Issuu

CERAMIC

ART

TRENDS,

TOOLS,

AND

TIMES

Clay

TECHNIQUES

Volume 18 • Issue 93 AUTUMN 2012 Volume 19 • Issue 95 SPRING 2013

Dick Lehman: Innovative Surfaces Can Paperclay Change the Way You Work? Career Paths for Art Majors A Classroom Mosaic Project Triaxial Blends with Roger Porter Phil Rogers Portfolio Review

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contents

features

Cover photo: Spawning Jumper by Dick Lehman. 3.5" H x 3.5" D; porcelain clay body. Thrown, stamped, and expanded; glazed with a 3-glaze overlap: a microcrystalline iron glaze, a ‘fake-ash’ glaze, and a strontium-blue glaze. Reduction-fired to cone 9. See story, page 14.

TIMES

Clay

Spring 2013 Volume 19 • Issue 95

Cover inset photo: Shino cup by Dick Lehman. 3.5" tall; high-iron clay body; thrown, slip decorated, and glazed with Malcolm Davis Shino. Cone 9 reduction.

14 Dick Lehman: Innovative Surfaces The successful marriage of surface and form are embodied in the full scope of recent works by this seasoned master.

22 An Elementary Tile Mosaic Project Students of any age can take part in this rewarding project, ideal for fostering unity through collaborative success.

Laterally Facetted 6-Sided Bowl. 3" tall, 6" diameter; porcelain clay body; laterally faceted; glazed with a three-glaze overlap: a microcrystalline iron glaze, a ‘fake-ash’ glaze, and a strontium-blue glaze. Gas-fired to cone 9 in a reduction kiln.

30 Endless Possibilities

An accomplished clay artist and glaze technology instructor for several decades, Roger Porter leads countless students to pursue the formulation of new glazes by the thousands.

This illustrated, step-by-step project is easily formed without special tools or equipment.

48 MEME the World! A mug with a message travels the globe on a fund-raising journey with virtual participation.

Justin Crowe’s ‘MEME’ project makes world headlines. Become a part of the story on page 48 ...

CLAYTIMES·COM n WINTER / SPRING 2013

41 Handbuilding A Textured Tripod Mug

contents

TIMES

Clay SPRING 2013 • Volume 19 • Issue 95

departments

19 AS FAR AS I KNOW

9 EDITOR’S DESK Four Beloved Clay Legends Live On in Our Hearts

“Career Paths for Artists” by Pete Pinnell

25 BENEATH THE SURFACE

11 WHAT’S HOT Clay world news, events, and calls for entries

“Strengthening Your Work with Paperclay” by Lana Wilson

33 GREAT GLAZES Roger Porter shares a few favorite formulas

29 KILNS & FIRING “Secrets to Port Size” by Marc Ward

34 THE GALLERY A selection of unique works by CT readers

37 TOOL TIMES “A Few Great Tool Favorites” by Vince Pitelka

40 CLASSIFIED MARKETPLACE Goods and services offered especially for clay artists

Pictured, above and top right: A classroom mosaic project offers elementary students a way to collaborate and create a permanent installation that serves to inspire future students and enhance their learning environment. For details, see page 22.

44 SLURRY BUCKET Studio-tested tips to save you time and money

“OSHA Mandates New Material Safety Data Sheets” by Monona Rossol

“Phil Rogers Portfolio” review by Steve Branfman

Where you can learn claywork in your community

49 AROUND THE FIREBOX

50 ADVERTISER INDEX

43 STUDIO HEALTH AND SAFETY

47 BOOKS & VIDEOS

45 POTTERY CLASSES

Find your favorite ceramics suppliers in this issue (please tell them you found them in Clay Times!)

columns

“The Cobalt Blues” by David Hendley Justin Crowe, “planking” in the clay studio. Find out why, p.48.

E 1 3

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H O U S T O N

NCECA’s 47th Annual Conference - Earth/Energy March 20–23, 2013

T E X A S

George R. Brown Convention Center - Houston, TX

Keynote Speaker: Janine Antoni Randall Session: Bill Bowers Distinguished Lecture: Namita Gupta Wiggers Closing Lecture: Clayton Bailey Demonstrating Artists: Bede Clarke Gerit Grimm Kristen Kieffer Walter McConnell 2013 Demonstrating Artist Kristen Kieffer, Small Covered Jars, 2012

Learn more Register nowatatnceca.net nceca.net

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CERAMIC ART TRENDS, TOOLS & TECHNIQUES

magazine

TIMES

Clay Editor & Publisher: Polly Beach

Regular Columnists: Steve Branfman, Books & Videos David Hendley, Around the Firebox Pete Pinnell, As Far as I Know Vince Pitelka, Tool Times Monona Rossol, Health & Safety Kelly Savino, Around the Firebox Marc Ward, Kilns & Firing Lana Wilson, Beneath the Surface Proofreader: Jon Singer Contributing Writers: Justin Crowe • Dick Lehman Barbara Lydon • Tina McKenzie Rebecca Ravenal ✦ Printed on 100% FSC-certified and 75% post-consumer recycled paper ✦ Published by: CLAY TIMES INC. Post Office Box 100 • Hamilton, VA 20159 TEL 800-356-2529 • FAX 540-338-1765

Toll-free subscription line: 800.356.2529 Clay Times® (ISSN 1087-7614) is published quarterly, four issues per year. Periodicals Postage Paid at Hamilton, VA, and at additional mailing offices. Annual subscriptions are available for $33 in the U.S.; $40 in Canada; $60 elsewhere (must be payable in US$). Digital subscriptions are just $20 worldwide. To subscribe, call toll-free 1-800.356.2529, or visit www.claytimes.com. Freelance editorial and photographic submissions are welcome: Please contact Clay Times or visit our Website at www.claytimes.com for writer’s and photographer’s guidelines.

Trimming

CLAYTIMES·COM n WINTER / SPRING 2013

can be just

All rights reserved. The material contained herein is derived from various sources and does not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher. All technical material is offered as general information only and should not be acted upon without expert supervision. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the publisher.

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Editorial: claytimes@gmail.com Advertising: clayaccounts@gmail.com Circulation: ctcirculation@gmail.com Website: www.claytimes.com

GLEN BLAKLEY PHOTO

and bowls in a blue-grey mutton fat glaze, featuring the word “LOVE”. Edith’s Love pots were a ’70s hit, and festivals like the Ann Arbor Art Fair brought her both fame and a bit of fortune. More recently, in a retrospective at the Center for Visual Arts, Edith’s body of work included porcelain, stoneware, raku, oxidation and reduction pots. She made pots as tall as she was: smoke-fired mezuzah, jewelry, functional and sculptural work. Edith’s approach to all things domestic was refreshing: “Don’t do the things you hate,” she said. “In the time it would take you to clean, make pots instead. Sell the pots, and pay someone ELSE to clean!”

