Martie (AKA the Kiln Priestess) on tue 16 may 06
Hong Kong ceramic studio update and question to list readers about safety
of Black Mountain clay:
The first part of the tendering process for the purchase of kilns and
potter=92s wheels for the HKBU Academy of Fine Arts is finally over and a
local vendor has been selected to purchase and install these items. I
supplied the names and address for several large distributors of ceramic
equipment and materials in the US as well as the dealer in Hong Kong, but
the distributors in States either did not respond to the request for a
bid, or they would not guarantee that the merchandise would be wired to
meet Hong Kong=92s electrical standards. Anyway, I believe that the dealer
in Hong Kong gave us a good price on the equipment plus they will install
the kilns. They also guarantee their work and the equipment.
There are several business that sell clay, ceramic equipment and materials
in Hong Kong, but not all of them are dealers for every kind or brand of
equipment. In addition to selling American and British products, shops are
now also selling glazes and materials from Australia. A couple of places
also sell some local clay, but it is not very good (in my opinion) and I
think that only a few primary schools use it. Chinese brushes can
purchased in a lot of stores including stationary shops.
Last week I was part of a three person panel that interviewed several
local ceramists for a part-time teaching position at the Academy beginning
in the fall. Each of the artists that we interviewed showed us portfolios
filled with wonderful and mature work and each applicant had an impressive
resume. All had degrees in ceramics from various universities that were
located either in or outside of Hong Kong. All of the applicants said that
they felt that things are starting to open up for artists and that it is
becoming easier to get commissions for work from both Hong Kong and the
mainland.
The one thing that I want to mention here is that all of the work that
each person had made in Hong Kong was fired in an electric kiln except for
raku pieces. At the present time there are a few opportunities for some
ceramists to occasionally fire their work in gas fueled factory kilns
located in cities outside of Hong Kong. I looked into the possibility of
having a gas line installed at the Academy, but we are to far away from
any piped gas. The best that we can do in the future is to use LP (liquid
propane gas) for raku. I do not think that local regulations will allow us
to have a large natural gas tank. Also, we cannot fire with wood or any
other fuel that produces smoke because of local environmental laws.
Contemporary ceramics has become a strong art form here and there are many
studio artists who are making very conceptual and contemplative works that
are based on serial imagery and mixed media installations. Many of the
ceramists who engage in producing and teaching this type of conceptual art
work in earthenware because of its expressive quality as a material that
can be burnished or left unglazed. The rawness of the clay is an important
quality in many of the works that I am describing. Also, many ceramists
are using a dark clay called Black Mountain. I have used this clay in the
past here myself, but I cannot remember who produces it. Anyway, as I
recall, it is toxic because of the high content of manganese in the body,
which along with other oxides helps produce a dark rich clay color at a
mid-range temperature. One of the ceramists that we interviewed has used
this clay for years and she had no idea that it could be harmful. I am not
sure just how much care should be taken when using this clay body and I
was wondering if anyone could please inform me about which clay company
produces Black Mountain so that I can write to them to get more
information on the precautions of working with it. Also, as I recall,
Black Mountain throws well and it burnishes up nicely. I only tried 25 lbs
of it back in 1998 when it began to become popular in Hong Kong.
Thanks in advance for help and advice on the Black Mountain clay.
Martie (alter ego--Kiln Priestess)
Helen Bates on wed 17 may 06
HKBU Academy of Fine Arts Ceramics Studio and Black Mountain Clay
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On Tue, 16 May 2006 "Martie (AKA the Kiln Priestess)" wrote:
>(...) Thanks in advance for help and advice on the Black Mountain
clay.
I hope these links are helpful. It's not an easy topic. Edouard, Ron,
and several others have posted to the topic in previous years.
Laguna Clay MSDS links for Manganese compounds in Dry Raw Materials:
http://www.lagunaclay.com/msds/3rawmat/adry/MSDS3a.htm
(The MSDS files available here are PDF objects) (Note: various meshes
for Manganese Dioxide have separate msds files.)
MSDS for Black Mountain and other Aardvark Brand black clays:
http://aardvarkclay.com/pdf/clays/black_clays.PDF
(Note that manganese is a listed ingredient but the health warning
refers only to the silica content in the clay.)
Potters.org compilations of Clayart posts relevant to Manganese:
http://www.potters.org/subject18701.htm
http://www.potters.org/subject58128.htm
Helen
Helen Bates (Belleville, Ontario, Canada)
Clayarters' Websites: http://amsterlaw.com/clayart/
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Dale Neese on wed 17 may 06
Black Mountain Clay is manufactured by Aardvark Clays. Here is a link to
Aardvark Clays and the MSDS sheets for black clays.
http://aardvarkclay.com/new_pages/msds.html
Dale Tex
"across the alley from the Alamo"
San Antonio, Texas USA
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