“...failure with clay is more complete and more spectacular than with other forms of art. You are subject to the elements... Any one of the old four - earth, air, fire, water - can betray you and melt, or burst, or shatter - months of work into dust and ashes and spitting steam. You need to be a precise scientist, and you need to know how to play with what chance will do to your lovingly constructed surfaces in the heat of the kiln.” ― A.S. Byatt, The Children's Book A.S. Byatt is internationally acclaimed as a novelist, short-story writer and critic. Her books include Possession and the quartet of The Virgin in the Garden, Still Life, Babel Towerand A Whistling Woman. She was appointed Dame of the British Empire in 1999. While this is not a quote from a famous potter or ceramist, she hits the nail on the head with her quite straight-forward "crash with reality" when it comes to creating forms out of clay, and then relinquishing them to the kiln, which we have no control over. Respond to this: How do you relate what she says to your own art-making, the process of creating, and the need to be your own "scientist" in order to have success as a clay artisan? Due by Friday midnight, 3/4.
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"As clothes are to the human body so are glazes to pots. That clay vessels made by primitive peoples were not glazed suggests a parallel to their own familiarity with nudity, nor does it seem inappropriate that they should have had the greatest feeling for naked clay forms. With our multiplicity of clothing we have become sophisticated and ashamed of our bodies, and, in a manner no less apposite have completely covered our pots with glazes." -Bernard Leach Respond to this...Has there been a time that you chose a glaze for a bisque piece with something that didn't turn out the way you'd hoped, or that wasn't necessarily the "appropriate" finish or pallette? Describe the piece, and what you would have done differently.
What is Bernard Leach trying to say here, when he compares glazes to articles of clothing? I believe he's speaking about appreciating the simplicity of the form, and while it can remain functional, the piece is a visually appealing work of "functional" art. Thoughts? Recall a time you learned from an artistic "mistake".. share what you learned, and the frustrations you felt with that process/project. Due 2/19. Here's my view. How we Learn from Mistakes Learning from mistakes helps us grow. Falling happens alot when first riding a bike. Getting back up and riding again is the tough part. It's the repetitive doing that we as artists, learn, and by doing, and many times we discover more about that thing than we knew before. There's no substitute for hands-on practice, in both hand-building and wheel -throwing. While doing hands-on practice, learning can be "extrinsic" as well as "intrinsic". When learning a new skill, intentional thinking & focus is required. This is "extrinsic" and DIFFICULT practice. This could be slip-trailing or wheel-throwing, handle-making or carving. This is very extrinsic ( from external sources-a teacher or video). When you simply repeat things you can already do, you are doing "intrinsic" practice. Your body's skills are being developed. Your brain is connected to the tips of your fingers and learning to respond automatically, without thinking. Before long, doing the new skill will become like second nature. Whether you are learning the piano, game of soccer, or pottery, if you switch between hard and easy practice, it will get easier. It is a great way to develop a more difficult skill. Beatrice Wood-was an American artist and studio potter involved in the Avant Garde movement in the United States; she founded The Blind Man magazine in New York City with French artist Marcel Duchamp and writer Henri-Pierre Rochéin 1916.[1] She had earlier studied art and theater in Paris, and was working in New York as an actress. She later worked at sculpture and pottery. Wood was characterized as the "Mama of Dada." She was quite the character and had much to say about life and art. She lived to be 95, when she passed away in 1998. Trivia- she was the character "Rose" in the movie Titanic. Respond to this: Is your art too precious to sell? Do you have pieces you have made that you will never part with? If so, what are they? Why are they special? Please enter your opinion/insight by Friday 2/12. |
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