Kathy McDonald on sat 4 mar 06
wheel gets the oil
What a wonderfully articulate post Alisa. I am posting it
again in it's entirety
so that people can reread it if they missed it first
"go-round".
Kathy McDonald
-----Original Message-----
From: Clayart [mailto:CLAYART@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG]On Behalf Of
Alisa Liskin Clausen
Sent: Wednesday, March 01, 2006 2:57 PM
To: CLAYART@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG
Subject: FW: Messages about publishing glazes on Clayart or
the squeaky wheel gets the oil
Dear Clayart
I have written several responses and sent one of them which
by the stoke of
luck, did not go through. I had taken some things
personally, which I chose
not to later on. If it shows up next week or next year,
like my NCECA room,
well, a grain of salt. But what I did salvage and feel
appropriate is this:
John and Ron have and continue to have unprecedented
support, discussion,
attention, recommendations and compliments on their well
written book MC6G,
on Clayart. They have done an enormous job with their glaze
research and how
they share it all in their book. They are continuously
helpful over the
list. Not without loads of discussion, we have honored
their wish not to
publish their recipes. Their reasons for this have been
told many, many
times. So much, that most of Clayart knows what we mean if
we say the
recipes. Clayart can become Slayart at times when we get
tunnel vision and
need apparently, approval and validation. We are a group of
2228 and we are
great. However, a quick glance outside Clayart will show
many, many names
of active, clever, sharing, working, devoted ceramists.
Clayart is great
and we as a group are not the world, nor do I feel that
there is a need to
make world leader decisions on how to govern our world,
short of what the
moderator may decide.
Whether we fundamentally agree or not, we have respected and
honored MC6G
wishes regarding not putting their recipes on Clayart. I
can only compare
this to the Danish newspaper that recently has turned the
world upside down
again, because their freedom of press inadvertently insulted
a group of
people. Although the newspaper did not think much of making
cartoons about
a matter taken very serious by that particular group of
people, that group
did. Ideally, whether we are talking about glaze recipes or
prophets, I
wish the world to be a place of mutual respect. But that is
not the way of
the world, with staunch opinions everywhere. Sometimes
these opinions
become one sided truths and become serious threats to our
world's peace. At
other times it is more or less what takes place everyday in
exerting our
personal passions and beliefs. I find myself at times
wresting with freedom
of speech and my principles, potentially overriding common
courtesy and
mutual respect. Do I make a point, or practice what I
learned in
Kindergarten? This is the time I choose my battles. What
will happen for
the better or worse of ceramics and Clayart if we publish
the recipes? A
few people feel gratified and a few people will feel a host
of not good
feelings, and not much more, in my opinion. What will
happen if we continue
to respect a couple of author's wishes? We demonstrate good
will.
If we can get past the recipe thing, which is like a squeaky
wheel, because
it has demanded so much attention, I feel I do have some
principles I would
not like to compromise. The way I work and the way I would
like to share.
Intolerance is one of the only things that I do not
tolerate. We have our
methods; we have our priorities, soapboxes, rituals,
beliefs, interests and
so much more. Dialogue has always been one of the most
important part of my
ceramic learning curve. Freedom to talk, ask, write and
exchange or for
that matter ignore. I learn a lot from people who are
smarter than me. I
learn a lot from smart people who let me take on my own
initiatives, all the
while lending a hand. I think I have done a fine job
showing that a high
boron frit (3134/Frit 169 or J), can be subbed gram for gram
instead of G.B.
or that under glazes fume. I cannot prove in my efforts in
my glaze studio
that mol. wt. sub. makes any visible difference in a glaze
than gram for
gram sub. When I shared, I did not get feedback from people
who started the
discussion. Ow, ow, my ego is hurt, I feel so tiny. But I
continue and
slowly, I see how it all pans out. I once pointed out that
Clay Times has
published at least two or three of MC6G recipes under
different names. I get
up on my soapbox and I just as quickly walk down again with
the response.
I think the idea of those who get it and those who don't is
a harsh and
unfortunate judgment, John and Ron. Getting it or grasping
and using
information is not like that. It is hopefully treated with
patience as a
growth sequence over time.
I wish to remain positive and therefore will once again say
that MC6G is a
superb resource. John and Ron and I have exchanged emails,
have met and for
my part, I felt happy and privileged. But I do not like
this campaign from
the authors, etc. about how should send in our test results.
To me, it
sounds like if we all conform to only the teachings and
methods in this
book, we do not need much more. An essential book for
today's updated
ceramist, but does not take the place of many other
references still on the
bookshelf.
I could go directly to my glaze program with my glaze recipe
from Cape Verde
to see if I can get it to travel safely to Cape May. There
are definitely
benefits, getting a result quicker. But with Ian's grid, I
can see what I
may have missed along the electronic highway. They are both
important tools.
Both important. What is sticking me in the ribs and making
my eyebrows go in
the wrong direction, is the idea that we need to be
formatted. My ugly
glaze tests tell me just as much as the nice ones. I need
to keep on it,
using all the resources I can. I like to cull what I have
access to, learn
something and try to send something back.
If through mutual respect, we continue in our methods and if
others are
tolerant and listening, it will come together to strengthen
our community,
rather than put us in restricting boxes marked The Best Way.
I do not want
one book or one method. I like best the living methods -
our community on
their toes and cutting edges, telling their experiences,
experiments, laying
down fact through extensive research and the flexibility
that we all have
something to contribute.
I have had two outstanding examples of this dialogue today,
where first John
Britt made my light bulb light by mentioning that Titanium
helps form
crystals. Flash, I realized that my Crystal glaze that
always worked great,
stop working. One version calls for 1 gr. Copper and 5
Rutile, the other
for 1 gr. Nikkel and 5 Rutile. I read the recipe wrong and
only added 1 gr.
Nickel. Now I go back to Hamer and Hamer and listen to John
Britt, and say,
Holy Cow, what does Rutile have in it that I need? Then, a
great bonus came
when David Hewitt sent me his and Mike Bailey's test results
of opacifiers
from his website at
http://www.dhpot.demon.co.uk under Pottery Techniques /
Opacifier Test
Series.
As I said to David, I am glad that I did not see these tests
before I
started my own. But now I am so glad to study theirs to see
where I need to
go.
It is late, I can hear Claus snoring through the wall. My
mother will be 80
years old tomorrow. I am excited to get going tomorrow in
my studio.
Regards from Alisa in Denmark
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