Joyce Lee on thu 21 feb 02
Thanks for the site info. My choice also is #s 4 and 10. =20
My only story that remotely touches on Voulkos is from my one and only =
community college year studying ceramics. My teacher was and is =
outstanding ... a true working teacher... AND a serious artist without =
doubt. He recommended that I find some pubs with Voulkos' work and =
examine it closely. I did. In my ignorance, I was NOT impressed even =
slightly except with V.'s charismatic cunning in becoming revered for =
such work. Reported this to my teacher, Paul Meyers, who said that he =
was a bit disappointed at my assessment since he'd studied with Voulkos =
who had become his hero.
So ... respecting Paul .... I re-examined my sources from time to time, =
as well as learned to recognize the Voulkosian elements in Paul's own =
work ... work which I admired very much. Truly fine pots of an earthy =
nature. My only purchased pot for which I've paid over a couple hundred =
dollars is one of Paul's...... created from local clays, glazes and =
quartz ... should have sold for thousands.... but then we wouldn't have =
him in our community as a teacher.. so it all works out.
Anyway ..... this was before my ongoing shino adventures and firing my =
own kiln
experiences ...... it was even prior to my runny rutile glaze =
disasters.... anyway, in my newly developing clay-obssessed style, I =
found myself throwing, carving out, manipulating pots .... especially =
plates .. that tended to show signs of Voulkosian mimicry. I still =
didn't "like" the forms, but as my information grew through Clayart, I =
became more and more intrigued, fascinated, even awed by what I viewed =
as contained power shown in Voulkos' work. =20
That's when I began the discovery that in clay, conventionally "pretty," =
even "beautiful" or "elegant" isn't always what I'm seeking. If I could =
manage any expression of Restrained Power that I now see in V.'s work, =
that's what I'd do...... and shino would fit perfectly on such work. =
It'll never happen ... not in this lifetime ....
but watch out for me in the next....
Joyce
where the fence man is coming today to begin building a very expensive =
redwood lattice fence so the ravens won't carry off our teeny =
puppy....... who is busily&noisily engaged with a clear plastic coke =
bottle containing rattles of Apache Tears (tiny pebbles of opaque =
obsidian........ I think.)
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