Nick Joerling Shifts Gears Techno File

Spotlight: Nick Joerling shifts gears Techno File: The forms and uses of iron Profile: Eric Knoche’s multipart constructions Glaze: Many ways to get bubbly lava glazes www.ceramicsmonthly.org march 2011 1 2 march 2011 www.ceramicsmonthly.org Manufacturer of the Famous GEIL Downdraft Gas Kiln Presents The NEW State-of-the-Art Front-loading Electric Kiln

Model EHW-12 • 12 cu. ft. (27” W x 27” D x 36” H) • 3 zone controller (Bartlett Controller may be mounted remotely) • Built-in vent system • Geil Guard coating • Ventilated Shell • Cone 10 (2350 Deg. F) • Door Safety Interlock • Drawer-type elements that connect in the rear of the kiln $7,500 FOB Huntington Beach, CA

Easy Change Element System • NO Pins • NO Rods • NO Sagging

If you can open a drawer, you can change these elements. See this kiln at NCECA - Booths 413, 415, 417

GEIL KILNS www.kilns.com 800 • 887 • 4345 [email protected] GEIL Firing Workshop in May • Check Our Website for Details www.ceramicsmonthly.org march 2011 3 4 march 2011 www.ceramicsmonthly.org www.ceramicsmonthly.org march 2011 5 monthly Publisher Charles Spahr Editorial [email protected] telephone: (614) 794-5867 fax: (614) 891-8960 editor Sherman Hall associate editor Jessica Knapp assistant editor Holly Goring editorial assistant Erin Pfeifer technical editor Dave Finkelnburg online editor Jennifer Poellot Harnetty Advertising/Classifieds [email protected] telephone: (614) 794-5834 fax: (614) 891-8960 classifi[email protected] telephone: (614) 794-5843 advertising manager Mona Thiel advertising services Jan Moloney Marketing telephone: (614) 794-5809 marketing manager Steve Hecker Subscriptions/Circulation customer service: (800) 342-3594 [email protected] Design/Production production editor Cyndy Griffith production assistant Kevin Davison design Boismier John Design Editorial and advertising offices 600 Cleveland Ave., Suite 210 Westerville, Ohio 43082 Editorial Advisory Board Linda Arbuckle; Professor, Ceramics, Univ. of Florida Scott Bennett; Sculptor, Birmingham, Alabama Val Cushing; Studio Potter, New York Dick Lehman; Studio Potter, Indiana Meira Mathison; Director, Metchosin Art School, Canada Bernard Pucker; Director, Pucker Gallery, Boston Phil Rogers; Potter and Author, Wales Jan Schachter; Potter, California Mark Shapiro; Worthington, Massachusetts Susan York; Santa Fe, New Mexico Ceramics Monthly (ISSN 0009-0328) is published monthly, except July and August, by Ceramic Publications Company; a subsidiary of The American Ceramic Society, 600 Cleveland Ave., Suite 210, Westerville, Ohio 43082; www.ceramics.org. Periodicals postage paid at Westerville, Ohio, and additional mailing offices. Opinions expressed are those of the contributors and do not necessarily represent those of the editors or The American Ceramic Society. The publisher makes no claim as to the food safety of published glaze recipes. Readers should refer to MSDS (material safety data sheets) for all raw materials, and should take all appropriate recommended safety measures, according to toxicity ratings. subscription rates: One year $34.95, two years $59.95. Canada: One year $40, two years $75. International: One year $60, two years $99. back issues: When available, back issues are $7.50 each, plus $3 shipping/handling; $8 for expedited shipping (UPS 2-day air); and $9 for shipping outside North America. Allow 4–6 weeks for delivery. change of address: Please give us four weeks advance notice. Send the magazine address label as well as your new address to: Ceramics Monthly, Circulation Department, P.O. Box 15699, North Hollywood, CA 91615-5699. contributors: Writing and photographic guidelines are available online at www.ceramicsmonthly.org. indexing: Visit the Ceramics Monthly website at www.ceramicsmonthly.org to search an index of article titles and artists’ names. Feature articles are also indexed in the Art Index, daai (design and applied arts index). copies: Authorization to photocopy items for internal or personal use beyond the limits of Sections 107 or 108 of the U.S. Copyright Law is granted by The American Ceramic Society, ISSN 0009-0328, provided that the appropriate fee is paid directly to Copyright Clearance Center, Inc., 222 Rosewood Dr., Danvers, MA 01923, USA; (978) 750-8400; www.copyright.com. Prior to photocopying items for classroom use, please contact Copyright Clearance Center, Inc. This consent does not extend to copying items for general distribution, or for advertising or promotional purposes, or to republishing items in whole or in part in any work in any format. Please direct republication or special copying permission requests to the Publisher, The Ceramic Publications Company; a subsidiary of The American Ceramic Society, 600 Cleveland Ave., Suite 210, Westerville, Ohio 43082, USA. postmaster: Send address changes to Ceramics Monthly, P.O. Box 15699, North Hollywood, CA 91615-5699. Form 3579 requested. Copyright © 2011, The Ceramic Publications Company; a subsidiary of The American Ceramic Society. All rights reserved. www.ceramicsmonthly.org

6 march 2011 www.ceramicsmonthly.org

www.ceramicsmonthly.org march 2011 7 contentsmarch 2011 volume 59, number 3

editorial

10 From the Editor Sherman Hall 12 letters techno file

14 All About Iron by John Britt Iron can be many things—many of which are not brown. tips and tools

16 Rolling Reclaim by Donna Jones Saving clay and saving space are both great ideas. exposure 18 Current Exhibitions glaze

50 Silicon Carbide: the Stuff of Stars by Mark Chatterley For those of you who don’t think bubbles and craters are glaze flaws. reviews 58 Embracing Personal Expressions in Contemporary Japanese tea Wares Exhibitions at Musee Tomo in Tokyo and the Craft Gallery in the National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo. Reviewed by Naomi Tsukamoto 60 A System of Generosity: John Grade s Circuit at Davidson Galleries in Seattle, Washington, and Cynthia Reeves Gallery in New York City. Reviewed by Ben Waterman resources 77 Call for Entries Information on submitting work for exhibitions, fairs, and festivals. 78 Classifieds Looking to buy? Looking to Sell? Look no further. 79 Index to Advertisers spotlight 80 nick Joerling Shifts Gears Why would someone change what is arguably a very successful, established body of work in order to move in another direction?

8 march 2011 www.ceramicsmonthly.org clay culture 26 one hundred Jars Daniel Johnston’s 90-cubic-foot kiln transformed 11,000 pounds of clay, 25 gallons of glaze and slip, 30 cords of wood, and 800 pounds of salt into 100 large glazed jars— for just one sale. 28 low high-tech As it turns out, clay (speciﬁcally porcelain) is the perfect material for making a gramophone that ampliﬁes your iPod. 30 Pots in Action Making a living from your work not only takes tremendous skill but also creative marketing. Ayumi Horie has embraced elements of social networking to build a record of off-the-cuff action shots of her work. The result is both humorous and smart. 32 the Periodic table of Videos Science videos featuring common elements that are also near and dear to our studios, which discuss their various properties as they relate to everyday life, or life in the lab. studio visit 34 lorna meaden, Durango, Colorado How one potter scraped and planned and labored to carve out a life making pots. features

38 An Unsaid Quality by Janet Koplos A retrospective exhibition of Toshiko Takaezu’s work prompts this discussion of the relationship between depth and brevity, stillness and meaning.

44 minkyu lee: hidden Structure Revealed by David Damkoehler A ceramic sculptor focuses on deﬁning the parts of his work that are not actually there, encouraging viewers to complete the work in their minds. 48 mFA Factor: University of South Carolina A three-year program with teaching assistant opportunities as well as job placement.

52 Eric Knoche: Points of Connection by Katey Schultz What might seem like separate bodies of work to the casual observer actually form a consistent pursuit of ideas and expression for this potter and sculptor. monthly methods Buried in Fire by Eric Knoche

57 Paul Soldner, 19212 010 by Doug Casebeer One of the great pioneers of modern studio practice and ceramic exploration, and arguably one of the most well-respected and well-known ceramics teachers of our time, leaves a legacy of individuality, freedom of creative exploration, and artistic honesty.

cover: Compound pocket vase, 12 in. (30 cm) in height, thrown and altered stoneware with resist glaze decoration, by Nick Joerling, Penland, North Carolina; page 80. 52

www.ceramicsmonthly.org march 2011 9 from the editor respond to [email protected]

Well, here we are, folks, at the relaunch issue we even take the occasional commission, so what CM will become, we respect and value of Ceramics Monthly. Most of you know by let us know if you are looking for something the reasons we are where we are. And at the now that we have been working on this for specific. My email is right up there at the top end of the day, those reasons all come down quite some time, and it would be redundant of the page, just a click away. to you—I mean us—I mean people working for me to list all of the things we have tweaked And for those of you who will look in clay. I was a reader of CM long before I and shuffled in order to arrive here (you can at what we are doing with an eye toward ever worked here. I think I may even have read my letter from last month if you want submitting content, our writing and photo- been a reader of CM before I worked in clay, the list), so I suggest you dive right in, flip through and have a good look. Honestly, anything I would have to say about the merits of this issue matters very little at this point. All the work has been done, the tests have been run, everything was formed, dried, glazed, and fired, and here we are at the unloading of the kiln: fingers crossed, held breath, slightly increased heart rate, feeling the lid hoping it’s just cool enough to open, peeking at the top shelf, telling ourselves not to jump to any conclusions, retracing all of our steps in loading, trying to keep our unrealistic expectations in check while still believing that this will be the one. Of course, like anyone who really knows how to have a good kiln opening, we’ve already opened the kiln,

put the seconds back in the studio When redesigning the content, as well as the look and feel, for the new Ceramics Monthly, we made sure for reglazing, taken a hammer to the to keep the history and legacy of the publication in mind—all the way back to the first issue in 1953. duds, and gathered what we think are Turns out, people have been smart about clay for a long time! the best mix of pieces and laid them out for the sale. Come on, it’s not a trick, it’s graphic guidelines have been updated, and thanks to my high school art teacher having just good marketing—best foot forward and we welcome ideas and pitches for articles, it around the classroom. So, of course I think all that. We do this in the honest hope that departments, topics, tips, glazes, exhibitions, we have arrived at a wonderful combination you find that one piece you are looking for, artists, trends, or just interesting events and of what has always been good about CM and even if you don’t know what it is yet. We hope people that affect the culture of clay. Just go what it can be moving forward, but I’ll say that a few things may pleasantly surprise you, to www.ceramicsmonthly.org and click on the again that this will only be true if you play and make you look twice. And we understand “Submit Content” link. your part in this dialog. Those of us here on that some of our work may not quite jive with As I’ve said before, and as you may have staff have begun the process—we’ve laid out your expectations or preferences, but we trust noticed from the volume number on the con- the results from the first firing—and we now that you will let us know and tell us why. tents page, this is the 59th continuous year await our critique. I suppose the difference here (aside from Ceramics Monthly has been in publication, the most obvious differences between a kiln and that is a lot of history and legacy that, if and a magazine) is that you’ve signed up for not respected, can push against a relaunch like ten firings a year—so we will continue to test this. So part of our process was to look back and tweak, like any good clay geek, adjusting through the archives and track our history and improving in small ways as we go. Heck, to make sure that, as we move forward into

10 march 2011 www.ceramicsmonthly.org www.ceramicsmonthly.org march 2011 11 letters email [email protected]

New Format and Changes Mind section. I feel that the analysis should working and living. They may come from I am looking forward to the new format. refer to the handmade work. It is great to see cultures alien to ours, but the hard fact is they So far, you’re doing a great job with all the the work, but there should be some variation. exist and endure not because of their antique changes. I was one of those potters who used Rebecca Fraser, Santa Barbara, California value but because of their power to move and to just look at the pictures and did very little shape us. They continue to have a power to reading. Lately, I have been trying to read A Big Picture change our lives, and it is that kind of power the entire magazine. Just having your picture Reading January’s Comment “The Poetics of I don’t see in much of the work produced on the editor’s page makes me feel like you’re Analysis: Why It Is Important to Speak and by our high-speed petro culture. If what I talking directly to me, your reader. The flow Write About Your Work,” by Stanton Hunter, am saying is true, then the question we have of information from Internet to magazine has made me think of how tied we are to our 21st failed to ask ourselves is what constitutes this me feeling like I am totally connected to the century culture and economy. When I was a enduring power, where does it come from, ceramic information age. Good to have young student, my pottery teacher advised me to and how do we acquire it? people with such commitment to expanding exaggerate some feature of my work—lid, There are two things of which I am dead our knowledge of ceramics. knob, handle, curve—to set my work apart. certain: that most of what is produced by pot- Fujie Robesky, Fresno, California He made it clear this was for creative effect, ters and artists today is an accurate reflection not usefulness. I consider now that his expec- of current culture and economy; and that, Submerging tations may have been exceeded. were the economy to change, our culture I’ve been doing pottery as a hobbyist for about We live in an era of unprecedented change, would change and our work would reflect that 40 years. Professionally, I was an oncologist, which we have an uncommon confidence in as change. Consider that we are free, fed, and and I came to pottery after treating a cancer progress. We consider ourselves better, stron- mobile in ways that no other generation could patient who was a potter. I’ve always grown ger, more prosperous, and freer than those who have imagined, and those external forces have lots of potted plants and he faithfully brought have preceded us (and perhaps we are), but I shaped us and our work. Attendant with this me pots for my plants. After he was in remis- am not convinced that we live better lives or wealth and leisure is the ability to make, own, sion, he said he had something for me in his see ourselves in the context of our surround- use, and appreciate work that is significantly truck. I pictured another beautiful pot, but ings any better than did previous generations. removed from our predecessors’ understand- what he showed me was a potter’s wheel. He It seems our culture has forgotten that ing of beauty or functionality. It is important said, “Doc, I’m tired of making pots for you; rules and boundaries exist, and that they ex- to remember that this too shall pass, and that now you can make your own damned pots.” ist outside the sphere of our interpretation, we and our work will soon enough be artifacts I have always enjoyed your magazine, and spin, and often our learning. Just because our and antiques. That does not mean that what as I sat reviewing CMs from the past year, spe- work receives recognition or excellent reviews we do is unimportant, but an accurate sense cifically the May issue and the Emerging Artist does not mean that the work itself is good or of proportion tends to curb an exaggerated feature, I could not help but wonder how many lasting. Perhaps it is only human nature that sense of self worth. “submerging” hobbyists are out there who have compels us to want to be thought of as rare, If I am advocating for anything it is sim- really nice work that might be presented in though rarely are we. ply rest, a bit of peaceful introspection, and your magazine. Keep up the fine work. One of the salient features of our culture is perhaps restraint. If I am advocating against Thomas Sawyer, Orlando, Florida the ease with which we discredit and abandon anything it is the rigid lock step of a culture tradition. But we Americans don’t have much that may well be running out of gas. Variation, Please of a tradition in clay to abandon. Our folk Ron Newsome, Wadley, Alabama I think the Studio Visits are great. It gives the pottery tradition was relatively short lived artist a chance to be published, but I think compared to the Asian traditions cultivated Corrections that the information should include more over centuries. What we have abandoned are On page 55 of the December issue, we listed about technique and less about where they any traditions, Asian or Western. Old pots Jill Rowan’s Resist, Exist, Force as 9 inches in sell. Where they sell is always just about the and old ways of working with clay stand height, when it is actually 9 feet in height. same. There should be some interesting tips, against our conventional wisdom because On page 59 of the January issue, we like how they came to do this work, some- they are impracticable. And so they are. published an incorrect website for An- thing that changed and called to them about The problem is that the great pots and drew Martin. The correct web address is their direction, special moments of discovery great works in clay exist outside the bounds www.martinporcelain.com. about technique. This should all go in the of our culture, its priorities, and our ways of Sincere apologies for the mistakes.—Eds.

12 march 2011 www.ceramicsmonthly.org www.ceramicsmonthly.org march 2011 13 techno fIle

all about iron by John Britt Iron is everywhere in many different forms, but that doesn t mean it has to be boring or even brown.

