some work
in CM, but I think it is up to those people who complain that doesn't occur
to do it.
As far as images are concerned and being rejected, I'm sorry to hear of the
rather harsh reply. I don't know whether your work is good, bad or
"professional." But I hope that hard words don't discourage you. However, if harsh replies
is their policy, so be it. I don't think it needs to be changed to be polite,
after all, many of the CM critics have not been all that kind in their
estimation of the quality of Ceramics Monthly. Harsh criticism is just part of the
game when we put our work on the line.
Lastly, a post making refernce to Ceramics Monthly said something about a
friend who was looking at a pot in the magazine and copying the pot. A great way
to learn as we all know. However, the author of the post was horrified by the
fact that the pot was...horrific. But why would your friend copy a horrific
pot? Didn't she like it? Was she blindly copying the pot simply because she
thought it must be good because it was printed on glossy paper? And if she did
like the pot, why is it horrifying that she would copy something she enjoys?
-jeff
Snail Scott on fri 2 apr 04
It's been observed, and rightly, that CM contains almost
no writing which might be called 'critical'. That's not
the role it's selected for itself. In this, it might be
compared to the local weekly paper here in Reno. In every
issue a local art show is featured, with descriptions of
the work and a few pictures of it, an interview with the
artist(s), and interesting background information. What's
seldom included is criticism of the work on display. (I
use that term in the appropriate sense, which refers to a
thoughtful analysis of the work, whether the conclusions
drawn are pro or con, both, or neither.)
In the Reno News and Review, such in-depth analysis is
not considered appropriate. Art reviews thus tend to be
more of the 'human interest' variety, combining travel-
guide-style suggestions of 'what to see this week' with
friendly personality profiles and a bit of boosterism.
The notion is that local art is a Good Thing to be
promoted, and we shouldn't run it down in print. If a
particular show is deemed substandard in some respect,
it's not described as such; it's simply not included.
The live-music reviews share the art-review format of
uncritically 'supporting our local talent'. (Curiously,
the live-theater reviews DO engage in genuine criticism,
much in the mode of the adjacent movie reviews. )
Local papers in bigger cities often do publish actual art
criticism. Why is that? Is it because the local 'scene'
is thriving, and that scene (much as with gardening) is
considered to be past the fertilizing phase and is ripe
for some judicious pruning? Or is the readership simply
larger, and presumed to contain more readers who are
genuinely interested in analysis, not just description?
General-interest art magazines like Art in America and
ArtForum do publish critical articles. They have a lot
of art to choose from, when the send a writer to do a
piece. They don't necessarily choose work because it's
judged (in advance) to be 'good' (though that may be the
case). More often, they choose their featured articles
based on some presumed 'importance' or interest to the
reader. Some famous person has a new show - is it up to
the standard of their prior work? A big museum sponsors
an exhibition - is it well-selected and worthwhile?
Ceramics Monthly has more in common with magazines like
Southwest Art. They have selected as their editorial
'turf' a narrow range of art, and they publish work
which is seen to advance that idiom. It's not a part
of their agenda to ask pointed questions about the work
at hand, but to display and promote it to the public.
We do discuss ceramics in a critical fashion amongst
ourselves, but seldom in print. Is ceramics simply 'not
ready for prime time', still in need of boosterism or
protection rather than awkward questions and opinions?
Do we feel assailed or oppressed, and try to hide our
issues from a larger audience? Or is the audience within
ceramics still so small that the sub-audience for critical
writing is too tiny to address at all, even in a widely-
read magazine? Is ceramics just a provincial, Reno-sized
town within the art world?
Critical evaluation does exist in print, (the article
in the winter 2003 Ceramics Art & Perception about
installations of multiples and their relationship to
the production pottery tradition comes to mind,) but
it's about as common as writing about ceramics in
general-art publications. Could it be a related
phenomenon? If critical writing about ceramic art were
better developed as field, would there be wider
understanding of ceramics as a category of art? Would
that level of criticality allow certain works and artists
to reach a wider audience?
Which city in Eastern Europe was it, where the Jews
demanded to keep the walls around their ghetto? There's
a certain feeling of comradeship and solidarity here in
out cozy clay ghetto, but the isolation from the larger
art world works both ways.
I like Ceramics Monthly and its format. It's fine, and
it does its self-selected job pretty well. And maybe it's
asking too much of current ceramics, to ask it to be
anything else.
-Snail
p.s. still haven't seen the current issue. I usually get
it just in time for discussion to be over! ;)
Judy Nelson-Moore on fri 2 apr 04
Are comments about Ceramics Monthly cover about the April 2004 issue? I
think you should know that some people (like me) found the cover photo
engaging, the article and the artist's work extremely interesting and
inspiring...more so than any article in CM for some time. Now, if you were
talking about, say, February 2004 cover, I would say: Well, that's not my
cup of tea, but maybe somebody finds it interesting...then I would go on to
open the magazine and find, as usual, several things of interest to me.