Spouting Off I Editor’s Desk

Remembering Edith Franklin, Janet Mansfield, Victor Spinski, and Kathy Koop

Victor Spinksi, trompe l’oeil master Victor Spinski

Raku pot by Edith Franklin

GLEN BLAKLEY PHOTO

t’s been a tough year for the clay world. Some of the most talented, influential, and revered clay artists of our generation have passed on. It will be sad not to see them at this year’s annual NCECA conference, but we’ll always remember them for the extraordinary contributions they made to the ceramics community. Edith Franklin Edith Davis Franklin, the petite potter from Toledo, Ohio affectionately referred to by many as the “grandmother of ceramics,” died of pancreatic cancer August 31, 2012 at age 89.

Spinski served for 38 years as Professor of Ceramics at the University of Delaware before retiring seven years ago. According to Patsy Cox, NCECA president, a posthumous award ceremony honoring his achievements will take place at the Houston NCECA Conference in March.

Janet Mansfield Kathy Koop A brilliant Australian potter with keen insight into wood firing and ceramics in general, Janet Mansfield left her legacy through not only the beautiful pots she made, but the inspirational and informative periodicals she founded. For many years, Mansfield produced both Ceramics: Art and Perception and Ceramics: TECHNICAL magazines, doing everything from writing, editing, and layout to proofing, ad sales, and circulation management. Following sale of the publications a few years ago to Elaine Henry, Janet spent her final years making pots, traveling, and teaching workshops. She was truly the “superwoman” of the clay world, and an inspiration to us all.

Widely recognized by NCECA-goers as the smiling blonde often seen at the late Paul Soldner’s side, Kathy Koop recently passed from heart failure, after a stoic battle with cancer. An accomplished potter, teacher, and artisan of handcrafted furniture, Koop served from 1973-2010 as Professor of Art at Westminster College in New Wilmington, PA. She also traveled extensively, serving as Visiting Professor at the Institut Teknologi Mara, in Shah Alam, Malaysia. A light-hearted, free spirit, Kathy was always upbeat and supportive, with a keen ability to lift the spirits of those around her. Sadly, perhaps our loss is now Paul’s gain ... [

CLAYTIMES·COM n WINTER / SPRING 2013

A dear friend of Clay Times columnist Kelly Savino, Edith was featured in CT on more than one occasion. In her column entitled “The Power of Yes,” Kelly profiled Edith for her spunky enthusiasm, giving us an intimate look into a pottery career stretching all the way back to Edith’s first class during World War II. Years later, when she moved to Toledo’s Old West End, Edith walked to evening ceramics classes at the Toledo Museum of Art, studying under teachers like Harvey Littleton and Norm Schulman. In 1966, while living in an upscale neighborhood, Edith salvaged bricks from a local factory’s defunct furnaces to build herself a catenary arch kiln, right on her upscale patio. The pots that began to earn her money, and became her signature work, were a series of plates

Janet Mansfield, master wood-fire potter and founding editor & publisher of Ceramics: Art and Perception and Ceramics: TECHNICAL.

Just two months shy of NCECA’s plans to officially name him an Honorary Member of the NCECA Council, Victor Spinski died on Monday, January 21. Recognized worldwide as one of the foremost artists of trompe l’oeil ceramics, Spinski created such striking depictions of everyday subjects—like a paint can with brushes, or hammer and nails—it was difficult to believe they were actually made of clay.

THE BEST IN CONTEMPORARY AMERICAN FUNCTIONAL CERAMICS

2013 CALL FOR ARTISTS

JURORS HALL OF FAME

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CLAY 2013

A Tile and A Vessel

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Juror:

Christy Johnson Director of American Museum of Ceramic Art Visit our web site for information

CLAYTIMES·COM n WINTER / SPRING 2013

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Jack Troy Mary Barringer 2012 BEST OF SHOW – PETER SAENGER, NEWARK, DE Bill van Gilder Pete Pinnell Linda Arbuckle ONLINE APPLICATION Applications must be submitted online by Malcolm Davis Tom Coleman June 1, 2013 or by John Glick midnight June 10 with a late fee. Susan Peterson For more information and Wayne Higby the 2013 SFPN application: Jack Troy www.strictlyfunctionalpotterynational.net Linda Christianson Call for further information: 717-560-8816 Ken Ferguson Exhibit is held at Kevin Lehman’s Pottery at Warren MacKenzie 560 S. Prince Street in downtown Lancaster. Cynthia Bringle 2013 EXHIBIT DATES Val Cushing SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 14 — Phyllis Blair Clark Chris Staley SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2013 Bill Daley Like us on Facebook Jack Troy © 2013 Strictly Functional Pottery National. All rights reserved.

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• ceramic art world news • events • • calls for entries •

Conferences ‰ NCECA 2013, the 47th Annual Conference of the National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts, takes place March 20-23, 2013 at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston, Texas. Local residents, visitors from outside the region, and nearly 5,000 conference attendees will have the chance to visit more than 70 different Houston venues to view more than 100 ceramic art exhibitions related to the conference theme of “Earth/Energy.” Onsite conference registration opens at the Convention Center on Tuesday, March 19. For full details and a complete schedule of conference programming, visit www.nceca.net

‰ “HANDBUILT”: Demonstration, Inspiration, Conversation — A Handbuilding Conference to Benefit the Craft Emergency Relief Fund (CERF+) takes place Sept. 20-22 at the Montgomery County Community College in suburban Philadelphia, PA. This conference will feature demonstrations by guest artists including Lana Wilson, Vince Pitelka, Chandra DeBuse, and Mitch Lyons, as well as demos by conference organizer Sandi Pierantozzi. For complete information and registration details, visit: www.sandiandneil.com ‰ Join more than 100 potters from the mid-Atlantic region for The 10th Biennial Mid-Atlantic Clay Conference, to take place Oct. 3-6 at the scenic 4-H Conference Center in Front Royal, Virginia. Programming will include demonstrations by Nick Joerling, Joy Tanner, and Jim Sankowski, plus a new array of hands-on workshops and demos. To learn more, e-mail: conference@ theclayconnection.org, or log onto the Website at www.theclayconnection. org

Residencies & Internships ‰ Clay Times Magazine and The Art Spot Gallery & Studio Supply of Hamilton, Virginia (metro DC area) are now accepting applications for ongoing residencies in studio ceramics, plus part- and full-time internships in photography/video production and graphic/web design. Successful candidates will be quick-minded, creative self-starters with strong work ethics and solid commitment to their craft. To apply, e-mail resume, artist statement, 6 to 12 images/ samples of your work, and letter of intent to claytimes@gmail.com

