Lili Krakowski on sat 22 jan 05
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>After a couple years of working on it I can now center
>fairly easily, throw bowls and mug bodies that at least
>look somewhat similar and pull up a fairly tall and
.straight sided cylinder. And that's about as far as the
>books I've seen take you.
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Dear Earl:
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I can watch all the films I want and read every book on ballet, and =
still fall on my face trying for a tour jete. Even standing in the =
proper position..
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Now I am going to be my Nannyestest and tell you how I teach throwing. =
And I have had very good results. (As did Frans Wildenhain who taught =
this way)
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1, Take a big sheet newspaper and a marker. Sign your name ten times. =
Do it bigger than normal, about 1" or so. Think about it. Feel the =
flow, the ease, the almost "automatic pilot" aspect. Do you THINK =
whether E follows or precedes U? No. now sign my name or Mels' ten =
times. Any long name ( Sorry, Lee Love) Even though at #10 it will go =
better, you still are thinking, you still hesitate, it still does not =
flow. You have to get from signing another name to the flow and ease of =
signing your own name for every step of throwing.
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2. Make up 20 balls of clay the size of a softball or so. About =
1 pound. Center them. Center, cut off, center, cut off, center cut off =
etc. After the first 20 balls, take a break (relaxing one's hands =
between sessions of identical motion is GOOD) and start on the next 20 =
balls. Do this, with breaks in between, for several HOURS. Besides =
wishing me dead by that time, you should be able to center in an =
automatic, "mindless" motion (actually series of motions) that =
requires no conscious thought. =20
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3. Next session. Make/use 1.5 and 2 lb balls. After a day of this =
you will want to get some plasticine or soft wax and make a small figure =
of a solid old woman. Write Lili on it, and stick in some pins.
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4. Center a 1 lb ball of clay and open it. One sweep,open to =
3-4 inches. At this point IDENTICAL does not matter. Repeat all =
afternoon using bigger balls of clay. Work at the one sweeping motion, =
at even (no hills no hollers) bottoms about =BD' thick. Center, open, =
cut off wheel. REMEMBER TO TAKE BREAKS. Stick bigger pins in little =
woman.
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5. After you center and open, now start pulling up. You should =
be able to get to 3-4 inches on the smaller balls. Work at each size =
ball, over and over, centering, opening, pulling up, till the motion is =
automatic, till the pot stays centered, till you hear your needle tool =
yawning with boredom, BECAUSE IT IS OF NO USE. Work up to 2 lb balls of =
clay, same deal, and over till the walls are straight and the rims are =
even. Stick a bamboo skewer through the little woman, while pronouncing =
curses.
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6. Repeat the whole drill. This time make flower pots. THESE =
ARE YOUR FIRST KEEPERS. You can keep these, bisque fire them, give to =
friends who start their own plants. Get a few clay flower pots, try to =
approximate them. Just for the angle of the walls. Make a hole in each =
pot's bottom, to check whether the thickness of the bottoms is even, and =
thick enough. You can practice rims on these, by drying the pot at the =
rim, about an inch and folding the walls over rolling it down, like a =
sock. This drill will take longer than then others. Work gently, slowly =
and attach the fold over bit to the all of the pot. Put two more =
skewers through the little woman.
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7. Repeat the entire centering, opening pulling up drill, over =
and over, all day if necessary, making funnel shapes. From the =
beginning pull up and push inward, your right hand "dominating" Repeat =
and repeat. Break off little woman's arms. Do a war dance, yelling =
curses. Very relaxing!)
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8. You now know it all. This has taken you 40-60 hours of work, =
steady focused work, only breaks. A bowl is no more than a more flared =
flower pot. A bottle is a flower pot, topped by a funnel. Make several =
pots you want to make, practicing at least ten hours on each shape. =
Remove the bigger skewers from the woman, replace her arms, set her on a =
shelf near your clock.
Lili Krakowski
Be of good courage
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