pdp1@EARTHLINK.NET on tue 21 jun 05
mentions...
Hi Earl,
Exactly...! Lol...
My mention was bases on my experience in two areas -
One, in the ( years ago, of ) several different (one 'beginning', and four
or so 'intermediate' ) Classes I took at the University and at some
Community Centers. Nothing was really 'taught' or taught very well at all in
any of these classes, they served parenthetically as merely expensive ways
to have access to a Wheel and Kilns.
I my view anyway, the KIlns should not have figured into any classes anyway,
but the Classes should ONLY have been about 'throwing' ...but...as it was...
Most of the 'intermediate' Students still had troubles with centering and
moreso with making forms and pulls of non-homogeneous clays which had been
poory wedged and were often too dry to begin with anyway. Over-labored
things, too much struggleing and protracted confusions.
Two, in talking incidentally with many people over these years who would say
things like "Wow...I was really interested in learning Pottery and took
several classes but I never could get the Clay 'centered'..." or similar.
I would guess that previous to Clay comeing from retailers in 'bags', almost
no one had such problems, and when a Potter showed a prospective neophyte
the basics, the Clay was 'friendly' ( unless they were intending to be
merely mean or to covertly sabotage the introduction, ) and the sequences
of preparing it were integral with what leads up to 'centering'. The
sequences of preparing the Clay WAS a central part OF the continuity of
processes in which the Throwing was not isolated conceptually or by default.
Once I had my own Clay Studio for a short time, I liked to dissolve the
Bagged Clays ( and any hard as a rock Bags of Clay other Potters had wished
to get rid of, allways ^10 anyway, ) in 5 Gallon Buckets and let it sit a
while and get agitated or stirred now and then by me, ) then to evaporate
down liesurely to the consistancy I was after where I would then keep the
lidong 'tight' and use a.s.a.p.
This was easy, and was also my manner of wasteing nothing, since any failed
or rejected greenware or other non bisqued forms or scraps from Trimming and
so on, went in to the Buckets whose sequence of settleing and dissolveing
and so on I sort of kept track of in my memory.
Anyway, this whole matter of soft, or 'friendly and responsive' homogeneous
clay, eventually seemed so fundimental to me, that I feel it is a shame it
has been so neglected in what seems to be the majority of cases where the
premis is for someone to 'Learn to Throw', and or when they are paying
hundreds of dollars to some school for the pretext of being shown how to do
so...and when they struggle TO try and to do, with Clay that is not suitable
or prepared for them TO 'do so'.
It IS very 'hard' to learn-to-throw when the Clay is not friendly...when it
is not soft enough and properly homogeneous.
Otherwise, as your grand daughter proves nicely...!
It is 'easy'...!
How ironic...
As, the overall hear-say universally, is that is IS 'hard' to
learn-to-center...
Best wishes,
Phil
Las Vegas
----- Original Message -----
From: "URL Krueger"
> 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
| |
|