Calls for Entries ‰ The CLAY 2013 International Juried Exhibition will focus on a unique pairing: “A Tile & A Vessel.” The dynamic between these two clay pieces is intriguing. The tile, typically two-dimensional in nature, has the opportunity to express itself even further through the three-dimensionality of the vessel. The vessel, traditionally referring to a container, must exist in unison with the tile. They must relate, play off of each other, and be unified in some element of design. Deadline for Entry: April 30th, 2013. Date of Exhibition: August 2-4, 2013. Location of Exhibition: Silver City, New Mexico. Juror: Christy Johnson, continued on next page

CLAYTIMES·COM n WINTER / SPRING 2013

‰ The 25th Annual California Conference for the Advancement of Ceramic Art (CCACA) takes place in Davis, CA from April 26-28. The conference features demonstrations, lectures, local gallery exhibitions, and more than 40 college shows focused on ceramic sculpture. For full details and registration information, call 530.756.3938 or visit www.natsoulas.com ‰ The Silver City CLAY Festival takes place August 2-4 in Silver City, New Mexico. This annual celebration of clay, its history, and its cultural impact offers locals and visitors the chance to experience artist workshops and sales,

lectures, demonstrations, films, archaeological tours, and various social activities. The festival intends to foster an entrepreneurial spirit that engages businesses, artists, and the global community in a unified enthusiasm for clay, leading to rural economic sustainability. For complete event details, visit www.clayfestival.com

Hot Stuff I News & Events

What’s Hot

Hot Stuff I News & Events

What’s Hot (continued from previous page) Director of the American Museum of Ceramic Art (AMOCA). AWARDS: First Place: $1,000; Second Place: $750; Third Place: $500. Tile Heritage Prize: $200. The Tile Heritage Prize is awarded to the artist whose tile, in the juror’s opinion, best represents the ceramic tile traditions in America. For more information and

to download the prospectus, please visit www.clayfestival.com ‰ Juror Doug Jeppesen is accepting applications through May 10 for the Kansas City Clay Guild’s Teabowl National, to take place Aug. 23-Sept. 20, 2013. Open to teabowls only, made with any clay, forming method or

firing method; size not to exceed 9"; value not to exceed $200. Prizes and purchase awards will total $1300. For complete details, visit teabowlnational. weebly.com ‰ The National Juried Bowl Show: The Battle of the Bowls is accepting entries through July 15 for its 2013 event, to take place October 4-29 at ACHS in Amherst, Virginia. The exhibition is designed to show contemporary ceramic artists’ best work within the form of the bowl. To learn more, log onto www. thebattleofthebowls.com

Exhibitions

CLAYTIMES·COM n WINTER / SPRING 2013

‰ NCECA’s National Student Juried Exhibition takes place through Mar. 23 at the Perimeter Gallery of The Glassell School of Art, The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. Jurors for the show are artists Kevin Snipes and Bonnie Seeman. The exhibition features work from full-time undergraduate, graduate, and post-baccalaureate students from throughout the U.S. To find out more, visit www.nceca.net

‰ The Texas State K12 Juried Student Exhibition, sponsored by ClayHouston, will be on view at the Houston Public Library Central in downtown Houston at 500 McKinney through Apr. 12. Jurors for the exhibition include Nick DeVries, Professor of Fine Arts at the University of Houston-Clear Lake; Dennis Smith, Chair of Ceramics at the Southwest School of Art in San Antonio; and James Watkins, Full Professor at Texas Tech University. Log onto www. nceca.net for details.

‰ The Cedar Key, Florida Arts Center will feature Amy Gernhardt, potter, for a solo exhibit during the month of April, 2013. The show, entitled Woman’s Work, will feature her signature masks and a collection of functional pieces that play upon the title of the show. For details, e-mail cedarkeypottery@ yahoo.com or visit the Website at cedarkeypottery.com

‰ The Arvada, Colorado Center for the Arts and Humanities will host the The Jim and Nan McKinnell Ceramic and Fine Art Estate Sale from Apr. 25-28. This exhibit and sale of Nan and Jim McKinnell’s personal ceramic and art collection encompasses more than 1,000 pieces of ceramics and 2D art. Artists represented, in addition to Jim and Nan McKinnell, include Ken Ferguson, Clary Illian, Seth Cardew, Paul Soldner, Sarah Jaeger, Warren MacKenzie, Rudy Autio, Daniel Rhodes, and many more. For event details, visit www. arvadacenter.org ‰ The Houston Center for Contemporary Craft is hosting the NCECA Biennial through May 5, 2013. The NCECA Biennial is a premier international juried ceramics exhibition, with jurors including Namita Gupta Wiggers, Curator and Director of the Portland Center for Contemporary Crafts, and internationally exhibited artists Cristina Cordova and Richard Notkin. NCECA will produce a color catalog featuring jurors’ statements and work by all participating artists. For details, visit www.nceca.net ‰ The Davis Art Center of Davis, CA will feature Eight from ACGA, an exhibition showing a body of ceramic works by eight members of the Association of Clay & Glass Artists of CA. The show, juried by Lana Wilson, takes place from April 26 through May 25. For details, visit www.acga.net [

To list your events, clay conferences, calls for entries, exhibitions, or ceramic news items in Clay Times®, please e-mail complete details to: claytimes@gmail.com, or click the events link at www.claytimes.com to fill out an online submission form.

HANDBUILT September 20-22, 2013 Demonstration Inspiration Conversation

A Down to Earth Event to Benefit the Craft Emergency Relief Fund Demonstrators

Lana Wilson Vince Pitelka Chandra DeBuse Mitch Lyons Sandi Pierantozzi Also Featuring: • Exhibition “Philadelphia Clay” •Techniques, tips & advice •Tools, community, new friendships Montgomery County Community College in suburban Philadelphia Organized by Sandi Pierantozzi

handbuiltevent@gmail.com Information and Registration:

www.sandiandneil.com

CLAYTIMES·COM n WINTER / SPRING 2013

‰ Glen Echo Pottery of Glen Echo, Maryland will present 2013: From the Fire, an exhibition of work by Glen Echo Pottery’s instructors and advanced students, from April 6 through May 5. The show will be open Saturdays and Sundays, noon to 6 pm. An artists’ reception is slated for April 6 from 5 to 7 pm. For complete details, log onto the Website at www.glenecho pottery.com

