Lee Love on sun 14 aug 05
clennell wrote:
> To say woodfiring is cheaper is really not good business sense.
Woodfiring
> is the most expensive method of firing on the planet.
Hi Tony,
Yes, it cost more if you count labor. And Yes, my
kiln is fast as far as firing goes, and related to wood preparation
and kiln maintenance. But the big difference is that our economics are
different. I charge twice as much for my Shigaraki yunomi compared to
what I charge for my nami glazed yunomi (that could "almost" be made in
a gas kiln, if you put them on shells and nuka for flashing the foot.)
So, the value in the woodfired work is higher here compared to the
extra labor.
Related: My teacher's kiln takes over $3000.00 of red
pine to fire, not to mention the labor costs. But all he has to do is
sell one pot to pay for ten firings. So in the right system,
labor costs are made less significant.
But on the other hand, $100.00 of petroleum fuel cost
much more than $100.00 to produce and use, but our society subsidizes
it. You also have to take into account the carbon burden fossil fuels
create. If we take ecology into account, it really gives a
different perspective on human labor and economics.
> P.S An excellent post of Korean pots, ole man. I'll sleep with my Yi
> dynasty
> teabowl tonight.
Jean and I went to Tokyo for a couple days to celebrate our
20th anniversary. We saw some fine Okinawan pots and Korean Yi pots
at the Mingeikan, along with some really nice Okinawan textiles. My
favorite Okinawan pottery at the show were the funeral houses and the
Komainu guardian dogs. Oopps. I think the Komainu were made of
cement. But my favorite pots were the Korean Yi pots.
We also went to the 53 floor of a skyscraper at Roppongi to
the Mori Art Center. The observation deck gives a great view of the
Tokyo skyline, including the Tokyo Tower. The Philips collection of
oil paints were on show. Cezanne is my favorite post-impressionist
and there were several nice painting by him. What knocked our socks
off was a show from China related to the silk road, China: Crossroads
of Culture.
http://www.mori.art.museum/english/contents/china/about/index.html
It is incredible how much contact there was between the East and West,
even as far back as the 3rd and 4th centuries.
--
Lee Love
in Mashiko, Japan http://mashiko.org
http://seisokuro.blogspot.com/ My Photo Logs
"The way we are, we are members of each other. All of us. Everything.
The difference ain't in who is a member and who is not, but in who knows it and who don't."
-- Burley Coulter (Wendell Berry)
clennell on sat 20 aug 05
>Mashiko Lee wrote:
> Think outside the box: Maybe change fuels? How about cone 14 for under
> $8.00? That's my costs.
Lee: Business Practice 101 tells me your costs are not $8.00. "Time" is
what costs the most in a potters studio. A wood firing for me represents at
least a week of my time. What are the "opportunity costs" of taking this
amount of time away from making for firing with wood?
Our gas kiln costs about $100 to fire. We are making pots while it fires
itself. No kiln maintenance either.
To say woodfiring is cheaper is really not good business sense. Woodfiring
is the most expensive method of firing on the planet. That's why relatively
few do it. Labour, labour, labour. Labour is $$$$$$$$$$$.
Let's say you are much quicker than I and can gather wood, fire a kiln and
clean it up in a day. I'm being generous here. What is a day worth???? Less
than $8 or more?
Wood firing costs more so i sell my woodfired pots for more money.
You woodfire for lots of good reasons. I don't think economy is one of them.
Cheers,
Tony
P.S An excellent post of Korean pots, ole man. I'll sleep with my Yi dynasty
teabowl tonight.
Tony and Sheila Clennell
Sour Cherry Pottery
4545 King Street
Beamsville, Ontario
CANADA L0R 1B1
http://www.sourcherrypottery.com
http://www.sourcherrypottery.com/current_news/news_letter.html
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