mel jacobson on mon 14 feb 00
potters, crafts people have a big advantage in our world.
we have thousands of years of examples of really good
work to look at.
i know, many feel that this is a disadvantage, and we should
reject it...make our own things, have new thoughts, make
our own history. but, without question, we have history if
we chose to use it.
when living and working in japan, mr. uchida would call me into
his office every day. we would sorta talk, look at pictures of
pots from the hundreds of books and periodicals that he had.
one entire wall of books and magazines. he received almost
every day, a magazine of pottery, from someplace in the world.
he subscribed, i believe, to every ceramics magazine in the world.
every evening he would tell me to go home and make a drawing of
a new pot. `smart american boy, do something new`.
i did that, every day. one drawing of a new pot, i thought.
i would bring in the drawing, set it on his desk.
at some point he would yell, `melsan, come`.
i would clean the clay off, wander into his office.
he would have the drawing, doing a `tsk, tsk, tsk`.
reach behind him. grab a book, thumb through it...open
it....and there would be the pot. the exact pot.
he would say `nothing new, nothing new`, laugh like hell.
did it every day.
this daily lesson was one of the best and most important
things i learned in japan.
it was a daily reminder, `we ain't so smart`.
the best reminder that potters have, is that we belong to a
long string of brothers and sisters that have made pots since
the beginning of time. it is that long history that makes us
better. it is important to look at that work. study.
remind ourselves that it is simple fire, simple earth, simple water
that makes pots, along with simple people. no sense getting all
puffed up, pretend genius. just put yourself back about a 1,000 years.
no computer, no scales, no electricity, just you, the clay you find, and
a tumble of homemade bricks....how good would you be?
`hey, thang, don't we have natural gas, propane, electricity?
where do we plug this thing in?` `oh, we use this cow dung and wood`.
well, ok.`
think of not having a recipe book, stuffed with the best formulas in the
world. think of not having continental clay, highwater, b mix.
`my god thang, we have to dig our own clay? and what do we do for blue?`
i do remember how excited i was when `clay and glazes for the potter` came
out, dan rhodes, a real book. glenn nelson's book was next...still is a
great one. also remember sharlene saying after a bad firing, ` better call
warren, get some answers....and i said, `i will never learn if he has to
give me the answers to `my` pots`...and did not call.
shaner's story last month has gotten me thinking a great deal.
things were simple, complex. he was simple, not arrogant, not all
puffed up...he liked pots, yet his work had a magical, his very own quality.
i really admire that.
getting ready for nceca each year reminds me of how we all get where
we are going....just a step at a time. one pot at time....and how if
we give away our secrets, we get ten new ones in return.
mel/mn
http://www.pclink.com/melpots (website)
from minnetonka, minnesota, u.s.a.
AKitchens on tue 15 feb 00
Thank you Mel for the proper perspective on clay, art and life.
I'm posting this to remind myself daily.
Nan
mel jacobson wrote:
> ----------------------------Original
> message----------------------------
> potters, crafts people have a big advantage in our world.
> we have thousands of years of examples of really good
> work to look at.
>
> i know, many feel that this is a disadvantage, and we should
> reject it...make our own things, have new thoughts, make
> our own history. but, without question, we have history if
> we chose to use it.
>
> when living and working in japan, mr. uchida would call me into
> his office every day. we would sorta talk, look at pictures of
> pots from the hundreds of books and periodicals that he had.
> one entire wall of books and magazines. he received almost
> every day, a magazine of pottery, from someplace in the world.
> he subscribed, i believe, to every ceramics magazine in the world.
>
> every evening he would tell me to go home and make a drawing of
> a new pot. `smart american boy, do something new`.
> i did that, every day. one drawing of a new pot, i thought.
>
> i would bring in the drawing, set it on his desk.
> at some point he would yell, `melsan, come`.
> i would clean the clay off, wander into his office.
> he would have the drawing, doing a `tsk, tsk, tsk`.
> reach behind him. grab a book, thumb through it...open
> it....and there would be the pot. the exact pot.
> he would say `nothing new, nothing new`, laugh like hell.
> did it every day.
>
> this daily lesson was one of the best and most important
> things i learned in japan.
> it was a daily reminder, `we ain't so smart`.
>
> the best reminder that potters have, is that we belong to a
> long string of brothers and sisters that have made pots since
> the beginning of time. it is that long history that makes us
> better. it is important to look at that work. study.
>
> remind ourselves that it is simple fire, simple earth, simple water
> that makes pots, along with simple people. no sense getting all
> puffed up, pretend genius. just put yourself back about a 1,000
> years.
> no computer, no scales, no electricity, just you, the clay you find,
> and
> a tumble of homemade bricks....how good would you be?
> `hey, thang, don't we have natural gas, propane, electricity?
> where do we plug this thing in?` `oh, we use this cow dung and
> wood`.