Defining the Terms Iron Glazes Iron—The fourth most common element in the earth’s crust and the It would be impossible to show all iron glazes in this article but most common element (in terms of mass) on the planet, comprising highlighting a few will give you a glimpse of the wide variety. 35% of the earth’s core. Melting Point: 2795°F (1535°C ) Toxicity: Non-toxic ron roy BlaCk Cone 6 Talc...... 3% Forms of Iron Whiting ...... 6 Iron oxide is the most common colorant in ceramics. It is so ubiquitous Ferro Frit 3134 ...... 26 that it is very difficult to find a material without some iron—it’s found F-4 Feldspar ...... 21 in almost everything from feldspars to kaolin to ball clays, earthenware EPK Kaolin ...... 17 clays, and many colorants. In fact, many materials require expensive Silica ...... 27 processing to reduce the amount of iron to acceptable levels. 100% Iron is a very active metal that combines easily with oxygen. That Add: Cobalt Carbonate ...... 1% means it is very sensitive to oxidation and reduction atmospheres, Red Iron Oxide ...... 9% producing a wide range of glaze colors and effects from off white, Fake ash light blue, blue, blue-green, green, olive, amber, yellow, brown, Cone 6 reduction russet, tea-dust, black, iron saturate, iron spangles, iron crystalline Bone Ash ...... 5.0% (goldstone/tiger’s eye), oil spot, hare’s fur, kaki (orange), leopard Dolomite ...... 24.5 spotted kaki, tan, black seto, pigskin tenmoku, shino, gray (Hidashi), Gerstley Borate ...... 10.0 iridescent, silver, gold, etc. Iron also plays a major role in clay bodies, Lithium Carbonate ...... 2.0 slips, terra sigillata, and flashing slips. Strontium Carbonate ...... 9.5 There are three major forms of iron used in ceramics: red iron oxide Ball Clay ...... 21.0 Cedar Heights Red Art ...... 28.0 (Fe203), black iron oxide (FeO or Fe3O4), and yellow iron oxide (FeO % (OH)). There are different mesh sizes and grades, and each contains 100.0 varying degrees of impurities that can make a significant difference Chinese CraCkle (kuan) in the results you get. Cone 10 reduction The most interesting thing about iron is that it can act both as a Custer Feldspar ...... 83%

refractory and a flux. As red iron oxide, Fe2O3, it is an amphoteric Whiting ...... 9

(refractory/stabilizer) similar in structure to alumina (Al2O3). But if it is Silica ...... 8 reduced to black iron oxide (FeO) it acts as a flux similar in structure 100 % to calcium oxide (CaO). What this means is that a tenmoku glaze Add: Zircopax (optional) ...... 10% with 10% red iron oxide will be a stiff black glaze if fired in oxidation Adding small amounts of red iron oxide to because the iron oxide acts as a refractory. But, if the same glaze is this feldspathic base and firing in reduction fired in reduction that 10% Fe2O3 will be reduced to FeO, changing it will result in the following: to a flux, which will make it a glossy brown/black glaze that may run. Blue Celadon: 0.5%–1.0% Another interesting property of iron oxide is that if it is fired in Blue–Green: 1–2%

oxidation it will remain Fe2O3 until it reaches approximately 2250°F Olive to Amber: 3–4%

(approximately cone 8) where it will then reduce thermally to Fe3O4 Tenmoku: 5–9% on its way to becoming FeO. The complex iron oxide molecule simply Iron Saturate: 10–20% cannot maintain its state at those temperatures. This results in the ketChup red (Jayne shatz) release of an oxygen atom that will bubble to the surface of the hot Cone 6 oxidation glaze and pull a bit of iron with it. When it reaches the surface the Gerstly Borate ...... 31% oxygen releases the iron as it leaves the glaze, creating spots with Talc...... 14 greater concentrations of iron oxide. This is what creates an oil spot Custer Feldspar ...... 20 glaze. This reaction can easily be seen through the spy hole of a kiln EPK Kaolin ...... 5 or with draw tiles. There is an obvious and unmistakable bubbling. Silica ...... 30 If heated further, these spots begin to melt and run down the pot, 100% creating a distinctive “hare’s fur” effect. Add: Spanish Red Iron Oxide...... 15% Have a technical topic you want explored further in Techno File? Works best on dark colored stoneware. If used Send us your ideas at [email protected]. on a buff clay body, the red is less intense.

14 march 2011 www.ceramicsmonthly.org Sources of Iron

Form Chemical Characteristics Most Common use name

red iron oxide Fe2O3 Most common form of iron and is a finely ground material Used in glazes, washes, slips, engobes, terra sigillatas, ferric iron, that disperses well in glaze slurries, contains 69.9% Fe in and clay bodies, used to make celadons, tenmoku, Hematite the chemical formula, sold as: kaki, iron saturates, etc. (more listed in the text on • Natural Red Iron Oxide or Brown 521 (85% purity) page 14) • Spanish Red Iron Oxide* (83–88% purity ) • Synthetic Red Iron Oxide* (High Purity Red Iron or Red Normally used from 1–30% in glazes. 4284) (96–99% purity). Very fine 325 mesh. Sometimes sold as the brand name Crocus Martis or Iron Precipitate.

Black iron oxide FeO Strongest form of iron, containing 72.3% Fe in the Used in glazes, washes, slips, engobes, and terra ferrous chemical FeO, sold as: sigillatas; used to make celadons, tenmoku, kaki, iron oxide, • Natural Black Iron Oxide (85–95% purity) 100 mesh; is saturates, etc. wustite black in color and has a larger particle size. In glazes it’s prone to speckling but is easily eliminated by ball milling. • Synthetic Black Iron Oxide* (99% purity) 325 mesh

Yellow Iron Oxide FeO (OH) Weakest form of iron, containing 62.9% Fe in the chemical Used in glazes, washes, slips, engobes, terra sigillatas, ferric oxide formula, has a high LOI of 12%, sold as: and clay bodies; used to make celadons, temmoku, hydrate, • Synthetic Iron Oxide* (96% purity) 325 mesh kaki, iron saturates, etc.; sometimes yellow ochre is Geothite • Yellow Ochre or Natural Yellow Iron Oxide (35% purity) added to porcelain to make “dirty” porcelain (5–9%) contains impurities of calcium carbonate, silica, and sometimes manganese dioxide

umber, Burnt Calcined Umber which is a high-iron ochre material Used in glazes, washes, slips, engobes, terra sigillatas umber containing manganese or claybodies to make a range of reddish-brown colors; darker than sienna and ochre (yellow iron)

sienna, Burnt Calcined Sienna, which is a high-iron ochre material with Used to make browns in glazes, washes, slips, sienna less manganese than umber engobes, terra sigillatas or clay bodies

iron Chromate Cr2FeO4 Contains chrome and iron oxide (ferric chromate); toxic— Used to make dark colors in glazes, slips, engobes or absorption, inhalation, and ingestion clay bodies; can give gray, brown, and black; can give pink halos over tin white glazes

Ferric Chloride/ FeCl3 Water soluble metal salt; toxic—corrosive/caustic, affects Used in low-fire techniques, like pit firing, aluminum iron Chloride liver, inhalation and ingestion foil saggars, horse hair and raku techniques; also used in water coloring on porcelain techniques

iron sulfate FeSO4 Water soluble metal salt, soluble form of iron, (aka Salt used in water coloring on porcelain, raku, and (Copperas) Crocus Martis) low-fire soda

iron phosphate FePO4 Rarely used but can be used to develop iron red colors; sometimes used instead of bone ash as a source of phosphate without the calcium in synthetic bone ash (TCP or tri-calcium phosphate)

rutile (light, dark, TiO2 Most common natural ore of titanium, containing various Used in glazes, washes, slips, engobes, and terra and granular) impurities including iron ( up to 15%) sigillatas to give yellows, tans, greens, blues, and milky, streaky, mottled textures; also used to produce crystalline glaze effects

illmenite (powdered FeTiO3 Naturally occurring ore containing iron and titanium, higher Commonly used to produce speckles in glazes or and granular) in iron than rutile (when 25% or more iron is present) clay bodies

iron Clays e.g., Redart, Albany slip, Alberta Slip, Barnard Slip (aka Used in glazes, slip glazes, slips, engobes, terra Blackbird Slip), Michigan slip, Lizella, laterite, and other sigillatas, and claybodies to make a range of reddish- assorted earthenware clays brown colors

Magnetic iron Fe3O4 Iron scale or iron spangles—coarse, hard particles that Gives speckles in clay bodies and glazes oxide Magnetite resist melting and chemical breakdown

*Synthetic and Spanish Varieties Spanish red iron oxide is bacterially ingested iron oxide that is micronized. Synthetic Red Iron is produced by calcining black iron oxide particles in an The Tierga mines in Spain found that their iron sulfide was inadequate for oxidation atmosphere. They are then jet milled, which produces “micronized” steel making (which accounts for 95% of the iron market). After some time red iron oxide particles that are approximately 325 mesh. This type of red a worker noticed that the iron in a pool of rain water turned a brighter shade iron is very heat stable (up to 1832°F (1000°C). This differs from black iron of red after it was heated. This turned out to be caused by a bacterium, that oxide, which changes color at 365°F (180°C) from black to brown to red as it uses iron sulfide as an energy source. The bacterium changes the state of the oxidizes. The color of red iron oxide changes from light pinkish to red to dark iron, which is then put into evaporative ponds where it forms green crystals. purplish red as the particle size increases. These are then roasted to produce Spanish red iron oxide.

www.ceramicsmonthly.org march 2011 15 tIps and tools

rolling reclaim by Donna Jones space is a valuable resource to most ceramic artists and that includes potters with a tiny space tucked in the basement, students with a single table and chair in a classroom, and community art centers like the one shown here. Reclaiming clay can take over these small spaces but this can help.

Utilize the space underneath your tables with a rolling reclaim table. The top surface of the table is made of a fiber cement backerboard typically used for tile installations, which is available at home stores. We use this for all our tables because it absorbs water, doesn’t warp, and can be scraped clean over and over with no damage to the surface. Make a simple frame with a few braces in between to support the weight of the heavy backerboard and clay, top with plywood then the cement board. When measuring for the frame, remember that it needs to fit easily between the legs of the table above plus allow some extra room for the casters to roll it into place. Use large casters as the table with wet clay will be quite heavy. Put sturdy drawer pull handles on the front to make it easy to pull the table out and push it back into place. The rolling table also doubles as a great work surface.

Send your tip and tool ideas, along with plenty of images, to [email protected]. If we use your idea, you’ll receive a complimentary one-year subscription to CM!

16 march 2011 www.ceramicsmonthly.org A Revolutionary Design! Bailey “Advanced Logic” Gas Fired Reduction Kilns

Bailey has reinvented the automated reduction process and developed the most logical, easy-to-use, totally automated gas fired kiln.

Bailey has designed a new revolutionary controller for easy-to-use programmable operation.

This new generation of Bailey ENERGY SAVER gas kilns produces consistently reliable & beautiful reduction or oxidation firings. It can be manually fired or program fired, and it even allows delayed starts so your kiln is at body reduction first thing in the morning!

Look what you get! Manual or Program Firing Oxygen Readouts 20 Segments per program 12 Stored Programs Delayed Start Function Real Time Clock Multiple Stage Air and Gas Forced Air Uniformity Set Point or Timed Segment Priority Automated Damper with decimal entry system Unlimited Tech Support and Free Training Courses And there’s much more... Call for details. C US

Certified for the www.baileypottery.com US and Canada. Bailey Pottery Equip. Corp. PO Box 1577 Kingston NY 12401 www.BaileyPottery.com TOLL FREE (800) 431-6067 Professionals Know Direct: (845) 339-3721 Fax: (845) 339-5530 the Difference.

www.ceramicsmonthly.org march 2011 17 exposure for complete calendar listings see www.ceramicsmonthly.org

1 Persian Jar, 14 in. (36 cm) in height, salt glazed, 2002. 2 Flattened bottle, 6 in. (15 cm) in height, reduction fired, 1977.3 Two round cups, seedpod motif and fish motif, each 4 in. (10 cm) in height, 1992. All works by Michael Simon. “Michael Simon” at Northern Clay Center (www.northernclaycenter.org), in Minneapolis, Minnesota, March 12–May 1.

18 march 2011 www.ceramicsmonthly.org 2

1 Wayne Branum’s covered jar, 9 in. (23 cm) in height, cone 1 red clay, white slip with Newman red terra sigillata, electric fired, 2010.2 Mark Pharis’ stacked plates, earthenware, 2010. 3 Sandy Simon’s cream and sugar, each 3½ in. (9 cm) in diameter, nichrome wire, clear glaze, porcelain, reed, “lucky” seed from the Amazon, 2010. 4 Randy Johnston’s tray, 17½ in. (44.5 cm) in length, stoneware, black and white slip trailing, wood fired, 2010. “Classmates” at Northern Clay Center (www.northernclaycenter.org), in Minneapolis, Minnesota, March 12–May 1.

www.ceramicsmonthly.org march 2011 19 exposure

1 Valerie Zimany’s Mori Mori Tenko Mori (detail), 5 ft. 1 (1.5 m) in length installed, wheel-thrown and slip-cast porcelain, glazes, 2009. 2 Peter Morgan’s Voracious Wombat, 8 ft. (2.4 m) in length installed, ceramic and mixed media, 2009. 3 Blake Williams’ Four Hundred Square Inches of Orange, 15 ft. 1 in. (4.6 m) in length installed, porcelain slip-cast doe skulls, reflective tape, reflective tacks, 2008.4 Hae- jung Lee’s Hope, 9 ft. (2.7 2 m) in height, cast porcelain and mixed media, 2009. 5 Daniel Bare’s Re/Claim; 4 Cascade, 18 in. (46 cm) in height, post-consumer found objects, porcelain, glaze, 2010. “Method: Multiple” at C. Emerson Fine Arts (www.c-emersonfinearts.com), in St. Petersburg, Florida, March 29–April 2.

3 5

Left: Steven Godfrey’s Talking Cardinal Urn, 9 in. (23 cm) in height, porcelain, glaze, 2010. Right: Andy Shaw’s place setting, largest plate is 12 in. (30 cm) in diameter, porcelain, glaze, 2010. “Steven Godfrey and Andy Shaw,” at Santa Fe Clay (www.santafeclay.com), in Santa Fe, New Mexico, March 4–April 9.

20 march 2011 www.ceramicsmonthly.org www.ceramicsmonthly.org march 2011 21 exposure

1 Ayano Ohmi’s Gate II, side view 52½ in. (1.3 m), earthenware, iron oxide, 2010. “Ayano Ohmi Sculpture” at Ceres Gallery (www.ceresgallery.org) in New York, New York, March 1–March 26. 2 Derek Weisberg’s Ghosts Waltz Behind Our Backs, 26 in. (66 cm) in height, ceramic, 2010. Photo: Ira Schrank. “Auroral Dreaming” at Anno Domini Gallery (www.galleryad.com), in San Jose, California, through March 19. 3 H.P. Bloomer’s bowl, 10 in. (25 cm) in length, porcelain, soda-fired, 2010.4 Chandra DeBuse’s Berry Bowl with Golden Spoon, 8 in. (20 cm) in length, porcelaneous stoneware, luster, 2010. 5 Ross Hilgers’ Iron Basin, 22 in. (56 cm) in height, clay, 2010. “Beyond the Brickyard Exhibition” at the Archie Bray Foundation for the Ceramic Arts (www.archiebray.org) in Helena, Montana through April 2. 5

22 march 2011 www.ceramicsmonthly.org www.ceramicsmonthly.org march 2011 23 exposure

1 Tyler Lotz’s A Cold Ideal, 3 ft. 9 in. (1 m) in length installed, ceramic, acrylic, foam, steel, hardware, and epoxy, 2010. “Future Vestiges” at Elmhurst Art Museum (www.elmhurstartmuseum.org), in Elmhurst, Illinois through March 20. 2 Pete Pinnell’s teapot, 8 in. (20 cm) in length, wheel-thrown and altered soda- fired porcelain, brass handle. “Ceramics Visiting Artist Exhibition: Pete Pinnell” at Workhouse Arts Center (www.workhousearts.org), in Lorton, Virginia through March 27. 3 Suzuki Goro’s Patchwork Teabowl with Gold Inlay, 5½ in. (14 cm) in length, stoneware, 2010. 4 Shiro Tsujimura’s Kuro Hikidashi Chawan, 4½ 3 in. (11 cm) in length, stoneware, 2010. 5 Koichiro Isezaki’s Green Chawan, 5½ in. (14 cm) in length, stoneware with black slip, hikidashi (removed from kiln at peak temperature of 2282°F (1250°C)), 2010. “The Elusive Teabowl” at Lacoste Gallery (www.lacostegallery.com) in Concord, Massachusetts March 12–April 3. 6 Johannes Nagel’s Archetypes, 6 in. (15 cm) in length, cast and assembled porcelain, cobalt, gold, fired to 2282°F (1250°C) in oxidation 2010. “Improvisorium” at Kunstforum Solothurn, (www.kunstforum.cc) in Solothurn, Switzerland through March 27.

6 5

24 march 2011 www.ceramicsmonthly.org www.ceramicsmonthly.org march 2011 25 clay culture one hundred jars

In the November 2009 issue of CM, as well as on the cover, we All 100 jars sold in 17 minutes, and included the work of Daniel Johnston. At the time, he was mid-way through a very ambitious project to make 100 large jars in his wood- Johnston took orders for an additional 70. burning kiln in Seagrove, North Carolina. In October of 2010, the project came to fruition after five firings in his 90-cubic-foot kiln transformed 11,000 pounds of local clay, 25 gallons of glaze and slip, 30 cords of scrap wood, and 800 pounds of salt into 100 large glazed jars. The pots were numbered in the order of production from 001 through 100. This numbering system allowed a clear tracking of the artistic evolution, demonstrating an exploration of form through extended production. 1 The line of jars stretched down the road to the pottery, and each customer was allowed This project, like many of its kind, percolated for a long time in, one at at ime, to select the jar they wanted. before it actually became reality, and was an amalgamation of ideas 2 This is the last kiln load of the five firings it took to make all 100 jars. 3 All 100 jars were that sprouted from a wide sampling of Johnston’s artistic experiences. set out in the yard prior to being moved to the It was largely derived from Johnston’s experience living in Northeast road for their “lineup.”

26 march 2011 www.ceramicsmonthly.org 1 2

Thailand in the village of Phon Bok, where he worked with Thai potters producing big jars on a large scale, but as we all know, making is one thing and selling is another. The jar project was intended to show how large pots can be produced in North Carolina using the South East Asian model. In this way, Johnston created a bit of a social experiment as well as an artistic and physical challenge. Would the pottery-buying public, even in a place with as rich a ceramic history as North Carolina, support pots that spring from a function that is rooted in a different culture (the water jars of Thailand)? The short answer: Yes. At 11am on October 22, 2010, all 100 jars sold in 17 minutes, and Johnston took orders for an additional 70 large jars. Here’s to more of the same, Daniel!

To see more images of the project from start to finish, and to learn 3 more about Daniel Johnston, go to www.danieljohnstonpottery.com.

www.ceramicsmonthly.org march 2011 27 clay culture

low high-tech by Peter Wray Ceramic Tech Today (www.ceramics.org/ceramictechtoday) brings us this intersection of art, sound, and science.

I sense a trend emerging. Lately we’ve seen a growing number of ceramic speakers that evoke the Nipper side of the old RCA logo. Now its a pleasure to present a speaker that represents the other half. Science + Son (www.scienceandsons.com) has developed three generations of the Phonophone passive amplification speakers. Their website states that, “Through passive amplification alone, these unique pieces instantly transform any personal music player and earbuds into a sculptural audio console. “Without the use of external power or batteries, the Phonofone inventively exploits the virtues of horn acoustics to boost the audio output of standard earphones to up to 55 decibels (or roughly the maximum volume of laptop speakers). “Upon connecting active earphones to the Phonofone their trebly buzzing is instantly and profoundly transformed into a warm, rich, and resonant sound. “The Phonofone is constructed entirely from ceramic. Not only environmentally low impact, ceramics are inherently rigid and resonant, lending themselves well to this application.”

