JUST A JUG

I have probably mentioned on an occasion or two that I am very influenced by the pitchers and jugs of the late Bill Klock and having had the chance to handle quite a few of them, I hope I have learned a thing or two or even three. The biggest problem with Bill's pitchers and jugs is that for quite some time I was very intimidated by them and only on the rarest occasion did I throw any and truthfully they were just too close to his pieces. In order to move on I spent a fair amount of time learning about and searching out medieval and earlier pitchers in order to make my way clear of the shadow of Bill's pots and this particular form is one that I settled on and still make to this day. This temmoku, stamped jug isn't terribly large at about 12" tall but it has a strict, almost formal form that is broken up with the deeply impressed designs around the widest point of the belly and the exaggerated throwing rings around the neck. The temmoku also has broken nicely on either side of the handle creating a framework for the deep rich glaze in between either edge and all told just enough detail has been added to break up the surface and give the pot the right amount of eye appeal. This is just a jug, nothing more but there are lessons learned from Bill Klock, Warren MacKenzie and others in this pot but they are subtle and I would like to think the bigger picture is all about how I see and make pottery just outside the cast shadow.

ONE OR THE OTHER

Illustrated is a simple wood fired crackle white glazed bowl with added feet by Randy Johnston made during the mid-1990s. Fully functional in design and execution, Johnston's wood fired pots explore what possibilities arise from falling ash accentuating mark, ridges, lips and shallows and to that end, the interior of this bowl and the lip clearly show the efforts of the firing and potter. Having studied with both Warren MacKenzie and Shimaoka Tatsuzo, this bowl shows the influence of the former while wood firing glazed ware reflects the later, either way it is a reflection of both masters while maintaining its individual voice of a conscious and thoughtful potter.

Cat Stevens; INTO WHITE

SPOT

I made a short slideshow showcasing a nice, salt fired Persian box by Michael Simon, student of Warren Mackenzie. Michael is a master of the thrown and altered genre and his ability to manipulate clay in a natural and simple way is almost unparalleled in modern pottery. There are a number of subtle details to discover in Simon's boxes that are easily missed if the pot is not handled and I thought a slideshow of all the details would be a better insight into his box forms that a single picture in a book. I hope this helps.

"If I have made any valuable discoveries, it is owing more to patient attention, than to any other talent."   Sir Isaac Newton (1642-1727)

UN REGALO

“I don’t make pots as a blank canvas for decorating. I consider my glazes as clothing for the pots, you have to accept that clothing for what it is.” Warren MacKenzie

Illustrated is a large “simple” thrown stoneware bowl with temmoku and oatmeal trailed glazes by Warren MacKenzie. The pot is solid and the epitome of functional; it performs its given task well and tells its story while in use, at rest or on display. Warren is truly gifted in the art of understatement, yet the casual and lyrical decoration has a lot to say. The use of a lighter glaze, effortlessly trailed over the temmoku brings the piece to life and infuses it with movement. Truly a remarkable feat, for someone who doesn’t even think of his pots as a canvas.

MULTIPLES II

I think back to stories from Warren Mackenzie, Bill Klock and Jeff Oestriech discussing the series, multiples of pots they were responsible for while at the Leach Pottery. I have heard this very same thing from a number of potters working with the likes of Hamada Shoji, Shimaoka Tatsuzo and many others. For some potteries, the multiples were the standard ware of the kiln, sometimes impressed with the masters’ seal, other times clearly defined as work of the kiln and not the master. For some potters, especially Hamada, Shimaoka and Kawai, there were a variety of molded pieces, henko, etc. made by the students or specialists which were then later decorated, marked or glazed by the master of the kiln.

I am unsure where I came by the illustrated picture, but it clearly shows Kawai Kanjiro surveying a large grouping of multiples in various stages of completion. To the left are a group of finished pots, most of which are molded forms with iron and clear glazes and various colored underglaze decoration. In the middle of the photo is a group of recently molded greenware pieces, ready to be bisque and then decorated and glazed. The group on the extreme right appears to be a group of bisque molded covered box forms ready to be decorated, glazed and then fired. I have always been fascinated by this photo as it shows Kawai’s multiples in each stage of completion and is one of the few photos of this type that I know of. I guess it is true; you can never have enough of a good thing!

EVOLUTION

In these days of e-books, kindles and closing book stores, a real book in the hand is still a wonderful thing, and MICHAEL SIMON: EVOLUTION is a wonderful book. With a forward by Warren MacKenzie and commentary regarding the pottery by Michael, this is an insightful and well illustrated narrative about a potter’s life in pots and the decisions made along a lifetime. From his thrown and altered “Persian boxes” to his utilitarian pitchers, bowls, plates and vases, the glimpse into the evolution of a potter is related.

One of Michael Simon’s comments about Warren MacKenzie is vivid and I think many potters can relate to; “I still hear him [Warren] in my brain, and I still think about him whenever I have to make a decision. He is my touchstone, he is the figure that I think through. He was very important to me. I didn’t know it at the time; really I wasn’t conscious at the time of Warren’s value.” It is this personal observation and thought that most potters and craftsman can understand but Simon’s articulation is simple and to the point. The commentary and observations made by him reflect his pursuit of the personal and this alone makes this a book well worth owning. I recommend this book without any reservations for potters, collectors and those interested in the evolution of a personal process.

Illustrated along with the book, MICHAEL SIMON: EVOLUTION; is a small salt fired Persian box form by Simon. It was thrown and altered in such a formulaic method that only he could have achieved. It was decorated and the kiln did the rest. On the lid of the pot are three spots where wads were placed around the decorated “spot” which adds to the surface and gives one a perspective of how the pot was fired and how it stood as a pedestal for another, smaller pot. In my mind, this is a metaphor, as Simon’s pots will stand as a pedestal for generations to come.

