mel jacobson on fri 17 nov 00
i was running through clay times this a.m. and came across the
handle article by lana wilson. as usual, well written and informative.
these handles are very beautiful, and the work of sheila clennell is
remarkable.
a quote by cynthia bringle did however, give me pause.
(after being the judge of a show.)
`i rejected almost every teapot with a manufactured handle, they
did not fit.`....man, oh man, i am out of luck with
cynthia. (i do have tremendous respect for cynthia bringle.)
this is a typical statement that `this is the trend now`, and i get tired
of it. `i like gutsy handles, so all of you make them from now on.`
sorry, i do not buy that.
i have been using the handles that `fred nettleship` and family have
made for me since 1959. i design teapots that are smooth, functional
and relate, in my opinion with that handle. it is the aesthetic that i
have chosen.
there are many fine teapots that are made with that `gutsy feeling`, and
the natural `gutsy` handle fits just great.
each and every pot should be judged on its merits. each potter
should be judged on the quality of work that is produced. i cannot
make someone elses pots. they are mine. i am not going to switch
to `gutsy` handles, because they are not me.
and here we go again, time to make pots that please judges. check
out what they like, look at the magazines, `now i know what to make`.
bull. let your work take its course, one step at a time.
learning to make handles is like doing calligraphy on pots...it takes
a great deal of time and study to do it well. (and make it your own.)
mel
alone at the farm, 18 degrees f. snow on the ground..fire in the wood
stove. coffee in a new tony c. mug. nice.
from the farm in wiscosin
http://www.pclink.com/melpots
Michelle Moody on fri 17 nov 00
I agree that learning to make handles is very tough, but I have seen and
still see many cups and pots for sale around that suffer from poor handles.
Most that I see are the coils of clay that are just kind of stuck to the
side. While I am not the great guru of handles I have worked very hard to be
able to pull a passable handle. I was in a shop near Atlanta with my wife
and was showing her the difference in feel from a pulled handle and just a
coil stuck to the side of a cup. My other pet peeve is coils 'braided' into
a handle. I don't even pick them up. But that is my opinion, some one else
may love them.
I spent an entire semester pulling handles in secret trying to get the feel
for it. I must have pulled over a thousand. I never fired them. Just stuck
them to the wall of my studio to look at then reclaim. I still don't think I
am as good as some of the other people I went to school with. But I will
keep trying!
> learning to make handles is like doing calligraphy on pots...it takes
> a great deal of time and study to do it well. (and make it your own.)
> mel
Martin Howard on sat 18 nov 00
out what they like, look at the magazines, `now i know what to make`.
bull. let your work take its course, one step at a time.>
It takes a long time for many of us to come to that point where we can
follow our own inclinations, rather than submit to the dictates of those in
authority.
It is part of growing up.
When you get to the point of not caring a fig about
passing an examination,
being chosen as suitable for the "selected members list",
getting a title,
letters after your name,
and can give up letters and qualifications that took many years of hard work
to achieve;
Then I feel freedom is near. And it may well show in your work and in you.
Posterity will judge.
Or perhaps even that recognition is meaningless in the larger canvas of our
many lives.
Martin Howard, enjoying being me at 61 today,
Webb's Cottage Pottery
Woolpits Road, Great Saling
BRAINTREE, Essex CM7 5DZ
England
martin@webbscottage.co.uk
Gayle Bair on sat 18 nov 00
Ahhh, well put!
I knew someone would say what I was thinking!
If one is determined to enter juried shows
then I see benefit in compiling a list of people who
jury plus their likes and dislikes. This would save
potters money. At the least look at their web site and
see if you can glean an idea for their preferences.
Why enter a show when you know there is a judge that
will not like or appreciate your work.
Judging work is another purely subjective issue.
Gayle Bair- Happy Birthday Martin!
Snip>
out what they like, look at the magazines, `now i know what to make`.
bull. let your work take its course, one step at a time.>
It takes a long time for many of us to come to that point where we can
follow our own inclinations, rather than submit to the dictates of those in
authority.
It is part of growing up.
When you get to the point of not caring a fig about
passing an examination,
being chosen as suitable for the "selected members list",
getting a title,
letters after your name,
and can give up letters and qualifications that took many years of hard work
to achieve;
Then I feel freedom is near. And it may well show in your work and in you.
Posterity will judge.
Or perhaps even that recognition is meaningless in the larger canvas of our
many lives.
Martin Howard,
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