The Phononphone II will work with just about any MP3 player. It stands 20 in. (51 cm) in height, and sells for $600. The diagram to the right shows a little more about what’s going on acoustically.

28 march 2011 www.ceramicsmonthly.org The Florida Holocaust Museum Welcomes

While attending the conference please visit Peace/War, Survival/Extinction: An Artist’s Plea for Sanity On view March 11, 2011 – May 30, 2011

Artwork by ceramic sculptor Richard Notkin including finely-crafted teapots, a tile-mural, an installation and other objects. Symbol-rich sculptures provide a social commentary on the human condition, war, and man’s inhumanity to man while embracing a strong visual aesthetic. Richard Notkin; “Heart Teapot: Hostage/Metamorphosis IV” Yixing Series (alternate view) 2006Stoneware, luster, 7” x 12 1/4” x 6”

Open Daily - 10 am to 5 pm Media Sponsor: September 1st through May 31st - Thursday evenings until 8 pm Last admission is an hour and a half before closing 55 Fifth Street South | St. Petersburg, Florida 33701 | 727.820.0100 www.flholocaustmuseum.org Proud Partner:

Work by: Brendan Tang

Ceramic Residencies and Workshops in CANADA’s newest studios. Application Deadline: April 15, 2011 medalta.org/miair

www.ceramicsmonthly.org march 2011 29 clay culture pots in action Making a living from your work not only takes tremendous skill but these days it demands some fairly creative marketing as well. ayumi Horie has done just that by bridging the typical website pot shot with the casual, off-the-cuff action shot seen on blogs or social networking sites. the result is both humorous and smart, not to mention a tour around globe looking at great pots.

“Pots in Action began five years ago as a crowd-sourcing project designed to document where my handmade pots went after the studio and how people really use them,” says Horie. “I was tired of seeing pottery on neutral graded backgrounds; I wanted to see them sloppy with sauce or balanced on a car dashboard or in a dirty sink. The earliest pictures were strictly candid, but over time they shifted to more creative and orchestrated scenes 3 where some people even took pots with them on vaca- tions abroad. With the invention of Google maps, it got even better. I could plot pictures and users could then zoom in and out of cities, states, and countries, pinpoint- ing geographically where a photographic moment in time occurred. The interactivity of Google Maps made the outreach of handmade pots feel even broader, because

suddenly we could all identify the regional flavor of each 1 image, on top of all its idiosyncrasies. Last summer, an 4 online photo contest garnered more images for the community project and helped underscore how relevant and important handmade pots are to many people around the world.”

Top: Interactive Google Map from Ayumi Horie’s Pots In Action series. To see all the images and to explore the map, go to www.ayumihorie.com. 1 Christina Smeltz, Florida. 2 Collin Moses, Indiana. 3 Jill Ward, British Columbia. 4 Steve Sharafian, California. 2 5 5 Yulia Nikitina, Moscow.

30 march 2011 www.ceramicsmonthly.org coda ad12111_Layout 1 1/31/11 10:25 PM Page 1

CRAFT ORGANIZATION DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATION PRESENTS 2011 CODA LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE June 8-11, 2011 • Portland, Maine Connecting the Dots COLLABORATING...FUNDRAISING...TELLING YOUR STORY... Learn and network Hear from nationally recognized speakers, learn best practices, improve your organization's story and network with colleagues. Don't miss this opportunity for professional development and Maine lobster dinners! 870.746.5159 • www.codacraft.org Hosted by The Maine Crafts Association

Sponsors: Maine Arts Commission; Maine Dept. of Economic and Community Development ; Maine Oﬃce of Tourism; Maine Community Development Association; Handmade ® at the New York International Gift Fair ®; Saint Joseph's University; American Craft Council; The Crafts Report

www.ceramicsmonthly.org march 2011 31 clay culture periodic table of videos

layering different materials. Silicon is used because it is a semiconductor. After the chips are created, they’re cut from the wafer, and then tested before being used. Boron (B) is a metalloid, and has some properties of metal, and some properties of a non-metal. It’s commonly used in households. That box of 20 Mule Team Borax or Persil Laundry Detergent booster is a compound of perborate and silicate that when placed in 60°C water, forms hydrogen peroxide, which bleaches clothes. The experiment done by Dr. Debbie Kays shows that there’s an organic boron compound that, when burned, gives off a similar (though smaller) green flame to pentaborane, nicknamed the the green dragon, which was investigated in the ’50s as a rocket fuel. The Periodoc Table of Videos is a project Zinc (Zn) is an abun- developed by the University of Nottingham dant soft metal. We use in England. Several chemists host the videos, it in oxide form as an which look at each element on the periodic auxiliary flux, but zinc is table, and discuss their various properties as also found in high quality they relate to everyday life, or life in the lab. roofing material because Of particular interest to a ceramics audience it is slow to oxidize. Zinc are the videos featuring common elements is also essential to life in that are also near and dear to our studios. many ways. In fact, if you From shells to stalactites to the White don’t have enough zinc in Cliffs of Dover, the video on calcium (Ca), your body, you can’t smell one of the most common non-gaseous ele- things. Oh, and the chem- ments on earth, shows various examples of ists can’t help but show us calcium carbonate (whiting). Professor Martyn Poliakoff, research that when it’s combined with certain other elements and set alight, professor of chemistry (that’s him at the top of the page), explains it makes a fantastic show of popping, arcing sparks. that calcium compounds are white because they have no free elec- Iron (Fe)—some of us in the ceramics world love it, some of trons to move between different energy levels, which is what pro- us not so much, at least when it comes to having iron oxide in our duces the colors we see. Tiny crystals in the compounds scatter the otherwise perfectly white clay body. light, making them appear white. When burned, however, calcium The chemists do an experiment involving iron to show what is compounds produces a red flame. called a thermite reaction (an oxidation/reduction reaction between Magnesium (Mg) is the lightest, most easily used alkaline earth a metallic oxide and a pure metal that produces an extreme amount metal. We use magnesium carbonate as a flux in high-temperature of heat). They’re conducting the experiment outside, usually a clue glazes, and as a refractory or opacifier in low-temperature glazes. that they anticipate a big bang or fire. Using iron oxide powder as the The fact that it is one of the lightest elements on the periodic table oxidizer, aluminum powder as the reducing agent, and a flowerpot explains why it is so light and fluffy, and why a 50-pound bag of the on a stand as the crucible, Dr. Licence lights the heat source—a stuff is so much larger than a 50-pound bag of other materials. When sparkler—and sets off the reaction shown in the image above. The heated by Dr. Pete Licence, who does most of the more explosive result is the violent reduction of the iron oxide, with the aluminum demonstrations in the videos, it combusts and gives off a brilliant metal stealing the oxygen to form aluminum oxide. The reaction is white light as it burns. This property made it useful as a component so hot that the side of the pot explodes off, and the iron melts into in some of the early flash bulbs for film cameras. a molten mass of pure metal. Silicon (Si) which we use in the form of silica (silicon dioxide or To see the strength and power of a thermite reaction as elements SiO2) is most commonly found on earth as sand or in quartz. Prof. fight for oxygen, or the sparks, fires, and mini explosions created dur- Poliakoff shows off a silicon wafer of single crystal silicon 20 cm in ing many experiments demonstrated, visit www.periodicvideos.com diameter with computer microchips built up or “grown” on top by and click on each element’s symbol on the chart to watch the videos.

32 march 2011 www.ceramicsmonthly.org www.ceramicsmonthly.org march 2011 33 studio visit Lorna Meaden durango, Colorado

Just the Facts Studio I have a new (finished just a year ago) studio that is 650 square feet, located on the property Clay where I live. No matter how big it seemed when it was first built, it always seems like it porcelain could be bigger. Primary forming method throwing on the wheel After finishing graduate school in June of 2005, I spent three years doing residencies and teaching short-term adjunct positions. While back in Durango for a visit, unsure whether Primary firing temperature cone 10 reduction soda I would stay or not, an opportunity to buy a piece of property from a friend fell in my lap. Favorite surface treatment While initially intimidated by what seemed apparently impossible, over several months and slip inlay many long conversations with friends and family, I came up with a plan to “make it work,” Favorite tools and dove in. my newly built soda kiln The property, where I have now lived for two and a half years, is three in-town lots with two small houses that were in need of a lot of work. With the help of my family, I got the larger of the two houses in rental condition, and the smaller house converted into a temporary combination of studio and living space. Over the following year, my brother and his friend built my new studio building that my father designed. After living and working in a 450-square-foot space for a year and a half, I happily moved my workspace out of my house and into the 650-square-foot studio. It’s a two-story, barn-shaped building, and I love the rounded ceiling and the great view from the upstairs window.

34 march 2011 www.ceramicsmonthly.org I throw, assemble, and decorate in “The fact that I’m willing When I finished graduate school the upstairs space, and slip cast and glaze almost six years ago, I never imagined downstairs. One of the best things about to live in such a small space I would be able to afford, maintain, or my property is that I have room to grow. manifest a home and studio of my own, Years from now, I hope to build a house helps. After all, doesn’t although that has always been my inten- that I live in, and then make my little everyone dream of a studio tion. Currently, my rental house helps house where I currently live available for financially sustain the property. The fact an apprentice. bigger than their house?” that I’m willing to live in such a small Adjacent to the studio building is a space helps. After all, doesn’t everyone 90-square-foot shed for tools, glaze chemi- dream of a studio bigger than their house? cals, and my electric kiln. In between the two buildings is my new People often ask me, “Can you believe it? You are living the dream!” soda kiln that was built (with the help of generous friends) this past I do think I am very fortunate. This home and studio have already fall. The design of the kiln is based on the “little vic” kiln at Anderson brought me so much happiness and stability, and I can only believe Ranch Arts Center. It is a small boury-box style cross-draft kiln that it because I had to work harder than I ever imagined I could in can be fired with wood, natural gas, or oil. The kiln building project order to begin to see it materialize. I’ve always liked the saying, “the was funded through selling pots, and the small retirement fund I saved harder you work, the luckier you are,” and I have found that to be up and cashed in from teaching adjunct for three years. true in most things.

www.ceramicsmonthly.org march 2011 35 Striped flask, tea set, and muffin pan, all thrown and altered porcelain, with inlaid slip, then glazed and fired to cone 10 in reduction with soda, by Lorna Meaden, Durango, Colorado.

Paying Dues (and Bills) Body I learned to throw in high school, and went to get a bachelor of arts I work out anywhere from three to five days a week. Exercise seems degree in art from Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado, and to be the only thing that wards off the pain of years of repetitive then a master of fine arts degree in ceramics from Ohio University movement. I currently have no health insurance, but my goal is to in Athens, Ohio. get it within the next year. Though it varies widely, I spend about 40 hours per week in the studio. I teach one ceramics class, adjunct, at Fort Lewis College, Marketing and I travel to teach quite a few workshops a year. Currently, all of my work is sold through galleries. My goal is to sell half of my work through my studio and on my website. The advan- Mind tages to gallery sales are the broader market they reach and the sales The older I get, the more I feel like I need a balance in my life to knowledge and experience of gallery owners. The disadvantages are be able to be creative. In other words, I am more productive in my packing and shipping the work and giving up a percentage of sales. studio if I am also getting enough sunshine, laughing hard with my I feel that all the traveling I do to teach workshops has been a friends, traveling outside the small town where I live, and exposing great way to expand the market for my work. In the past, entering myself to places and things I’ve never seen before. juried shows was a way that new galleries would see my work.

36 march 2011 www.ceramicsmonthly.org Above: There is nothing, of course, like building a kiln you have waited years to build. Meaden’s friends pitch in to help with the hard work. Right: detail of a cocktail pitcher (likely put into use directly after the kiln building). Below: Watering cans in progress on the second floor of the studio, where forming and some decorating take place.

I know that the Internet is a valuable and powerful tool, but I don’t really like computers, and I especially don’t like spending my time sitting in front of, or staring at, one. I definitely participate in online sales, emailing, networking, etc.; however, my philosophy is that if making good work and keeping it interesting is my first priority, everything else will follow. Most Valuable Lesson Be resourceful and stay out of debt. Also, find a way to have enough concentrated work time without spending too much time alone. www.lornameaden.com www.redlodgeclaycenter.com www.archiebray.org/catalog www.ferringallery.com www.harveymeadows.com www.theclaystudio.org

www.ceramicsmonthly.org march 2011 37 Above: Toshiko Takaezu surrounded by Moon Balls, 1979. Photographer unknown, Toshiko Takaezu Archives. Opposite: Three Tamarind Forms, to 35 in. (89 cm) in height, glazed stoneware.

38 march 2011 www.ceramicsmonthly.org AN UNSAID

UA lI BYty Janet Koplos

Q Janet Koplos

Toshiko Takaezu is seen as a rather private person,1 and she is known for workshops that rely on demonstration more than talk. She is reluctant to analyze her work, and she tends to speak in bursts of short sentences, as if the words had to pass some filter to be free. She was delighted when a young viewer said that her work spoke in the language of silence.2 It may be that she has inherited the Japanese notion that brevity makes a thing or event more precious, for it seems that her hard-won words open doors to thinking both about her abstract ceramic sculptures and life in general. Consequently, “some see her as a kind of priestess of clay, a nun of earth and fire, a female monk,” the critic John Perreault has observed.3 Her work and career can be characterized by a number of contrasts or even paradoxes. A modest example: she is famous for her ceramic work but has remained interested in weaving and painting as well—mediums that are radically different in dimension and in process. More significant: her work is recognized for both subtlety and vividness in color and for both monumentality and intimacy in size. As she has become more reserved in person, she has made sound a part of many of her works, including bronze bells and closed ceramic forms that contain a wad of clay that clatters as they are moved. All these opposi- tions expand the impact of her work. Less happy, for the scholar and biographer at least, is the fact that although many qualities of her work are distinctive and it is immediately recognizable as hers, she has never dated or conscientiously documented her creations. Thus her works are more easily experienced individually than studied as a whole. That may be just fine with her, but her ceramic oeuvre is agonizingly amorphous for the curator or critic who wishes to track it. She made modest functional vessels first, moved into multi-spouted forms in the early 1950s, had closed some forms except for an air hole by the start of the 1960s, and then developed Moon pots (large spheres) as well as Forests (groups of cylindrical towers), and increasingly larger closed forms, some as much as 6 feet tall. The surprise is how varied they are despite the signature

www.ceramicsmonthly.org march 2011 39 features by which we think we know her work: multiple necks, wide-ranging oeuvre included, interestingly, both closed forms diminutive nipples, globe forms, upright monoliths, and above all, and multi-spouted forms. painterliness in the poured and brushed glazes. As she grew serious about ceramics and decided that she needed It is widely presumed that Takaezu’s work is influenced by to leave the islands to further her skills and knowledge, Takaezu Japanese art. Yet although she was born to Japanese immigrants came across images in a magazine of the work of Maija Grotell, and spoke only that language until she started school, her devel- the Finnish immigrant who had been teaching at the Cranbrook opment as a young artist was all within the American culture of Academy of Art in Michigan since 1938. Grotell was esteemed for Hawai‘i, and she visited Japan for the first time only after she had her mastery of wheel throwing, having arrived in the US at a time left her home state and completed graduate school at the Cran- when the skill was uncommon among studio potters. Her forms, brook Academy of Art in Michigan. She said that any influence like Horan’s, were in the sturdy-and-resolute camp of the time came from the culture in general, not specifically from Japanese (rather than, say, crusty or delicate). ceramics. Still, seeing the importance of clay in Japan had to have Takaezu’s work in graduate school and immediately thereafter reinforced her inclinations. And one can’t help but associate her certainly has similarities to Grotell’s. The fact that Takaezu re- laconic discussion of her work with the Japanese belief that the sponded to an image of Grotell’s work in the first place suggests most profound things cannot be spoken. But it’s important not that those forms inherently spoke to her, or for her, so that the to exoticize her work. She should be recognized as an individual similarities should not be ascribed simply to student copying, and original creator, the product of varied influences and her own which Grotell forbade.4 It’s likely that the two women simply spoke distinctive ideas. in the same formal language, despite their vastly different points of origin. (Curiously, Grotell may have influenced her in another way: Mentors Takaezu remembers her teacher’s resistance to idle talk and that she Takaezu’s earliest work, like that of many students, shows similarities offered criticism only when asked. She says, “Maija didn’t say very to the products of the teachers she admired and responded to. Her much and what she didn’t say was as important as what she did say, first significant teacher in ceramics was Claude Horan at the Uni- once you realized that she was thoroughly aware of everything you versity of Hawai‘i at Manoa. His stoneware pots of the late 1940s, did. The realization and acceptance of the rare wordless words in when Takaezu studied with him, are squat, robust, and stable. His Maija’s teaching and being had a strong impact . . . .”5)

Copper red closed form, Early Career 7 in. (18 cm) in height, glazed Multi-spouted vessels brought Takaezu early awards and attention. porcelain, early 1990s. She was making them by 1953. In January 1955, when her work was first noted in the two-year-oldCeramics Monthly magazine, what was illustrated was a two-necked free-form bottle. It was part of a group of works that took the top award in an exhibition of Wisconsin “designer-craftsmen” (as ceramic artists were called in those days) at the Milwaukee Art Institute during her one-year teaching job as a sabbatical replacement at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. Multiplicity seems to have been an important part of her aesthetic then, perhaps not surprising for a middle child in a family of eleven children—she must have always had others around her. Moreover, as the progeny of a farming family, she would have been accustomed to harvests, to masses of things. And one might also speculate that great numbers would seem appropriate to a person from a tropical locale like Hawaii, where vegetation grows lushly, even overwhelmingly. While the nature of pottery itself leads to multiples, would she have worked so much with twinning, suggestions of cell division, or clusters of mouths had she come from a desert region or the vast open plains of the Midwest? Another series from this early period, called Tamarind, consists of three stacked and joined bulbous forms that echo in vastly greater scale the three-seed pods of the tropical tamarind tree. The base vessel tends to be slightly larger than those above it, and the top pot terminates in the small protrusion she calls a nipple,

