Vince Pitelka on sat 4 jan 03
For what it's worth, here are my own opinions on this. Much of the finest
work done in the ceramics world comes from artists/artisans who have worked
hard to developed their own glaze recipes. As a teacher I believe in
sharing such information openly, but I have no problem at all with a potter
who has spent significant time developing a palette of glazes unique to
her/his work, and is not willing to share them. We each make our own
choices in this regard.
Before anyone posts Clayart asking for particular glaze recipes, I think it
is just common sense to search the archives. It is also common sense that
any glaze recipe appropriated for one's own use or passed on to others
should always retain the name of the originator, assuming that information
is available. If the name of the originator is not available, then the
source of the glaze should at least remain attached to the glaze - for
example, "glaze recipe provided by Joe Bloe, from an unknown source.
Renaming someone else's glaze without significantly re-designing it is a
very low-class act. I heard about a couple doing this - they regularly
picked up new glazes at workshops, incorporated them into their own work,
and renamed the glazes with their own names. Man, is that sleazy or what?
I figure people like that always get their just "rewards" in the end.
Ultimately I think Tony hit it head-on. For anyone trying to develop as an
individual, original, autonomous artist, there are few shortcuts. Your work
will be stronger and more unique if you take the time to develop and adapt
glazes to suit your own needs and tastes, rather than adapting your work to
someone else's glazes.
At the same time, the spirit of this list is the sharing of information and
ideas, and that is certainly common throughout the clay world. It is pretty
great when people are willing to share all their glazes. Nothing wrong with
that at all.
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://iweb.tntech.edu/wpitelka/
Veena Raghavan on mon 6 jan 03
Hi Fellow Clayarters,
Since we are into the New Year, and I still have some energy, I cannot
resist getting into this discussion. I have always been amazed and
delighted at the generosity of potters, who give so much and are,
basically, generous people. =
When I first started mixing glazes about six years or so ago, I just wro=
te
down glazes wherever I saw something that looked or sounded good, be it
from a book, a magazine, workshops I attended, or Clayart. It did not occ=
ur
to me to write down the source or the name of the person whose glaze it
was. In fact, in some cases, there was no indication as to the originator=
of the glaze. At that time, I was also not aware of durability and safety=
issues. Now, many years later and much wiser (thanks to Clayart, Ron Roy
and John Hesselberth), I carefully note the name of the creator of the
glaze (if I can get it) and the source. I have been given one or two glaz=
es
with a request not to pass them on, and I have not done so.
I can see the point of not publicly posting a glaze that is published in =
a
book, because the author or authors should be able to sell their book and=
benefit from their research. But, as someone has already stated, there ar=
e
glazes out there that have been passed around for years, even though they=
originally came from a book (they cited the example of Chappell's Floatin=
g
Blue), and these seem to be available everywhere. I cannot see the harm i=
n
posting these, since they are already "out there". There are many glazes =
in
the archives that must have come from books, and this issue never even ca=
me
up (although it probably should have done) before Ron and John published
their book. I assume that one of the reasons Ron and John have asked that=
the recipes in their book not be posted is that apart from the recipes
there is much to learn about the glazes and firing that is important, and=
they want everyone who uses the glazes to read this information and to
learn more about glaze durability.
As to asking potters for their glazes, I would find it very difficult to =
do
so, unless they have already made them public. Thanks to Helen, I have
visited many web sites and, in a few cases, have seen glazes or a look th=
at
is just what I myself am seeking, but it would never occur to me to conta=
ct
the artist and ask him or her how he or she achieved that look or the
recipe for their glaze. =
I have never created any glazes, except one (and that was because of a
mistake even though it did turn out to be a nice one!), and I do not know=
how I would feel about sharing a glaze if I had created a marvelous one. =
I
think I would probably be happy to share it with friends and cyber friend=
s,
but I would probably not post it on Clayart, since what we post can be se=
en
by the world, so it would become public domain.
However, I see no harm in someone asking a fellow potter for a recipe or =
a
method. It is the choice of each individual to ask and the same choice
applies to giving. I don't think it is fair to say it is tacky to ask. In=
this world that we live in, it is, after all nothing ventured nothing
gained. =
Sorry for this lengthy post, but I wanted to express the fact that those
who are fairly new to the world of pottery, like I was for years because =
of
the environment in which I was working with clay and glazes, might not
realize what it all entails. I also wanted to say that we each need to ma=
ke
our own decisions and should not be criticized for doing so. 'Nough said.=
A Happy New Year to all my Clayart friends. I am so sorry I will not have=
the pleasure of seeing you at NCECA. It was such a wonderful experience i=
n
Charlotte, and I had hoped to repeat it in San Diego, but I have not won
the lottery!
Veena
Veena Raghavan
75124.2520@compuserve.com
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