WALLY ASSELBERGHS on fri 12 oct 01
Subject: NAKED RAKU - SOS from Mother EUROPE
Hello everyone, here's a brandnew member.
I am a Flemish potter, clayaddict for some 25 years now, mainly Western
Raku. About 50 moons ago, discovered "naked raku" during a Workshop from
a Dutch pottress, who picked up the technique from USA-potter Bill
Jacobson.
The sky split up, I got hooked. Started experimenting with this new
technique from scratch, trying out every available kind of clay to make
sliplayer samples. Still discovering new possibillities and unexplored
potentials.
Actually working on some vultureyellowgreen colours by using 4-10%
copperoxide in bodyslip and sliplayer, and getting wild results by varying
thickness, composition and application of glaze. Like to "splash" or
paint with different kinds of antique painter's brushes, sometimes using
syringes.
For the last 3 summers, I've been giving my own workshops. Big fun.
1) CONTACTS
I would like to get in contact with other potters and pottresses, also
involved in naked raku, or anyone intrested.
Mostly to exchange ideas, recipes, experiences, etc. Also love to
have a good laugh about everything that can go wrong
2) GLAZE - GERSTLEY BORATE PROBLEM
As for glaze, I mostly use Jacobson's classic recipe of 35% gerstley
borate and 65% frit 3110.
But Gerstley borate is no longer available on the continent.
Story goes that USA-mine closed down. I still got a fair quantity in
stock, but this will be finished by next summer. I've been running
some 75 glaze tests, experimenting with other materials, including
borocalcites, laguna borate, calciumborate frits, cornish stone, even
rabbitshit.
Best equivalent receipt found up to now was 25% nepheline syenite with
75% ferrofrit 3110, which gives same result in regard to cracquel,, but
orangepeel effect is not as good, and glaze overfires quite easily.
Has anyone found better solution to replace gerstley borate ?
What is the true story about the dissappearance of this magic mineral ?
Lots of "cowboy stories" going around about
this over here in Europe. Did Mr. Gerstley sell his mine to a big
shopping mall, entrance of the mine now covered up by
huge car parking lot ? Did he sell his mine to another big mining
company, who did not want to invest any money in dust
extraction ? Any chanche that mine might be re-opened ? Any
information on any website about this ?
3) ANY "NAKED RAKU" SITES ????
I just started surfing around the net, found Clayart-site by accident,
it looks quite promising....
Can anyone recommend other e-sites or e-groups about ceramics in
general, or for "naked raku" in particular ?
4) DREAMS
2 dreams of mine : first, coming back to the States for a holiday
(good memories of visits in 96 and 98, northern USA), would like to
come back 2002 preferably utah-colorado-newmexico-california....
Second dream : being able to give workshop(s) there, as to partly
finance this trip.
Does anyone know of any organisation that invites foreign artists for
workshops-demonstrations-lectures etc...
Or is anyone interested to co-organise naked-raku workshop in your area ?
All hints-tips-advice wellcome !
5) besides ceramics, I love :
smashing pumpkins, brancusi, retsina, kandinsky, baked bananas, miro,
heather nova, giacometto, american bourbon, greek stuffed vineleaves
with lemon sauce, de chirico, rachmaninov, tahin, henry moore, baklava,
the smell of the canals in venezia, picasso, henry miller, tortelloni,
buckowski, desert silence, leonard cohen, the sound of the falls at
niagara, local greek brandy, tzatziki, taboulet, salvator dahli, grilled
corn with garlicbutter, and most of all the sound of laughter of my wife
and 2 daughters.
Thanks for all replies and usefull information, looking forward on
clayart site, please copy-email to personal address :
wally.asselberghs@pi.be
Best regards
Wally (Paul Corneel) Asselberghs.
Dennis E. Tobin on fri 12 oct 01
Brancusi, Bukowski and the laughter of your wife and daughters, Wally you
can't ask for more than that in life. Wally you can't beat all bad, my pal.
Dennis
Dennis Tobin
Admissions Coordinator
Associate Professor
Art Department
Miami University
Oxford, Ohio 45056
(513) 529-1505
Marta M. Gloviczki on sat 13 oct 01
hello brandnew member from mother europa, welcome to clayart!
i`m answering to your post as one who loves naked raku, althou i am not an
expert. its funny, that you say potters and pottresses, is it politically
correct?
do you have ceramic monthly magazine? in the newest (oct) issue there is an
article on gerstly borate and subs.
>
>3) ANY "NAKED RAKU" SITES ????
>
promise, that if you find one, will let me know!
right now the only rakuwebsite comes to my mind is terry hagiwara`s. i do
have few naked raku pieces on my website too.
if i remember more sites on raku, i`ll tell you.
or go to www.mypots.com that is clayart`s russel`s site from belgium, he
has a huge list of clayarters and other websites you will enjoy.
and gee, i liked your list of those wonderful things,
marta
http://users.skynet.be/roussel.fouts/Marta.htm
http://www.silverhawk.com/crafts/gloviczki/welcome.html
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