40 march 2011 www.ceramicsmonthly.org which became a standard feature in later works. The Tamarind extraordinary—occurring as they do in the forms served as complex grounds for painting, featuring both ocean, the tropical fish, shells, and flowers undulating vertical lines that emphasize the overall elongation on the island as well as in human and patches of dark brushwork that emphasize the segmentation. artifacts depicting those, such The colors remain earthy. as apparel. Takaezu has been widely quoted as saying Teapot Variations that working with clay is One backstory of the multi-spouted vessels is that they evolved like a dance. She some- from her teapots.6 She may not have been the first to develop times demonstrated spouts like this, but the idea took off and became a familiar form that in workshops. in the 1950s. Another influence on this innovation may have Here’s one account: been the work of Leza McVey, who Takaezu would have known “‘Usually, with at Cranbrook and later in Cleveland (at Cranbrook, she studied glazing, I like to sculpture with William McVey, Leza’s husband, and he was teach- be alone. Glaz- ing in Cleveland by the time she moved there). Leza McVey was ing is a personal an early developer of the asymmetric pot. While her vessels have thing.’ . . . Lifting only single necks, they are distinctive extensions with personality, the bowl in both capped with eccentric stoppers. This work, widely admired in her hands, she made a Midwest context but little remembered today, could have planted quick, lumpy move- the seed of the organic, almost creaturely character of some of ment . . . a bend of her Takaezu’s spouts. knees, a lift from her feet. It was important, this Color and Sound small chug . . . two lines of Takaezu’s major formal development of the late 1950s was the glaze ran down the center closing of forms, giving her an almost uninterrupted surface on of the bowl, directed not which she increasingly developed painterly glaze effects with by the potter’s hands, but by an adventurous use of color. The change was gradual, and the her gravely dancing feet. The introduction of color came with glazes for the porcelain she used workshop members, mostly mostly for smaller pots. She seems to have become more interested professional potters, recog- in brushwork per se. Through the 1960s Takaezu added colors to nized terrific technique, and her repertoire: yellow, pink, orange, green, pale blue. They ap- murmured and turned to one peared not as single solid colors but as atmospheres occasionally another like gratified sports fans. suggestive of landscape and unquestionably evocative of space. Takaezu felt such pleasure that She used both layering and dispersal of misty color to create il- she abandoned us; for an instant lusory dimension. she examined the glaze lines as In the 1960s she also began inserting into the closed forms a intently as if she were alone. She paper-wrapped wad of clay that after firing would make a subtle was right, it’s a personal thing. noise when the pot was moved. Lee Nordness wrote of the “quiet Smiling, she held the bowl up to drama” of her pots and said that this experimental gesture was a our admiration.”8 “private affair.”7 That very nice term suggests the modesty of the A writer observing her in the sound and the intimacy of the exchange between the pot and the studio said, “If there is accident, it is individual who is not just looking at the vessel but handling it. Yet controlled, for she works as directly as the first sound piece, Takaezu told a writer, was a mistake: she was a painter does. She scatters her pigment trimming the top of a pot and a piece fell in.14 She is also said to on a convenient tabletop as if on a palette have written poems on the inside of some works, but only breakage and then, with varying amounts of water, Form, 34 in. (86 cm) in height, glazed would reveal them to the world. mixes it and applies it with a brush to the stoneware, 1970. An extraordinary electric blue that is now associated with vessel. She also dips and pours glazes in Takaezu’s work became prominent at the beginning of the 1970s, a more traditional manner, but always when she poured dazzling caps on closed forms. But the cobalt with an image in mind, a calculation of what might happen. If hue had attracted attention as early as 1959. As she adopted more there is chance, it is the inspired chance that one must prepare vivid colors, an intense pink appeared as well. They seem quite for.”9 Her stance and gesture and the colors themselves are end- surprising after the muted palette of her earlier work. Yet she lessly fascinating because her approach to the glazing process is so returned regularly to Hawai‘i, where such colors would seem less full-body physical.

www.ceramicsmonthly.org march 2011 41 Moons and Forests of time and the quick destruction of natural catastrophe. The In the late 1960s Takaezu added moons to her repertoire. These solemnity of these elements makes them less fragments of living are constructed pieces, made of joined hemispheres, the seams of nature than memorials to its loss. These, too, make an implicit which sometimes show clearly and sometimes are either smoothed environmental statement by overwhelming the viewer with the away or obscured by the vast range of surface treatments she elects. presence of these relics. They are never so perfect as to look mechanical and may range from 20 to almost 30 inches in diameter. Extremes of Scale These works are sometimes shown in groups (continuing her in- Takaezu’s retirement from teaching in 1992 was followed by a burst terest in quantities of things) on a bed of gravel, or each suspended of productivity. She was offered the use of a car kiln at Skidmore in its own knotted hammock. In both cases they are understood College in upstate New York, where she could fire very large pots, as objects, not as images or illusions. In neither setting is a group and so her tall closed forms grew, ranging up to 5½ feet in height, of orbs naturalistic, although the gravel itself may evoke a lunar and up to 2 feet in diameter. These massive forms, although landscape or a lava bed in Hawai‘i. sometimes taller than she is and broader than any person would Another important series is smaller in number of works but be (especially the ones that swell as they rise), nevertheless speak of they are memorable for their size. Takaezu joined ceramic cylinders human stance. One looks for explanations for this conviction: they into objects as tall as 8 feet, set as many as ten of them into gravel are the size that a person could hide in, or they might represent a or sand grounds, and called them Tree Forms. The inspiration for person swaddled, caped, or cocooned. Probably the feeling arises some of these installations, such as Lava Forest (1975) was Ha- merely from their vertical orientation and the proportions of height waiian forests burned out by volcanic eruptions and lava flows. to width of base. Or maybe it’s just one of the instances of human Others have the brooding solemnity of old-growth woods, such as beings looking for themselves in anything with even the slightest Tree-Man Forest (1982/87). The cylinders may evoke gargantuan and most partial resemblance. bamboo because of their segmentation, but more generally speak In any case, these objects allude to living forms, rather than the of lifeless tree trunks. While her color range is subdued—generally dead ones of the Tree Forms, and thus have vitality even when the a variety of earth colors and black—her colors are subtle or dark. These large closed forms have become painterly splotches and drips suggest Takaezu’s most reverently appreciated works. Among the many wounds, both the slow damage magnificent painting/sculptures of this type theStar Series, which has been maintained as a group and is now in the collection of the Racine Art Museum, is the masterwork. It consists of fourteen closed forms, most over 5 feet

Closed forms, glazed porcelain.

42 march 2011 www.ceramicsmonthly.org tall, each handbuilt of clay coils between 1999 and 2000. The individual works have the same impressive presence as the Tree Forms but were made to be walked among, rather than around, which intensifies the kinesthetic experience. Each has been given the name of a star from mythology, the stories of which add to the primeval and mystical weight that matches the gravity of the works’ dimensions. At the same time, each is an enormous space- bending canvas for her painterly compositions with glaze.

Her Own Path Takaezu once noted, with some humor, that her work involves vision, touch, and sound but “I Grouping of older works from the 1950s, including, at left, three joined pots titled Family. haven’t gotten to smell . . . .”10 In all seriousness, this comment hints at the wholeness of her activity. One sense in which this is true is the fact that even more than with most craftspeople, critics are unable to separate her life and her art. Maybe that’s exactly what she offers to the contemporary world. mystery, an unsaid quality; it is alive. There’s also a nebulous feeling Another sense in which the work addresses wholeness is its com- in the piece that cannot be pinpointed in words. That to me is good bination of male and female. As the historian Garth Clark noted, work!”13 Takaezu followed her own path. “If read in terms of volume (enclosed space), Takaezu’s pottery is the female archetype—enclosing, womblike, protective forms. If Text excerpted from The Art of Toshiko Takaezu: In the Language read in terms of mass (displaced space), however, the pots take on of Silence edited by Peter Held. Copyright © 2010 The Toshiko a different quality— masculine, even phallic, in character.”11 This Takaezu Book Foundation, New York. Distributed by the University blending of male and female character gives the work a universal of North Carolina Press, www.uncpress.unc.edu. feeling, which is not undercut by any kind of explicit narrative. Narrative art attracts critics who want to talk about sociopolitical the author Janet Koplos is a writer and a contributing editor to Art matters in specific terms, but Takaezu’s works elicit poetic and emo- in America magazine. She lives in New York City. tional responses because of their openness and refusal to commit declarative statements. The consequence is that the work is sometimes Notes 1. For example, Vanessa Lynn wrote that Takaezu “has consistently chosen to avoid the limelight. described as spiritual. Her family was Buddhist and she studied Zen For most of her career she has eschewed the gallery network. Both publicly and privately she is guarded about giving too much at any one time or any one place.” Lynn, “Rounder Than Round: The Closed during her sojourn in Japan, and yet the spiritual is an undercurrent, Forms of Toshiko Takaezu,” American Ceramics, Vol. 8, No. 4, 1990, p. 20. 2. The artist’s commentary not a theme. She herself said, “. . . . everything I make, you don’t know in “’Toshiko Takaezu: At Home,’ an Exhibition of the Work of Toshiko Takaezu held at the Hunterdon Museum of Art, Clinton, NJ, August 2-October 11, 1998,” Studio Potter, Vol. 27 No. 2, June 1999, why or how I make it or what it represents, because I really don’t know. p. 52. 3. John Perreault, “Toshiko Takaezu: Truth in Clay,” in Toshiko Takaezu: Heaven and Earth, Racine, WI: Racine Art Museum, 2005, p. 6. 4. Maija Grotell, pp. 25, 27; Jeff Schlanger and Toshiko That’s all I can say. What I don’t know is what pushes me to work. It’s Takaezu, Maija Grotell: Works Which Grow From Belief, Goffstown, NH: Studio Potter Books, 1996, p. 37. 5. Toshiko Takaezu in “Comments,” Maija Grotell, p. 87; this is a restatement of her words 40 years intangible. Something that I didn’t know came through this pot. It’s earlier in Conrad Brown, “Toshiko Takaezu,” Craft Horizons 19, March-April 1959, p. 23. 6. Once she not my power that made me do this. The power is somewhere else. recounted, “About 1957 I started to make a teapot, but I turned it around and put a tail on it and made something like a wine bottle, yet it was almost like a bird form. Then gradually it became an abstract two So now I can say without boasting, ‘My pot is beautiful,’ because I spouted bottle” [Joseph Hurley, “Toshiko Takaezu: Ceramics of Serenity,” American Craft 39, October/ 12 November 1979, pp 4–5]. Yet the earliest multi-spouted vases date from before that and don’t resemble am not responsible.” In this she differs sharply from the autobio- a teapot, wine bottle, or bird form. 7. Lee Nordness, Objects: USA. New York: The Viking Press, 1970, p. 81. 8. Ina Russell, “Toshiko Takaezu” in Craft Range Vol. 12 no. 1, January-February 1981, p. 10. graphical character of abstract expressionist painting that dominated 9. Barry Targan, “Toshiko Takaezu: Outer Quiet, Inner Force,” American Craft, February/March 1991, the years of her youth, the politically oriented content and identity p. 32. 10. Althea Meade-Hajduk, “A Talk with Toshiko Takaezu,” American Craft 65, February/March 2005, p. 50. 11. Clark, p. 51. 12. Meade-Hajduk, p. 52. 13. “Thrown Form” by Toshiko Takaezu in politics that held sway toward the end of the twentieth century, and John Coyne, ed., The Penland School of Crafts Book of Pottery, New York: Bobbs-Merrill, 1975, p. 141. today’s assumption that anything can be squeezed into a sound bite. She said, “. . . when an artist produces a good piece, that work has

www.ceramicsmonthly.org march 2011 43 Minkyu Lee Hidden Structure revealed by David Damkoehler

Minkyu Lee was born in Seoul, South Korea, in 1976. He com- horizontal slices or sections that are joined together when leather pleted rigorous undergraduate and graduate study at Seoul National hard and fired to cone 8. This is a highly difficult operation as the University. Within the context of 5000 years of Korean ceramic percentage of moisture in each section must be similar in order history, his early body of work was, in many ways, a continuation to maintain perfect symmetry when it is stacked. The results are of Josun Dynasty porcelain ware, its forms and glazes. While Lee spectacular, with the perfect cubes arranged in a positive and nega- respects the tradition, he introduces to that tradition new, original tive checkerboard with very deep relief. The exterior is a precise ideas and forms. cylinder with each layer showing through a white glaze as a row His early cast work is a series of vessel forms that appear to be of paper-thin lines. The delicate, translucent exterior terminates perfectly assembled from hundreds of small white-glazed cubes. The in a wide solid ring, which frames the interior of stacked cubes. first explanation that comes to mind is that they have been pains- The effect is mesmerizing and magical. takingly assembled because they cannot be cast in one piece. Lee These hidden structures recall a poem by Lao-tse’s, quoted in explains that this is the start of an idea that continues in his current Johannes Itten’s Design and Form: The Basic Course at the Bauhaus, work where he represents a hidden structure, a dialog between the (Wiley, 1975): inside and outside of the vessel, a world made of hidden cubes. The “Thirty spokes meet at the hub, Great Wall of China, the Egyptian Pyramids, and fractal geometry But the void within them creates the essence of the wheel. inspired the selection of the cube as an essential structural element. Clay forms pots, The forms are achieved by assembling slip-cast segments with But the void within creates the essence of the pot. great precision. The last piece he created in South Korea in 2006, Walls with windows and doors make the house, Hidden Structure Revealed #11 (page 46), is a cylinder made of cast But the void within them creates the essence of the house. Fundamentally: The material contains utility, The immaterial contains essence.”

Right: Crescent #6, 3 ft. 5½ in. (1.05 m) in length, stoneware, glazed and fired to cone 3. Opposite: Meteorite, 18 in. (46 cm) in diameter, stoneware, fired to cone 3.

44 march 2011 www.ceramicsmonthly.org If the void within is the essence of the pot, it helps explains the striking interior space of Lee’s vessels. When he enrolled in the graduate program at the School for American Crafts at the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) to study with Rick Hirsch in 2006, he wanted to explore new concepts and use a wide range of techniques, a direction broader in scope than the more specific study and technique that encompassed his graduate experience in Korea. Lee used an expanded color palette and combined handbuild- ing, wheel throwing, carving, and slip casting to produce asymmetrical vessel forms and stacked cube interior spaces. The cubes were assembled by hand, rather than slip casting. This led to a series of explorations using an expanded range of metaphors, like landscapes, meteorites, and the crescent moon. The exteriors of these vessels ranged from highly finished surfaces with metallic glazes to very rough meteorite-like surfaces. Usually these forms show great contrast between the exterior and the interior of a piece. While he was an artist-in-residence at the Archie Bray Founda- tion for the Ceramic Arts in 2007, he was profoundly affected by the mountainous landscape of Montana, especially the volcanic environment of Yellowstone Park. The hot springs and craters revealing the interior of the earth inspired and reinforced Lee’s aesthetic path of contrasts of light and dark spaces, rough and smooth textures, corroded surfaces and crystalline serrated shapes. Lee’s 2007 piece Meteorite is a spheroid shape with a red-orange

www.ceramicsmonthly.org march 2011 45 surface with carved wedges of varying scale and depth. The interiors of the wedges have a glossy finish on immaculately carved serrated forms. Another example of this work, from 2008, Crescent #2-1, slip cast in stoneware, has an exterior that is approximately round with large serrations surrounding the outside edge. A complex system of elongated triangles join large outside facets with an inner saw-toothed edge resulting in an ovoid negative space with the points of the crescent withholding as much as they reveal. It exploits the thin slice of the waxing and waning moon, where we only see the lighted edge that means the rest of the moon is also present in darkness and silence. The edge and the border between the outside and the inside are important to Lee. This is where the structure is revealed. The effect is reinforced by the two pointed ends of the crescent, leading our eye up and around, completing its shape in our mind. The surfaces are suggestive of minerals and geodes, but are not found in nature. They resist explanation and didactic meaning, but they have a quality of the hyper-real, a concept defined by Jean Baudrillard as, “the simulation of something which never really existed.” Lee’s work questions our relationship to this metaphoric edge, where we peek in and glimpse the uncanny and unknowable. Lee’s work is fastidiously and laboriously crafted. He makes about one piece a month, ten or fifteen pieces a year, each one requiring its own set of up to 100 different test tiles in order to find the two “right” glazes. During a studio visit in March 2010, Lee was carving the surface of 200–300 pounds of leather hard clay balanced on an electric wheel. He explains that he is physically reversing his enigmatic crescent forms by making the negative space be positive. He calls it a pre-crescent, giving a poetic context to the formulation of his crescent-based artwork. The new pre-crescent form will still have

Above: Hidden Structure Revealed #11, 22 in. (56 cm) in height, slip-cast porcelain with clear glaze, fired to cone 8.

Right: Molds were made of wall sections for pieces in the “Hidden Structure” series. When assembled, the grid lines conceal the seams and the impression is of one monolithic cast.

46 march 2011 www.ceramicsmonthly.org Left: Crescent #2-1, 18½ in. (47 cm) in diameter, slip-cast stoneware with glaze, fired to cone 6. Below: Crescent #7, 44 in. (1.1 m) in height, stoneware with glaze, fired to cone 3, with acrylic paint.

his signature geometric crystalline edge, but it is now inverted. He further explained that in continuing his experience with massive installations, his new work would have a visual context between the pieces and the space around the pieces. Lee’s continues to apply his back- ground in meticulous technique and Korean ceramic tradition to new in- sights and new ceramic perspectives in America. His inspiration from the American landscape and his rigorous technical innovation have resulted in singular works that combine elements of his native and adopted cultures. Sometimes they seem like opposites, and sometimes they are two parts of one whole, like the interior and exterior of his work—where the structure is revealed.

