mel jacobson on mon 30 aug 04
one of the most critical aspects to the study of any
glaze is what clay body are you using? our entire chinese
glaze/clay experiments are based on finding a clay body
that is close to the old jiang pottery. we think we have it.
high iron...dense body, that rings like porcelain. joe is still
working on the clay bodies. we have used four different bodies
to date. we are very interested in the clay/glaze interface.
it changes with every clay body/firing. we continue to work.
the jiang pottery was in southern china/on a major river.
sedimentary clay, high in iron all around. that is why the pottery
was built there. unique clay. why are there old potteries in ohio?
clay. right there. just dig it up.
take for example.
shino.
what does malcolm's no 1 look like on porcelain? stoneware?
dense/iron stoneware? all different...you would not believe
it is the same glaze. i will show you on my `picture page`.
two teapots, same glaze, different clay body. is shino shino?
yes, to a degree. but the clay makes a mountain of difference.
ron roy has spoken to this til he is red in the face. what is in your
clay? you probably do not know. and no one is telling you.
big secrets. how do you judge what glazes to use, what cone
to fire? guess work. a full time, working potter has to know. it
is essential to your work.
take for example:
rhodes 32. my glaze for 40 years.
it only works well on a high iron body. fired to full cone 10-11/full
reduction.
david shaner made the glaze to fit his high iron
clay. same for me. it was the clay i was using in
1965. it worked. others would get the recipe from me
and complain what an awful glaze it was. chalky, white...no
zip. they fire gray stoneware/light reduction/fire to cone 9/no
rutile/crap. people
still bitch at me about this glaze. i tell them it is all in the clay.
they do not believe me. `i think he leaves some of the recipe out.`
bullshit. it is all about understanding the entire system. clay/glaze/
timing with application/layers/firing/down firing/cooling.
hank murrow has done a masterful job
in educating folks about the essence of shino(crystals) and cooling. ron and
john insist that is about the most important aspect to firing.
most of my life i have used continental clay stoneware with iron.
(not a big mystery what is in it.)
i add to it, more iron, more grog, more sand, lake superior iron sand....and
usually a bit of scrap porcelain. the walker pug mill gets all my clay
before i throw.
i never take it from the box and throw. that is not my clay body. it is a
base.
i can use dry mixed stoneware to re/cycle. my clay is rough. but, then
that is what i have decided to have. my choice. it is what i prefer. i
understand
it. my recipes never travel well. in fact, i think more people have failed
with my recipes than have had success. but, that is ok. each has to
travel their own road. do their own testing...make their own pots.
and, until you make your own clay/test and make your own glazes, and
work out a unique firing schedule, you are in the control of others/their
ideas and decisions. their research.
(please do not scream at me. this is not to put people down. make what
ever you like, but test, and expand. move into new areas. you will find it
exciting and challenging. of course some folks make great things with
purchased clay and glaze...of course. and please continue. but the challenge
of doing your own, working to a goal of total independence is pretty
wonderful.)
and, i realize that it takes a great commitment to move into new areas. it is
very scary. it takes time and money. (how much do you think it is costing
me to do this chinese glaze/clay testing? i am 400 pots short as of today
for my christmas sale...i have turned down five commissions. yes, we may
sell these pots at a later date..maybe. but, i know i would sell 5,000 bucks
worth of pots (my pots) at christmas. i am more than willing to do this
project...it is exciting and worth the time and effort. it may bring good
things later. but, it is a gamble. and, i made a promise to joe koons....
`we would make it work-together`. and we are. with months of work to
go. but,
we have a handle on it.
clay is the life of a potter..never glaze. clay/how does it throw, build,
dry, crack, bisque, accept glaze? how do you throw/glaze/fire? match
the clay to you. most just buy a color they like and go with it. not the
way to work at all. it would be like building furniture out of knotty white
pine.....and wondering what black walnut is. there is a difference.
mel
From:
Minnetonka, Minnesota, U.S.A.
web site: my.pclink.com/~melpots
or try: http://www.pclink.com/melpots
new/ http://www.rid-a-tick.com
John Britt on tue 31 aug 04
Mel,
I am certainly not questioning anything you do, or your level of
experience but I do believe that the recipe matters whether it is just the
ingredients list or a fully fleshed out recipe system describing how to
reproduce a glaze.
For example, without Malcolm=92s recipe (ingredients) you would not have had=
the opportunity to try it in all those ways. Without the recipe for Rhodes
32 you would not have been able to test it and make it your own.
I believe that sharing recipes is essential to progress in ceramics. That
is why I believe in writing articles, even though it takes time and energy
away from potting. I have learned a lot from those who published their
recipes in books and articles. They took the time to share what they knew
to help others along the way and I feel a great debt to do the same.
I guess I have beaten this dead horse, so enough on that.
I am sure you have researched the literature fully but for others reading
this, check out =93Dark Jewels=94 by the Ackland Museum in Chapel Hill
and =93Hare=92s Fur, Tortoiseshell and Partridge Feathers=94 by Harvard Muse=
um.
They show lots of photos of Black and Brown ware, and incidentally, many
of those are on white stoneware or porcelaneous stoneware.
Best of luck with your beautiful temmoku/kaki/oil spots and I look forward
to your forthcoming articles,
John Britt
www.johnbrittpottery.com
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