mel jacobson on wed 13 dec 06
one of the most important factors in my admiration
for donovan palmquist is that he does not leave
out any detail in building a kiln.
from the gas ports to the chimney...it is a well crafted,
well thought out solution.
nils and olson have that same feeling about kilns.
the bastardization of kilns often comes from
folks that want to cut corners...`how cheaply can
it be built...what used materials can i find?...free.
the kiln is the heart and soul of a potter.
why would anyone want to build that `heart` in
a cheap, thrown together fashion?
like all tools that you will use for your entire life...
buy the best, use the best and then learn to make
the very best. great kilns will always pay for themselves...
over and over. bad kilns will always cost you money
in repair and wasted fuel. and of course...your time.
when building a kiln, i find that committees and consensus
is what you DO NOT need. consensus often is the
coming together of many half ass`d, compromised ideas.
so that everyone can agree and smile and hold hands.
(working for 35 years in a school that always wanted
consensus has taught me a great deal about unified
mediocrity.)
personal leadership and making hard choices of quality
will give you that perfect kiln.
seeking professional help, taking and listening to that
advice will help a great deal.
i also want to echo colleen riley's (donavan's wife) thoughts this morning
when she talked about donovan's pre/workshop at nceca.
`donovan is a quality potter and makes fine pots.` like
nils, they have the experience to know how to make and
fire their work. both donovan and colleen are makers of pots.
the kilns follow that work and experimentation.
their new work is being done with soda/neutral atmosphere
and slip and glaze....COLOR AND VIVID SURFACE.
and like so many of us that have been working with lite
reduction/neutral....it is very hard to achieve in fuel kilns....to
perfection...most
kilns just want to reduce. therefore it is easier to just let
the kiln be in charge...like a bad dog....it runs you.
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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