Minkyu Lee is an Assistant Professor of Art at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay. www.minkyulee.com. the author David Damkoehler is professor emeri- tus of Arts and Visual Design at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay. He works primarily with stainless steel in jewelry, flatware, and ornaments.

www.ceramicsmonthly.org march 2011 47 mfafactor University of South Carolina

Program Details • Years to complete/graduation requirements: 3 year program • Applicants/year: 10–15 • Positions available/year: 2–3 • Teaching assistantships and/or fellowships are available. • Career planning and job-placement-assistance programs are also available. • Cost (tuition and fees): $10,490 (resident); $22,550 (non-resident)

Virginia Scotchie, Associate Professor, Indigo Bowl, 22 in. (56 cm) in length, coiled and pinched stoneware, glaze, oxides, multiple-fired to cone 6 in oxidation, 2010.

Facilities Highlights • 11 electric kilns • 2 electric test kilns • 4 gas kilns: 1 down draft, 1 sprung arch, 1 car, 1 soda • anagama wood kiln (under construction) • raku kiln • 19 electric wheels • slab roller • portable sand blaster • pneumatic extruder • sand blaster booth • 2 extruders • ball mill • 2 clay mixers • pugmill • spray booth • fully stocked clay and glaze lab • outdoor kiln yard • clay mixing room • dry materials storage room • glaze mixing room Jon McMillan, Adjunct Professor/ Studio Technician, Postponed, 27 in. • slide viewing room (69 cm) in height, wheel-thrown and handbuilt terra cotta, underglaze, glaze, multiple firings to cone 04 and 06, steel and resin, 2010.

48 march 2011 www.ceramicsmonthly.org 3

1 Dana Childs’ Tu Arms, 36 in. (91 cm) in height, 3 Hayley Douglas’ Nucleus, 14½ in. (37 cm) in 5 Danny Crocco’s teapot, 7 in. (18 cm) in height, found fire brick, underglaze, glaze, fired to cone 10 diameter, handbuilt stoneware, glaze, raku fired to pinched stoneware, natural ash, fired to cone 11 in with soda, multiple low-temperature firings, 2009. cone 04, 2009. an anagama, 2011.

2 Frieda Dean’s Relationship Three, 24 in. (61 4 Katherine Radomsky’s Tall Cracked Jar, 9¾ in. 6 Laura VanCamp’s Maiden of the Sea Foam, cm) in height, handbuilt stoneware, flashing slips, (25 cm) in height, thrown and altered porcelain, 33 in. (84 cm) in height, coil-built porcelaneous fired in reduction to cone 10 with soda, 2010. slip inlay and glaze, fired to cone 6 electric, 2009. stoneware, glaze, reduction fired cone 10, 2009.

www.ceramicsmonthly.org march 2011 49 Silicon Carbide The STUff of StarS by Mark Chatterley

If 20–30% silicon carbide is added to any shiny glaze at any temperature, the result will be a bubble reaction. You don’t have to read any further—that is all you need to know to get started. I have been working with silicon carbide for about 30 years and I still get excited to open up the kiln because the result changes each time I fire. In my work, I didn’t want to use the traditional surface— shiny or matte. I was interested in the effect that I got from under-fired raku glazes (rough and pitted), but the process left the work too fragile. I also like the gnarly surface that results from some wood-fired work but wanted a firing process that was not so labor intensive. I discovered Gertrude and Otto Natzler’s work of the ’50s. They were doing some amazing surfaces on their pots. This husband-wife team were self-taught clay artists. Gertude made the pots and Otto glazed them. They could control the drips to exciting results and they had glazes that were pitted and cratered. I suspected that they used silicon carbide to get the surface so I raided the lithography lab and obtained silicon carbide that is used as an abrasive for grinding stones. Silicon carbide, or carborundum, is an interesting material. It was first discovered in 1893 in an attempt to make artificial diamonds. It is found naturally in a rare material called moissanite that comes from meteors (astronomers and astrophysicists speculate that carbon stars have silicon carbide dust floating around them). However, the silicon carbide we use is man made. This chemical has a wide range of uses, from grinding wheels and bulletproof vests to electronic circuits and kiln shelves. I find it interesting that a material that has such a high temperature range for a kiln shelf will react in a glaze. Some potters have used small amounts (0.5%, 500 mesh) in copper red glazes to enhance reduction. This happens because when the SiC bond is broken, the carbon molecule wants to stabilize by using an oxygen molecule from the copper oxide.

50 march 2011 www.ceramicsmonthly.org M & M Altered

Control 20% 1.5% 20% Silicon Carbide 10.5% 10.5% Copper Oxide (no additions) Silicon Carbide Cobalt Oxide 1.5% Cobalt Oxide Copper Oxide 20% Silicon Carbide

BoB’s Altered

As you can see, there are two different results. The M & M glaze created bumps, while Bob’s made small holes. Both have potential for a working glaze. It just takes time to experiment on actual work. recipes Chatterley Glaze To prove my beginning statement that silicon carbide works with any glaze, I took two recipes cone 6 not originally intended to be used with silicon carbide, made some minor changes, and ran some Gillespie Borate ...... 50.0% tests with silicon carbide and colorants added: Kaolin ...... 17.5 Silica ...... 32.5 M & M altered BoB’s altered 100.0% cone 5–6 cone 6 Gerstley Borate (sub Gillespie Borate) 18.0% Bone Ash ...... 9.09% Add: Silicon Carbide ...... 20.0% Whiting ...... 16.0 Dolomite ...... 9.09 Sand ...... 12.0% Custer Feldspar ...... 40.0 Gerstley Borate (sub Gillespie Borate) . 9.09 The image on the facing page shows a detail of EPK Kaolin ...... 10.0 Talc ...... 9.09 the surface on one of Mark Chatterley’s sculp- Silica ...... 16.0 Nepheline Syenite ...... 18.18 tures. The surface varies in color from green 100.0% EPK Kaolin ...... 18,18 to purples and browns, while the texture also Silica ...... 27.28 varies from low- to high-relief craters. 100.00 %

But in larger amounts, it creates bubbles in the form of carbon It only takes one coat of cream consistency glaze covering the gas coming through the glaze. The larger the grit size, the bigger work to get a bubbly, crusty surface. If you apply more than one the craters will be. Conversely, the smaller the grit or mesh size, coat, larger reactions happen. The cooling of the kiln will affect the finer the patterns of bubbles. I use 180 grit in my glaze. What how your glaze looks as well. I cool mine down for three days before happens when it is fired is that carbon gas is released (looking I open it. The faster you cool the glaze the more you “freeze” the for oxygen to bond with), leaving the silica behind. This is why bubble effect. Long cooling allows for more gas to dissipate, but a I suggest starting with a shiny glaze when experimenting. If used long cooling is also hard on the kiln and kiln furniture. in large amounts, silicon carbide cause the glaze to spit onto kiln These glazes are not food safe. They can also have sharp edges shelves and the walls of the kiln. I found that placing a layer of on the ends of the craters so caution should be used when handling sand down makes it easy to clean the shelves. If you fire an electric the work. Also, the glaze is not food safe. kiln, you will need to put slicon carbide glazed work in an unsealed saggar to protect the elements (and other work, for that matter) the author Mark Chatterley lives and works in Williamston, Michigan.

www.ceramicsmonthly.org march 2011 51 Eric Knoche Points of ConneCtion by Katey Schultz

52 march 2011 www.ceramicsmonthly.org Left: vessel, 15 in. (38 cm) in height, stoneware with slips, wood fired, 2009. Right and below: Ribcage (assembled and disassembled), 17 in. (43 cm) in width, stoneware with slips, wood fired, 2009. Photos: Tim Barnwell.

uses sparse but natural ash glazes across gritty, natural surfaces to make work ranging in scale from hand-held to human-sized. The forms are loosely geometric and are often exhibited in multiples, inviting the viewer to touch, arrange, or play with the pieces. Since he makes vessels, platters, sculptures, large works and installations, I asked him if it was accurate to say he produces five bodies of work. “It would be more accurate to generate a mind map with thicker or thinner lines showing the connections between various series,” Knoche said. “To me, it is really one body of work.” Interestingly enough, it was this connection that mat- tered more than distinguishing the work into separate bodies. From the outset, Knoche has been a process-oriented My conversations with Eric Knoche began with a fairly straightfor- artist. In 2004 and 2005, he apprenticed with New York ceramicist ward intention: I wanted to understand how his multiple bodies of Jeff Shapiro. In 2008, he spent half a year in Japan through the work informed and enhanced each other. I had a hunch that each Asian Cultural Council apprenticing with Isezaki Jun, a Living was as a distinct study of formal concepts, and that when viewed National Treasure. “Initially, I was hesitant to subordinate my as a whole, these bodies of work would reveal Knoche’s style. To a own creative drives to someone else,” said Knoche. “But I took certain extent, that seemed true enough, but perhaps more important stock . . . and I realized that it would be really helpful to see how was the discovery that the bodies of work act as stepping stones for everything relates. I wanted to learn how the business side and both the his creative process and the viewer’s unique experience. the artistic side interact, how studio life and home life connect, With hints of influence from the Japanese Bizen tradition, how a professional artist spends their day, minute to minute.” For Scandinavian design, and adobe architecture, Knoche currently Knoche, apprenticing was more about how to live like an artist,

www.ceramicsmonthly.org march 2011 53 Right: Aurora, 6 ft. (1.8 m) in height, stoneware with slips, wood fired, 2009. Photo: Larry Ferguson, at Anderson O’Brien Fine Art. Below: Two vessels, to 22 in. (56 cm) in height, native stoneware with slips, wood fired, 2009. Photo: Tim Barnwell

not how to technically construct something artistic. He came away from both experiences with role models for life. “I was really taken by how involved [Shapiro’s] whole family was. His wife, for example, doesn’t really make pots, but is a master at firing the wood kiln and an expert chef. I learned a lot from her too.” Likewise, in Japan, Knoche was interested in Isezaki’s process before the actual making. Knoche’s vessels and platters serve as the first point of connection in his creative process. “I use them to explore special relationships between curves, planes, and angles. They are very ground- ing for me,” he said. Although made singularly, he almost always displays the pieces in concert with one another, waiting until after a firing to see which forms sit well together depending on surface design and shape. Most vessels stand between 8 and 16 inches high and 4 to 10 inches across, with platters ranging between 20 to 30 inches across. When venturing toward a new form entirely, Knoche likes “starting from the place of certainty” that this work affords because of its functionality—the vessels stand upright with an opening to suggest a vase or container and the platters meet the basic criteria. Viewers, likewise, can find an immediate point of connection through this functionality even though

54 march 2011 www.ceramicsmonthly.org MO n Buried in Fire by Eric Knoche THLY M e One style of wood firing I currently use is a derivation of a charcoal shoveling technique often used in Bizen, Japan, though I was first introduced to the practice of applying charcoal to wares during a firing by my teacher, Jeff Shapiro. The basic technique as I use it consists of loading each level THO dS of the chamber kiln (I use the technique in both a fast-fire style kiln and the back chamber of a noborigama) with about 4 to 6 inches of clearance between the top of the wares and the bottom of the next shelf. This void on each level runs the width of the chamber and corresponds to a shoveling port which I leave in the door as I brick it up. At various points in the firing I cover the work on each level with charcoal using a long stainless steel chute. The most important and exciting variable for me is the loading. The way the pieces are stacked in the kiln has a tremendous effect on the patterns present on the finished piece. I also use a lot of different materials in the loadings such as shells, grain husks, straw, various kinds of wadding, fireclay discs, and rocks. Some of these materials, such as shells, leave their own marks while others, like the fireclay discs, create patterns by blocking portions of the work from contact with the charcoal. I think of loading more as a creative act than a technical one, perhaps akin how a majolica artist uses brushwork. A wide range of effects is possible, depending on the variables of the firing, which include the materials and forms, the kind of charcoal, when it’s applied, and the time, temperature, and rate of the firing. When and how often the charcoal is applied also has a dramatic effect on the finished work. In my experience, there are two distinct directions to go with this technique. One is to fire for melted ash and the other is to fire for clay color. When firing for melted ash, I cover the work in charcoal starting at cone 8 and continue to do so every few hours to peak temperature of about cone 13. With this technique, I am firing long enough and hot enough to break the charcoal down into ash and then melt the ash. However, Top: In the rear chamber of Knoche’s noborigama, the space recently I have been more excited about firing for clay color. I between the top of the work and the shelf above allows for the have had the best results with this technique by firing to cone charcoal chute to be inserted during firing. Above: A hole left unbricked in the door of the rear chamber is 11, then applying the charcoal only once just before sealing aligned with the shelf stack so that charcoal can be introduced the kiln. This doesn’t give the kiln enough time to melt the using a steel chute. Photo: Josh Copus. charcoal ash, but it can create a variety of dramatic surfaces. Upward facing horizontal surfaces and vertical surfaces that Charcoal shoveling, as I use it, works well in short wood firings, get completely buried in coals tend to have the darkest, most because the effects come almost entirely from the charcoal and subtle colors and the roughest texture. Vertical surfaces near the kiln atmosphere rather than from the accumulation of fly other objects (pots, posts, fireclay discs, etc.) with only small ash. Although I originally thought of this technique as sort of a spaces between usually display considerably more variation and substitute for having an anagama (and some of the effects may patination, often producing brighter colors of reds, yellows, resemble anagama work to a certain degree), I think it is limiting and purples. The downward faces, where the charcoal doesn’t and inaccurate to think of it as a way to get long-firing effects touch the work but affects the local atmosphere, often have from a short firing. Instead, I think of it as a fascinating technique striated patterns of clearly separated bands of color. with its own merits and begging for its own investigations.

www.ceramicsmonthly.org march 2011 55 Platter, 28 in. (71 cm) in width, stoneware with slip, wood fired, 2010. Photo: Tim Barnwell.

the works’ predominate feature is the sculptural shapes rather than about form or size and more about surface and arrangement. “With the potential physical “use.” these, I am exploring how the different surface effects combine in Knoche’s second way of engaging his creative process happens sequences to create something entirely other,” says Knoche. “My as he constructs what he calls sculptures and larger works. These hope is that the whole, including the white space, transcends the expand on formal concepts evident in the vessels and platters, but individual blocks on the wall.” traditional functionality is a distant echo. The sculptures are stack- Like many artists who have apprenticed, Knoche’s early ex- able, puzzle-pieced hollow forms clearly made by the same hand, periences served as a sort of warm-up drill to transition from begging the viewer to step a little further from the comfort zone functioning in basic survival mode as an artist into full-time, well- and into the realm of physical interaction. Works such as Ribcage rounded studio life that’s ripe with opportunity. What’s interest- and other “puzzle” works can be aligned to form what looks like ing, of course, is that the touchstones in Knoche’s creative process one solid form out of three, four, five, or even more separate pieces. build on each other in a similar way—the vessels and platters Equally as interactive, Knoche’s larger work is too cumbersome are functional, the sculptures and larger works push further into to pick up and move, but still manages to push the viewer out of unfamiliar territory, and finally the installations are perpetually in his or her comfort zone using the temptation of interaction. “There flux, always waiting to be arranged and rearranged in an endless is something special that happens when forms approach human run of discoveries. size. I’m curious about this and…the larger works are a way for me to explore the way my work affects the space around it,” says Eric Knoche lives in Asheville, North Carolina. Look for his solo show Knoche. Indeed, what’s affected isn’t just the external space, because of new work this May at Crimson Laurel Gallery in Bakersville, North the human-sized forms in dance-like postures provide an internal Carolina, and another solo show in October at Anderson O’Brien Fine conceptual experience for viewers as well. Art Center in Omaha, Nebraska. Learn more at www.ericknoche.com. Employing all of his explorations—from the vessels and platters, through the sculptures and larger works—Knoche’s affinity the author Katey Schultz is associate editor of TRA- for process comes to fruition in the final point of connection to CHODON magazine. Follow her travels across the country at his creative process: installations. Work such as Aurora or are less www.thewritinglife2.blogspot.com.

56 march 2011 www.ceramicsmonthly.org Paul Soldner, 1921–2011 by Doug Casebeer

Paul was always there for me. Whether it was a stubborn kiln in the middle of the night or a quirky foot pedal on one his wheels, Paul was there to guide me. From raku demonstrations in a red thong bikini in Santiago, Chile, to regular summer gatherings for Ranch students at the Aspen compound, Paul showed great enthusiasm for the creativity community we call clay. This past January the world lost an inspirational artist, the ceramics field lost an innovator, and I lost a friend. I am thankful and grateful that Paul was a part of my life.

Soldner is survived by his daughter, Stephanie Soldner Sullivan of Denver and Aspen, Colorado, by his sister, Louise Farling of Bluffton, Ohio, and two grandchildren.

the author Doug Casebeer is the artistic director for ceramics and sculpture, as well as chair of the artist-in-residence program at the Anderson Ranch Arts Center, Snowmass Village, Colorado.

How do I begin to put into words a man’s life, when his legacy was living. Paul lived and believed in the naked truth. In thought and character, Paul was predictably unique. I learned early in our friendship that he had little patience for the theoretical. Whether it was through architecture, machines, tools, wine, or art, Paul made real his dreams and ideas. Paul gave us permission to be ourselves. One of Paul’s favorite words was serendipity. He believed that chance favored the prepared mind. Paul’s life reinforced these values of artistic discovery. He never stopped searching. Paul was a tenacious builder and inventor. The Soldner potter’s wheels and clay mixers were constantly being perfected. He prided himself on building equipment from off-the-shelf parts at the local hardware store. Paul’s favorite glaze making tool was a paper bag. He would put in some clay and a flux, shake it up and call it a glaze. In the early ’60s, the Soldner Aspen compound embraced solar heating long before it was an energy alternative. The Sold- ner home was always open to the traveling artist and inquisitive student. Paul embraced life. Around Colorado, Paul is known as the Godfather of the Anderson Ranch Arts Center. Paul picked the very spot, where every year hundreds of artists in all genres come to work and grow their creative spirit. Paul taught and led by example. He was never judgmental; when students would ask him what he thought of their art, he would say, “Do you like it?” I will remember Paul for his silent slide shows with only the sound of a clicking Kodak projector and an occasional streaker.

www.ceramicsmonthly.org march 2011 57 rEviEWs

2 3

1 4 5

1 Atsushi Takagaki’s Ryo, 13 in. (33 cm) in height, celadon-glazed vase with Madder Red pigment, 2010. 2 Shoko Koike’s water form, 13½ in. (34 cm) in length, 2010. 3 Takahiro Kato’s shino tea bowl, 5 in. (12 cm) in diameter, clay, red iron stain, white shino glaze, 2010. 4 Osamu Suzuki’s shino tea bowl, 5½ in. (14 cm) in diameter, clay, red iron stain, white shino glaze, 2010. 5 Sueharu Fukami’s Far Beyond II, 37 in. (94 cm) in length, porcelain, blue celadon glaze, 2010. Photos: Shigeharu Omi. All images copyright and courtesy of Musee Tomo.