Hot Stuff I News & Events

‰ The Three Faces of Steve takes place through March 30 at the SMAart Gallery & Studio in San Francisco, CA. This exhibition of ceramic sculpture, pottery, and painting reveals Steven Allen’s ever-changing body of work. Following this exhibition, the gallery will present Clayton Thiel: SEED from Apr. 2-27. This exhibit chronicles the natural evolution of the seed of an idea. Beginning with the figure in a meditative or dreamlike state, an idea germinates and the story develops, coming to life on the surface and through sculptural elements. For event details, e-mail: steve@smaartgallery. com or visit the Website at www. smaartgallery.com

Pictured: Heeeeeere Fishy-Fishy by Dick Lehman. 3½" tall, 3½" diameter. Wheelthrown porcelain. Thrown, stamped, and expanded; glazed with a strontium-blue

CLAYTIMES·COM n WINTER / SPRING 2013

glaze. Fired to cone 9 in reduction.

h c t a C h s Fre from the

Kiln

fter selling my production/retail studio several years ago, I moved to my home studio. It is equipped with a tiny “super-high-fire-soda-kiln” — a test kiln dubbed the “Pocket Rocket” — and a Bailey 18-C gas kiln fired with natural gas. For the first time in my life, I have given myself permission to make only the things that I enjoy making. It’s not that I deeply disliked any of the works I made in my previous production studio. But with the obligation of supporting myself and an average of three employees, our product line had

eventually expanded to more than 100 different products. Inevitably, I enjoyed making some more than others. Having now side-stepped overhead (a.k.a., The Slave Driver), I now have more flexibility to explore and experiment, and more time to teach workshops and write. I also have more motivation to chart my headings back toward the ‘beginner’s mind,’ in hopes of expanding my visual literacy in unexpected ways; and renewed hopes of ending each day exhausted with pleasure.

BY DICK LEHMAN

continued on next page

CLAYTIMES·COM n WINTER / SPRING 2013

Thanks, Annett. Bowl is 6" diameter. High-iron clay body with porcelain slip, glazed with the ‘Lehman Revision’ of Annett Floren’s “Blue Celadontype Glaze” (recipe appears on page 17). Fired to cone 9 in reduction.

Currently I am exploring some new (for me) lateralfaceting approaches to altering pots on the wheel. I’m also making stamps of plants, animals, and insects that I use to alter pots’ surfaces. And I’m returning to some old glaze favorites, while exploring some new glazes. All of the pots pictured in this issue were fired in one recent kiln load. Life is good! [

To learn more about Dick Lehman and the techniques he uses for his ceramic art, visit the highly informative and inspirational Website at www.dicklehman.com. Take a virtual look at his Elkhart, Indiana studio and learn about his lifelong journey as a potter. You’ll also find generous access to a treasure trove of about 50 articles Lehman has authored for various ceramics publications. They provide a glimpse of his working methods and techniques, his inspiration, and areas of inquiry. The articles highlight his growth, development and evolution, as well as the effects of international travel (especially Japanese ceramics) upon his work.

CLAYTIMES·COM n WINTER / SPRING 2013

Portion-Controlled Cup with Wild Grape Leaves, Vines, and Tendrils. Porcelain clay body; thrown, stamped and expanded. Surface decorated with three overlapping glazes, including a microcrystalline iron glaze, a ‘fake-ash’ glaze, and a strontium-blue glaze. Fired to cone 9 in reduction.

Www.dicklehman.com also features a “Ceramics for Sale” page, providing options for online purchase of Lehman’s fine exhibition-quality work, including his most recent gas-fired stoneware and porcelain. Additionally, the “Ceramics For Sale” link features the best of his wood-fired, saggar-fired (fastfossils), and side-fired clay art. It’s a fantastic example of what every clay artist can achieve with his or her Website!

Ahhh Shino ... You’ve Been Away for Such a Long Time ... Welcome Back. Bowls are 6" diameter; high-iron clay body with porcelain slip, glazed with Malcolm Davis Shino recipe; fired to cone 9 in reduction.

Glaze Recipes BLUE CELADON REVISED Cone 9 Reduction Original from Annett Floren; Formula Revised by Dick Lehman Custer Feldspar 55.0% Silica 17.0 Whiting 8.0 6-Tile Kaolin 5.0 Strontium Carbonate 15.0 TOTAL: 100.0% add Iron Oxide 1.5%

B-SPECIAL REVISION Cone 9 Reduction Nepheline Syenite 38.0% Silica 36.0 Dolomite 12.0 Whiting 8.0 Strontium Carbonate 6.0 TOTAL: 100.0% add Rutile 5.0% Bentonite 3.0% Red Iron Oxide 2.5% Detail view of cover image. Porcelain with 3-glaze overlap, cone 9 reduction.

HORSEMAN TEMMOKU Cone 9 Reduction

Coffee-Bean Espresso Cups. Tallest is 3” in height. Thrown, stamped, and expanded porcelain; glazed with Horseman Temmoku (recipe at right).

Recipes above are listed in parts by weight, and should be tested before regular studio use. [

CLAYTIMES·COM n WINTER / SPRING 2013

G-200 Feldspar 65.0% Whiting 12.5 Silica 12.5 Zinc Oxide 10.0 TOTAL: 100.0% add Red Iron Oxide 10.0% Rutile 2.0%

CLAYTIMESÂ·COM n WINTER / SPRING 2013

Art and Life Artists don’t just get jobs ... ... they make them

rt students have been in the news a lot over the past few years. Numerous articles on careers have pointed out that only students in architecture and art history have a harder time finding jobs in their fields. Universities are increasingly looking at job placement when evaluating programs and deciding where to put resources. This has been accompanied within academia by some valuable discussions about the definition of “education” as opposed to “job training.”

records, paying taxes, and other practical necessities of life. Students are creating their own Websites (essential for young artists today) and students themselves seem more savvy than their professors about the possibilities of online sales. However, these are issues that exist at the periphery of an education in art. The main question is more basic than that: Why would anyone want to spend four or five years of undergraduate education learning how to make art?

All of this is colored by changes in how we (as individuals) tend to view employment. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average worker stays in a job for about 4.4 years, but the so-called millennials (those born between the late ’70s and the late ’90s) are tending to stay in jobs for a much shorter length of time than their older colleagues did at that same age. The conclusion that’s often being drawn is that members of previous generations were more interested in finding one good job and settling down, while this generation is more restless and ambitious.

I’ve written before in this column that I believe making aesthetic choices is as intrinsic to being a human as sleeping, eating, and sex. All humans make aesthetic decisions, even if these only involve such mundane questions as what color shirt to wear. People who identify themselves as artists aren’t fundamentally different from other human beings except that they are much more interested in creating aesthetically-driven objects or events. Yes, they may have a natural aptitude, but those who make art will tell you that it’s more than just the ability: people become artists because they are driven to do so. Some will even say that they have little choice in the matter. Art making is something that brings them joy and satisfaction; it makes them “whole.” For many artists, life wouldn’t be complete if they weren’t making something.

