CERAMIC
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TOOLS,
AND
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1995-2015 CT Celebrates 20 Years in Print
Volume 21 • No. 100 20th ANNIVERSARY ISSUE Autumn/Winter 2015
Handbuilding with CHANDRA DEBUSE PETE PINNELL'S NEW SERIES:
Developing Rich & Beautiful Surfaces in an Electric Kiln Advance Homework for Kiln Builders Talc-Free Clay: Why It’s A Good Thing
PLUS: Robin Hopper’s New E-book: Charge Up Your iPad!
$8.95 U.S./$10.95 CAN
Effective Tools for Glaze Mixing & Application
®
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CELEBRATES 20 clay-full years + 100 indispensable, wonderful issues :) ... But WAIT! Could there be CT issues missing from your ceramic art library? No worries! You can still order Clay Times® back issues in print or in PDF collections on CD, or now via instant download! Call 800.356.2529 or visit www.claytimes.com
Pictured issues date from 2009-2004. ✔ Be sure to check out the complete listing of CT issues from 1995-2015, with contents of each issue + formats available to order, on our UPDATED back issues order page at the NEW & IMPROVED Clay TimesŽ online store. great gifts, too! www.claytimes.com
IMAGINE IF YOUR KILN LASTED 20 YEARS? Kilns self destruct. Loading and unloading, heating and cooling, moving elements, acidic fumes from the ceramic process: all take their toll. That undestanding is the design philosophy behind L&L Kilns. We design for durability, performance, and safety. We hope you will benefit by what we offer.
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CLAYTIMES·COM n 20TH ANNIVERSARY • AUTUMN / WINTER 2015
Moving elements can break fragile firebrick - THIS IS NOT NORMAL - not if you use an L&L Kiln.
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Elements will not droop out in an L&L Kiln.
Moving elements will not break the firebrick on an L&L Kiln.
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contents
TIMES
Clay
20th ANNIVERSARY ISSUE Autumn/Winter 2015 • Vol. 21, No. 100 Cover photo: TreatServer by Chandra DeBuse of Kansas City, MO. Handbuilt porcelain, 9" x 10" x 3½". To discover her secrets, see p. 21. Cover inset photo: Vase by Matthew McGovern of Cedar, Michigan. Soda-fired porcelain; 12" x 7½"; First Place award winner of the 2015 SFPN show. See more on p. 24.
features ➤ 14 Clay Times Celebrates 20 Years in Print Flashback to 1995: Where were you when you first saw or heard about Clay Times? Take a trip back in time to experience some of our finest moments, and enjoy some great CT features and trivia about which you may be unaware! ➤ 31 Flashback Holiday Project: Making a Muffin Pan Look back to this step-by-step article for Bill van Gilder’s technique to make muffin pans of clay ... a great project for gifts, plus your own kitchen use! ➤ 40 Brian Geier’s Crystalline Mattes Using a precise schedule to fire his pots to cone 10 in oxidation, this Illinois potter explains why crystalline matte glazes have overtaken his claywork.
Attention Ceramics Students, Educators, and Institutions: For a limited time, Clay Times is offering annual $5 student subscriptions; $60 bulk educator subscriptions; and specially priced institutional subscriptions for full online access to all 100 CT issues ever produced! Restrictions apply. To learn more, log onto www.claytimes.com/ educationspecials
exhibit ➤ 24 2015 Strictly Functional Pottery National [SFPN]
Celadon Teapot by Brenda Lichman of Wichita, Kansas. 5" x 6½" x 6". Porcelain soda-fired to cone 10 in reduction. One of works in SFPN exhibit.
Again this year, more than 100 clay artists prove that both form and function may be achieved with flare! Turn to page 24 to view a selection of the works chosen by juror Matt Long for this popular annual exhibition and sale, now in its 23rd year. 5
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TIMES
Clay 20th ANNIVERSARY • Autumn/Winter 2015 • Vol. 21, Issue 100
Porcelain Teapot by Michael Lentini of Bozeman, MT. 5½" x 8½" x 5½". Soda-fired to cone 10.
departments
columns 18 AS FAR AS I KNOW
8 EDITOR’S DESK “20 years & 100 Issues”
“Developing Rich and Beautiful Surfaces in an Electric Kiln” by Pete Pinnell
11 WHAT’S HOT Clay world news, events, and calls for entries
28 GREAT GLAZES A favorite is shared by Chandra DeBuse
?? by Erica Passage of Helena, MT. Cone 6 white stoneware; 8" x 14" x 8".