Embracing Personal Expressions in Contemporary Japanese Tea Wares by Naomi Tsukamoto When looking at Japanese pottery, one must realize the artists’ consis- to this art form of tea practice: the maker and the user whose function is tent commitment to both materials and classic formal beauty. Building to mitate, to polish their sensibility, to name the functions of the objects on their preceding examples and respecting the traditional techniques and to choose the right combination of tea utensils such as chawan (tea and material restrictions that regional formalisms impose, the contem- bowl), kekkai (a separator to mark the sacred area), flower vase, tea kettle, porary artists struggle to find their own forms and voices. That said, water jar, tea caddy, and mukouzuke (dishes) for each occasion. there seems to be a renewed and more flexible understanding toward the At the Musee Tomo, the tea bowls were directly placed on spiral- Way of Tea, especially among younger Japanese ceramic artists today. shaped pedestals, which enable the viewer to understand the warmth Japanese potters are creating their own tea utensils, showing originality of each chawan. After all, they should be experienced through all five in forms and designs, and pursuing their own self-expression. senses, and it was nice to see them displayed outside of glass cases. This past fall was filled with exhibitions on tea wares in Tokyo. When you first came down the spiral staircase leading to the cavelike Among them were the “The Musee Tomo Prize, Contemporary display area, you saw two dramatic works, both of which received the Ceramics for the Tea Ceremony: Free Creativity and Atypical Us- Merit Prize in the show. One is by Osamu Suzuki a National Treasure, age” at Musee Tomo (www.musee-tomo.or.jp) in Tokyo and “About honored for his shino works like the tea bowl on display. He is one of the Tea Ceremony—A Viewpoint on Contemporary Kogei (Studio the first to fire shino glaze in a gas kiln, and what could be imperfection, Crafts)” at the Craft Gallery in the National Museum of Modern Art, glaze bubbles and pin holes on the surface, asymmetry and distortion Tokyo (MOMAT) (www.momat.go.jp). The exhibition at Musee of the body, and the uneven lip, are all intentional, adding softness and Tomo, which is a biennial established in 2006, included works by simplicity to his tea bowls. His signature red burnt shino is achieved by 29 artists. The MOMAT exhibition included 26 artists and ranged the combination of white shino glaze and the red iron stain underneath. across five separate rooms. Depending on the amount of the metals present in the glaze and in the In the Momoyama era, Sen No Rikyu taught the aesthetic of wabi stain, one color, red or white, comes out stronger than the other, creating sabi, making the practice of tea simple and transient. Instead of using an impressive keshiki (scenery). The second piece was a kekkai, a beam- expensive tea wares, he encouraged choosing pottery that mirrored ing blue celadon sculptural piece with a form reaching far beyond, by the times. The recent exhibitions at both museums explored the same Sueharu Fukami. Celadon glaze could be understood as comprised of question: What would be today’s tea ceremony vessels? Masahiro Kara- a flock of air bubbles, thus the glaze is applied thick. Depending on the sawa, the curator of the MOMAT exhibition explains, “What was once thickness of the glaze and the lighting, the color changes from white to outsider and atypical in the Momoyama era is now traditional. Can milky greenish light blue. With such strong presence, one must wonder we create a new tradition embracing today’s individualism?” Show- how this could be used as a separator in a tea room. ing how traditions are made, both exhibitions displayed the artworks A flower vase by Atsushi Takagaki also proves the Japanese potter’s of younger artists next to the living established masters who have relentless challenging spirit toward material perfection. Even kannyu perfected and have been recognized for their unusual and bold styles. (crackling) is controlled by the thickness of what he calls the madder At both exhibitions, the curators valued the presence of a work of art celadon glaze, which has edges and cracks that have a red hue. over functionality, trusting the creativity that happens in the tea rooms to A sculptural, but yet highly functional piece is the water jar by Shoko transform the pieces for use in the ceremony. There are, after all, two sides Koike, a piece whose dynamic form is influenced by the artist’s mother

58 march 2011 www.ceramicsmonthly.org 6 7 8

9 10 11

6 Fuku Fukumoto’s Moonlight, 11 in. (28 cm) in length, porcelain, 2009. 7 Koichiro Isezaki’s black water container, 8 in. (20 cm) in length, stoneware, 2010. 8 Akira Wada’s dai/board, 7½ in. (19 cm) in length, porcelain, 2008. 9 Machiko Ogawa’s black incense case, 3 in. (8 cm) in length, stoneware, 2010. 10 Shinobu Kawase’s Hopes of Fairy, incense burner, 13 in. (33 cm) in length, porcelain, celadon glaze, 2008. 11 Kichizaemon Raku’s tea bowl, 6 in. (15 cm) in length, black Raku yakinuki stoneware, 2004. Courtesy of the Raku Museum. All images copyright and courtesy of the Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo, unless otherwise noted.

who is a fashion designer. Her sea form like flower or vase is met by an- Bizen is one such area, with highly plastic clay that, when wood fired, other smaller sculptural lid, which surprisingly fits one’s hand perfectly. achieves rich red and deep blue hues. Koichiro Isezaki (b. 1974) achieves Lastly from Musee Tomo, representing the younger generation is a harmonious whole with his utmost care to the form and with his hiki- Takahiro Kato (b. 1972). The grandson of a controversial potter, Tokuro dashi-guro technique, in which he pulls out his black slipped wares from Kato, the artist says, “The essence of tea bowls resides in contradic- the still firing anagama kiln to achieve translucent black modulations. tions. The practice of tea has a depth to explain one’s way of life.” With Another artist with strong engagement in the material is Machiko thoughts like this common among makers (and users) of tea ceremony Ogawa. Freeing herself from the traditional restrictions, she established wares, the artists must think beyond the functionality of the tea bowl. her forming method through her experience of living in West Africa. However, the artist must weigh the balance between the personal goal The form for the black incense case is found through the process of and the intended use. The mogusa clay often used for Shino ware is making the pounded and split sun-dried lump of clay. rough and difficult to handle if left unglazed. Therefore, the original Some younger artists place stronger emphasis on their imagery and Shino tea bowls restricted the unglazed surface to the foot, just like concepts in pursuit of self discovery. Fuku Fukumoto (b. 1973) and Akira Suzuki’s. Kato glazes the body only partially, using the glaze more as Wada (b. 1978) are such examples. The inspirations and themes are given painted design rather than as functional glaze. priority through the titles of the works. Fukumoto’s work emanates inde- At MOMAT, the first room showed the old masters from the Mo- terminate rhythm and subtle swaying dissolving into ethereal space as if moyama and Edo periods, setting a tone for the exhibition’s exploration reflecting upon today’s technology-filled society. Moonlight deliberately of contemporary tea wares through the 400 year history of the Way of uses yuchaku, which is the adhesion of two pieces of pottery by the melt- Tea. The most noteworthy in the exhibition were the combinations of ing of the glaze in firing, which adds fluidity and an unsettling feeling. tea utensils and temporary tea rooms that were staged in the second and Wada fixes the theme and the functionality upon making, separating the fifth rooms. Through them, the viewer could imagine these contem- the glazed functional wares and the unglazed sculpture. He starts with porary pieces put into practical use. In order to create harmony overall, throwing the form on the wheel thickly, drying slowly, and carving to strong and bold pieces were often combined with quiet or serene pieces. shape. His forming method illuminates the quality of porcelain; its light, In the first room, facing the old masters, the works of another shadow, and hardness. Although Wada’s dai is unglazed and intended to established leader, Kichizaemon Raku were displayed. He is the 15th be non-functional, the person who purchased the piece, in the practice generation of the family of tea bowl makers, whose story began in 1580s of mitate, selected it to use as a water container, adding a lid to it. when Sen No Rikyu commissioned the family. Kichizaemon Raku, At both museums, the curators described the exhibitions as ex- who studied fine arts, continues to inspire creative voices; his work perimental. Today, young potters are holding their own tea ceremonies shows the artistic process of making and changing traditions. Through outside the confines of the traditional tea world. Perhaps exhibitions stoic form and restrained yet modern colors, he wishes to express the like these can open a dialog between the maker and the user, bringing negativity that exists in today’s society, challenging the user to confront the one-step-removed practice of tea closer to daily life. it with a strong will. Many contemporary tea ware makers settle in the long-lived pottery the author Naomi Tsukamoto is a studio artist and educator living in production centers, beguiled by the materials special to each region. Tokyo, Japan.

www.ceramicsmonthly.org march 2011 59 rEviEWs

1 3

1 Circuit, installation view at Cynthia Reeves Gallery, New York, New York, 9 ft. 3 in. (2.8 m) in height, paper clay, charcoal crawl glaze, gypsum polymer laminated to corn based resin and marine netting, 2010. 2 Circuit, installation view at Davidson Gallery, Seattle, Washington, 2010. 3 Detail of surface texture.

A system of Generosity: John Grade s Circuit by Ben Waterman We are left to wonder about what will occur; what will happen when well as various environments, to provide unique patinas to the sculpture. the 400 fragments of Circuit are hefted up a mountain in the Central When considering the works closely, it’s evident that surface is not simply Cascades and arranged to weather for the next year, then brought back a finish, but rather, exposed integration, telling the very blunt story that to be reassembled and experienced. Will they be sunk into the sea 1000 to become part of something, you must let go of something. The works feet below the surface? Unlike most sculpture of our time, the solidity show us that exchange is not easily attained and has a price, especially of John Grade’s new work Circuit is in its evolution, in expectation, the when it is an authentic offering versus an expressive device. What we do possible, and the what if. It is without true place. In this way, form is uniquely gain from Circuit is in large part due to the material framework. translated into an invitation of becoming, to a journey that is open, a It’s the possibility of experiencing a more geologic sense of time, tied to shared, never ending and generous experience. the conceptual and physical journey directed by Grade. Although the Circuit, composed of five tons of paper clay, requiring more than 300 gypsum polymer, laminated to corn-based resin and marine netting, that hours of firing time, and the help of 30 volunteers to complete, was creat- backs the tiles will show the more immediate effects of time, the clay ed at Pottery Northwest (www.potterynorthwest.org/Bridge-Grade.htm) and glaze will be altered in a much different way. The cadence of those in Seattle, Washington, and was recently exhibited at Davidson Galleries changes will be slower and the sense of possibility related to engagement (www.davidsongalleries.com), also in Seattle, and Cynthia Reeves Gal- extended beyond perhaps even the lifetimes of several generations to lery (www.cynthia-reeves.com) in New York City. Grade was a visiting come. The strength of this gesture is in the extended interaction it af- artist at Pottery Northwest as part of the ongoing project, “Crossing fords. The work becomes potentially monumental not because of scale Over The Bridge,” which Director Wally Bivens describes as, “a situa- alone but because of the communicative gesture central to the medium. tion that introduces artists who don’t normally work with clay to [its] The language of time, indispensable to Grade, finds another pitch in potential, and introduces our studio to the way in which those artists this sculpture, and adds to the larger chorus that he has already gathered. thought about their work in a larger context.” The guts of Grade’s The story related to Circuit, and how it unfolds in the next few years work and Bivens’ project is a resolve based on vulnerability; a trust that has been already established (with perhaps the most dramatic changes through exposure to the unknown, an unknown richness will result. yet to be seen). How it unfolds in the next several hundred years is yet Many of the practical decisions made in the creation of Circuit to be conceived, and that how is a powerful step, existing as a type of reflect this open attitude toward potential. Grade first created drawings potential expression that is yet to be fully explored. of the work, but after experiencing the way clay warped as it dried and The writer Harry Crews said: “The little that I have learned about handled while wet, the drawings were taken over by engagement and the world, and, more important, that I have learned about myself, has the piece was altered. “What we ended up making has a greater degree been absurdly expensive. . . . The miracle of the world, the miracle of irregularity than in the original concept,” he explains. “The originals of a rebirth of the senses, the miracle of an accepting heart can only looked more like what I imagine the existent forms will look like after be paid for with blood and bone. No other currency has ever been they have changed in the alpine environment.” acceptable.” Grade’s work seems to confirm this set of relationships. Grade chose a basalt-black glaze, not only for its color but also be- There is simply no other way to accomplish the feeling that one gets cause it crawls heavily. The deep surface fissures allow the environment from it. When considering Circuit as an expression beyond its parts, we to engage the sculpture and become, in turn, a participant, so that when see that it simply has to go through these endless becomings to create exhibited again, its journey will be apparent by design. The work will an enlivening of the senses and to manifest as the type of provocation continue to be open, part of the moment, constantly willing to reveal that we all deeply crave. where it has been, is now, and will go. Circuit fits into an established but ever evolving system. Grade’s the author Ben Waterman lives and works in Seattle,Washington. To previous works use displacement, duration, exposure, and extremes, as learn more about his work and writing, visit www.benwaterman.com.

60 march 2011 www.ceramicsmonthly.org After 45 years of gas reduction firing, Tom Turner has gone electric with his electrogama.

“ L&L built me a beautiful kiln that fires flawlessly time after time and it is perfect for my exploration of Oilspot glazes.

I highly recommend L&L kilns to everyone.”

Tom Turner www.tomturnerporcelain.com

L&L Kiln’s patented hard ceramic element holders protect your kiln.

505 Sharptown Rd, Swedesboro NJ 08085 Toll Free: 877.468.5456 Fax: 856.294.0070 [email protected]

Tons of great clay videos at www.ceramicartsdaily.org

www.ceramicsmonthly.org march 2011 61 62 march 2011 www.ceramicsmonthly.org Don t miss our e-dition at www.ceramicsmonthly.org

www.ceramicsmonthly.org march 2011 63 75,000 members and growing! www.ceramicartsdaily.org

64 march 2011 www.ceramicsmonthly.org W OMen WORking W itH c LAy S y MPOSi UM

Join us for the Women Working with Clay Symposium at Hollins University, June 13-16. Observe the presentation of various working methods in pottery, art vessels, and sculpture and participate in discussions that examine and explore the connections of the history of women in cultures all over the world as vessel makers, artists and artisans. Surrounded by the Blue Ridge Mountains, you’ll find inspiration as you explore the creative process from every level. Led by remarkable ceramic artists, you will gain valuable insight from demonstrations, lectures, and panel discussions. Space is limited, so visit www.hollins.edu/tmva or call (540) 362-6229 to register today.

Hollins University | P.O. Box 9552 | Roanoke, VA 24020-1552 | [email protected] June 13-16, 2011

N o 40 Beech Street r Port Chester t NY 10573 h (914) 937-2047 e www.clayartcenter.org r

C UNEARTH YOUR l

CREATIVITY a

C MARK CHATTERLEY

e CLAY DREAMS

n April 9 – May 7, 2011 t

e A solo exhibition featuring r

evocative ﬁgurative sculpture |

M exploring the human condition by

n nationally recognized Michigan

n artist Mark Cha�erley. e

o USING THE GOLDEN MEAN

M A Figurative Sculpture Workshop N Opportunities for Ceramic Artists with Mark Cha�erley Studio Fellowships Fri, April 8, 6:30-8pm 3-Month Residencies | Studio Rentals Sat - Sun, April 9-10, 10am – 5pm For more information visit EXHIBITIONS * SHOP at CAC * WORKSHOPS * C�SSES * RESIDENCY Visit www.clayartcenter.org for more information www.northernclaycenter.org EASY TRAIN RIDE FROM MANHATTAN FREE ON-SITE PARKING

www.ceramicsmonthly.org march 2011 65 INSPIRED CERAMIC SURFACES Potters Council Regional Conference May 20-22, 2011 | Temple, Texas Forming, Finishing and Firing Lead to Inspired Surfaces

Sumi von Dassow Jake Allee Claudia Resse James Watkins

Sharon Smith Margaret Bohls

Featured Presenters: Host: Jake Allee, Margaret Bohls, Cultural Activities Center Sumi von Dassow, Claudia Reese, Sharon Smith Sponsors: and James Watkins AMACO/brent; Mayco; Paragon; and University of Mary Hardin Baylor

Call to reserve your space 800.424.8698 or 818.487.2054

www.potterscouncil.org Join a discussion at www.ceramicartsdaily.org/forums ceramicartsdaily.org/potters-council/inspired-ceramic-surfaces

66 march 2011 www.ceramicsmonthly.org The Folk School changes you.

engaging hands and hearts since 1925. come enjoy making crafts and good friends on 300 natural, scenic acres in western north carolina.

John C. Campbell Folk SChool folkschool.org 1-800-Folk-Sch BraSSTown norTh carolina

www.ceramicsmonthly.org march 2011 67 Continuing to lead the Way

pots by: Ildiko Harangozo NEW: Electric Ash Glazes.

1421 / 1183 1422 / 1522 1423 / 1522 1424 / 1175 1425 / 1115 1426 / 1181 Pear Fig Coffee Bean Cactus Kiwi Blueberry Would you like to create the effects of a wood-firing in your electric kiln? Our newest line of cone 4/6 glazes has 6 exciting colors designed to replicate the effects generated using ash as a glaze in wood-fired kilns. All the glazes in this series are designed to “gather and run” like traditional ash glazes. The colors are inspired by the different effects often achieved using different woods as a source of ash in reduction. They are oxide based and will create fascinating new colors when layered with other glazes. 94 Fenmar Dr P.O. Box 874 Phone: (800)970-1970 Toronto, ON Lewiston, NY Fax: (416)747-8320 Canada USA www.spectrumglazes.com M9L 1M5 14092-0874presents [email protected] Nan Rothwell • Sandi Pierantozzi • Paul Andrew Wandless

Announcing the Ceramic Arts Daily Presents video series! Announcing theLearn Ceramicnew techniques Arts or enhance Daily existing Presents skills in your video series! own studio at your own pace.