All of this has educators questioning what we teach and how we teach it. We’re certainly trying to provide our students with more career information than we used to. For art students, this can include such practicalities as documenting and promoting one’s artwork, understand contracts, working with galleries, keeping

Fundamental Questions for Art Majors Once a person decides to study art, there are still fundamental questions to face. Does studying art imply that you intend to make your living from making and selling artwork? Can art be your life without being your livelihood? These are questions that students in many undergraduate majors are unlikely to face. I can’t imagine that

many accounting majors are studying the federal tax codes for the sheer joy of it and are willing to take just any job to get by so they can spend their leisure hours producing spreadsheets. Artists make art because it brings them joy and satisfaction, so it doesn’t necessarily follow that they should turn art-making into a job (though it’s always nice if a job brings joy and satisfaction in addition to a healthy income). At the risk of being overly colorful, sex also brings people joy and satisfaction (and students seem to spend a lot of time researching it), but we don’t assume that they will all make a living at it. I’m being facetious, of course, but we do need to acknowledge that not every activity we love is necessarily a suitable source of income, and sometimes turning something you love into a job is the best way to make you hate it. My former students and advisees have moved into a lot of different jobs. Some have studied graphic design and ended up working for a design or advertising firm. Several have taken up commercial photography and have their own successful businesses. One went out to Hollywood and has a very successful career as a special effects artist. Many take jobs as teachers. While having a K-12 certification doesn’t guarantee a job, a great many artists end up teaching K-12 art. Some teach at community colleges, art schools, colleges, or universities. A number of my students have ended up at community art centers, either as teachers or administrators. Some have gone into museum work. Some work at (or own) galleries. One has a “paint your own pottery” business. One former graduate student is now a very successful art department chair, while another is a college dean. continued on page 20

CLAYTIMES·COM n WINTER / SPRING 2013

I’m skeptical of these conclusions, given that this age group is relatively new to the workforce and they’re starting their careers at a rather unsettled point in history. One change I’ve witnessed is that today’s students are thinking about practicalities a lot sooner in life than my generation did. I don’t think I’m alone when I confess that I studied both music and art with little thought for how I would end up making a living.

BY PETE PINNELL

Perspectives I As Far As I Know

Career Paths for Art Majors

Perspectives I As Far As I Know

Art and Life (from (from page page 19) 19)

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“Artists don’t get jobs: artists make jobs,” or so goes the old saying. A surprising number (to me) of my former students are actually making artwork and making at least part of a living from selling it. These are among the most talented and driven of my students—people who would be successful in any field. These people tend to struggle financially, especially in a difficult economy. They take part-time teaching jobs and often put off starting a family due to the unpredictability of their income. Yes, it’s possible to make a living being an independent artist, but it’s not easy and I deeply admire those who attempt it.

gather information, brainstorm, draw “thumbnails,” sketch, build maquettes, and in other ways find and develop their ideas. This period of ideation (generating, developing, and communicating ideas) is essential to the creative process. Besides ideation, completing assignments often involves mastering new skills and always involves developing the schedule necessary to meet the deadline. Most of these things aren’t unique to art, but they are things that art majors practice over and over again, semester after semester.

There’s a large group of former students I haven’t mentioned: those who leave school and earn a living doing something outside of art. This probably describes most of my undergraduate students and I’ve wondered, at times, if we are providing them with a useful education. I used to assume that we weren’t, but members of this very group are beginning to convince me otherwise.

A surprising amount of the work that occurs in art requires collaboration, sometimes on the creative side and sometimes just to get work done. Loading, firing, and unloading kilns, for instance, requires that students work in teams, and each team member must share responsibility or the entire event can be a catastrophic failure. From buying materials to hanging exhibitions, students work together to set up schedules, divide responsibilities, assign tasks, and doublecheck each other’s work. At various times, everyone is expected to take a leadership role. Each student is responsible for completing his or her class work, but students will rarely reach their individual goals without working cooperatively and collaboratively with their peers.

I’ve met a lot of people in my professional life, both in my long-term role as a professor and in my current role as chair of my department. I’m surprised how often the managers / supervisors / executives of businesses (and other organizations) turn out to be former art majors. They hear I’m a professor (or chair) in art and proudly tell me that they also studied art. I’ve asked some of them how they became the one in charge, and I hear the same story over and over: they were hired at the bottom, then moved up the ladder. “I was just good at organizing things” is an explanation I’ve often heard. This has helped me realize that one of the values of an art degree isn’t in what we teach, but in how we teach it. On its face, art is taught like any other subject, with the professor giving assignments and then awarding a grade based on the quality of the student product. However, there are four things different about art, at least to some degree: the open-ended nature of the assignments, the creativity required for success, the expectation that students will collaborate, and the interactive group critiques that occur at the end of each assignment. Art assignments are open-ended: there is usually an infinite variety of products that can result, rather than just one correct solution. The successful student doesn’t just jump into making something. Students work alone and in groups to

Collaborative Benefits

At the end of every assignment is a critique, and most undergraduate critiques are group events. For those of you who haven’t taken part in a group critique, I’ll describe the process. Each student’s work is put before the members of the class. Looking at one piece at a time, the students analyze the objects to discern the artist’s goals, describe the artist’s efforts, and then identify and define the strengths and shortcomings of the work. This isn’t easy and usually requires a lot of deliberation, with opinions floated and discussed and then altered or abandoned. Having identified the problems, the group is asked to put forward potential solutions. In my classes I let the group do most of the talking, while I moderate the proceedings and keep discussions on track. It’s my responsibility to ask questions they’re not addressing, and to goad them when their discussion falls short. Sometimes I have to practically hold them prisoner, saying things like, “There’s more to this piece that you haven’t identified and we’re not moving on until you find it.” The process can be long and (occasionally) boring. It

Translating our intuition into a series of rational conclusions is a difficult process and one that students struggle to master. There’s nothing like practice, however, and students do get better at it every year they’re in school. In any mixed-level class, the seniors always stand out during critiques, both for their perception and their ability to elucidate their thoughts. These capabilities (creativity, the ability to work independently, a collaborative spirit, the competence to provide analytical critique, and a willingness to accept critique) are essential to becoming a successful artist. However, once mastered, these capabilities can be used to meet a wide range of goals that have nothing to do with making art or being an artist. Speaking for myself, I would never try to recruit a young person to become an art major: that’s a life choice that students need to make on their own. Once they’ve made that choice, it’s my job to see that we challenge and support them in the ways that will help them find success in life. [ Peter Pinnell is Hixson-Lied Professor of Art at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln. You can reach him at ppinnell1@unl.edu or through his Facebook page at www.facebook.com. philippe faraut clay SculptiNG materialS

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Perspectives I As Far As I Know

takes great concentration to stay focused on the objects and engage in the careful parsing necessary to provide a good critique.

tiles. The children applied underglazes carefully to their greenware pieces, and I clear-glazed and fired them to cone 05.

