ATTACK

I consider myself fortunate to have been able to study, work and fire with Kirk Mangus back in the early 90s. Watching him throw and then decorate his larger pots was quite a spectacle; a blend of speed, strength, determination, spontaneity and purpose. I was at Kent State when Kirk created the illustrated covered jar which is a fond memory as much a grand learning experience as it was pottery theater. He started by wedging two large amounts of clay and then centering the first amount of clay and then slamming the second one on top and centering it and the entire mass. Once centered he began the process of opening the clay up and making it rise from the bat, nearly 20" tall  with walls purposefully left thick to accommodate his style of deep relief carving.  After a few days the clay had set up enough and he first addressed the lid to make sure it made a good fit and then with a knife, simply cut away the excess in sharp, crisp facets to reduce the weight, then the carving of the pot began. Taking a moment he walked around the pot surveying the surface, form and obvious steps to the piece and wielding just a couple of tools he set in the raised boundaries that separated the panels before just going at the pot like a focused dervish in a well practiced attack. His cuts were fast and exceedingly direct and I did not see him hesitate even briefly and then the pot was done. Even though I know his menagerie of designs and elements was well practiced it was still quite the experience that I have yet to forget even a moment of.

"Every man's memory is his private literature." Aldous Huxley

FLUFF & FOLD

I mentioned having studied with John Gill and it made me realize that I had a nice group of photos from my time at Kent State. In 1993 I had an arts scholarship to work/study at Kent State which was in a roundabout way how I was accepted there for the master's program in ceramics. While there besides (the late) Kirk Mangus the other artist present were Eva Kwong, Marie Woo and John Gill. Up to this point I was a devoted and unwavering thrower, but watching Gill fluff, fold, cajole and coerce sheets of clay into fantastical and innovative form was enough to create a chink in the armor. John has a unique approach to clay and how to work it which was a continuous exploration of texture and form. Having taught at Alfred University since the late 1980s he has had ample opportunity to pass on his enthusiasm for creation to a large number of potters. Illustrated is a group of his ewers recently finished and drying waiting for a bisque and a glaze bath.

I came across this artist statement by John Gill and thought it said far more about his work than most people could say; "In my work I try to utilize simple techniques. This allows for a freedom of ideas and process. Shape, form, use and color inform and question other possibilities. My work uses shape and form to inflate color. Working within the realm of function expands the potential. History of ceramics, painting and sculpture collide. Clay has a simple directness - it prints beautifully."  John Gill

CONVERTED

I have been taking the time to sort through old photos, negatives and slides and getting them converted in to jpegs before they are a total loss. As I am going through the stacks and stacks of photos, I am surprised at images that I stumble on that I didn't even know exist. There are pictures of people I worked with, like; Kohyama Yasuhisa, Warren MacKenzie, Jeff Oestriech, Bill Klock, Dick Schneider, Kirk Mangus, Marie Woo, John Gill, Bill Brouillard and many, many others. There are also the pictures, thousands of them from a number of trips to Japan as well as potteries in Japan, primarily in Shigaraki/Iga, Mashiko, Hagi and Gifu (Mino). Looking at all of these photos brings back memories of wonderful places, people, pottery and even food. This is a project, long overdue, that I am glad I am finally making the time for.

Illustrated is one of those photos that I had forgotten that it existed. Actually, it was my wife who noticed this as I was flipping by negatives and suggested that we convert this one that was taken back in the 90's at Kent State. This photo was taken just as the firemouth was unbricked of the anagama at Kent State and in the picture there are several of my pieces as well as a mizusashi by Marie Woo. At the very top of the photo, within the kiln is a teabowl that was posted on my blog some time ago, see attached link. I found it rather neat to see this picture after all these years and builds a better context for the pot. Makes me wish I had taken a lot more photographs and started converting them to digital a long time ago.

http://albedo3studio.blogspot.com/2010/06/wodd-fired.html

GLAZDAY

Today and tomorrow are glazing days, which sometimes leads me to think back on epic glazing sessions. Today I was thinking back to the summer I spent at Kent State on scholarship. The summer I was working there was dominated by Kirk Mangus, Eva Kwong, John Gil and Marie Woo. We were involved with throwing, hand building, glazing for gas and salt firing and firing the anagama. Out of the summer came a wonderful group of wood ash glazes that were in use at KSU in the mid-90s and are probably still in use today.

What follows is some of the cone 9/10 wood ash glaze recipes we developed and used;

WOO’S ASH
Ash 50
Wollastonite 50
Cu.Carb. .5 to 1%

KSU White Ash
F-4 50
Kaolin 25
Ash 25

KSU Green Ash
Albany Slip 33.3
Custer Spar 33.3
Ash 33.3

KSU Runny Ash
Albany Slip 50
Ash 50

KSU Black Ash
Albany Slip 50
Redart 30
Custer Spar 10
Ash 10

(Illustrated is an ash and slip glazed bottle from techniques that I developed during the KSU summer)