Fundamentals of Screen Printing on Clay with Paul Andrew Wandless www.ceramicartsdaily.org/bookstoreWhat If? Explorations with Texture and Soft Slabs with Sandi Pierantozzi Wheel Throwing with Nan Rothwell More titles coming! 68 march 2011 www.ceramicsmonthly.orgceramicartsdaily.org/bookstore 866-672-6993 www.ceramicsmonthly.org march 2011 69 ORDER Y O U R C O P Y TODAY! Price: $34.95 | Order code: CA32 | ISBN: 1-57498-167-6 Published 2006 | Softcover | 176 pages | 150+ photos & illustrations

WWW.CERAMICARTSDAILY.ORG/BOOKSTORE

70 march 2011 www.ceramicsmonthly.org AndersonRanch arts center Workshops . Artists’ Residencies . Community Outreach . Public Events

Michael Sherill Sunkoo Yuh Takashi Nakazato

jamaica Field expedition April 22-30, 2011 with Mark Shapiro guest artists David Pinto & Doug Casebeer 2011 summer faculty Christa Assad Sam Harvey David Pinto Mark Burleson Simon Leach Ralph Scala Doug Casebeer Suze Lindsay Michael Sherill Victoria Christen Takashi Nakazato Stacy Snyder Cristina Cordova Andrew Martin Bradley Walters Marc Digeros Kent McLaughlin Sunkoo Yuh Arthur Gonzalez Brad Miller

970/923-3181 [email protected] AndersonRanch.org Post Office Box 5598 Snowmass Village, CO 81615

www.ceramicsmonthly.org march 2011 71 America’s Most Trusted Glazes™

Potter’s Choice Cone 5/6 Ancient Jasper PC-53 over Deep Firebrick PC-59

Tracy Gamble Plainfield, IN

Learn more at LayeringAmacoGlazes.com

ORDER YOUR COPY TODAY! China Paint & Overglaze by Paul Lewing “An absolute feast...The most complete book I’ve ever seen on overglazes for both china painters and potters.” –Marci Blattenberger Only $59.95 Hardcover | 248 pages | 288 photos & illustrations Free Shipping When You Order Online www.ceramicartsdaily.org/bookstore Or Call 866-672-6993

72 march 2011 www.ceramicsmonthly.org www.ceramicsmonthly.org march 2011 73 ODYSSEY CENTER FOR CERAMIC ARTS 2011 SUMMER WORKSHOPS

KATHY KING—May 30–June 3 ERDAHL LEITSON LEAH LEITSON—June 6–10 ALICE BALLARD—June 13–17 DAVID GAMBLE—June 20–21 ALEX IRVINE—June 22–24 LIZ ZLOT SUMMERFIELD— June 27–July 1 LORNA MEADEN—July 11–15 SHOKO TERUYAMA & MATT

KELLEHER—July 18–22 KELLEHER TERUYAMA MELISA CADELL—July 25–29 T J ERDAHL—August 1–5 SUMMERFIELD

236 Clingman Ave, Asheville NC 28801 www.highwaterclays.com • 828-285-0210 [email protected] KING BALLARD

CADELL IRVINE

MEADEN

MAKE BEAUTIFUL MUSIC From Mud to Music By Barry Hall Hardcover | 260 Pages | 500+ Photos ORDER TODAY! Only $59.95 Free shipping when you order online (US only) www.ceramicartsdaily.org/bookstore or call 866-672-6993 www.ceramicsmonthly.org

74 march 2011 www.ceramicsmonthly.org Artists: Rosalie Wynkoop (L) Susan Warner (R)

Put your work of art on a work of art. Sapir acrylic stands and solid riser blocks.

Exclusive retail distributor of gallery quality Sapir acrylic stands and solid risers, black or clear. Heavy gauge, built strong. All stands can be used free standing or wall mount. All risers 1-1/2 inches high. Over 30 sizes available, we have the right size to enhance your work of art. Call us for information on

quantity discounts. We are proud Ruth Martin to say 100% made in the USA. Minneapolis, MN

800.432 CLAY • CONTINENTALCLAY.COM

Don’t miss out! Check out our e-dition online! www.ceramicsmonthly.org

Your one-stop clay info shop: www.ceramicartsdaily.org/bookstore

www.ceramicsmonthly.org march 2011 75 Potters Council Celebrating 10 Years ENJOY SUMMER WORKSHOPS IN THE {Est.2001} BEAUTIFUL CATSKILL MOUNTAINS NOW is the time to join an organization that works for you. Our member benefits touch every aspect of your life — from money saving discounts, and eligibility for group health insurance, to learning new techniques at conferences. Visit www.potterscouncil.org or call 800.424.8698 to join and celebrate our 10th Birthday with us.

• 20% Discount on Magazines, Art Books Susan Beecher Sensational Salt Fire 7/1 - 3 and DVDs Michael Boyer Begin, Refresh & Refine 7/ 8 - 10 • Affordable Health Insurance Susan Bogen Delightful Decorating 7/15 - 17 • Member-Only Yearly Calendars Ta n i a K ra v a t h C r e a t i n g E x p r e s s i v e S c u l p t u r e s 7 / 1 5 - 1 7 • Member-Only Juried Show Randy Brodnax Flashing & Fuming 7/21 - 26 Lisa Naples Conjuring the 3 Graces 7/292011 - 8/2 NEW Member Benefits Mark Shapiro Pouring & Drinking Pots: A Tour • 8/4 Online - 8 Member Directory M i c h a e l C o n n e l l y F i n d i n g Fo r m & S u r f a c e • Online 8 / 1 1 - 1Mentoring 6 Program Maureen Garcia Beautiful Bowls 8/13 • Online Juried Student Member Show Susan Beecher Altering Pots 8/19 - 23 • International Potters Council Conference

And don’t forget about our beautiful On-Campus Housing!—Call Today 518 263 2073 • www.sugarmaples.org

76 march 2011 www.ceramicsmonthly.org call for entries deadlines for exhibitions, fairs, and festivals

international Paintings 2011” (June 20–July 1). 6640 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, MO May 16, 2011 entry deadline Juried from digital. No fee for up to 63130; [email protected]; Colorado, La Veta “Clay Continuum exhibitions three entries. Contact S. Sibel Sevim, www.craftalliance.org; 314-725-1177. 6” (July 19–August 20) open to CO, March 1, 2011 entry deadline Anadolu University, Ceramics De- May 1, 2011 entry deadline NM, and WY clay artists. Juried from Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh “Humor partment, 26470 Tepebasi, Eskise- New Jersey, Surf City “Jersey Shore digital. Fee: $25 for five entries; $20 in Craft” open to all media. Juried hir, 26470 Turkey; overglaze2011@ Clay National 2011” (June 25–July students. Juror: Nancy Utterback. from digital. Contact Crafthaus, 461 gmail.com; [email protected]; 25) open to functional and sculptural Contact Nicole Copel, Spanish Peaks Cochran Rd. #103, Pittsburgh, PA http://seramik.anadolu.edu.tr; 90 222 work. Juried from digital. Fee: $25. Ju- Arts Council, PO Box 713, La Veta, 15228; [email protected]; 335 1290. ror: Heather Mae Erickson. Contact CO 81055; [email protected]; http://crafthaus.ning.com. June 15, 2011 entry deadline Matt Burton, m.t. burton gallery, 1819 www.spanishpeaksarts.org; 719-742-0213. March 18, 2011 entry deadline Austria, Kapfenberg “7th Interna- N. Long Beach Blvd., Surf City, NJ June 1, 2011 entry deadline Spain, Toledo “5th International Bien- tional Kapfenberg Biannual of Ceram- 08008; [email protected]; North Carolina, Southport “An- nial of Ceramics: Ciudad de Talavera” ics” (September 30–November 6). www.mtburtongallery.com; 609- nual Summer Regional Show” (June (April 5–25) open to ceramic work. Juried from digital. No fee for three 494-0006. 27–July 24) open to paintings, pottery, Juried from digital or slides. Contact entries. Contact KulturZentrum Kap- May 4, 2011 entry deadline and sculpture. Fee: $30 for two entries. fenberg, Mürzgasse 3, Kapfenberg, Organismo Autónomo Local de Cultura Virginia, Lorton “Workhouse Clay Jurors: Don Johns and Kate Lagaly. de Talavera, Plaza del Pan nº 5, 45600 A – 8605 Austria; [email protected]; National 2011” (August 3–28) open Contact Cheri Funk, Franklin Square Talavera de la Reina, Toledo, Spain; www.keramik-biennale-kapfenberg.at; to functional or sculptural clay work. Gallery, Associated Artists of South- [email protected]; 43 0 3862 22501 ext. 1241. Juried from digital. Fee: $30 for port, 130 E. West St., Southport, NC http://cultura.talavera.org. July 8, 2011 entry deadline three entries. Juror: Ellen Shankin. 28461; [email protected]; www.franklinsquaregallery.org; 910- March 23, 2011 entry deadline Spain, El Vendrell “VI Biennial de Contact Dale Marhanka, Workhouse 457-5450. Spain, L’Alcora “31st Concurs Ceramica El Vendrell” (October 13–16) Arts Center, 9601 Ox Rd., Lorton, VA Internacional de Ceràmica l’Alcora open to ceramic artists. Juried from digi- 22079; [email protected]; 2011” (June 24–September 11) open tal. Contact Patronat Municipal de Ser- www.workhousearts.org; 703-584-2982. fairs and festivals veis Culturals, La Rambla, 24, El Vendrell, to ceramic work. Juried from digital. May 23, 2011 entry deadline March 1, 2011 entry deadline 43700 Spain; [email protected]; Contact Museu de Ceràmica de L’Alcora, Colorado, Carbondale “Atmospheric Tennessee, Townsend “Smoky www.elvendrell.net/default2.aspx; 0034 Teixidors, 5, L’Alcora, E-12110 Spain; Fired 2011” (July 1–August 2) open to Mountain Pottery Festival” (June 3–4) 977 66 56 84. [email protected]; www.lalcora.es; 34 atmospheric fired clay works including open to pottery. Juried from digital or 964 362 368. soda, salt, wood, raku, and pit fired. slides. Fee: $110. Contact Jeanie Hilten, March 31, 2011 entry deadline united states Juried from digital. Fee: $20 for up to Townsend Visitors Center, 7906 E. Lamar Hungary, Kecskemét “3rd Interna- exhibitions three entries. Juror: Lorna Meaden. Alexander Pkwy., Townsend, TN 37882; tional Triennial of Silicate Arts” (August March 7, 2011 entry deadline Contact K Rhynus Cesark, Carbondale [email protected]; www. Clay Center, 135 Main St., Carbondale, 2011) open to work no larger than 50 Virginia, Norfolk “Works on Paper smokymountains.org/pottery-festival. kilograms in weight or 1 meter in any and Clay: 21st Annual Mid-Atlantic Art CO 81623; [email protected]; html; 865-273-1242. direction. Juried from digital. Fee: $55.73 Exhibition” (April 22–June 27) open www.carbondaleclay.org; 970-963-2529. March 18, 2011 entry deadline for one entry. Contact International to 2-D work no larger than 50 in. and August 6, 2011 entry deadline New York, Syracuse “41st Annual Triennial of Silicate Arts, International sculptural work no larger than 72 in. Ohio, Nelsonville “Starbrick Clay Syracuse Arts and Crafts Festival” (July Ceramics Studio, Kapolna u.11, Kec- in any dimension. Juried from digital. National Cup Show 2011” (September 29–31) open to all fine art media. Juried skemét, Bacs-Kiskun H-6000 Hungary; Fee: $30 for five entries. Juror: Andrew 25–October 25) open to drinking ves- from digital. Fee: $25. Contact Laurie [email protected]; www.kitsa.org. Wodzianski. Contact Susan Bernard, sels including cups, goblets, mugs, Reed, Downtown Committee of Syra- April 15, 2011 entry deadline d’ART Center, 208 E. Main St., Norfolk, tea bowls, teacups, and tumblers. cuse, Inc., 572 S. Salina St., Syracuse, NY Taiwan, Yingge “The 2012 Taiwan VA 23510; [email protected]; Juried from digital. Fee: $20 for three 13202; [email protected]; Ceramics Biennale” (July–November www.d-artcenter.org; 757-625-4211. entries; $30 for five entries. Juror: Kristen www.syracuseartsandcraftsfestival. 2012) open to ceramic work no larger March 12, 2011 entry deadline Kieffer. Contact Ann Judy, Starbrick com; 315-422-8284. Gallery, 21 W. Columbus St., Nelson- than 150 cm. Juried from digital or California, Roseville “Totems and April 15, 2011 entry deadline slides. No fee. Contact Ms. Chiu, Taipei Plates: Ceramics Invitational and ville, OH 45764; [email protected]; New Jersey, New Brunswick “New County Yingge Ceramics Museum, 200 Competition” (April 7–14) open to www.starbrick.com; 740-753-1011. Jersey Folk Festival” (April 30) open to Wunhua Rd., Yingge, Taipei 23942 Tai- original ceramic work no larger than outdoor work. Juried from digital or slides. wan, PR China; [email protected]; 24 in. in diameter. Juried from digital. regional exhibitions Fee: $10 for three entries. Contact New www.ceramics.tpc.gov.tw; 886 2 8677 Fee: $35 for three entries, $5 for each Jersey Folk Festival, American Studies 2727 4104. March 25, 2011 entry deadline additional entry. Juror: Tony Natsou- New Mexico, Las Cruces “From the Dept., 131 George St., New Brunswick, April 29, 2011 entry deadline las. Contact Beth Rohlfes, Blue Line Ground Up XXV” (August 19–October NJ 08901; [email protected]; Wales, Aberystwyth “Potsclays Gallery, 405 Vernon St., Roseville, CA 15) open to utilitarian and sculptural www.njfolkfest.rutgers.edu; 732- Emerging Makers ICF Award 2011” 95678; [email protected]; work by AZ, CO, ID, MT, NM, TX, UT, 932-5775. (July 1–3) open to clay artists who have www.rosevillearts.org; 916-783-4117. and WY artists. Juried from digital. Fee: April 16, 2011 entry deadline graduated from college in the past five March 18, 2011 entry deadline $30 for up to four entries. Juror: Kurt North Carolina, Hillsborough “The years. Juried from digital. Contact Sophie Missouri, Kansas City “KC Clay Weiser. Contact Joy Miller, Exhibitions Hillsborough Downtown Arts and Bennett, Aberystwyth Arts Centre, Ab- Guild Teabowl National 2011” (June Curator, The Las Cruces Museum Crafts Show” (April 16). Contact Hill- erystwyth University, Aberystwyth, Cere- 6–25) open to teabowls. Juried from of Art, PO Box 20000, Las Cruces, sborough Arts Council and Gallery, digion SY23 3DE Wales; [email protected]; digital. Fee: $30 for three entries. Juror: NM 88004; [email protected]; PO Box 625, Hillsborough, NC 27278; www.aber.ac.uk/artscentre. Steven Hill. Contact Susan Speck, KC www.las-cruces.org/museums; 575- [email protected]; May 31, 2011 entry deadline Clay Guild, 200 W. 74th St., Kansas 541-2221. www.hillsboroughartscouncil.org; 919- Republic of Korea, Icheon-si “GICBi- City, MO 64114; [email protected]; April 15, 2011 entry deadline 643-2500. ennale 2011: International Competition” www.kcclayguild.org; 816-363-1373. Rhode Island, Kingston “38th Earth- June 1, 2011 entry deadline (September 24–November 22) open March 25, 2011 entry deadline works: Open Juried Clay Annual” (April Maryland, Germantown “Call for to ceramic artists. Juried from digital. Missouri, St. Louis “Identify Your- 21–May 14) open to New England Fall 2011 Exhibitors” (September Contact The Korea Ceramic Foundation self: National Juried and Invitational artists. Juried from actual work. Fee: 30–December 11) open to artists (KOCEF), 406 Gwango-dong, Icheon-si, Exhibition” (May 20–July 3) open $15 per entry, up to five entries. Juror: working in any media. Contact Sugar- Gyeonggi-do 467-020 Republic of Korea; to work in all media portraying an Steven Branfman. Contact Rhonda loaf Craft Festivals, Sugarloaf Moun- [email protected]; www.kocef.org. aspect of the artist’s identity. Juried Shumaker, South County Art Asso- tain Works, Inc., 19807 Executive June 1, 2011 entry deadline from digital. Fee: $35 for two entries. ciation, 2587 Kingstown Rd., Kings- Park Circle, Germantown, MD 20874; Turkey, Eskisehir “2nd International Juror: Duane Reed. Contact Stephanie ton, RI 02881; [email protected]; [email protected]; Symposium of Overglaze-Underglaze Kirkland, Craft Alliance, Delmar Loop, www.southcountyart.org; 401-783-2195. www.sugarloafcrafts.com; 301-990-1400.

www.ceramicsmonthly.org march 2011 77 classified advertising Ceramics Monthly welcomes classifieds in the following categories: Buy/Sell, Employment, Events, Opportunities, Personals, Publications/Videos, Real Estate, Rentals, Services, Travel. Accepted advertisements will be inserted into the first available print issue, and posted on our website (www.ceramicsmonthly.org) for 30 days at no additional charge! See www.ceramicsmonthly.org for details.

