URL Krueger on mon 20 jun 05
On Monday 20 June 2005 11:33 am, pdp1@EARTHLINK.NET wrote:
> Again..
> If the Clay is soft, well wedged, homogeneous, and
> someone shows them the manner of constrainig the sides of
> the whirling lump, while pressing it from the top...the
> Clay will respond 'magically' to become Centered.
If I may use an old phrase, Amen, brother !!
I have a bucket of lovely recycled clay that is nice and
soft and doesn't take a lot of effort to wedge to
uniformity. That clay centers almost by itself. My 20+
granddaughter can center this clay after only two "lessons"
from me.
Yesterday I cut a slab off of a bag of clay I've had sitting
around for months. It seemed pretty stiff but I wanted to
use that particular clay for the fountain I am making. To
wedge I had to lean my whole body weight into it.
Centering was almost impossible, or I guess it was
impossible since I ended up with a lopsided bowl. I am now
letting the failed bowl and the whole bag of clay dry out
so I can reconstitute to the consistency I like.
--
Earl K...
Bothell WA, USA
pdp1@EARTHLINK.NET on mon 20 jun 05
Again..
If the Clay is soft, well wedged, homogeneous, and someone shows them =
the manner of constrainig the sides of the whirling lump, while pressing =
it from the top...the Clay will respond 'magically' to become Centered.
So, anyone can learn it in their first session. Which with some =
repetition, soon would become a steady skill.
The Skill begins in the address of the condition of the Clay...not just =
wireing off some slab from the end of a bagged mass and squishing it =
into a 'ball'.
Then, subsequent 'pulls' have a good basis for being made, for them to =
learn from there.
That so many struggled so much and for so long, or still do, is not =
because it is 'hard-to-do', but because the simple steps and conditions =
were not surveyed, not understood, not made clear, not arived at, not =
made into practice.
How often in classes do students merely wire off some thick end-slice =
from the bagged Clay, cut it into some pieces for the scale to say =
weighs such-and-such as per the teacher's assignment, and try and center =
it?
Misery!
So...
Wedgeing!
Homogeneous and 'soft' Clay...!
"Easy" then, for all neophytes or impending neophytes.
Not hard-to-do...not discouraging...
How many people have we met who reflect on having taken 'pottery' long =
ago, but abandonded it in dispair for never being able to get the Clay =
'Centered'..?????
What does this tell us?
Endless 'bad' teachers, for one thing...endless 'bad' classes...
No one showed them properly...the discoveries were not made...the focus =
was on struggleing, never on making sure the Clay itself was right...
Love,
Phil
el ve
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