it seems as though most of you here do 2D work. are any of you potters / ceramicists? or do you do some ceramics works on the side? i am taking my first ceramics class this semester, and i am loving throwing and altering vessels. i would like to hear whatever anybody has to say about ceramics.

i was also wondering if anyone knows anything about having a "career" in both painting and ceramics? seems like it would be doubly time-consuming.

thanks,
C McVay

I see ceramics just as craftsmanship and decorative art. Maybe good as a hobby.

-I did some work with ceramics in college, and found it to be genuinely rewarding as a creative possibility. Unfortunately, I have found this particular form to be a bit beyond the meagre budget of a bookseller... The textures involved when throwing pottery clay on raw burlap makes for an interesting outer surface on pieces.
Enjoy!

I was involved with pots for a long time, sculpting in porcelain. I have a badly damaged leg following a car crash so throwing was not an option. Learning to think in 3D if wheel work is not a possibility is a challenge. I was lucky and my work sold well. I worked with on-glaze lustres and fantasy pieces based on organic forms. Unfortunately I had to sell my kiln in 1994 as I no longer had room for a workshop and firing chamber. I switched to gouache and watercolour in the 1980s because I couldn't afford a reduction kiln and became frustrated by the technical limitations regarding colour. But...believe me this is not a lesser art form. It requires hard work to achieve technical proficiency with 3D shapes whether destined for utilization or purely decorative form. At least with painting we don't still have to mix our own paints. We don't have to pound the clay to get rid of air bubbles and it's hard physical work. Mixing glazes means learning glaze chemistry and running tests. Not to be despised.

Hey C,

As an artist, I find myself creating whatever there is a need for...portraits, functional art, mosaic. And yes, I've helped out friends (ceramicists) when they get into tight spots, and work in their studio to help them get orders done.

In my personal works, I am a painter and a printmaker.

There are very successful ceramicists...one that comes to mind is Randy Au...you ought to check out what he's done with his works. He does have to keep on top of marketing and travel to conventions, buyers' markets, etc. He's found a niche and seem to be doing extremely well. I believe his website is www.flyingcupclay.com.

Another ceramicist you might want to checkout is Paul Soldner, who recently (last summer) had a sellout exhibit in a gallery near me. He lives about eight miles away from my studio.

Just some ideas for you to have a look at so you can have an idea of how far you can push your own works in ceramics.

JAZ, i'm glad to see you involved in this forum. thanks for the links, i've heard of Soldner before, and the flyingcup guy has a nice homey little page, i only wish there were more images of his work. below is a link i found recently, it is a page with dozens of potter's names, and it won't link you all over the friggin web to 404s, it has its own online galleries (unlike artchive, for example).

barbara, have you seen what are called rehab wheels? they have elbow supports and accomodate wheelchairs, have height adjustments, etc. we have one in our studio, there is a guy who is paralyzed from the waist down who throws on it every now and then.

have you guys ever messed around with shino glazes? my teacher hates the way my pots look with it because i do all sorts of weird stuff (and he makes/likes dainty little factory perfect stuff) with it. do you have any recipes for different types of shinos for cone 10 firing? we only have one type, bruckner carbon trap. it crawls a LOT. anyway, going to bed now...

Here is a link that might be useful: studiopottery index

C.,

I was just perusing the older threads posted, in search of real art related subjects, and remembered to suggest the following finish onto a low-fired piece:

After it has fired successfully, try this. Instead of glazing and re-firing the work, apply layers of watered-down acrylic paint (watery enough, but not transparent like water-colour. Keep your marks loose. Wipe the excess off as you go along.

Keep in mind that the layers will show through.

In the last 10 layers or so (oh by the way, this can take up to 40 or 50 layers...so be patient with it), begin buffing the finish in between with a lintfree rag, or paper towel. This will give it a good sheen.

The many layers will fill-in the porous surface of the clay, enough that the resulting finish is smooth.

After you are satisfied with the visual depth you've created, apply two to four thin layers of clearcoat, using a fine brush.

The result is a finish that gives a lot of depth, finite detail, and an uncomprimised uniqueness.

I can send you a jpeg image of an example if you need to see what I mean...I don't quite know how to post an image in this forum.

JAZ

jaz, please email it to me, that is my real email addy (am i damning myself? lol)