our naborigama is among the most frequently fired in the metal working, and painting. Conveniently located near I-4, buy/sell country. Qualifications include comprehensive experience accessible for delivers and has street traffic. Only 30 miles Two Ward power propane burners model MB5oo. 553,000 and education in throwing and hand-building techniques. from Daytona Beach and Orlando. Sturdy block construction btu’s. Used only in three firings before converting our kiln to Some teaching and wood firing experience is preferred. with 2-car garage. The Florida climate is suited for year round wood. With regulators and lengths of flexible gas piping the Benefits include materials and complementary firing fees in productivity. $149,500. Please email [email protected] new cost is over $2,000. Our cost $1,200. Call (434) 248-5074 addition to the opportunity to audit advanced classes and for more information. workshops at no cost. Download additional information from or email [email protected]. PETER KING, Artist: the oldest our website www.cantonclayworks.com and contact Tim Scull FOR SALE: STONEHAUS, continuously operated gallery and studio in Northwest Florida. For Sale: Bailey 18/12 Gas Kiln with 18 12”x24” shelves, at [email protected]. pyrometer and stack. Excellent condition. $3,000. Pickup The sale includes all equipment, materials, contents, gallery, from Lititz, PA. Call Steve at (717) 381-6877 or email Edinboro University of Pennsylvania. Volunteer Position business name and home. Location: 2617 12th Ave., Pensacola, [email protected]. (Technical Assistant in Ceramics) starting August 2011. Ex- FL 32503 in the Historical East Hill Arts District. Kathy Tanner cellent opportunity to build a portfolio in a comprehensively Realty (850) 982-0755. Your dream come true business for sale. Gallery/studio equipped ceramics program. Studio space, materials, and steps from the beach in paradise established 23+ years on firing privileges in exchange for 10 hours of work per week. National Historic Registry Ceramic Studio and Gallery Located one mile from Monongahela National busy funky street in the sweetest Florida town. For more info QUALIFICATIONS: BFA in Ceramics or equivalent. Demon- for sale. Forest on Main St. in Richwood, WV. 2,500 sq.ft. building visit www.buybusiness.com/Businesses/18063. strated ability to mix glazes, fire kilns, and assist with keeping includes wood/soda kiln, CXC wheel, electric kiln and all studios orderly. POSTMARK DEADLINE: March 31, 2011. glaze materials. Completely rewired. $38,000. Pictures at employment EMAIL [email protected] for application procedure. Resident Potter. Full time, salary, furnished apartment, es- www.wix.com/LoriDoolittle/Studio. (304) 846-6822. tablished gallery and studio, gas, salt, raku kilns, wheel and Resident position available for self-motivated potter at slab, use of all facilities. North Georgia Mountains, close to community studio in exchange for private studio, full use of rentals facilities and an opportunity to develop your own voice in NC, GA pottery centers. Apply at www.hickoryflatpottery.com. SUMMER IN SANTA FE! Share our 1300 sq.ft. studio. Avail- clay. Resident is required to mix glazes, load and fire kilns able June, July and August. $350 per month plus firing costs. Mt. Hood Community College in Gresham, OR is accept- and help manage the studio (Average 20 hrs/wk). Earning Includes wheel, slab roller, gas, electric and soda kilns. (505) ing applications for an Instructor —Ceramics (tenure track). opportunities available. Must be people oriented and willing 471-9070; [email protected]. Responsibilities will include teaching multi-level ceramic to teach adults and children. Great environment and facilities. courses during the fall, winter and spring terms. The successful Visit www.natchezclay.com or e-mail [email protected]. Midwest Clay Guild studio space 100 sq.ft., $270/month. candidate will have an extensive and active exhibition record, Three electric kilns, test kiln, gas kiln, full glaze kitchen, more. (NDSU) Department of Visual mastery in ceramic materials and processes (throwing, hand North Dakota State University Access 24/7, designated parking and public transportation. Arts is accepting applications for the 2012 James Rosenquist building, glaze chemistry, firing) strong organizational skills, kiln One-time fee $350 to join. To apply provide images, artist Artist Residency through April 2, 2011. Preferred applicants building and kiln repair experience. MHCC has a specialized statement, references to [email protected]. are artists who have just graduated with an M.F.A. or emerging firing program that includes a caternary wood kiln, an anagama, (847) 475-9697. a soda kiln, electric kilns and a reduction gas kiln. For more artists who are looking for an opportunity to grow in their work information and to apply, visit http://jobs.mhcc.edu. Mt. Hood in a supportive and rewarding environment. The residency will services Community College is an Equal Opportunity Employer that take place January –May 2012 and includes an $8,000 stipend, actively supports workforce diversity. room and board, a studio, some supplies, and the opportunity Ceramics Consulting Services offers technical information to take one class at North Dakota State University. Artists will and practical advice on clay/glaze/kiln faults and corrections, Studio Assistants needed for Summer Workshops, be asked to give public presentations, hold an exhibition at the slip casting, clay body/glaze formulas, salt glazing, product Sugar Maples Center for Creative Arts, located in the Catskill end of their stay, and contribute one work of art to the NDSU design. Call or write for details. Jeff Zamek, 6 Glendale Mountains of NY state. Duties include: studio maintenance, collection. Additionally, the artist will teach a single course at Woods Dr., Southampton, MA 01073; (413) 527-7337; e-mail glaze making, kiln loading and firing, assisting in workshops, NDSU with a focus on bringing new ideas to the department. [email protected]; or www.jeffzamek.com. etc. In exchange for housing, stipend, free clay & firings. The residency is open to all visual arts media. More information Master Kiln Builders. 26+ years experience designing and Please send letter of intent, resume, and images of work to: can be found online at www.ndsu.edu/finearts/rosenquist. Maureen Garcia, PO Box 405, Haines Falls, NY 12436, or building beautiful, safe, custom kilns for universities, colleges, [email protected]. high schools, art centers and private clients. Soda/salt kilns, products wood kilns, raku kilns, stoneware kilns, sculpture burnout FULL MOON RIBS. Beautiful hardwood ribs. Perfect for kilns, car kilns and specialty electric kilns. Competitive prices. events throwing bowls. Hand made in Kerrville, Texas. See demo. Donovan. Phone/fax (612) 250-6208. Tom Turner’s Pottery School. For details, see www.fullmoonribs.dudleyharris.com www.tomturnerporcelain.com; or call (828) 689-9430. Custom Mold Making—Increase your productivity and profits with quality slip-casting molds of your popular designs! Petro Susan Martin-Serra Bas-Relief Tile Making Workshop in pubs/videos Mold Co. offers a complete range of mold-making services, beautiful Pagosa Springs, CO. May 3-7, 2011. $350 for 5 PotteryVideos.com – DVD’s with Robin Hopper, Gordon including sculpting and 3-D models, master and case molds, days! To register call (970) 264-0642 and leave a message. Hutchens and Graham Sheehan. Video Workshops for Pot- and production mold manufacturing to thousands of satisfied ters at all levels of experience. Choose from 21 titles. (800) customers. Visit www.custommolds.net; or call (800) 404-5521 Lana Wilson at 3 Days of Clay. March 18-20. Information at 668-8040; [email protected]. (517) 782-7898. Visit www.jacksonpotteryguild.com to register to get started. and for brochure. Includes lunches, tool workshop, glaze Tom Turner’s 2-day workshop, 4-disc DVD set. To order, Accept credit cards in your ceramics retail/wholesale/home- exchange and more. see www.tomturnerporcelain.com; or call (828) 689-9430. based/Internet and craft-show business. No application fee. KILN BUILDING. This is a one time workshop of kiln build- Tom & Elaine Coleman: books, video, workshops, No monthly minimum. No lease requirement. Retriever/First ing where you actually build a salt kiln and a sawdust kiln new work for sale, artist information, please visit us at of Omaha Merchant Processing. Please call (888) 549-6424. using hard bricks, soft bricks, fiber, and castable refractory www.tomandelainecolemangallery.com. cement. We will fire them with your work and unload them Kristen Kieffer’s DVD Surface Decoration: Suede to travel together exploring the results. You learn about terra-sigillata Leatherhard. Demonstrations on eleven decoration tech- CRAFT & FOLK ART TOURS. Romania, Bhutan, Christmas and burnishing with 2-3 pots for sawdust kiln and glaze 8 niques. Great for teachers, potters and sculptors. Complete in Oaxaca, Southern India. Small, personalized groups. Craft pots for the salt kiln; learning about the firing process, about information, purchasing link and viewer comments at World Tours, 6776CM Warboys, Byron, NY 14422; (585) 548- kiln design, construction, and how to fire special kilns. I’ll give www.KiefferCeramics.com/DVD. 2667; www.craftworldtours.com. lectures about designs and materials we construct with. There will be plenty of demonstrations. We will load together, fire Discovery Art Travel Overseas Ceramic Workshops & together, and unload together. May 7–8, 14–15, 21–22, 28–29 real estate Tours Small (Max. 12) culturally sensitive groups using local and June 4. $275.00. (203) 979-0409; [email protected]; 3 Bedroom Contemporary Home + 2,000 sq.ft. studio on interpreters and experts. Denys James, Canada; (250) 537- www.kevinthomasart.com. five acres. River front, 3 miles from Penland School. For photos 4906; www.denysjames.com; [email protected]. & further information P.O. Box 41, Penland, NC 28765 or call October 13– November (828) 765-6539. Morocco 2011 Ceramics Excursion, opportunities 3, NEW ITINERARY, including Fez, Chefchaouen, Essaouira, Internships and Artist in Residence positions are now 1850 sq.ft., 3 bedroom/ 2 bath. This home has a fully func- Volubilis, Marrakech, Zagora, Meknes, Rabat, Casablanca. available. Canton Clayworks, LLC, Canton, CT: Exciting tioning detached studio with a total work area of 1300 sq.ft. Studio visitations, tile art, mosaics, fabrics, clay architecture, opportunity for wood firing enthusiasts. CCW has one of The Studio includes a potters wheel, gas kiln, work prep area Roman ruins, a camel ride in the desert, and much more. the most ambitious wood firing programs found in the US; and 220 power. You can create pottery, bronze casting, Denys James, www.discoveryarttravel.com.

78 march 2011 www.ceramicsmonthly.org Visit us at ceramic artsdaily.org

Showcasing the work of leading ceramic artists Your resource for ceramic techniques

ceramic artsdaily.org • Celebrating Ten Years • A membership community of potters and artists Bringing it all together for the ceramics community

Join today to receive your FREE newsletter featuring weekly videos, post your work, submit listings and much more.

Ceramic Publications Company | 600 N. Cleveland Ave. | Suite 210 | Westerville, OH 43082 | 866.721.3322 index to advertisers

Aardvark Clay & Supplies ...... 62 Coyote Clay & Color ...... 66 Kiln Doctor ...... 75 Runyan Pottery Supply ...... 64 ACerS Books ...... 68, 70, 72, 74 Cress Mfg ...... 62 Alfred University ...... 23 L & L Kiln Mfg ...... 61 Shakerag Workshops ...... 63 Amaco and Brent .. Cover 2, 63, 72 Davens Ceramic Ctr ...... 31 L&R Specialties ...... 64 Sheffield Pottery ...... 76 American Museum Dolan Tools ...... 64 La Meridiana ...... 72 Shimpo ...... Cover 3 of Ceramic Art (AMOCA) ...... 21 Larkin Refractory Solutions...... 71 Sierra Nevada College ...... 75 Anderson Ranch Arts Ctr ...... 71 Euclid’s/PSH ...... 63 Skutt Ceramic Products .....Cover 4 Archie Bray Foundation ...... 69 Evenheat Kiln ...... 67 Master Kiln Builders ...... 66 Smith-Sharpe Fire Brick ...... 33 Art New England/MA Mayco ...... 64 Socwell ...... 70 Florida Clay Art ...... 68 College of Art ...... 61 Metchosin Intl School of the Arts 74 Spectrum Glazes ...... 68 Florida Holocaust Museum ...... 29 MKM Pottery Tools ...... 73 Speedball Art Products ...... 2 Bailey Pottery ...... 1, 11, 17 St. Croix River Studio Geil Kilns ...... 3 Mudtools ...... 31 Baltimore Clayworks ...... 7 Pottery Tour ...... 67 Georgies Ceramic & Clay ...... 62 Banner Hill ...... 61 Sugar Maples Center ...... 76 Giffin Tec ...... 6 North Star Equipment ...... 13 Bennett Pottery ...... 5 Great Lakes Clay ...... 69 Northern Clay Ctr ...... 65 Bracker’s Good Earth Clays ...... 61 Trinity Ceramic Supply...... 73 HandbuildingTools.com ...... 68 Odyssey Ctr ...... 74 Truro Center for Arts ...... 74 Carolina Clay Connection ...... 74 Herring Designs/SlabMat ...... 66 Olympic Kilns ...... 25 Tucker’s Pottery ...... 70 CeramicArtsDaily.org ...... 79 Historic Clay District - Medalta Ox-Bow Summer School of Art .. 64 Ceramics Center ...... 29 Artists in Residence...... 29 U.S. Pigment ...... 73 Chilean Ceramics Workshop ..... 75 Hollins University ...... 65 PCF Studios ...... 63 Chinese Clay Art...... 71 Penland School of Crafts ...... 69 Ward Burner Systems ...... 71 Classifieds ...... 78 Idyllwild Arts ...... 33 Peter Pugger Mfg ...... 4 Watershed Ctr for Clay Art Center/Scott Creek ...... 33 Portion Master ...... 75 the Ceramic Arts...... 69 Clay Art Center ...... 65 John C. Campbell Folk School .. 67 Potters Council ...... 66, 76, 79 Workhouse Arts Ctr ...... 72 CODA ...... 31 Continental Clay ...... 75 Kentucky Mudworks ...... 75 Rings & Things Wholesale ...... 70 Xiem Gallery ...... 66

www.ceramicsmonthly.org march 2011 79 SPOTlighT nick joerling shifts gears

CM: What motivated NJ: I like to make but in all those cases the pots in my mind you to move away pots that are familiar, have stayed “on message.” For me, this from what was and pots that are means pots that are animated, sensual, and arguably a very suc- unfamiliar in every useful. By natural inclination, and hopefully cessful body of work cycle of work. without being literal, body references turn up toward something Working only on in my pots, but it’s not like I’m being direct clearly different? familiar pieces is too about that reference. When I wonder to boring; working only myself what it is about the work I’ve made on unfamiliar pieces is too exhausting, where that appeals to me, often times I trace it back every step is a decision. It’s the back and forth to our bodies. First it’s just working, then rhythm between the two that’s right for me. comes the wondering. I like having the cart I’m using the words familiar and unfamiliar slightly ahead of the horse. deliberately, instead of old and new. It doesn’t About five years ago I began wondering if I mean that the familiar pots aren’t open to could get figure references not just in the pots 2 change. With familiar work we know where but on the pots. That’s most of what has had we’re heading, and the unexpected comes my attention recently. Because I don’t have CM: What do you see NJ: I think with the along the way. any drawing training, I have to use my lack as the biggest differ- recent work, the This combination of familiar and unfamiliar of training to my advantage, so I do a kind of ence between your surfaces have gotten is one of the things the studio teaches: we all stylized, shadow figure. previous and current more active. That have our own particular desire, or formula, for bodies of work? has to do with my security and risk. CM: What is the effect NJ: I think I’d come attempt to “draw” I think it was John Dewey, the philosopher/ a shift like this has on at this question on the pots, and those “shadow” figures educator, who said that human beings have your studio practice with the recognition break up the surface in a much different built into them the desire for novelty, so in that and livelihood? and gratitude that, way than a brush stroke does. I’m finding sense making new work is hard wired into us. this many years in, out that running multiple figures across a I’m just as eager to get to the studio now as I pot sets up a rhythm. If I simply, identically, was at the start. This question has a “making repeat the same figure, that’s one rhythm, a living” component to it. While it’s true that, but my inclination is to vary the figures. Our when you’re experimenting, your efficiency eyes, I think, have more fun with that. We plummets, I’ve always felt that, though I give up search out what’s in common and what’s income in the short term (by being stubborn— different, our eyes are busy and curious. It’s or open—to trying new things) I gain income that interesting combination of repetition in the long term. I keep myself interested and and variety, which on their wanting to be in the studio. What we’re all surface seem contradictory, after, if we’re trying to make this our livelihood, but turn out to be “holding is to get making a living and making what we hands” (repetition for the want to be as parallel as possible. sake of variety). Concerning the economics of potting for My speculation is that a living (meaning setting aside the internal the newer work is more necessity of trying new things), my experience sophisticated, meaning that is that the audience is as apt to reward you as you continue to make following your curiosity as penalize you for it. pots you increase your form It might not be that they buy that particular vocabulary, that over the new piece (and when they cross with that years you get to work out new work it might not be worked out and and fine tune. It’s all about 3 ripe for selling) but they stay interested in “seeing,” another thing we your body of work. learn from the studio, and Sometimes I think it’s important to try which is so contrary to our general culture. something new, not because you’re after Things take time, whether it’s understanding a something new but because you have to keep form or getting to know a glaze. 1 understanding why you’re doing what you’re doing. For instance, I make a curled handle To learn more about Nick Joerling and his that seems very right for many of my pots. work, go to www.penlandpottery.com/pages/ CM: Is this something NJ: In my potting What I have to guard against is that handle bruns-joerling-studios.php. that was an abrupt life there have becoming clichéd for me. I don’t want to bring change for you in the been several times that same handle to old or new work simply 1 Ewer, approximately 12 in. (30 cm) in height, studio, or more of a when stumbling on from laziness or habit. So periodically I’ll try a stoneware with glaze, 2009. gradual transition? a new technique different handle, not because I’m dissatisfied 2 Platter, 12 in. (30 cm) in diameter, stoneware (cutting pots, with the current handle, but because I need to with resisted glaze and brush decoration, 2010. stretching pots from the inside out, working keep understanding why that handle is right. 3 Nick Joerling demonstrates at a workshop at with closed forms) has shifted how I work, That, hopefully, keeps the familiar work lively. Penland School of Crafts in North Carolina.

80 march 2011 www.ceramicsmonthly.org exclusively

Gear Driiven designed for a potter Safety Switch (When Open Rubber Hopper Cover Augers Shut Off) 4” Hopper

Claay Cutter

3 1/2” Diameter NozzleNoz Cover

Start Switch

Off Switch Claay Rollerr Rest Breaker Switch (Motor Protection)n)

Easy MaintenanceMainten (Six Bolt Remoem val)

Dual Augers • Increase wedging cappacacitity • 880 lbs/hr • Cast stainless steel NRA-04/NRA-04S • Effortless clay extrusion POWERFUL TOUGH INNOVATIVE SMOOTH ERGONOMIC VALUE

“Because I work exclusively in porcelain I need the control of a Thomas Stuart. The smoothness of this wheel does the job for me. ” Judi Dyelle/Porcelain Artist

to see judi’s finished work visit skutt.com/video/dyelle