Eleanor on sat 20 aug 05
Mary wrote:
My instructor insists that I do everything right handed (wheel,
kneading, etc).
GET ANOTHER INSTRUCTOR!!!!!!!!!
Once again, you are getting good advice, this time on wedging. May I
add: in the cut and slam process, look at the cut face of the clay---if
it has holes in it or (when you're recycling) different colored layers
of clay (that means the old clays are not thoroughly mixed), keep
wedging. If the cut clay looks perfectly smooth, you're done wedging.
Also, as you wire wedge, clean off the wire now and then so it doesn't
make too many distracting marks on the clay.
I'm left handed. When I was a child my mother went up to my elementary
school teacher to ask why I wasn't being forced to write right handed.
My brother was, but he's 12 years older than I am and by the time I
went to school, educators were enlightened about the evils of switching
(my brother is OK).
Growing up in a right handed world I became almost ambi-dexterous: I
use right handed scissors, knit right handed and eat European style--I
don't switch knife and fork to cut meat.
It never even occurred to me to inform my first clay teacher about my
handedness. I'm sure he would have taught me to throw left handed--he
was flexible and accommodating.
You will have to make a decision about how you throw. And it's YOUR
decision, not your instructor's.
Throwing left handed in the Western world may have some drawbacks: most
electric wheels turn counter-clockwise--you may have to pay extra for
controls which allow you to switch; illustrations in your 40 pottery
books are probably showing right handed techniques--it may confuse you.
You do have to use both hands to throw so I suspect that handedness
doesn't have too much effect on learning the technique, at least I hope
so. I have had to learn to keep my stronger left hand inside the pot
from putting too much pressure on the wall and pushing it out. In any
case it's too late for me to know whether I'd be a more skillful potter
had I switched.
As you have been told, there are many ways to accomplish a well-made
pot. If your instructor is too narrow-minded to know that, GET ANOTHER
INSTRUCTOR!!!!!!!!
Eleanor Kohler
Centerport, NY
Gordon Ward on sat 20 aug 05
I noticed that in spiral wedging, my left hand does most of the work
and the right is doing the rotation. Once you learn it, I'm not sure
it makes much difference. I'm not really sure if I'm doing it right
handed or left...
Gordon
On Aug 20, 2005, at 5:47 AM, Eleanor wrote:
> Mary wrote:
> My instructor insists that I do everything right handed (wheel,
> kneading, etc).
>
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