Stephani Stephenson on tue 25 apr 00
I have a possible clue on where such a 'rule' , "No Glaze on
Greenware" ,may have come from.
A High School or College Studio!
I remember we had such a 'rule' because, due to the number of
students with varying work, and primarily due to thickness of many
beginners pots (ah yes you remember!), which yes, we NURSED along, ALL
pots had to be bisqued prior to glaze firing.
However, EVER so occasionally someone, in the PASSION of the experience,
would forget the difference between a green pot and a bisque pot, and
would apply glaze to a green pot.
Subsequently, and because there were also many FINE, EAGER,
PASSIONATE and NEWLY INSTRUCTED students loading or assisting with
loading and firing, these little 'not quite possibly dry yet' greenware
bombs weren't DETECTED because they were covered with glaze and maybe
the bottom was overlooked, ( maybe the greenware bottom was ALSO glazed
and overlooked), so they were LOADED into the kiln, which possibly was
fired a WEE BIT faster than it would have been if it had knowingly
contained greenware. Fired perhaps a WEE BIT faster to get all the
precious pots back to all the passionate students in time for
Christmas, I mean the critique! KaBoom, sprinkle shrapnel, little pot!
So the rule made sense in the context of a crowded, hectic beginner
studio. The danger being that those who don't continue don't always
learn why the rule was there and when the rule can be discarded.
I remember the first time I saw Rudy Autio work, constructing one of his
large slab pieces.
I was shocked. HE DIDN'T SCRATCH AND SLIP HIS SLAB JOINTS! Scratch n'
slip was one of the ten commandments of clay as far as I knew. I was so
shocked , I said "but,but you don't scratch and slip your joints!". He
was kind, chuckled, and explained that because the clay was moist and he
knew his clay, he didn't bother. Yet for beginners, it makes sense to
teach it that way. In fact I still scratch n' slip, most of the time,
but I think I like it, that's why.
cheerio
Stephani
mudmistress@earthlink.net
Alchemie Studio
Leucadia CA
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