mel jacobson on sat 25 nov 00
old story.
for any program in clay the first and foremost way to save
money is to make your own products and tools.
it is a win, win situation.
kids learn simple glaze chemistry.
you save by buying bulk.
it gives the kids the ability to make a product
that makes it theirs.
it is interesting.
my old slide glaze from behrends was just the ticket.
two ingredients:
volcanic ash (pumice)
gertsley borate
60/40/ fired to cone 4-6
60 pounds of volcanic ash in a 50 gallon plastic drum we (confiscated)
got from the janitors room. 40 pounds of gb. put a canoe paddle
in the drum, add water. glaze. `hey, joyey, quit messin with that
paddle.` (the drum of glaze was like cream all the time.
kids would take a 5 gallon pail, add zircopax, metal oxides...
a million variations. (secrets all over the studio)
i ran a program for years with less budget than the painting teacher.
we just bought clay. tons of it. and then stored a ton of volcanic
ash and gb. i kept the cobalt and copper under lock and key.
but, ochre, iron, zircopax was just out there.
the walker pug mill never stopped running.
the soldner mixer never stopped running.
the four electric skutt 1026's never stopped running.
there are so many pots on shelves in hopkins, mn that
some think the earth is sinking in our county.
when any program is run with dignity for clay. dignity for
the people in the program. and then those folks are allowed
to learn by doing. well, you will succeed.
my life as a teacher was one long demo. then, let them get to work
and leave them alone.
the hover teacher that says...`oh, i never have any time for my
own work, i spend all my time with my students`...is doing a dis-
service to those students.
the more pots that i made, the more my students made. i always
had my own projects going on. teapots, casseroles, mugs...new
designs, experiments. the kids would haul them all over the studio.
`mel, can i borrow this teapot? want to set it on the wall near where
i am throwing.`
i would have to come in at night, load a bisque with just my stuff.
take it home and glaze fire it...bring back selected pieces that they could
recognize...`hey, mel, why did you use temmoku on that teapot..?
should have used the celedon with the iron wash...` and you know the
rest....critical little buggers. (but, they learned the language of potters.)
in the 35 years i taught clay, i never opened a new bag of clay
to make my pots...always re/cycled the junk. used the stinky
old bags of scrap. got so i could not throw manufactured, new clay. did not
feel correct. am still that way.
sorry, on and on. but, this same principle will work in a
local co op, art center, whatever.
make your own, learn from doing, dignity.
mel
FROM MINNETONKA, MINNESOTA, USA
http://www.pclink.com/melpots (website)
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