Judy
Judy Nelson-Moore
www.nelsonmoore.com/art
Lois Ruben Aronow on sat 3 apr 04
> It's been observed, and rightly, that CM contains almost no
> writing which might be called 'critical'. That's not the role
> it's selected for itself.
I agree with you, and enjoy CM, perhaps even more so with it's new format
and it's attention to a much wider range of work than was shown in the past
(more sculptural/less functional/techniques other than thrown). Love that.
As far as criticism, I really enjoy Ceramics Review for that. A high
quality magazine indeed, with the writing being as compelling as the work
featured in it. I have often though of Ceramics Monthly as the "how to" and
Ceramics Review as the "why". For me personally, I am more interested in
what the thought process of the artist as opposed to the methods used to
make the work. CM appears to me to be moving in that direction, and I'm
sure the quality of the writing will catch up.
Susan Setley on sun 4 apr 04
"Local papers in bigger cities often do publish actual art
criticism. Why is that? Is it because the local 'scene'
is thriving, and that scene (much as with gardening) is
considered to be past the fertilizing phase and is ripe
for some judicious pruning? Or is the readership simply
larger, and presumed to contain more readers who are
genuinely interested in analysis, not just description?
"
Speaking as someone who has done a little writing for both magazines and newspapers:
I suspect that with the newspapers, the issue is "How many people will read this column?" In a smaller circulation newspaper, there may not be a lot of people interested in ceramic art criticism or any kind of art criticism. In a newspaper with a wider distribution they will cater to a wider range of tastes.
As for magazines, each magazine defines its place in the market. Each magazine has to have a slightly different slant, something that makes it stand out from other magazines. Thus we have both PARENTING and MOTHER EARTH. Each magazine has its own approach and its own bias. This is also why we have POTTERY MAKING ILLUSTRATED. You know what you will find in that magazine, and it will be dfferent than a magazine that specializes in criticism. There's a place for both.
It's simply about marketing. A magazine that does not provide what a minimum number of readers and subscribers want will eventually go under.
wayneinkeywest on mon 5 apr 04
Took a minute to actually "look" at the latest copy of CM.
Usually, all I can manage time for is a quick skim through,
look at the pretty pictures, "oooh", "ahhh", on to the next
crisis...
But this time, with all the brouhaha about the cover, the
submission rejections, general kibbitzing going on onlist,
I thought to sit down with a cuppa, and take a good look.
May I call everyone's attention to the lower left hand
corner of page 94? Did YOU write that copy, Mel?
Thank you. 'Nuff said.
Wayne Seidl
PS: The cover is not my thing, per se, but it IS beautiful.
Look from _outside_ your own preferences.
Frank Gaydos on fri 6 aug 04
I recently placed for sale on EBAY a full year of Ceramics Monthly circa =
1953.
Does anyone know if this was the first year of publication?
I saw a 20 year index for CM from 1954- 1974!
Please answer off line. Thanks.
Frank Gaydos
"The artist represents the consciousness and memory of his times."
=20
-L=E1szl=F3 Moholy-Nagy =20
Robert Huskey on fri 6 aug 04
Frank , looks like that was the first year .
http://www.ceramicsmonthly.org/aboutcm.asp
Bob
Huskey --- Tallahassee, Fl.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Frank Gaydos"
To:
Sent: Friday, August 06, 2004 11:20 AM
Subject: Ceramics Monthly
I recently placed for sale on EBAY a full year of Ceramics Monthly circa
1953.
Does anyone know if this was the first year of publication?
I saw a 20 year index for CM from 1954- 1974!
Please answer off line. Thanks.
Frank Gaydos
Wallace Grundeman on sat 23 aug 08
I have a set of Ceramics Monthly from 1995 through 2007 that I am going to
toss unless some one wants to pick them up. Located in Dallas TX (roughly
Frankford and the Tollway)
e-mail me at wallgrun@sbcglobal.net if you want them
Wallace Grundeman
James and Sherron Bowen on sat 23 aug 08
If it was me I would sell them by the year on eBay.
JB
----- Original Message -----
From: "Wallace Grundeman"
To:
Sent: Saturday, August 23, 2008 10:46 AM
Subject: Ceramics Monthly
>I have a set of Ceramics Monthly from 1995 through 2007 that I am going to
> toss unless some one wants to pick them up. Located in Dallas TX (roughly
> Frankford and the Tollway)
> e-mail me at wallgrun@sbcglobal.net if you want them
>
> Wallace Grundeman
>
>
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