An Elementary Mosaic Tile Project CLAYTIMES·COM n WINTER / SPRING 2013

BY REBECCA RAVENAL

ere’s the challenge I was given when I agreed to be the artist-in-residence for an elementary school: devise a hands-on mosaic project which involves every student from Nursery age through 3rd grade; can be completed during weekly art classes; and illustrates the five core values of the school: Play, Community,

Respect, Character, and Knowledge. We decided to make five window borders, each done by one grade. To make the project easy and safe for young children, I incorporated handmade tiles into our mosaic, since even 3-year-olds can stamp designs into clay and apply underglazes.

I rolled large slabs in my studio and brought them to school, stacked in plastic bins. Each child used templates to cut shapes from the slab, then applied pattern with stamps. The older children also relief sculpted their tiles for more complex face and leaf designs. For efficiency, we single-fired the white earthenware

In addition to handmade tiles, we used mirrors, glass gems, vinyl letters, plates, and commercial tiles. I scoured thrift shops for brightly colored tableware, and asked home improvement stores for damaged tiles for free or discount. Parents donated leftover tiles from renovations. Each child helped break tiles until we had many bins of different colored “tesserae,” the small pieces that comprise a mosaic. I made full-sized drawings of each design to guide in laying the mosaic. Backer boards, the surface onto which the tiles are adhered, were cut from sheets of fiber cement. Holes for mounting the panels were pre-drilled and taped off to prevent being covered with mosaic or grout. The children glued down their handmade tiles on the backer boards, then glued down pieces of the broken tiles around them

(the youngest children did not handle broken tiles or grout.) We used Weldbond® glue, which is very strong, but non-toxic and easy to apply. The children placed blobs of glue onto the board with popsicle sticks, then pressed their tiles into it. We worked in small groups so I could monitor and make adjustments before the glue dried. After the glue was set, we started grouting. With protective gloves, we placed handfuls of grout onto the mosaic and worked it into gaps between the tesserae with a small sponge. Before the grout hardened, we removed the excess and polished the mosaic with a soft cloth. Everyone was thrilled to see the bright and colorful designs emerge from the gritty haze of grout! To install the mosaics, we first applied construction adhesive to the back of each panel. For extra strength, we also screwed them into the wall, using the predrilled holes. These holes were covered with tesserae and grouted, along with the seams between panels.

Helpful Hints Detailed information on making mosaics can be found online. Use an appropriate adhesive and installation method for your project.

▲ This project can be done on any scale, as a class project or a communitywide effort. ▲ Use a “clean-up” bucket to wash hands and tools after grouting (do not wash grout down the sink!

Pictured, far left to right, top to bottom: ▲ Be flexible! Adjust based on available materials. Resist the urge to “correct” children’s work, unless it’s structurally unsound. The charm of a school project is that it reflects the students who helped to create it. ▲ We cut the backer boards into smaller sections so we could move them easily, even when they were weighted down with tiles. I laid out the boards

as needed during each particular class, storing panels for other classes under the table, stacked in long plastic bins.

▲ To create words, I applied vinyl letters to colored card stock. I cut these out and glued them, face-up, to the back of clear glass “gems”. If your mosaic is in direct sun, letters may fade in time.

▲ My safe method for breaking plates and tiles: place several into a shallow cardboard box and slip the box into a large clear plastic bag, like the kind that bedding comes in. With safety glasses on, and the hammer held inside the plastic covering to keep shards from flying, smash away. [

One of five finished window borders; adult pitches in with power tools; tile is broken beneath plastic to keep shards from flying; colored shards, made from old or damaged tiles and plates; tiles are carefully positioned before the glue is dry; sketches for “respect” window.

CLAYTIMES·COM n AUTUMN 2012

CLAYTIMESÂ·COM n WINTER / SPRING 2013

Perspectives I Beneath the Surface

Paper Clay YES!

BY LANA WILSON

Cretaceous Bowl in Copper by Angela Mellor. Paperclay.

Make Your Own Paperclay 1 Take shredded paper and soak in plenty of hot water, then blend until pulped. (You can get a square yard of cellulose at Home Depot for about $12.) 2 Remove excess water with a sieve and a sponge. 3 Mix 1/3 pulp with 2/3 clay slip by volume. 4 Pour the porridge-like mixture onto a plaster slab. 5 Keep some paperclay slip aside in a plastic squeeze bottle for use as “glue.” 6 Break or cut dry paperclay slabs into desired shapes before building. Stick together with “glue.”

8 A few drops of detergent helps prevent the paperclay mixture from getting moldy. 9 When working and building with dry clay, you should wear a filter mask.

This is the first of two articles. In this part I will explain the antecedents to modern paperclay, discuss the nature of paperclay, and give formulas for sculptural paperclay. The second article will explain successful steps used by different artists to make their paperclay pieces. The second article will also suggest several articles of interest that appear on Graham Hay’s Website. First, some history. Paperclay is not totally new. Many of us have seen historic or new adobe houses that are produced by mixing straw (unprocessed cellulose fiber) into clay to reinforce the clay. This started in pre-Christian Egypt. In pre-history India, a papier-mâché clay was used. Pre-Columbian potters put cattail fuzz in their clay. Modern paperclay depends upon removing the water-repellent lignin and mechanically separating individual cellulose fibers before or while they are added to clay. When the individual fibers are separated, there is an even dispersion of cellulose fibers in the clay body that amazingly increases the tensile strength of dry clay. Bone-dry paperclay projects

are about twice as strong as bone-dry conventional clay. An example of this was when a student dropped a 9"-wide paperclay bowl three feet ... and it did not break! One of the simplest explanations of the properties of cellulose and how it works in clay was given in an article entitled, “Mix WHAT with CLAY?” by Brian Gartside. In the article,found on Graham Hay’s Website, Gartside states, “Cellulose fibre is a hollow, tube-like structure which is an essential part of all plants and trees. It plays an important part in photosynthesis and osmosis. It has an amazing ability to siphon moisture into itself, acting like a sponge. Different sources give a variety of fibres, the length and size of which depend on the type of tree or plant producing them. “An easy source of fibre for the potter can be found in any man-made paper. This can be torn into shreds and soaked in hot water, usually all that’s necessary to break it down ... but for extra speed, an electric drill fitted with a mixing blade is useful. Shorter fibres, which form the basis of tissue, blotting paper, and newsprint, are excellent. So is computer and photocopier paper. All these break down easily in hot water. If you can afford it, pure cotton and linen papers used by artists are best, as they have a marked absence of lignin, a cell wall stiffener. Lignin is water-resistant and can affect the amount of water needed to soak the paper.” Gartside’s helpful explanation offers insight as to why paperclay acts as

