Phil Thenstedt on mon 31 dec 01
Hi There! I just found your list and am hoping to find a few kind =
souls willing to offer some advice. =20
My girlfriend recently took several pottery classes and really enjoys =
it. We live in the Seattle area and she currently spends one evening a =
week and a number of hours each Saturday at the place she takes her =
classes using their equipment. For her birthday I'd like to buy her a =
wheel and kiln...this is where the problem comes....I know nothing about =
this stuff. Anyone that can offer assistance will be very appreciated.
What do I need to know? What brands and models should I be looking for? =
Poking around online it appears that I may spend a few bucks, and would =
entertain used equipment if I can find it available.
Thanks in advance for your help.
Happy New Year everyone!
Rowdy Dragon Pottery on tue 1 jan 02
Phil,
Speaking as a part-time professional potter and former recreational potter,
I would not trust myself alone with anyone who was misguided enough to
surprise me with a wheel and a kiln when I had not yet set up a studio. The
Seattle area, where I am too, has numerous places for your girlfriend to
learn and practice her craft. There are so many reasons why working in a
group setting is often far more favorable than working at home. The
following are reasons why the decision should be hers--and why she would be
reasonable to keep working in a group setting
1.) Stop in the studio where your girlfriend has been potting and take
inventory. Even a minimally equipped facility requires much more than a
wheel and a kiln. There are tools, raw materials, scale for weighing
materials (if mixing own glazes, etc), places to store work in progress and
mixed glazes and dry materials. (There may be helpful items in the clayart
archives about setting up a studio.)
2.) Immediacy and turn-around time. She will wait longer to fill her kilns
with only her own work. And while the wait itself may be an inconvenience,
it impacts the learning curve. Firing alone means making more pieces before
seeing the final results. While this may for some people be an advantage,
for many other recreational potters it is frustrating and deprives them of
more frequent opportunities to assess their skills.
3.) Exposure to other potters and their pots. Working at home may cut your
girlfriend off from very fruitful opportunities to learn about skills and
techniques with which she is unfamiliar.
4.) Time efficiencies. At home, you do it all. In most class or group
settings some responsibilities are shared. Working at home for a part-time
or recreational potter may mean less time making pots and more time being a
studio tech or janitor.
With each of the points I mentioned, there are probably also advantages to
working alone for more frequent or more advanced potters. So I cannot truly
say which is best for your girlfriend. Only she can. Once she decides that
working alone is best, she may also have strong personal preferences for
the equipment that she uses.
Neil Berkowitz
In Seattle, where the camellias across the street have started to bloom.
pammyam on tue 1 jan 02
Hi, Phil. How generous of you! I don't mean to put a
damper on your enthusiasm, but it's a pretty big investment
in time and $ and committment, so you might not want the
gifts to be a big surprise. It might be a really good idea
for her to be involved in the choices.
Also, does your girlfriend live in an apartment or a house
where she has a place to use a wheel (messy) and does she
have a place for a kiln (electrical and environmental
safety)?
Pam
----- Original Message -----
From: "Phil Thenstedt"
To:
Sent: Monday, December 31, 2001 8:52 PM
Subject: Advice Requested...
Hi There! I just found your list and am hoping to find a
few kind souls willing to offer some advice.
My girlfriend recently took several pottery classes and
really enjoys it. We live in the Seattle area and she
currently spends one evening a week and a number of hours
each Saturday at the place she takes her classes using their
equipment. For her birthday I'd like to buy her a wheel and
kiln...this is where the problem comes....I know nothing
about this stuff. Anyone that can offer assistance will be
very appreciated.
What do I need to know? What brands and models should I be
looking for? Poking around online it appears that I may
spend a few bucks, and would entertain used equipment if I
can find it available.
Thanks in advance for your help.
Happy New Year everyone!
____________________________________________________________
__________________
Send postings to clayart@lsv.ceramics.org
You may look at the archives for the list or change your
subscription
settings from http://www.ceramics.org/clayart/
Moderator of the list is Mel Jacobson who may be reached at
melpots@pclink.com.