34 THE GALLERY A selection of unique works by CT readers
42 CLASSIFIED MARKETPLACE Goods and services offered especially by and for clay artists
Killing Fields Bourbon Bottle with Cups by Steven Cheek of Louisville, KY. 10" x 5" x 5". Porcelain fired to cone 10 in oxidation.
“Tools for Glaze Mixing and Application” by Vince Pitelka
43 BOOKS & VIDEOS A Potter’s Garden by Robin Hopper — a new e-book • Review by Steve Branfman
47 POTTERY CLASSES Where you can learn claywork in your community
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“Why Use Talc-Free Clay?” by Monona Rossol
37 TOOL TIMES
Studio-tested tips & techniques
Welcome to the new advertisers in this issue! (As always, please let them know you found them in Clay Times!)
“Handbuilding with Chandra DeBuse” by Lana Wilson
29 STUDIO HEALTH AND SAFETY
46 THE SLURRY BUCKET
50 ADVERTISER INDEX
21 BENEATH THE SURFACE
Reliquary for Mezcal Cantaro and Cups by Trevor Dunn of Jacksonville, FL. 8" x 12" x 12". Iron-rich stoneware, wood-fired to cone 9 and cooled in reduction. [NOTE: Each work pictured on this page appears in the latest Strictly Functional Pottery National exhibition. To see more, turn to page 24.]
45 KILNS & FIRING “Do Your Homework” by Marc Ward
49 AROUND THE FIREBOX “Hand in Hand” by Kelly Savino
Earline Green’s clay spirit quilts on display in the Dunbar Lancaster-Kiest Branch Library in Dallas, Texas.
A Texas potter makes 1,300 pound quilts with her Paragon Dragon As a child, Earline Green made hand-stitched quilts with her grandmother Mama Freddie. Earline spent more time quilting with the older ladies than she did playing with children her own age. Her early experiences with the lively quilters taught her a life-long love of artwork. Earline’s other grandmother, Mama Ginger, taught her advanced quilting patterns. Later this influenced the design of Earline’s stoneware quilt tile mosaics displayed in the entrance of the Paul Laurence Dunbar Lancaster-Kiest Library in Dallas, Texas. For that project, Earline fired 284 white stoneware tiles—all in her faithful Paragon Dragon. “The Dragon's design and controls are perfect for firing large flat pieces,” said Earline. “The digital programming controls provide a consistent firing environment that eliminated cracks and warpage in this project. “During tile production, I fired my Dragon two or three times a week for four to six weeks at a time. I expected and received excellent results with each firing.” Contact us today for more information on the exciting Dragon kiln. Ask about the easy-open switch box hinged at the bottom. Call us for the name of your local Paragon distributor.
Earline Green with her Paragon Dragon front-loading kiln. This kiln is becoming a favorite with potters. It is easy to load, heavily insulated, and designed to reach cone 10 with power to spare.
Join the Clayart pottery forum here: lists.clayartworld.com
Constantly looking for better ways to make kilns
2011 South Town East Blvd. Mesquite, Texas 75149-1122 800-876-4328 / 972-288-7557 www.paragonweb.com info@paragonweb.com
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Clay
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magazine
TIMES
Spouting Off I Editor’s Desk
20 Years & 100 Issues
CERAMIC ART TRENDS, TOOLS & TECHNIQUES
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: John Britt • Brian Geier • Bill van Gilder ✦ Printed on 100% FSC-certified and 75% post-consumer recycled paper ✦ Published by: CLAY TIMES, LLC P.O. Box 17139 • Amelia Island, FL 32035
Toll-free subscription line: 800.356.2529 Clay Times® (ISSN 1087-7614) is published quarterly, four issues per year. Periodicals Postage Paid at Burlington, VT. 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 for writer’s and photographer’s guidelines.
CLAYTIMES·COM n 20TH ANNIVERSARY • AUTUMN / WINTER 2015
POSTMASTER: Address service requested. Send address changes to: Clay Times, PO Box 17139, Fernandina Beach, FL 32035.
