mel jacobson on mon 23 oct 06
one other note:
something to think about.
we, clay makers, have to be aware
that raku style pottery can go the
way of water color painting...very fast.
it is called `technique driven`.
it is the quest for new and different
techniques...and then you have added
about thirty more tricks. this chemical,
this and that chemical. this for twenty
seconds, after burning, heating...magic
newspaper, or paper bags...not a clue
about what is local reduction, just what kind of paper.?
i see folks at workshops taking notes like
mad...wanting `technique recipes`.
the making and firing pots slides very
fast into second and third place.
the new technique takes over the
entire process.
i know this will raise some hackles.
but, i get very tired of `copy cat` technique
driven pots. i like to think of technique
coming from within, not without.
it is like the minnetonka water color
society meeting....`how did you get
that affect?, oh, my, wrinkled saran wrap.
oh, i have to write that down...` technique
452 in the note book. it is not the study
of painting, it is the study of whose technique
and trick can i copy. you know, ` i am a dong kingman
style painter`. yah, we all know that.
i have watched a potter like russell fouts work
in low temperature pots. he has worked very hard,
dedicated work, to makes pots that have his
individual stamp on them. it is very admirable.
they are russell fouts pots. he is a star in
low temp firing technique. but, it is his
stamp...his own research, his own vision.
marta has done that with her new approach
to hand building and firing. she was on her
own for several years...working a style that
had little bearing on what others were doing. that
is very, very admirable. she had to take
a few `slings and arrows along the way`.
folks did not understand what she was about.
well, she was about making clay objects that
reflect earth..not the `shrine circus`.
those that do `american raku` with zeal and
understanding, that work to make their
work...`ceramic art and craft` are to be
admired. people like steve branfman, bob
anderson and many others are involved
in good form, good skill and are not
'just involved in a flashy cover for their
pots.
we all love to see and understand new concepts
and ideas. i love to watch raku folks hard at it.
but, we don't run home and change our entire
aesthetic because someone is using a new chemical
additive. `oh man, i can't wait to sprinkle `nickel hydrogenated
silver sparkles on my pot. i don't have a clue what that
is, or what it does, but i saw it last week.`
i know for sure, that ron and john and many others are teaching
potters to understand their surfaces from the inside/out.
know what you are doing, and why. don't jump on every new
glaze like it is a gift from god.
this is not a critical, raku artists are all asses post.
this is about taking time and doing research to find
what works for you, with your aesthetic sense.
what do you, want your pots to reflect?. it sure
should not be...`a new technique invented by others, gotta have it,
gotta have it`.
it would be like making pots that look just the
the next jury person at the next show you are
going to enter...that is total and complete bs.
it is called: play ger ism naughty.
mel
from: mel/minnetonka.mn.usa
website: http://www.visi.com/~melpots/
Clayart page link: http://www.visi.com/~melpots/clayart.html
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