CLAYTIMES·COM n WINTER / SPRING 2013

7 Recycle dry scraps by placing them in warm water, leaving for one hour, then pouring off excess water.

was becoming the ‘Queen of Cracks’ as I made my new handbuilt functional pieces. My new process involved four layers of colored slip that had to dry a bit between layers, but the clay became too stiff to easily form into bowls, cups, and other objects. I later attended the 2010 Laguna Beach paperclay conference, organized by Linda Saville. I was hopeful that paperclay might solve my seam cracking problems. Thankfully, it did!

Perspectives I Beneath the Surface

though it has useful tiny pieces of rebar in it. Handbuilt pieces that would crack during drying if they were made with regular clay are held together by these fibers. It also helps explain why you can successfully work with very thick or very thin pieces of paperclay, or even use both together. Much of this article depends on the impressive volume of information available on Graham Hay’s Website. One posted 1995 article by Deb Ellery, “Profile: Graham Hay— Sold on Paperclay” also appeared in Pottery in Australia magazine. In this article, Hay, who lives in Australia, gave details for making his own sculptural paperclay (see box on previous page). Hay said he switched to working exclusively in paperclay about 20 years ago because, “I can do everything I can do with conventional clay, plus a whole lot more.” Hay further explained, “What I enjoy most is the ability to create pieces in soft paperclay, dry them out completely so they are very rigid/strong, and then use them in combination with other dry paperclay (‘dipstick’ or dry-to-dry joins) or soft paperclay (dry-to-wet joins). “I do not score,” Hay added. “I just spray the bone-dry clay parts with water, use plenty of paperclay slip, and brush it on both bone-dry parts. The joined pieces will hold together. Of course I can still do conventional soft clay joins and leather-hard joins. The video http://grahamhay.com.au/paperclayvideos.html demonstrates a little of one way I work.” Do watch this video and you’ll see there is no scoring, many thin bone-dry pieces are put together with plenty of paperclay slip, and it works. It works because the completely dry pieces are so thin that Hay only needed to spray water on them, generously add paperclay slip and easily attach all the pieces together. And there are a lot of pieces!

Hints for Working with Paperclay

CLAYTIMES·COM n WINTER / SPRING 2013

• If you make a bowl and let it get to bone-dry, you can days or weeks later make a foot and let it dry completely, then attach it to the bowl by scoring or thoroughly wetting both pieces and using plenty of paperclay slip.

• Unlike regular clay bodies, you can fill a crack with wet paperclay after a piece is bisque-fired — and you don’t need to re-bisque! • You can also embed bisqued paperclay into a new paperclay project. If you make a box with a drawer and complicated layers, you don’t need to baby it by covering to slow the drying time. Feel free to let it air dry quickly. • if you think the lip or any other parts of the piece are a bit too big, just sand them down! Remember to wear a dust mask.

The delicate tentacles and legs depicted in the work above, by Jane Mercier, exemplify the strength of paperclay. Hay emphasizes that for thicker, completely dry paperclay pieces, much more water needs to be added before adding slip and joining to other dry or soft paperclay. In fact, for students wishing to continue building a large coil pot that has completely dried out, Hay gets them to turn the piece upside down and soak it in water for up to 15 minutes. The dry edges need to become soft (students check them by pushing a fingernail into them), and one should wait until the paperclay starts to turn into a slip or slurry. Then students can quickly turn their pots right side up and continue building soft coils on the top. Hay added that this even worked with a student who had made a piece with paperclay nine years before, brought it back to class, soaked it, joined pieces to it, and fired it successfully— with no cracks! Hay added that the more fiber in the clay, the stronger the completely dry paperclay. However, the more paper in the clay, the weaker the resulting fired/finished ceramic paperclay piece will be compared to the same thickness of a pot made with conventional clay. If you are making functional work, you need paperclay that vitrifies and does not sweat liquids out. This clay is usually different from sculptural clay in that it will vitrify to be functional and not seep water, and it will have less cellulose added to the clay than sculptural paperclay. I use functional porcelain cone 5 paperclay called P’Clay (Rosette Gault’s formula available from Aardvark Clay in Santa Ana, CA) and fire it to cone 5 or 6. Other companies make a functional paperclay, but do double-check and do fire a test cup to see if it leaks at all when you put water in it overnight. If you are doing sculptural work, you can have more paper in your paperclay. Paperclay comes in different cone firing levels, so be sure you use the appropriate body for your desired firing temperature. One drawback: you will need to deal with the black mold of paperclay to protect your

health. Jeff Zamek recommends taking the bag of clay outside, scraping off all the mold, throwing that contaminated clay away (but not in a wastebasket in your studio), and proceeding with confidence. You can also avoid mold by buying a box or two at a time, and using it up before black mold develops. You can throw pots on the wheel with paperclay, but not everyone likes it. At Watershed one summer, a potter from Israel was wedging in different kinds of paper and then throwing. We were all interested in the unusual surfaces he achieved upon firing his work. Paperclay can be fired with various surface treatments, as can sculptural clay. Some school teachers who don’t have access to kilns have students paint their work with tempera, then seal it with acrylic. Students can also use colored acrylic paints to seal their work. Other teachers use a clear sealant, or dip student work in a linseed oil bath for a few minutes and then let the oil harden for a final surface. Other teachers use watered-down Elmer’s waterproof yellow wood glue before the acrylic color painting to harden the surface even more. But not all artists fire their paperclay work. Installation work is being done with combinations of fired and unfired paperclay. The best way to find out if paperclay would be good for some or all of your work is to buy one bag (yes, it is more expensive than regular clay, but you won’t lose work due to cracks) and make different pieces to test it out. It does have a slightly lumpy surface quality that bothered me at first, but after working with it for a while I’ve learned how to deal with it easily. [ Thanks to Virginia Cartwright, Monica Dunham, Rosette Gault, Graham Hay, Angela Mellor, Rejane Mercier, Cory Olewnick, and Linda Saville. Check out Rosette Gault’s paperclay Website at: www.paperclayart.com/ Columnist Lana Wilson may be reached via her Website at www.lanawilson.com.

