Gay Judson on sat 20 sep 03
I've been reading Clayart for about 6 months. I began working with clay
last January when I took an introductory class at our local art center
and I'm hooked! But, of course, I'm a rank beginner-starting late in
life, after retirement. I have loved reading the Clayart posts and feel
that I am getting a real education in the art and craft of pottery-worth
the hours a day it takes to keep up with the reading assignments!
And I love the people I've met here. There are familiar names that I
respect and would never miss reading whatever they offer. There are
technical posts that don't apply to my practice now and that are way
over my head-but some of those I recognize as being of value to me in
the future so I copy those out and paste into a collection on my
computer for future reference. I've used the archive, but the titles
don't tell everything and sometimes it is hard to find what I want.
One of the things I love about my experience in pottery is the
literature I've encountered through it. The first remarkable book I met
here was "The Unknown Craftsman" by Leach. Wonderful-even my husband
who has not had the opportunity to get his hands into clay yet is hooked
on that book! Then someone mentioned reading Marguerite Wildenhain. I
have found two books by her that I have thoroughly enjoyed: "Pottery and
Form" and "The Invisible Core". Recently someone mentioned the pottery
and writings of Rosanjin and I have been delighted seeing photographs of
some of his work and reading some of his writings-what a guy! One of my
favorite experiences on a brief stay in Kyoto was visiting the
home/museum of Kawai Kanjiro. They sold a small chap book of his
sayings that is my treasure from that trip. I think that anything that
has a strong philosophical aspect and great literature holds great
attraction for me-and ceramics certainly has both of these! I've loved
reading the threads on the philosophy of pottery and the aesthetics of
it-intriguing and stimulating thoughts. Sometimes these get a bit
"exciting"-but that just shows the deep feelings we have about this
wonderful art/craft!
Thanks for sharing it all with me! Gay
Hank Murrow on sat 20 sep 03
On Saturday, September 20, 2003, at 11:10 AM, Gay Judson wrote:
> One of the things I love about my experience in pottery is the
> literature I've encountered through it. The first remarkable book I
> met
> here was "The Unknown Craftsman" by Leach. Wonderful-even my husband
> who has not had the opportunity to get his hands into clay yet is
> hooked
> on that book! Then someone mentioned reading Marguerite Wildenhain. I
> have found two books by her that I have thoroughly enjoyed: "Pottery
> and
> Form" and "The Invisible Core". Recently someone mentioned the pottery
> and writings of Rosanjin and I have been delighted seeing photographs
> of
> some of his work and reading some of his writings-what a guy! One of
> my
> favorite experiences on a brief stay in Kyoto was visiting the
> home/museum of Kawai Kanjiro. They sold a small chap book of his
> sayings that is my treasure from that trip. I think that anything that
> has a strong philosophical aspect and great literature holds great
> attraction for me-and ceramics certainly has both of these! I've loved
> reading the threads on the philosophy of pottery and the aesthetics of
> it-intriguing and stimulating thoughts. Sometimes these get a bit
> "exciting"-but that just shows the deep feelings we have about this
> wonderful art/craft!
Dear Gay;
You might look into Henry Varnum Poor's "Book of Pottery" for more. And
also check out " The Art of Rosanjin" by Sidney Cardozo & Masaaki
Hirano, I got it at the Smithsonian bookstore in the Sackler. Also,
Wilson's book on Ogata Kenzan is pretty wonderful. Since your
preferences are your own, I suggest an interlibrary loan before buying
anyone's recommendation, just to be certain there is enough there for a
long time with it.
Cheers, Hank in Eugene
Susan Setley on sat 20 sep 03
Gaye, be SURE you read Arcanum by Janet Gleeson. It's about how alchemists in
Europe turned from attempting to turn lead into gold, to figuring out how to
make Chinese porcelain, which at the time was as valuable as gold.
intrigues, crooks and scoundrels -- it has it all. :)
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