Tony Ferguson on fri 12 apr 02
Vince,
Jim was commenting on a "single" firing workshop--in which I could see the
case where an individual who has made work that is too thick (either a
beginner or did not listen to my instructions about wall evenness and
thickness) and subsequently cracks and God forbid blows up in one of my work
shops. I would take precautions that would ensure a very high success rate
for all. That is after all part of the point for me: to show other artists
that single firing does work and you can have a 98% success rate from a
single firing (with some practice and good guidance), deeper richer
surfaces, a stronger clay/glaze interface, more efficient use of time and
resources and greater development over one's artistic career. Vince, all
your points are valid, yet I believe you were thinking a workshop that would
include a bisque?
Thank you!
Tony Ferguson
fergy@cpinternet.com
Stoneware, Porcelain, Raku
www.aquariusartgallery.com
workshops available
218-727-6339
315 N. Lake Ave
Apt 312
Duluth, MN 55806
----- Original Message -----
From: "vince pitelka"
To:
Sent: Friday, April 12, 2002 5:48 PM
Subject: Re: Workshop Suggestions - no reason to blow up work
> > Given the short period of time in a workshop and the rush to get
> them
> > done, it's not unusual for pieces to blow up or crack and people should
be
> > made aware of that. Stress that they will be fired with as much care as
> > possible, but make sure they understand that it can happen. Also make
> sure
> > that they understand why it happens. I've never been to a workshop that
> > included firings where some of the fresh work didn't crack or blowup.
>
> Jim -
> The only reason that work will blow up in bisque firing is if the firings
> are conducted recklessly. We do an extensive series of 5-day workshops
> through the summer, and we almost always do at least a bisque fire,
> sometimes a glaze fire as well, and we very rarely blow up anyone's work.
> It is not a matter of warning the students that it will happen, it is a
> matter of making sure that the it does not happen. I cannot see why this
is
> an issue. Get the work good and dry, and it can be bisque fired very
> quickly.
> Best wishes -
> - Vince
>
> Vince Pitelka
> Appalachian Center for Crafts
> Tennessee Technological University
> 1560 Craft Center Drive, Smithville TN 37166
> Home - vpitelka@dtccom.net
> 615/597-5376
> Work - wpitelka@tntech.edu
> 615/597-6801 ext. 111, fax 615/597-6803
> http://www.craftcenter.tntech.edu/
>
>
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vince pitelka on fri 12 apr 02
> Given the short period of time in a workshop and the rush to get
them
> done, it's not unusual for pieces to blow up or crack and people should be
> made aware of that. Stress that they will be fired with as much care as
> possible, but make sure they understand that it can happen. Also make
sure
> that they understand why it happens. I've never been to a workshop that
> included firings where some of the fresh work didn't crack or blowup.
Jim -
The only reason that work will blow up in bisque firing is if the firings
are conducted recklessly. We do an extensive series of 5-day workshops
through the summer, and we almost always do at least a bisque fire,
sometimes a glaze fire as well, and we very rarely blow up anyone's work.
It is not a matter of warning the students that it will happen, it is a
matter of making sure that the it does not happen. I cannot see why this is
an issue. Get the work good and dry, and it can be bisque fired very
quickly.
Best wishes -
- Vince
Vince Pitelka
Appalachian Center for Crafts
Tennessee Technological University
1560 Craft Center Drive, Smithville TN 37166
Home - vpitelka@dtccom.net
615/597-5376
Work - wpitelka@tntech.edu
615/597-6801 ext. 111, fax 615/597-6803
http://www.craftcenter.tntech.edu/
Jim Shea on sat 13 apr 02
Vince,
Getting the work good and dry is often the problem. Most of the
workshops I've been to were 5 day workshops that included both a bisque and
then a glaze firing. Often we were bisqueing the pots that were made on day
one on the second day so we could glaze fire them on the third or fourth
day.
When you're learning new techniques and are using different clay, I've
noticed that most people's work (mine included) is often heavier and thicker
than they would normally make it. This makes even drying and firing more
difficult. While I seem to recall that there were some pots that exploded,
the majority of problems came from cracks and attachments coming off. Speed
drying can do that.
Tony asked if the possibility of work blowing up was what had caused
the (few) problems at the workshops I had attended. This was never the
case.
Even the problem children (of whatever age) understood the possibility that
some of their work might not survive the bisque. This is probably because
the people in charge made sure we understood that it was a possibility. If
people know that something might happen, they handle it better if it does
happen. Most people don't like surprises unless they come with balloons,
confetti and brightly wrapped packages.
Jim
(Who finds himself staring at the shelf above his computer at the 10
million year old fossil fish and the 1,000 year old bowl. Kind of makes the
computer age seem insignificant, don't you think?)
vince pitelka on sat 13 apr 02
> Vince, all
> your points are valid, yet I believe you were thinking a workshop that
would
> include a bisque?
Tony -
Well, not specifically. I was just saying that there is no reason for
student work to blow up unless the student left serious closed air spaces,
or unless the kiln is fired too fast. Pieces which are too thick should not
be allowed in the kiln. When I do my Ancient Clay workshops at Michael
McDowell's we do a bisque firing and a bonfiring. We have a pretty good
success rate. Several times we have not loaded the bisque until Thursday
afternoon, and were forced to heat it up pretty quick in order to unload it
by Friday morning, and we have occasionally lost a few of the thicker pieces
in the bottom of the kiln. Of course a lot of this depends on the claybody.
We are using a claybody with 25% fine grog, so the water vapor can escape
quickly. A tighter claybody would be more of a concern, but it is always
possible to bisque-fire in less than 24 hours (load, fire, cool, unload) and
single fire in less than 30 hours. At the tail end of a five day workshop
that works in quite neatly.
Best wishes -
- Vince
Vince Pitelka
Appalachian Center for Crafts
Tennessee Technological University
1560 Craft Center Drive, Smithville TN 37166
Home - vpitelka@dtccom.net
615/597-5376
Work - wpitelka@tntech.edu
615/597-6801 ext. 111, fax 615/597-6803
http://www.craftcenter.tntech.edu/
vince pitelka on sat 13 apr 02
Jim -
You are right that there is certainly a risk in quick-drying and firing, and
that the workshop participants must be warned in advance of that risk. It
is very important to stress the importance of the form and techniques
observed and practiced, not in the physical product of the workshop. If the
pots survive, that is a special reward. As a culture we are too geared
towards the material object, but of course it is a damned good thing for us
potters that the culture is geared that way. But it is important to stress
this in workshops, so that the participants will be a little less attached
to the pots they make. Like you or Tony or anyone else, I certainly go out
of my way to try not to blow up anyone's work, but it does occasionally
happen.
I taught a workshop in Florida last year where work was being fired in a
brand new Olympic electric frontloader, and a visiting professional potter
from New England set the firing ramp. He seemed sure of himself. A good
part of that load did blow up. I learned my lesson there. It was a
successful workshop otherwise, and most of the work came out fine, but one
student had almost all her pots in that firing, and she was PISSED. Now I
ALWAYS make sure to get in on determining the firing ramp.
Best wishes -
- Vince
Vince Pitelka
Appalachian Center for Crafts
Tennessee Technological University
1560 Craft Center Drive, Smithville TN 37166
Home - vpitelka@dtccom.net
615/597-5376
Work - wpitelka@tntech.edu
615/597-6801 ext. 111, fax 615/597-6803
http://www.craftcenter.tntech.edu/
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