> well, ok.`
>
> think of not having a recipe book, stuffed with the best formulas in
> the
> world. think of not having continental clay, highwater, b mix.
> `my god thang, we have to dig our own clay? and what do we do for
> blue?`
>
> i do remember how excited i was when `clay and glazes for the potter`
> came
> out, dan rhodes, a real book. glenn nelson's book was next...still is
> a
> great one. also remember sharlene saying after a bad firing, ` better
> call
> warren, get some answers....and i said, `i will never learn if he has
> to
> give me the answers to `my` pots`...and did not call.
>
> shaner's story last month has gotten me thinking a great deal.
> things were simple, complex. he was simple, not arrogant, not all
> puffed up...he liked pots, yet his work had a magical, his very own
> quality.
> i really admire that.
>
> getting ready for nceca each year reminds me of how we all get where
> we are going....just a step at a time. one pot at time....and how if
> we give away our secrets, we get ten new ones in return.
>
> mel/mn
>
> http://www.pclink.com/melpots (website)
> from minnetonka, minnesota, u.s.a.
Eloise VanderBilt on tue 15 feb 00
I loved Mel Jacobsen's treatise on pottery history. I lived in Japan too
for 35 years and although I never learned ceramics there, I absorbed much of
the shibui nature of most of their pottery. I was born in Zuni, New Mexico,
an Indian village where the women made big water vessels of pottery and
carried them their heads with ease. I absorbed some of that too. I am
just so blessed to be retired here in Sedona were there are good potters and
an art barn where I have learned the basics. Clayart is a great website for
learning more. thanks. eloise@sedona.net
WHew536674@cs.com on tue 15 feb 00
Nice post Mel,
And let us not forget those Greek potters that came up with shapes that are
still copied today. Those potters 2,000 years ago who made those pots were
about as low on the social scale as one could go at that time.
Joyce A
Ron Roy on tue 15 feb 00
I don't believe this at all. I'm not surprised to hear it though. Making
original pots is not that easy for most of us. There are many factors that
go into the process and the most important is believing you can.
I invite everyone to look at my dinnerware on the digitalfire site -
http://digitalfire.com/education/people/ronroy.htm
and find a picture anywhere of ware that looks like that.
It will be instructive to read the article in the current Studio Potter on
David Shaner. His later pots are his own and he explains how difficult it
was for him to get out from under the influences that came with his
education.
It is difficult to pay attention to ones own needs when there are so many
distractions - in a way a lonely path. Those who choose it will have to
learn to deal with failure - it is the only way to break new ground.
RR
>----------------------------Original message----------------------------
>every evening he would tell me to go home and make a drawing of
>a new pot. `smart american boy, do something new`.
>i did that, every day. one drawing of a new pot, i thought.
>
>i would bring in the drawing, set it on his desk.
>at some point he would yell, `melsan, come`.
>i would clean the clay off, wander into his office.
>he would have the drawing, doing a `tsk, tsk, tsk`.
>reach behind him. grab a book, thumb through it...open
>it....and there would be the pot. the exact pot.
>he would say `nothing new, nothing new`, laugh like hell.
>did it every day.
>
>this daily lesson was one of the best and most important
>things i learned in japan.
>it was a daily reminder, `we ain't so smart`.
Ron Roy
93 Pegasus Trail
Scarborough
Ontario, Canada
M1G 3N8
Evenings 416-439-2621
Fax 416-438-7849
Phyliss Ward on wed 16 feb 00
Ron Roy wrote:
> I invite everyone to look at my dinnerware on the digitalfire site -
> http://digitalfire.com/education/people/ronroy.htm
Wow Ron! I just checked it out and they are absolutely gorgeous! Very
humbling for this novice. Do you use two different glazes or does the one
glaze turn orange at the rims? If you are using two, how do you apply them?
--
Phyliss
pward@lightspeed.net
http://www.bodywise.com/consultants/bpward
Ron Roy on thu 17 feb 00
Thank you Phyliss
It's a C10 reduction tenmoku glaze on thrown and carved porcelain. The
glaze breaks naturally on the edges - only one glaze.
If you can find the 1994 June/July/Aug issue of Ceramics monthly you will
see an article by Tony Clennel on that aspect of my work complete with
recipes.
RR
>----------------------------Original message----------------------------
>Ron Roy wrote:
>
>> I invite everyone to look at my dinnerware on the digitalfire site -
>> http://digitalfire.com/education/people/ronroy.htm
>
>Wow Ron! I just checked it out and they are absolutely gorgeous! Very
>humbling for this novice. Do you use two different glazes or does the one
>glaze turn orange at the rims? If you are using two, how do you apply them?
>--
>Phyliss
>pward@lightspeed.net
>http://www.bodywise.com/consultants/bpward
Ron Roy
93 Pegasus Trail
Scarborough
Ontario, Canada
M1G 3N8
Evenings 416-439-2621
Fax 416-438-7849
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