Brad Sondahl on wed 8 jun 05
My god daughter and I did a tour of Coeur D' Alene Idaho galleries
today, culminating in watching a glass blower making some unblown
paperweights. Glass workers and pottery workers are relatives--one
works with sand, the other mud, and both work with heat to
achieve their ends. The mudworkers seem the poor relatives of the glass
blowers--only a few glazes come close to some of the glories of glass
colors and effects, not to mention the transparency which clay only
partially achieves in true porcelain. Anyway, in spite of our
being the poor relatives (pricewise as well as in glitzyness), the glass
worker never touches his work until it's done (without dire
consequences), whereas potters touch and retouch every part of their
creations. We also can make up in speed what we lack in individual
work's value.. All that said, it was still fun to watch a new process,
and just as wehen watching a production potter, the glass blower kept
making the same thing over and over again to the point that its
fascination diminished. When people watch me work, they often say at
the outset they could watch me work all day, but after 5 or 6
repetitions of making the same item their interest invariably
flags. So does mine, which is why I'm usually listening to something to
keep my mind occupied...
Brad Sondahl
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For my pottery how-to videos, original art, music, pottery, and literature, visit my homepage
http://sondahl.com
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