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Shop Talk I Firing

Secrets to Port Size BY MARC WARD

t is far better to err on the side of too big rather than on the side of too small. It’s not true with all things, but it is with these. We sell more replacement burners, burner heads, and thermocouples because of this miscalculation than any one thing. It is burner port size. A burner port’s size should always be a function of the burner’s size and the amount of secondary air that the kiln needs, but lots of kiln builders view burner port size as a function of brick dimensions and use advice they have taken as universal truths. The industrial world uses many types of ‘closed-port’ burner systems. Closed port means that the burner is sealed into the side of the kiln or furnace. You don’t see any flames and all the necessary air is provided by blowers or compressed air streams. So, why don’t potters use these? There are several reasons. The safety systems of a closed-port burner are more expensive and involve some sort of spark ignition system. If you can’t see the burner head from the outside, how are you going to light it with a match or torch? One of the main reasons clay artists don’t use closed ports is because of the backpressure associated with reduction. Reduction would prove problematic to closed-port systems, as would other fun habits such as salt and soda injections. So, we potters have almost universally used ‘open-port’ burners. The port is open and you can see the flame entering the kiln. In these types of systems, some of the necessary combustion air needs to be entrained around the head of the burner. Venturi burners usually only get about 50% of the air they need for complete combustion through the back of the burner. The rest needs to come from air around the burner head (secondary air). This secondary air serves several purposes.

So, what’s the secret to burner port size? The dimension of your burner head and pilot determine your port size. Say you have a burner head that is 3.5" around and a pilot that hangs down another 1.5". The profile of this head is 3.5" x 5". Your burner port should be 1 inch bigger all around, so this means you need a burner port that is 4.5" x 6". So you’ve built your kiln with bricks that are 2.5" thick. Make your burner port 7.5" tall instead of 5" tall. More air is always better. The smaller port will cause extreme turbulence, shortened head life, and more frequent thermocouple failures. Here’s another heads-up: if you’re over a mile in elevation, increase the margin by 50%. That is, you’ll want to have a burner port measuring 1.5" larger than the burner head in each direction. There is one more placement issue that needs to be considered in this dance, and that’s where to place the burner in relation to the port. It should not be flush with the port in an open-port system. For horizontal burners, the rule of thumb is an offset of ½ inch per inch of flame tube diameter (not head diameter, but flame tube diameter. Say you have a burner made from a 2" pipe, or a Venturi that has a 2" Venturi tube (widest point excluding head). Then, your set-back would be 1". Smaller burners can be closer; bigger burners will be farther back. For soda kilns and especially salt kilns, I would move the burners back farther still, maybe an additional ½" or ¾", just to keep some of the grunge from attacking them. Burners entering from underneath and shooting up can be a bit closer. Remember, a kiln is almost like a living creature. It needs to breathe. The burner ports are where it inhales. Let it take a deep breath! Marc Ward is owner and operator of Ward Burner Systems, PO Box 1086, Dandridge, Tennessee 37725. He invites you to sign up for his free newsletter, and can be reached by phone at 865.397.2914 or through the online catalog and Website at: www. wardburner.com.

CLAYTIMES·COM n WINTER / SPRING 2013

Not only does the secondary air provide the rest of the main combustion air needed with Venturi burners, it helps keep the head of the burner relatively cool. Even forced-air burners that have blowers need this cooling effect from the secondary airflow around the burner heads. Because most potters who use thermocouple-based safety systems—if they use safety systems at all—benefit from this secondary air flow, thermocouples need their tips to be in blue flame continuously. Yet 3" or so back from that tip is the cold junction of the thermocouple. It needs to stay relatively cool to produce its signal. Too much backpressure and you fry the cold junction. If you fry the cold junction and the

burner shuts down at cone 8, it probably does so at 10 pm, just three days before you leave for a show. We’ve all been there. This last-minute, late-night hassle is usually caused by poor burner placement and poor port sizing. Getting all this stuff right when building a kiln will keep you sane (well, maybe ‘saner,’ as we all know about the universal questioning of potters’ sanity).

Iron Red Bottle by Roger Porter.

ENDLESS

Possibilities 30

STORY BY TINA MCKENZIE â€¢ PHOTOS BY MARGARET NORTON

Roger Porter

is a remarkable ceramic glaze engineer and teacher who has been a major influence

Southern

California’s

ceramic community for decades. A brilliant, generous, and largely unsung man, his depth and breadth of knowledge about ceramic glazes constantly amazes everyone who knows him. Porter’s glaze knowledge is equally matched by his enthusiasm on the subject. He originally became fascinated by what he calls “the seemingly endless variations of glazes” when he took his first ceramics course from Roger Corsaw at the University of Oklahoma more than 40 years ago. He continued his studies at New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred, the University of Arizona, California State University at Long Beach, and received his B.A. with honors from the University of Texas at Austin and his M.F.A. from the University of Arizona at Tucson. He then began his career at Franciscan Ceramics, the iconic California pottery company, where he worked for 15 years developing and researching glazes.

Roger Porter in the Helen and Roger Porter Ceramic Reference Library, American Museum of Ceramic Art. Photo courtesy AMOCA.

When he started working as a laboratory technician at California’s Glendale Community College in 1986, the men who interviewed him for that job were so blown away by his background as a glaze engineer that they turned to each other and said, “We’ve got to get him to create a class.” Three years later, Porter began sharing his vast knowledge and love of glazes when he started teaching glaze calculation at Glendale. He continued to teach that class for 21 years and developed the method of teaching the subject that he continues to use today. Porter’s easygoing nature set the relaxed tone of the class, although it was tacitly understood that the subject matter demands close attention. His lectures were peppered with enthusiasm, and during each term, he was clearly excited about what he and the students would be learning from their tests of new cone 10 oxidation and reduction glazes. Porter says that literally thousands of new glazes were produced each time the class was taught.

A triaxial is a blend between three glazes or three colors of the same base glaze. All of the tiles are labeled alphabetically, so that the tiles at the three points of the triangle are labeled A, P, and U. The dry ingredients are mixed together (or “batched”), water is added, and the blends are then made between A and P, A and U, and P and U. The remaining interior tiles are blends of all three (see photos at right).

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How did they achieve their classroom success? First, each student was assigned a different base glaze, which they would test using multiple concentrations of the eight elements that color most cone 10 glazes: chromium, cobalt, copper, iron, manganese, nickel, titanium/rutile, and vanadium. The fired test samples would be compared side-byside. From these, the students would choose three of the resulting colors to test further, in a triaxial blend using 21 tiles.

Triaxial Blend glaze tests, fired to cone 10 in oxidation (above) and reduction (below).

Clay Times Magazine Volume 19 • Issue 95