Rod & Erin on fri 7 sep 01
> > that is why i never let my kids in high school enter contests.
> > i made about 60 percent of all the work...my glaze, clay, firing
> > technique...they just made the pots. they got that message very
> > clearly. understood
I have my own kiln(s), developed all of my own glazes (thousands of =
quads, etc), make some of my own clay (porcelain), and wowzers I even =
have my own firing technique.=20
After all of this is said I must say I agree with Sam that I'm hoping =
Mel is just trying to stir the old clay art pot. This is an extremly =
insensitive, judgemental, and dare I say egotistical comment.
The kilns you have are your fortune - you are fortunate that you have =
made the right choices and life has given you the means and the way to =
what you want to do. Your glazes are not just yours but the thousands of =
great potters that have come before you - researching, developing, =
failing and most importantly in the spirit of community have shared =
their findings with all of us. The clay is not yours as it was created =
long before you - the first potter to make a clay body dates us all by =
thousands of years. You own the material but not the concept. Firing =
technique again is something that you alone cannot lay claim to.
I thank god my mentor Tony Bloom never said something that he would =
follow up by saying "they got that message very clearly. understood" I =
think that I would have lost taste in the world of ceramics very =
quickly. When I met him he had already lost taste in "hobnobing" in the =
ceramics world. He and Les Mannng started StoneCrop studios 25 years =
ago. I'm willing to bet there are many people on this list that have =
been touched by Tony Bloom either at his studio or the Banff Center. He =
has installed sculptures all over North America and not once in the =
almost 10 years I have known him ever heard him say anything that could =
be called arrogrant as far as art or life in general goes. He is truly a =
great man because he acknowledges that he is what he today because of =
hard work, alot of luck, and the many that came before him. Almost =
everytime I go somewhere and meet a potter her here in western Canada =
and they ask "How did you get into pots" and I say, "Tony Bloom" they go =
hey yeah me as well I worked at Stone Crop 20 years ago etc. At the =
Kelowna Clay festival I met 3 full time potters all of them inspired and =
set forth in the world by Tony Bloom. I say all of this because as time =
goes by and the more people I meet that have been touched by this =
wonderful man the more I think that it is so sad that he became so =
disenchanted with the arrogance of the art world and just does his own =
thing. I personally think he is a treasure.
There are times that I have had a somewhat personal reaction to what =
some say here. These same people say things at times negecting to at =
least entertain the idea of the privledge that they have in this life. =
For example I have no problem admiting that in my early 20's I was at =
the right place at the right time (with a little know how) to make a =
fairly significant amount of money that enabled me to spend 6-7 years =
full time learning how to learn how to become a professional potter. =
Though time and time again I hear certain folks here that have let a =
little bit of thier success go to their heads and give little or no =
credence to the happastance and chance of life. We make our breaks - we =
make our luck - but there still is alot of luck involved. My brother =
passed away last year in a horrible accident - he had bad luck all his =
life and I still cry for him. He was at the wrong place at the wrong =
time on that lonely highway here in B.C Canada. The antithesis of this =
is that I was in the right place at the right time and I got some =
breaks.
Those of you who sometimes on this list spout of rubbish like the above =
statement should really be a bit ashamed of yourselves. This is nothing =
other that shameful ego, arrogance getting in the way of your better =
senses. It doesn't matter what you "meant to say" what matters is that =
you clearly get across your idea the best you can. If people start =
interpeting it otherwise the fault is not theirs but the writers. You =
can't fall back on the old Winnie the Pooh "When I say something it =
means exactly what I want it to mean. Nothing more and nothing less"
When my last student came into my studio and used my clay, my glazes, my =
kilns, and my firing technique. He produced some beautiful pots. I =
didn't tell him hey you gung ho little bozo just remember all you did =
was throw the pots - when and if you ever get to where I am and have 50k =
of ceramic equipment you can call them your pots.=20
So to all of you who took offence to that last statement either =
silently or vocally - please know it is B.S of the highest calibre. Them =
are your pots - Someone elses Glazes, Firing Technique, Clay, etc. Will =
not make a bad form beautiful. So if you make something that you take to =
a show and get good remarks - damn if you get on Ceramics Monthly from =
your pots fired in (shudder) someone elses kiln. They are your damn pots =
and if they are good pots a 60k dollar noburigama, anagama, wood kiln =
etc. may bring the life out in them, but remember your the one who put =
the life there in the first place.
Tools and technique help the aritist but tools and technique do not make =
the artist. Good fortune allows some to get big farms and have enough =
public savvy to get corporations to donate kiln bricks, etc. for =
credible (or not) research. To have the money to buy pugmills, mixers, =
ball mills, oxy-probes, banding wheels, 17 salt kilns, 4 soda, 19 =
electrics, 5 wood kilns, does not make you an artist - it makes you =
fortunate and NEVER forget that.
