Joyce Lee on sat 12 jul 03
One of the aspects of our list that I've admired
the most is its members' strong beliefs that
most of us...... even the most well-known and/or
most fanciful producers with the highest price
tags attached to their productions .... in their
hearts considered themselves to be Craftspersons.
The implication has been that craftsperson is a
high calling indeed, and that one does not refer
to oneself as an "artist" ..... at least, not when
we're producing pottery, especially functional
pottery .....
that such a designation as "artist" most
appropriately
comes from references made by Others, not by
ourselves. Others may be individual customers,
neighbors, peers, galleries, museums, friends,
the media
..... doesn't
much matter but of course the greater the distance
between ourselves and the one who labels us as
artists, the greater the possibility of acceptance
of our authenticity as .... Artists.
I haven't said that this is a correct belief or not ....
a good belief or not..... just that this is the
assumption that has more or less permeated our
Clayart since its inception.... most of the time.
Warren MacKenzie's biography was my first book=20
about clay; I admit
that his simple philosopy appealed to me then
and appeals to me now seven years and countless books later.
So........ why all the Elitist talk concerning those
that "understand" and those masses that clearly
don't get it? Why the change? Or is it not a
change....... but that I'm hearing with different
ears? Listening, perhaps, instead of only hearing?
Whichever, it rankles, especially when it drivels
from the mouths of our mentors, our gurus, those
we respect as being beyond such thinking.
#1 Support Person declared that the westie and I
needed to get out for an hour tonight, so we drove=20
through the two nearest actual neighborhoods ...... which
happen to be a large mobile home park about four
miles to the east, and a mixed bag of literally
falling-down, uncared for, shabby,
sad, hopeless, waiting to be claimed by the
desert sands ...... "homes"
(for somebody) in the hamlet two miles to our west. =20
In this same town of 700 or so citizens,
smack flat around the edges of these forlorn shacks
are a couple dozen rather proud domiciles... whole,
shiny, reflecting pride of ownership.
What does this have to do with clay.... with art......
with craftmanship??? Most of the homes in both
neighborhoods had all
sorts of ceramic objects either lining their walkways
or nestled among plants in their desert gardens....
or on windowsills inside .... with squirrels, rabbits,=20
bluejays, cardinals, ducks, geese peering out at
the passer-by. I only observed the first time through ...
on the second pass I thought about my own reaction
to these clay pieces..... clay..... my own love.....
but in forms which somehow I've missed "seeing"
on previous trips through the area.
Was I scornful of some of the more
obviously machine-made, mass-produced animales?=20
I might have
been yesterday, but not today, not after reading so
much ....... shall I say claptrap?...... about the few
who "understand" and the masses who don't....=20
in other words, the Rest of Us.
I found several general categories of ceramic
decorative pieces...... one: the knick-knacks,
maybe from
dollar stores..... two: those with greater
detail, more expressive faces and bodies that
caught some sense of movement...... three:=20
a few yards had ducks and geese seemingly
of copper maybe or bronze, which had been
treated to give a green-blue tinged with rust
appearance. These, in fact, may also have
been ceramic. All looked to be mass produced.....
produced for the masses .... not for me,
certainly, nor for thee........ but for the masses.
The Rest of Them.
I did note that I liked the third group best,=20
remindful of verdi gris .....
the more mobile looking group next.... and the
first group not at all. Does this little self-appraisal
indicate that I am one of the elite..... No, it
means nothing except maybe that even "mass
produced" work (for the masses) can have levels
of aesthetics for some of us? Rambling...... yes.....
but it is important to say that many folk on Clayart......
produce work much different than what has been
described recently .... are proud of their work......
and should be proud of their work .... but sometimes
feel a bit diminished hearing their leaders ... their
idols even ... relegate them and their work to some
realm where the Eyes of the Elite do not Linger
........... ever.
AND if you do not get what I'm saying ..... maybe
I'm not as addled as you think....... maybe you're
just not Elite enough to quite "get it" ...... yet....
Joyce
In the Mojave where I'm hoping not to hurt=20
friends' feelings ..... but then they may have
..... I hope inadvertently..... hurt those of
hundreds of claybuds. Sure, these claybuds=20
will rise above it ...... but it still hurts ... and
hurt diminishes.
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