Ceramics Monthly Ceramics Monthly Volume 29, Number 3 March 1981
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4 Ceramics Monthly Ceramics Monthly Volume 29, Number 3 March 1981 Features Cone 3 OxidationRichard by Zakin.................. 33 Ted Randall .............................................................. 37 Ohio Craft Fairs........................................................ 42 Raymon Elozua.......................................................... 46 F. Carlton Ball: Autobiographical Notes, Part I ..................................................................... 48 Robert Archambeau.................................................. 52 National Teapot Show..................................I........... 54 Traditional Wood Firing in France........................ 55 Departments Letters to the Editor.................................................. 9 Suggestions ................................................................ 13 Where to Show.......................................................... 15 Answers to Questions................................................ 21 Ceramic Crosswords Ricby Swenson ...................... 25 Itinerary .................................................................... 27 News & Retrospect.................................................... 69 Index to Advertisers.................................................. 98 Cover Stoking the single firebox of a massive, traditional kiln at La Borne, in southeastern France. One of the last remaining folk potters assists contemporary ceramists Michel Pastore, Evelyne Porret and Janet Stedman in clearing the ash pit as fast- burning fagots (bundles of sticks or twigs) are quickly reduced to embers. A look at the work of these potters and their revival of traditional ways begins on page 55. Photo: Michel Leparreur. March 1981 5 Ceramics Monthly Magazine Spencer L. Davis.................... Publisher and Acting Editor William C. Hunt ..............Managing Editor Robert L. Creager .....................Art Director Barbara Harmer Tipton .............Copy Editor Carol Lefebvre Hagelee .............Asst. Editor Ruth C. Butler ..................Asst. Copy Editor Mary Rushley.............Circulation Manager Connie Belcher ...........Advertising Manager Editorial, Advertising and Circulation Offices 1609 Northwest Boulevard, Box 12448, Columbus, Ohio 43 212 (614)488-8236 West Coast Advertising Representative: Joseph Mervish Associates, 12512 Chandler Boulevard, No. 202, North Hollywood, California 91607 (213)877-7556 Ceramics Monthly (ISSN 009-0328) is published monthly except July and August by Profes sional Publications, Inc. — S. L. Davis, Pres.; P. S. Emery, Sec.: 1609 Northwest Blvd., Co lumbus, Ohio 43212. Correspondence con cerning subscriptions, renewals and change of address should be mailed to the Circulation Department, Ceramics Monthly. Box 12448, Columbus, Ohio 43212. Controlled circula tion postage paid at Athens, Ohio 45701. Sub scriptions: One year $14; Two years $26; Three years $35. Add $3 per year for sub scriptions outside the U.S.A. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Ceramics Monthly, Box 12448, Columbus, Ohio 43212. Articles in each issue of Ceramics Monthly are indexed in the Art Index. Microfische, 16mm and 35mm microfilm copies, and xerographic reprints are available to subscribers from Uni versity Microfilms, 300 N. Zeeb Rd., Ann Arbor, Michigan 48106. Manuscripts, photographs, color separa tions, color transparencies (including 35mm slides), graphic illustrations and news releases dealing with ceramic art are welcome and will be considered for publication. A booklet de scribing procedures for the preparation and submission of a manuscript is available with out cost to potential authors. Send manuscripts and correspondence about them to The Editor,Ceramics Monthly, Box 12448, Columbus, Ohio 43212. Copyright © 1981 Professional Publications, Inc. All rights reserved March 1981 7 Letters Reitz Writes under all sorts of circumstances, and have The fired clay slab shown below was found that any workspace is ideal—when received by CM in response to a letter from efficiently utilized. Cincinnati potter Bob Hasselle which ap Watching the women of Nigerian vil peared in the December 1980 issue.