marianne kuiper milks on wed 30 nov 05
I gave up smoking in 1986. I gained much by doing so, not in the least excess pounds I have not been able to shed.
However, I never thought I'd smoke a wheel.
For the past several months i have been trying to decide whether I should just hand-build (which I love) or concentrate my largest percentage of time on the wheel. My argument/discussion - with myself - is like this: a real potter pots pots. A handbuilder builds by hand . A real artist (remember where i am in life..) does both. Don't jump one me for that: I am the novice, remember? Mostly mentally or in metality, I suppose.
I basically want to keep the little skils I have been trying to nurse along. I love the focus of the wheel, the motion, the sound, I don't always liked the growing odor of the wheel, nor the growing pile of mud staring at me. Used mud, gookie and shapeless with a few cut-off rims staring at me. Is it guilt that drives me to the wheel? The fact that it was a gift from a loving student? A vague attachment to my ancestry?
A serious and growing number of potters - the real kind who know - have put this deeply philosophical question to me:
"Why? Build!"
Yes, why? Again..back to desire, duty or guilt? Where is my love versus need versus ability? Please don't ask me to answer those questions!
The truth is, I love the surprise of building while I hate the "surprises" of throwing. Yet my pride tells me to at least keep up what little throwing kills I have, maybe even improve upon them.
When I build I see the next part before it is there, or do something unexpected and sit and watch. I've played like that for some time. But Diana Panchioli made a big difference in my life in that direction and I thank her deeply.
But there is still that wheel. Before the wheel seems such a peaceful time now.
So: 'round and 'round I go.
Yesterday the wheel went up in smoke. It snapped, rattled and popped, billowed on both sides, came to a nasty grinding halt and died. The clay sitting on it, for once, was so very promising of course. I remembered why I quit smoking almost two decades ago. It was foul. And I was fowl: I ran scared to death out of the house with my dogs and cat and shut off the breaker. Oy. Close. Very close. I almost had concentrated on the wheel.
Les jeux sont fait...the die is cast. One less worry.
Marianne
---------------------------------
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Jody on thu 1 dec 05
Marianne: My sentiments exactly, so glad I'm not alone with the wheel vs.
handbuilding. My objective when I started was to get on the wheel and
throw, throw, throw, but I had to take handbuilding first and that was it!
I've been handbuilding ever since, but I still have the wheel in the studio
calling to me and I want to do both. And I used to throw good bowls, but
I'm out of practice and throw lousy now, it's that centering that gets me.
I can still throw my small "salsa" bowls to give for Christmas with the
salsa I make in the summer so I'll keep on practicing. A friend at the
Arkansas Arts Center where I had classes was a handbuilder only, when I
asked her about the wheel she said she had never learned the
wheel.........ahhhh, no pressure. From a handbuilder......yes it is guilt
that drives you to the wheel. Anyway, that's my story and I'm sticking to
it!
Jody Rath
Riverbend Pottery
----- Original Message -----
From: "marianne kuiper milks"
To:
Sent: Wednesday, November 30, 2005 12:09 PM
Subject: A smoking story...
> I gave up smoking in 1986. I gained much by doing so, not in the least
> excess pounds I have not been able to shed.
> However, I never thought I'd smoke a wheel.
>
> For the past several months i have been trying to decide whether I should
> just hand-build (which I love) or concentrate my largest percentage of
> time on the wheel. My argument/discussion - with myself - is like this: a
> real potter pots pots. A handbuilder builds by hand . A real artist
> (remember where i am in life..) does both. Don't jump one me for that: I
> am the novice, remember? Mostly mentally or in metality, I suppose.
>
> I basically want to keep the little skils I have been trying to nurse
> along. I love the focus of the wheel, the motion, the sound, I don't
> always liked the growing odor of the wheel, nor the growing pile of mud
> staring at me. Used mud, gookie and shapeless with a few cut-off rims
> staring at me. Is it guilt that drives me to the wheel? The fact that it
> was a gift from a loving student? A vague attachment to my ancestry?
>
> A serious and growing number of potters - the real kind who know - have
> put this deeply philosophical question to me:
> "Why? Build!"
> Yes, why? Again..back to desire, duty or guilt? Where is my love versus
> need versus ability? Please don't ask me to answer those questions!
>
> The truth is, I love the surprise of building while I hate the "surprises"
> of throwing. Yet my pride tells me to at least keep up what little
> throwing kills I have, maybe even improve upon them.
> When I build I see the next part before it is there, or do something
> unexpected and sit and watch. I've played like that for some time. But
> Diana Panchioli made a big difference in my life in that direction and I
> thank her deeply.
> But there is still that wheel. Before the wheel seems such a peaceful time
> now.
> So: 'round and 'round I go.
>
> Yesterday the wheel went up in smoke. It snapped, rattled and popped,
> billowed on both sides, came to a nasty grinding halt and died. The clay
> sitting on it, for once, was so very promising of course. I remembered why
> I quit smoking almost two decades ago. It was foul. And I was fowl: I ran
> scared to death out of the house with my dogs and cat and shut off the
> breaker. Oy. Close. Very close. I almost had concentrated on the wheel.
>
> Les jeux sont fait...the die is cast. One less worry.
>
> Marianne
>
>
>
> ---------------------------------
> Yahoo! Music Unlimited - Access over 1 million songs. Try it free.
>
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