bill edwards on wed 10 aug 05
Its good to see new talk about extruders. When
visiting other potteries, often the potters would have
on hand some unique pieces where they were completely
extruded and re-formed or partly thrown and partly
extruded. The end results had eye appeal non-the-less
where the form was captured best using gourmet glazes
and a passion for aesthetics.
Slab rolled work is also exceptional on many levels
and takes just as much imagination to capture
outstanding end results. In the past I had students
who mulled over how in the world do you get hollow
body round cylindrical forms from a flat piece of
clay? Veronica Griffin (my friend from way back in
time) was capable of producing objects I never dreamed
of and was an extremely proficient hand builder using
anything but a wheel. Often her jug forms looked like
she had created them on a wheel. Her animal forms were
life like and realistic her extrem and unusualflowers
would appear to be blooming and alive and often
abstract. How can that be? It doesn't have to be
flowers we have seen, an alien form can be imagined
and just as real if we percieve it to be.
The other day I was visiting a potter friend (He's a
real lurker at times here) and I picked up one of his
pieces that Veronica made. That particular piece was
speaking out and telling me its story. These are the
areas many potters want to go when we speak about how
art attracts us or the inter-action between the
collector, the pottery piece and the artist. I had
looked over so many pieces of art my friend had on
hand (very large personal collection) and didn't see
anything I had made. Problem: I had made lots of
pieces, they were scattered throughout the home and
some in plain sight often functional sometimes totally
dysfunctional. The pieces didn't appeal to me as I had
forgotten them or was too caught up in others art.
This was a mental jam, not recognizing or visually
responding to my work till it was brought up and put
in front of me. I was most proud of one piece by their
door where my daughter and I both worked on it as a
team. I realized then that I had blocked my own view
but could see her work well. What does this say? I
had a long analytical drive back home. We become
accustomed to our own way of thinking and often we
place our art in some image folder and time stamp it.
( on examination I recognize anything I have done, if
I am looking for it) Once the door was opened and my
friends wife went to plucking out countless pieces she
had collected of mine over the years, I started
remembering the moment some of the pieces were made.
Pre-flood era came flooding back. My drive back caused
me to realize that I had seemingly blocked a large
portion of my work from memory post flood for whatever
reason. But re-visiting myself through these people
helped me square away some things. I came back and
explored something and re-discovered those bits and
pieces of me that I had put away neatly and also
reexamined the archives for Clayart. So I built a few
pieces by hand, they are drying and the ghosts of many
potters came back to help me. (these are memories my
friend, not true ghosts)
I used to run from long rants, I would delete the
posts with BLOGS and additional over-information. Not
any longer. Those are the ones who have given me more
than they had to and their time is valuable to me, I'm
sure it is as valuable to them as well or they
wouldn't even try! SPAM is another subject. I will add
a note to my delete key asking me if I am sure I want
to delete this before I lose that vital information
hidden deep within some of the posts. (Keep in mind
that I do read most every post made in full even if I
have to do it over a period of time.
When I taught for other business's, I tried to reach
as deep in my spirit as I possibly could and offer up
my very best. I never toyed with the student and I
made all attempts to listen to their creative side
even if I felt differently on a personal level. Ned
Berry once said to me that he would like for me to
teach him to throw like I do. I told him that wouldn't
be a good idea because his work is valuable to
me/others as is and my fear would be he would lose or
change what made his work as appealing as it was. I
could help in other ways, I could show him some things
that might be worthy of mention and maybe we could
talk about glaze and apply some of that to his work,
but often I learned as much from my students as they
did from me if not more in a sense, it reached beyond
form and created a greater understanding on the varied
perspectives of individuals. And yes, the extruder and
the roller became more friendly to me over time. I do
admit that 95% of my work is still wheel thrown or
formed but I will make some changes to that. After
all, I was given the gift of learning techniques from
some of the most outstanding people I know. I bow to
them, all of them on this note and am still pondering
where some may be now. How's so and so doing? Potters
usually run back into each other sometime in their
life span. The friends from here are just as cherished
and the pieces that I have traded back and forth over
the years have a home in my gallery and home (Not For
Sale) where any visitor can look at them but not
touch. David Beumee your glaze techniques are to die
for, you also made a friend because you were willing
to give of yourself freely. From time to time I will
spill over and tell each one how grateful I am to them
somehow, somewhere at some time. Some form a dislike
to a response and the writers becomes invalid to a
few, others pick and choose what fits them best and
they will reply heavily to others while seldom, if at
all to those who ask questions. A cliché is formed and
sometimes that person becomes abandoned in some ways.
There's more to a person than the few words given on a
group can honestly express. Their character may be
completely different in person. Their work cannot be
over-looked forever is they are serious enough about
it. Remembering Arti... a wild man with a passion,
people loved to see him coming so they could argue and
then they loved to see him go and missed the arguing.
We found out latter that he had some real medical
problems and his brain was effected by a tumor I
believe it was? But he was a creative spirit. He told
me one time my work looked like shit and if I needed
some lessons I would do good to check out his site,
and I did. Then he wrote me and told me that he knew
the only way I would go look was if he became critical
of my own work. That worked for me, he taught me
something that day!!! He latter told me to drop by and
we'd throw down a few red stripes. (whatever that is?)
Give those that you believe deserve the delete key the
benefit of a doubt first and perhaps give them a
second glance on occasion before you decide their
whole value was summed up because you simply don't
have the same value systems. If someone isn't
answering your posts, they're the elitist and have
exposed their grandeur ways as silent as possible in
the loudest manner available. (We all know these
types) The properness of terms usually isn't the
validity of the work force making the clay into pots.
We get too hung up on all this and are too abrupt at
times. Private emails back and forth are often much
better when a disagreement is forth-coming unless it
contains a positive way of resolve where the publics
attention is invited or encouraged to reach a valid
end. And for those who often let the public know they
have a delete key, that becomes boring and over-rated
when most who use a computer already knows its usually
one red button under the 'insert' key. The 'end' key
is to the right usually and I am hitting it now.
Potters take Note: There are some pieces in the kiln
that belong to several of you. They are waiting out a
very valuable piece to dry before firing. The Rachael
Urn (Dog head sculpture) has been around the bin and
belongs to someone in the entertainment World. Once
this firing is done, the glaze firing is next and the
pieces will be mailed straight out. I know, its been a
long time coming. But I am thankfull to have people in
my life who exchange their art with me over our
internet talks and forum and trust that I return the
same. My greatest passion is to have pieces from as
many clayarters as I can. I have a special place for
those and I admire them all the time! Sometimes I will
actually get a piece down and use it for a special cup
of coffee/tea or a serving of rice/soup and wash it,
put it back up and admire it all over again. It not
always possible I go to NCECA, I do attend clay
conferences when and where I can. Exchanges can be
enlightening, effective and productive.
Bill Edwards
Edmar Studio and Gallery
302 South Main St (Shipping)
POB 367 (Mailing)
Camp Hill, Al. 36850
http://apottersmark.blogspot.com/
"!" And I quote that
CampHillBilly
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