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Copyright ©2015 Clay Times, LLC. 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.
Questions? Comments? Please e-mail us! Editorial: claytimes@gmail.com Advertising: clayaccounts@gmail.com Circulation: ctcirculation@gmail.com Website: www.claytimes.com
Twenty years after our first issue rolled off the press, production of this issue — our 100th full-color magazine in print — is a huge landmark about which I am very proud. As founder, I am grateful that I’m still here to bring you Clay Times, and especially grateful that you’re still with us to enjoy all the wonderful things CT has to offer. So it probably won’t surprise you that this issue opens with a bit of nostalgia. I’ve included my own chronicles on the birth of the magazine, accompanied by a bit of CT trivia (see pg. 14-16). Then on page 17, you will find a reprint of John Britt’s crossword puzzle, themed “Bernard Leach.” Just in time for the holidays, you’ll also find a reprint of Bill van Gilder’s step-by-step article on making stoneware muffin pans (see pages 31-33). While we don’t normally run reprints of prior articles, it seemed appropriate with this 20th anniversary edition to offer newcomers a glimpse into the rich history of original content that
comprises our online library. If you’re interested in more crosswords or more step-by-step pottery projects, you’ll be pleased to find complete collections of these articles available online. As this issue goes to press, our downloadable back issue index has been updated so you can quickly search for any previously published topic, article, issue, author, or featured artist. Nearly all back issues of Clay Times are still available in print. Back issues may also be ordered as PDF files for instant download, or as part of our annual back issue PDF collections on CD. Newly available from our Web store this season are Clay Times studio posters including “Bowls”, “Handles”, “Lids”, “Feet”, and more — all back by popular demand! Please take a moment to log on to our redesigned Website and store at claytimes.com to explore and experience all of the new options designed to help you in your clay studio or classroom. — Polly Beach, Editor [
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Annual Conference
Artists Demonstrations, Commercial and Nonprofit Resources, Discussions, Exhibitions, Lectures, Student Led Presentations, K-12 Focus Programming, and much more! visit nceca.com
REGISTRATION ON REGISTER EARLYOPENS AND SAVE Earlybird Deadline January 29, 2016 SEPTEMBER 30, 2015
Join us in cyberspace before and following the 2016 conference
CLAYTIMES·COM n 20TH ANNIVERSARY • AUTUMN / WINTER 2015 CLAYTIMES·COM n 20TH ANNIVERSARY • AUTUMN / WINTER 2015
Produced in cooperation with the 92Y, the Virtual Clay TM lecture series provides a platform for discourse on clay, making and culture accessible through your internet connection. Learn more at www.92y.org/VirtualClay
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Karen Atkinson Wednesday, October 7, 2015 Simone Leigh Wednesday,Simone November 11, 2015 Leigh Wednesday November 11, 2015 Catherine Catherine Futter Futter Friday, January 22, 2016 Friday, January 22, 2016
Bill Strickland Wednesday, March 9, 2016 Bill Strickland Wednesday, Wendy Gers March 9, 2016 Wednesday, April 6, 2016
Wendy Gers Wednesday, April 6, 2016
• ceramic art world news • events • • calls for entries •
Conferences
alclayconference.org, or email alcc2016gadsden@gmail.com
Calls for Entries
‰ The Gulf Coast Kiln Walk Society will be hosting its annual Gulf Coast Clay Conference Feb. 3-6, 2016 at Pensacola State College, in Pensacola, Florida. Guest artists Tom and Elaine Coleman will lead the agenda with a lecture, slide show, and demonstrations Feb. 3-5. On Feb. 6, the event moves to the Society’s kiln site in Navarre, FL for the Woodstoke Pottery and Kiln Festival, featuring anagama and groundhog kiln openings, plus a pottery display and sale. To learn more about the Gulf Coast events, log onto www.kilnwalk.org or call 850.939.2744.
