claybair on sun 8 feb 04
Hi Chris,
Why should Curtis' technique be questioned any more than
any other artist/potter who has spent 30+ years working on
his/her art/craft? My initial reaction to some very famous potters
was a resounding "Yuck" but after understanding how, when & why
they came to that point... I "got" it. I may not like the work but I can
respect it and do not question it's importance, validity & contribution
to the field.
Curtis has made the "cracks" part of the work at one point he expressed
disappointment when one came out "perfect".
On the other hand the person working with him was mortified when pieces
came out cracked. Due to the language barrier Curtis couldn't communicate
that it was what he desired.
Getting our foundations jogged once in a while keeps us fresh and opens
us up to new ideas. Look at this as a little earthquake... I'll bet it
knocks some
of those old dusty rules off the shelves!
Gayle Bair
Bainbridge Island, WA
http://claybair.com
-----Original Message-----
From: Clayart ccpottery
For those of you who do not get CM, Curtis has an
article printed that details his approach to cracks
and accidental breakage of his work.
He has decided to embrace the changes
wrought by life and nature. He enhances the repairs
with gold leaf and boldly makes them a part of the
life cycle of the vessel.
Reading his words and viewing his images was very
challenging. Some repairs were easy to accept but others
made me stop in my tracks and take a second look at
my notions of a vessel.
As he says, archeologists are always putting shards back
together and this does not lessen the pot, So, why should
we throw out a wonderful pot because it got cracked or
broken as it travelled out into the world?
I respect Curtis' work to a huge degree and I think his
talent and craftmanship are well established.
May I ask that we forget our own notions of the 'right or wrong'
of it and have an exchange of ideas on how this novel
approach hit us?
Chris Campbell - in North Carolina - can one who dots the i's
and crosses the t's embrace this?
ccpottery@BELLSOUTH.NET on sun 8 feb 04
For those of you who do not get CM, Curtis has an
article printed that details his approach to cracks
and accidental breakage of his work.
He has decided to embrace the changes
wrought by life and nature. He enhances the repairs
with gold leaf and boldly makes them a part of the
life cycle of the vessel.
Reading his words and viewing his images was very
challenging. Some repairs were easy to accept but others
made me stop in my tracks and take a second look at
my notions of a vessel.
As he says, archeologists are always putting shards back
together and this does not lessen the pot, So, why should
we throw out a wonderful pot because it got cracked or
broken as it travelled out into the world?
I respect Curtis' work to a huge degree and I think his
talent and craftmanship are well established.
May I ask that we forget our own notions of the 'right or wrong'
of it and have an exchange of ideas on how this novel
approach hit us?
Chris Campbell - in North Carolina - can one who dots the i's
and crosses the t's embrace this?
Nana Underhill on mon 9 feb 04
Hi-
Well, I haven't, unfortunately read the article, only what you've described
about it, and I can tell you, it was like a beam of sunshine in a dark room.
I have a lamp base that I just made with different colors of clay which
cracked in a way that was interesting and systematic, but also irreperable
and tempted me to throw it away. Now I may just have to find some way to
say "Look! Aren't these cracks fascinating?"
I have typically tried to make flaws disappear or blend in. Much like life!
Whudathunk of embracing them...
I'm going to give this concept a try. (***) knows I've got enough flaws to
practice on!
I have been, on a related note, throwing pots with my son (he's five). He
draws the shape of a pot, and I produce it. Somewhere in the process he
comes over, when I'm in the middle of something tricky, says "What's this
doing?" and grabs the pot while its turning. In the beginning this made me
want to yell, but now I look forward to it. He does things to the pot that
I would never...
Nana
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