Those who are less fortunate deserve the credit they get for trying =
against all odds. Some of them do it through hard work and =
perserverence. I know this gentleman my age (maybe a bit younger) here =
in Vancouver Kieth Lehman when I first met him here in Vancouver I had =
no place for a studio (yet) and I moved my stuff into a large public =
studio. Here I was moving my kilns, slabrollers, extruders, pug into =
this space. He had an old kick wheel , used the kilns at the premises, =
scrouged clay from other potters (stuff they where to lazy to reclaim =
etc) Grinded rock, shale etc by hand to make glazes. He made (makes) god =
damn beautiful pots and I was (and am) very proud of his tenacious =
spirit to go against all odds and make it. He was not fortunate- yet he =
made his breaks. He never bemoaned his position. When he started to make =
it as far as I know he is still the same laid back guy. Were those =
gorgeous pots he made his? Or did they belong to the potters he =
scrounged the clay from? I don't think you would ever hear men like =
Keith, Tony Bloom say such motivation disabilitating things such as =
these - so much so that you have to make sure they UNDERSTAND.
Mel I too agree with many things you say (maybe not as high as 80% like =
the last writer indicated) but every once in awhile you really do seem =
to let an ugly side of arrogance show. It bothers me as everytime I =
start to have a great deal of respect for you. You ruin it with asinine =
statements like the one above.
At your age you should understand fortune and misfortune. If you are the =
fortunate one who has a kiln that someone less fortunate needs to bring =
the life out in their pots. Don't steal their glory by making sure they =
understand that it it wasn't for your (or someone elses) fortune to have =
that kiln they would't have that beautiful pot.=20
> You seem to have to insult half the list to make your point, at times. =
I
> probably agree with 80% of what you say, but you always manage to =
throw in a
> few zingers that come off as VERY judgemental (IMHO). Maybe you're =
just
> stirring the pot of controversy with these comments, but it sure =
alienates
> many of us out here.
>=20
> Sorry for the defensive post.
I wasn't insulted at all! :) Though from the tone of the post I can see =
many will be and will nary say a word! And I'm not sorry ;)=20
Give the credit where the credit is due - to the artist! Swallow your =
pride when on occasion someone fires a piece in your kiln and it is =
nicer than anything you have ever done. It's not you or your kiln it's =
them - and they should be enouraged not discouraged by our own fears =
about the ongoing quality and direction of our work.
With due respect and honesty,
Rod
RedIron Studio's
=20
=20
----- Original Message -----=20
From: "K. Sam Miller"
To:
Sent: Friday, September 07, 2001 5:31 PM
Subject: Re: mold police
> Damn, Mel! You make the following bold statements...
>=20
> > i get just as upset with folks that fire in someone else's kiln,
> > for example a wood firing, then spout off about `their` work.
> > not their's. just a part is their's. get those pots to a show as
> > fast as they can wrap. they want the cover of cm.
> > fraud.
> >
> > that is why i never let my kids in high school enter contests.
> > i made about 60 percent of all the work...my glaze, clay, firing
> > technique...they just made the pots. they got that message very
> > clearly. understood.
> >
> > it reminds me however, that if `brittany spears` can be considered
> > an artist, well, the world has stooped to a new low.
> > can't sing, can't act...and she is basically an aerobics instructor.
> > but, with pimp and hype, one can be anything. just like contests.
> > get a good friend to fire the pots, use malcolm davis shino, sit =
back
> > and watch the process, then ship the pot to a contest.
>=20
> In these three paragraphs you indict everyone that doesn't make their =
own
> clay and glazes & fire their own kilns as frauds if they refer to =
their work
> as their own (over half this list, I would guess)... AND manage to =
call
> Brittany Spears a prositute!
>=20
> I guess that I am a fraud by your definition, since I work in a Crafts =
Guild
> with community glazes, buy commercial clay, & participate in community
> firings. I guess this means that I should never enter competitions or =
call
> my work my own. This is a pretty big horsepill for me to swallow. =
I'm glad
> that I didn't learn about clay in an environment where my work was =
dismissed
> as not REALLY mine (how do your students build self-confidence if =
their work
> is minimized as 60% due to their teacher).
>=20
> Sorry if it sounds like I'm taking your comments personally, but I =
guess I
> am. I made a promise to myself as an artist that I would not let my
> work/confidence be dimished by others insensitive comments. I refuse =
to buy
> in to your notion that my work is not my own. So call me a fraud if =
you
> want to, I won't be dismissed.
>=20
> You seem to have to insult half the list to make your point, at times. =
I
> probably agree with 80% of what you say, but you always manage to =
throw in a
> few zingers that come off as VERY judgemental (IMHO). Maybe you're =
just
> stirring the pot of controversy with these comments, but it sure =
alienates
> many of us out here.
>=20
> Sorry for the defensive post.
>=20
> Sam
>=20
> =
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> Send postings to clayart@lsv.ceramics.org
>=20
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>=20
> Moderator of the list is Mel Jacobson who may be reached at =
melpots@pclink.com.
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