‰ The Randolph Arts Guild will host the The 29th North Carolina Potters Conference in Asheville, NC from March 4-6, 2016. Featured artists will include Tony Clennell, Sunshine Cobb, and Steven Godfrey, with guest presentations by Chris Staley and others. To learn more about the conference, email arts@asheboro.com, or visit www. randolphartsguild.com
‰ Baltimore Clayworks is accepting submissions through Dec. 11 for Menagerie, its animal-themed show that will take place May 14-July 2, 2016. Up to five entries will be considered for a $30 entry fee. To learn more, e-mail mary.cloonan@baltimore clayworks.org, log onto www. baltimoreclayworks.org, or call 410.578.1919 ext. 18. ‰ The Lexington Arts & Crafts Society is accepting entries through Jan. 11, 2016 from current and former residents of Massachusetts for The State of Clay 2016. Wayne Higby will jury the show, which takes place May 7 - June 5, 2016. Entry fee: $35 for up to three submissions. For additional exhibition details, log onto www.stateofclay.com, or call 781.862.9696. ‰ The Missouri Western State University (MWSU) Clay Guild is accepting entries through Jan. 13 for its National Ceramics Exhibition 2016. Entitled “Off the Table! Plates for the Wall,” the show will feature functional and sculptural plate/platter forms designed to hang on the wall. A $30 jury fee entitles each artist to submit a continued on next page
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‰ The 31st Alabama Clay Conference takes place Feb. 5-7, 2016 in Gadsden, Alabama and will feature presentations and clay demonstrations by ceramic artists including Martha Grover, Paul Lewing, Marty Fielding, and Mark Rademacher, among others. Special events range from the Alabama Clay Market and invitational tableware show to a participant mug exchange and a Saturday night party at the Back 40 Brewing Company. For complete conference details, log onto
‰ Early registration is already underway for the annual conference of the National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts (NCECA). This special 50th anniversary convention for ceramic artists, teachers, and students is entitled “Makers, Mentors, and Milestones” and takes place March 16-19, 2016 in Kansas City, Missouri. The entire Kansas City region will embrace conference goers by offering clay-themed events and exhibitions too numerous to mention! Complete programming, registration, and lodging details may be found online at www.nceca.com. [If you haven’t yet attended an annual NCECA conference, you owe it to yourself to check it out!] Earlybird registration discounts are in effect through Jan. 29.
Hot Stuff Calendar
What’s Hot
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Hot Stuff I News & Events
The Incredible, Affordable
What’s Hot (continued from p. 11)
OLYMPIC OVAL ...
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maximum of three entries. For details, email clayguild@ missouriwestern.edu or visit https://www.missouriwestern. edu/orgs/clayguild/Off_the_ Table_Exhibition.html ‰ The MWSU Clay Guild is also accepting entries through Jan. 13, 2016 for its Twin Cups: National Ceramics Exhibition 2016. Submissions may be either functional or sculptural representations of a pair of cups, mugs, drinking vessels, or the like. Fee: $30 for up to three entries. For complete details, email clayguild@ missouriwestern.edu or download the online entry form and prospectus at https:// www.missouriwestern.edu/orgs/ clayguild/TwinCups.html
CLAYTIMES·COM n 20TH ANNIVERSARY • AUTUMN / WINTER 2015
‰ The Clay Studio of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania is accepting online entries through Jan. 15, 2016 of claywork no larger than a 4-in. cube for its 11th annual show, Small Favors: An Exhibition of Diminutive Works. For further details, log onto www.theclay studio.org, e-mail info@theclay studio.org, or call 215.925.3453.