—Ed. lages fashioning masterpieces of pots from clay, grog and dust is about as great an efficiency—and revelation—as one could wish in a single lifetime. Don and Isao Sanami/Morrill Vancouver Mount Saint Helens Ash I would like to express my appreciation to Michael McDowell for his article “Glaz ing with Mount Saint Helens Ash” in the January issue. Michael’s account of the initial curiosity, half-serious testing and jubilation after the first fired tests, vir tually parallels our own experience. We have over two tons of fine-grade ash stored in the barn and have plans to return to the eastern part of the state for more as soon as the mountain passes clear. In addition to Michael’s reported results, we have also run tests substituting the ash for 70% of the feldspar and 30% of the flint content of several of our other Don Reitz glaze formulas with virtually no visible Marshall, Wis. change in the glaze appearance, thus open ing up the possibility of incredible eco January Issue nomic savings. Another interesting use of While mainly agreeing with Ric Swen the ash is wedging it into a white stone son’s article (“Selecting and Designing a ware or porcelain body and glazing with a Studio”) there are a few comments I clear glaze. The result is a “freckled” would like to make: Most readily available appearance and great body strength. We electric services in North America are not threw a small bottle-shaped pot on the three phase but are single phase, three- floor several times with no chipping or wire, grounded neutral. If one is fortunate breaking. Mount Saint Helens ash seems enough to build the ideal studio, then to be the most versatile material we have probably two 100-ampere services would be yet to discover and it has become a main of value. One would be for general usage stay in our repertoire. and the other reserved for kiln power and I hope others find working with Mount heavy equipment. If living arrangements Saint Helens ash as interesting and excit are not physically separate from the shop, ing as we have and continue to experiment then one quite definitely should have a for further uses. As artists and craftsper- large, high-volume fan at the end of the sons working directly with natural elements shop opposite the entrance door. It should it seems crucial, given today’s economic operate nearly all the time to assure a realities, that we make as much use of our constant flow of air away from double immediate natural surroundings as pos doors to the living quarters. Even bright sible. sunlight may not reveal the presence of I would like to see CM publish more impalpable dust. (A rather high humidity articles concerning local materials, and assists in precipitating dusts.) would also be interested if readers would We have found that a smooth, well- provide information relating to the his maintained earth or fine gravel makes an torical use of volcanic ash in pottery mak excellent studio floor. Either should be ing. water sprinkled about twice daily to Michael L. Madsen achieve a surface nearly as hard as con Blaine, Wash. crete. Concrete itself is not always a de sirable surface: untreated, unpolished, it is Counts Responds to Garzio constantly freeing dust to float about— While I respect the opinion of Angelo silica motes to be trappedby the unwary Garzio (“Garzio: Viewpoint” in the Janu lung. Polished and treated, wet concrete is ary issue), appreciating the fact that peo an invitation to cracks in the pelvis. ple can have honest differences, I do For ourselves, the ideal studio is all believe he misses the point concerning an outdoors in a warm climate. Barring this it exchange of Nigerian craftspeople with is axiomatic that any space is either too American communities. much or not enough and rapidly fills with It is my firm belief that no one loses in the indispensable, until coming across a trying to create an environment of under piece of string a year later, we wonder standing and world community. We do what ’n ’ell we saved that for. We have have a global village. The biggest threat created studios in several countries, and Continued March 1981 9 10 Ceramics Monthly creativity necessitates change and flexi Letters bility. Without change we would still be to Nigerian culture is ignorance of the painting on cave walls with iron oxide. vitality and artistic excellence of village (Or was it* manganese carbonate?) artisans. The village potters are threatened Jo Fry by imported plastic containers and cheap Garrettsville, Ohio enameled metals, not “Western” ceramic technical information as dispensed by edu More NEA Grants Reaction cators at the Ahmadu Bello University or It has become evident that only a few tiny human experiments such as Michael can win at this art welfare scam, so it Cardew’s Pottery Training Centre at seems necessary to somehow come to grips Abuja. with its distribution. Is it true that one A recent magazine article reported that can win more than once? If so, why not 20,000 students were attending colleges differentiate the honor of winning from and universities in the United States from the granting of the monetary gift? Could Nigeria. (See “Nigeria: Oil-Rich and the acknowledgment of the second and Nervous” Atlantic, January 1981.) It has subsequent winnings become “honorary,” been my great disappointment to realize thereby saving the money for others need that so very few