Marianne Lombardo on wed 2 jan 02
> 2.) Immediacy and turn-around time. She will wait longer to fill her kilns
> with only her own work. And while the wait itself may be an inconvenience,
> it impacts the learning curve. Firing alone means making more pieces
before
Hi Neil;
This is sooo true. It takes me forever to make enough pieces to fill my
kiln and make a firing worthwhile. It's very frustrating and by the time I
fire, sometimes I forget exactly what effects I had been trying to
accomplish with a particular project.
And testing glazes, that's another problem. Half the time I end up testing
on real work which means half the time I am not happy with the end result.
I have been thinking of seeing if there is another potter in our area that
may want to share the kiln space with me.
Marianne Lombardo
Omemee, Ontario, Canada
Christena Schafale on wed 2 jan 02
Make lots of soup-size bowls, use them to test glazes and fill your kiln,
and then donate them to a local Empty Bowls project, soup kitchen, or other
good cause. Great throwing practice, too.
Chris
>This is sooo true. It takes me forever to make enough pieces to fill my
>kiln and make a firing worthwhile. It's very frustrating and by the time I
>fire, sometimes I forget exactly what effects I had been trying to
>accomplish with a particular project.
>
>And testing glazes, that's another problem. Half the time I end up testing
>on real work which means half the time I am not happy with the end result.
Light One Candle Pottery
209 N Woodrow St
Fuquay-Varina, NC 27526
(919) 567-1098
candle@intrex.net
www.lightonecandle.com
Phil Thenstedt on fri 4 jan 02
I want to thank everyone who responded to my request...Most everyone was
consistent in the fact that I should let Dawn pick out her own stuff.
I got a ton of responses and everyone had good advice.
We've got plenty of room for Dawn to set up her studio, and I really
appreciate everyone helping out. There were many good things that people
brought to light, which even Dawn would not have known either.
Thanks to all !! :o)
----- Original Message -----
From: "pammyam"
To:
Sent: Tuesday, January 01, 2002 8:28 AM
Subject: Re: [CLAYART] Advice Requested...
> Hi, Phil. How generous of you! I don't mean to put a
> damper on your enthusiasm, but it's a pretty big investment
> in time and $ and committment, so you might not want the
> gifts to be a big surprise. It might be a really good idea
> for her to be involved in the choices.
> Also, does your girlfriend live in an apartment or a house
> where she has a place to use a wheel (messy) and does she
> have a place for a kiln (electrical and environmental
> safety)?
>
> Pam
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Phil Thenstedt"
> To:
> Sent: Monday, December 31, 2001 8:52 PM
> Subject: Advice Requested...
>
>
> Hi There! I just found your list and am hoping to find a
> few kind souls willing to offer some advice.
>
> My girlfriend recently took several pottery classes and
> really enjoys it. We live in the Seattle area and she
> currently spends one evening a week and a number of hours
> each Saturday at the place she takes her classes using their
> equipment. For her birthday I'd like to buy her a wheel and
> kiln...this is where the problem comes....I know nothing
> about this stuff. Anyone that can offer assistance will be
> very appreciated.
>
> What do I need to know? What brands and models should I be
> looking for? Poking around online it appears that I may
> spend a few bucks, and would entertain used equipment if I
> can find it available.
>
> Thanks in advance for your help.
>
> Happy New Year everyone!
>
> ____________________________________________________________
> __________________
> Send postings to clayart@lsv.ceramics.org
>
> You may look at the archives for the list or change your
> subscription
> settings from http://www.ceramics.org/clayart/
>
> Moderator of the list is Mel Jacobson who may be reached at
> melpots@pclink.com.
>
>
____________________________________________________________________________
__
> Send postings to clayart@lsv.ceramics.org
>
> You may look at the archives for the list or change your subscription
> settings from http://www.ceramics.org/clayart/
>
> Moderator of the list is Mel Jacobson who may be reached at
melpots@pclink.com.
>
| |
|