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‰ Juror Christy Johnson will be accepting entries through Jan. 22, 2016 for the 21st San Angelo National Ceramic Competition. The event will take place at the San Angelo Museum of Fine Arts, and is co-sponsored by Darlene and John Williams and Trinity Ceramic Supply, Inc. For complete details, visit www.samfa.org ‰ The Art Students League of Denver, Colorado is accepting entries through Jan. 23, 2016 for delecTABLE: The Fine Art of
‰ Clayhouston is accepting entries through Feb. 1, 2016 from clay artists residing in TX, NM, AZ, and OK for its regional Southwest exhibition. The show, entitled Clay: Body, Mind & Soul will take place April 2–29, 2016 and is open to functional and sculptural works where clay is the primary medium. Application fee: $35 for three entries. For complete details, view the prospectus online at www.clay houston.org, or email info@clayhouston.org
‰ AMERICA’S CLAYFEST IV will also feature the fourth annual America’s ClayFest Art Show and Competition open divison for nonstudents, to be held at Blue Line Arts in Roseville, CA. This show celebrates the rich history of clay competition formerly known as Feats of Clay. Sergei Isupov and Leslie Ferrin will serve as jurors. Entry deadline is Feb. 27, 2016. Visit www. a m e r i c a s c l ay f e s t . o r g for details, or e-mail questions to billszabo@ americasclayfest.org. [
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 submission link at www.claytimes.com/contribute.html
The 21st San Angelo National Ceramic Competition April 15 - June 26, 2016 Juror: Christy Johnson, Arcadia, CA
Download the Call for Entries: www.samfa.org Entry deadline: January 22, 2016
Photo from 20th SANCC: Leeann Catanzaro, Green Luster Teapot
Sponsored by: San Angelo Museum Endowment for Ceramic Events Darlene and John Williams Trinity Ceramic Supply Inc.
CLAYTIMES·COM n 20TH ANNIVERSARY • AUTUMN / WINTER 2015
‰ The Art League of Lincoln, California and Blue Line Arts are accepting student entries through Feb. 27,
2016 for AMERICA’S CLAYFEST IV Student Art Show and Competition. The show will take place Apr. 20-May 28, 2016 at Lincoln’s Art Center Gallery, in the shadows of the historic Gladding McBean Clay Manufacturing Company. Clay artists currently enrolled in secondary school or college are eligible. Log onto www.americas clayfest.org for the link to the “EntryThingy” application and prospectus, or email bill szabo@americasclayfest. org for further details.
Hot Stuff I News & Events
Dining — Third Biennial Exhibit of Functional Ceramics. The show takes place April 4-May 13, 2016 and will feature functional dining-themed works ranging from dinner sets and table decor to place settings, platters, and teapots. To enter, visit www.CallforEntry. org. To find out more, email s.schreiber@asld. org or call 303.778.6990.
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Clay Times Flashback: 20 Years in Print BY POLLY BEACH
T
wenty years ago last spring I woke up with an idea that seemed to have popped up from out of nowhere: “The world needs a more down-to-earth magazine for potters,” I thought. “But wait — I think I have the skills needed, so maybe I should be the one to publish the magazine?” Back then, I’d been making a lot of claywork in my home studio while raising my young kids and working as a freelance graphic designer and editor. Having discovered a love for pottery in my senior year at WVU, I’d only taken a couple of clay classes before graduation. By the time I received my BS in Journalism, I still hadn’t ever mixed a glaze or fired a kiln.
I thought he was crazy! How was I going to manage to do claywork in our tiny little sunroom? By this time I’d become the busy mother of Cody & Josh, our two young boys, and co-publisher of a local tourist guide. I explained to Jim that to do pottery, I would also need access to glazes and a kiln, and I knew of no one in our rural community who had such things. But that didn’t faze Jim and he had rekindled the fire. He knew that the simple process of throwing clay on the wheel was something that I loved by itself, kiln or no kiln. I resumed wheelthrowing practice ... but regardless, I was now on a mission!
CLAYTIMES·COM n 20TH ANNIVERSARY • AUTUMN / WINTER 2015
The original monthly newsletter* (above) premiered in March, 1995, and focused on everything from the basics of wheel-throwing, handbuilding, and glaze I spent the next few years trying mixing, to pottery business marketing and craft show to meet other potters. At every Having relocated to Virginia dur- set-up. Claytime Companion readers offered enough Cruets and Vase Set by Shana Salaff, Ft. Collins, CO. Porcelain; cone 6 oxidation.crafts 6" x 20" xfestival 4". we attended, I ing the months following gradu- enthusiastic support and encouragement after rewould seek them out and ask ation, I did enroll in a pottery ceipt of 10 issues to spawn production of our first their advice. Eventually, I found class at the nearest community color magazine. It debuted as Clay Times (below) in December, 1995. *[Back issue PDFs of the original out where I could pay to have college (although it was almost an newsletters, designed for beginning and intermediate my work fired (albeit a ceramics hour’s drive from home). Thanks potters, are now available online at www.claytimes.com]
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to [recently retired] Bill Schran [Congratulations, Bill!], I was able to continue my clay practice there, and latched on to some new techniques for two quarter semesters. But soon the “real world” took over, and I found myself working fulltime outside the home, and then back at home juggling work with raising kids. My preoccupation with clay fell to the back burner. Fast-forward seven years to my 28th birthday, when my husband, Jim, surprised me with the gift of a potter’s wheel and a lump of clay, accompanied by my old slurry bucket and clay tools from the college days.