“The merit of originality is not novelty, it is sincerity.” Thomas Carlyle (1795-1881)

ARS LONGA, VITA BREVIS

“Clay is the continuity between raw earth and food on the table, a connection through which each pot fulfills not merely its utilitarian function but carries complex iconographic and spiritual message’s to do with life’s renewal.”

David Lewis from the book; WARREN MACKENZIE An American Potter

(Illustrated is an amber glazed porcelain faceted vase, a gift from Warren MacKenzie)

HANDLES

I finally got around to throwing the last pieces for my next firing, a group of large pitchers. The inevitable part of throwing pitchers is that you have to put handles on them. After waiting forever for them to firm up, I pulled a group of handles, with two extras and set about putting the handles on the pots. I pull the handles first, though sometimes I pull the handles off smaller pitchers. In this case, I pull the handles first, attach it and finish pulling it on the pot.

The whole process of then fusing over the handles is just a pain. I probably would be less particular if I didn’t have to meet up to a standard I have set. For pitchers, especially, I measure my work against Bill Klock, Warren MacKenzie and several of the British pitcher makers. I think by doing this, it keeps my work honest and gives me the push to make each pot better than the last and distinctly my own thing.

My original intention was to throw larger pitchers, but a last minute addition to the firing, a group of 5” tall serving bowls, has altered my original plan for 17” tall pitchers and reduced them to just under 15” wet. Doesn’t sound like much, but in the end, it will help me load another full, cramped and well planned out firing. Just two more handles to put on…………..

A GOOD BASE

I was recently asked if I had any durable, functional glazes that were good on stoneware at cone 9/10 with the thought of using washes and/or glazes over them. What I came up with is two glazes I have used quite a bit over time and both have proved to be very easy to use and look good with decoration over them.

The first glaze is rather famous and was acquired from Warren MacKenzie when I worked with him back in 1992. It is his famous Oatmeal glaze;

WM OATMEAL Cone 9/10
Talc 7.5
Custer Spar 50
Cal. Ball Clay 21
Kaolin 6
Whiting 7.5
Gerstley Borate 9

First off, I know it does not come up to 100%, just live with it, it works and is a very nice matt glaze that is very forgiving. It looks great with red iron, cobalt and black iron washes over it as well as in conjunction with other glazes.

The second glaze is Sandy’s Gold. I must confess, I don’t know who Sandy is (or was), but the glaze is a smooth buttery glaze that really looks great with washes over or under it. Thank you Sandy.............

SANDY’S GOLD Cone 9/10
Custer Spar 41.8
Whiting 17.5
Kaolin 13
Flint 27
Rutile 4
Red Iron Oxide 4

The pot illustrated is a covered serving bowl with Sandy’s Gold and a thinned cobalt wash over the glaze. The glaze breaks nicely over high points and sharp lines and feels great to the touch.

Though there is a myriad of glazes out there, I choose these two because of their ease of use, adaptability, easy to obtain materials and economy or the materials as well. Overall, two very usable glazes that won’t let a potter down.

THE MARK OF THE POTTER

I have always liked the way Japanese potters glaze. They grab hold of a pot and dip it in the glaze using their fingers as a form of resist. Once fired, the fingerprints are forever apparent on the pot. To me, the Japanese are highly effective at this technique and plan it into the overall design and decoration of the pot. It is a casual and simple means of adding additional gesture to a piece. In this case, this truly is the mark of the potter.

Over the years I have seen a number of potters use this technique very well. Warren MacKenzie comes to mind. In my glazing, I occasionally use my fingers and even hands as a resist when using two glazes. It is a way of noting the process and that I was there.


Of all the people that do this, Arakawa Toyozo is among my favorite. I first saw his work back in 1982 and have studied his pottery at every opportunity. Arakawa was a Ningen Kokuho and his effortless, spontaneous and casual manner for decorating and glazing is the pinnacle of the art. His simple marks and fingerprints articulate his pots and create beauty out of timeless and classical simplicity.

(Photograph of an Arakawa Toyozo mizusashi with sparse plum blossom design and his fingerprints around the foot. Used with permission from a private collection)

GLAZING

Over the years I have had the opportunity to watch a number of great potters glaze pots. In person, from Warren MacKenzie to Suzuki Goro and many more on video and dvd including; Shoji Hamada, Kawai Kanjiro, Arakawa Toyozo, Koie Ryoji, Michael Cardew and many more. What has surprises me most the variety of not only glazing styles, but more the actual approach to glazing. Some potters are just relaxed and casual regarding glazing, while others are meticulous, planned and organized. Some dread the process and glazing looks like a cyclone of dancing anxiety more than anything else.

I fall somewhere in between these approaches. I tend to throw a number of pots, knowing exactly how they will be glazed. This eliminates the planning part for 50 to 60% of the work. Now comes the anxiety part of the process, how best to glaze the pots to best actuate the form and purpose of the pot. Once that is resigned, the glazing process is a bit like the Tales Of The Water Margin character, the Black Whirlwind. Glazing up pots in their base coats happens rather quickly and without any hesitation, only stopped periodically to stir the glaze and clean my hands.

Now the anxiety sets in again. My base glaze is a bit on the particular side and the pots must be somewhere about 90% dry before the second glaze coating can be applied. If the base glaze is too wet, crawling occurs and if too dry, the second glaze can peel off in small paint chip size sheets. I have gotten good at timing this and lose very little to crawling; especially now adding calcined material to the glaze.

A kiln fire usually requires two days to get everything prepped, waxed, glazed, dried and cleaned. Then the real anxiety sets in; another day to fire the kiln and part of the next to cool and unload. Glazing is a necessary evil, usually goes off without any major problems, but I’d rather being throwing!