mold studio with paint-on glazes from little jars). Then one day someone told me I should subscribe to a ceramics magazine to learn where to get pottery supplies and equipment. So I subscribed. And read. And discovered that I needed more information than I could get from that magazine. It was above my level — too technical, and focused on “ceramics” as opposed to “pottery.” Meanwhile, Jim and I built a new home on 17 acres out in the middle of nowhere, and we now had room for a new (expensive) kiln. To me, buying
that kiln meant I would have to get serious about pottery. I simply couldn’t justify that sort of investment without putting it to certain use. Then one day during a trip into town, I happened to drive past a young woman unloading boxes of clay from her pickup truck. I circled back to her studio and asked if that was real pottery clay! She said she was a porcelain potter, who fired with wood. Before long, Judy Edmunds was giving me private pottery lessons and inviting me to nearby firings of her wood kiln. Judy helped me learn about firing both wood and electric kilns, and about working with porcelain, too. I began to do claywork every day, and by the time my daughter Lindsay was born in 1992, I was selling my work & demonstrating wheelthrowing at crafts fairs. Then in 1994, I “got online” with AOL, and discovered a whole world of potters via the Clayart listserv. I became a “lurker” (someone who follows the conversations of participating newsgroup members, but doesn’t post any messages). I also became familiar with the names of the most knowledgeable folks about various subjects: Marc Ward for kilns and firing; Steve Branfman for pottery books; and Monona Rossol for ceramics studio health and safety.
And then dawned the morning when I woke up with the idea to publish the magazine. Rather than take a gamble on the huge
I invited Grace to serve as technical editor, and she accepted. I invited Marc Ward and Steve Branfman and Monona Rossol to write regular columns on kilns and firing, pottery books, and ceramics health & safety, and they all accepted. The newsletter was born! I mailed the first copy of the 8-page newsletter to approximately 200 people (most of whom were either Clayart members or members of The Clay Connection, a newly formed ceramics guild for folks in the DC area). Not long afterward, I read about an upcoming raku workshop with Fran Newquist of Tin Barn Pottery. I signed up for Fran’s workshop and met guest artist Rick Berman, an accomplished raku potter from Atlanta. Rick presented a slide show of other potters’ works, and I was spellbound! Like so many other potters, the immediate gratification of raku firing left me yearning for more, more, more! I brought my husband (and kids) to the second day of the workshop so Jim could figure out how to build me a raku kiln. Needless to say, I was raku-firing at home by the following weekend. I also gave Rick a copy of my newsletter, which he read on the plane during his flight back to Atlanta. He called me afterward with some very encouraging words:
CT Trivia: Did You Know ... • Clay Times was the very first pottery magazine with a Website • Clay Times was the first pottery magazine to be published online, in digital format • Clay Times was the first pottery magazine to regularly request and publish works by its readers in “The Gallery” department • Clay Times was the first pottery magazine with an online store • At NCECA 1997 in Las Vegas, exhibit hall attendees stood in line at the Clay Times exhibitor booth while clay artists Peter Voulkos, Paul Soldner, and Don Reitz simultaneously autographed the CT studio poster featuring images of their work • When Clay Times sponsored fave local Virginia blues band “Cactus Groove” to perform at the Charlotte, North Carolina NCECA conference, the band blew the speakers twice and had to await local equipment replacements before the festivities could begin (Thank you, Janet!) • CT had to request alternative ads from legendary potter Paul Soldner more than once because a few of them were too “racy” for some of our younger readers (!) • Ever since the very first full-color issue of CT was published in 1995, no fewer than 10,000 print copies per issue have been produced and distributed • More than 60,000 potters worldwide have subscribed to CT since its inception • Your CT issue mailing label always indicates your final paid issue, even if your subscription has lapsed or issues have been delayed or missed • You can tell if you have the most recent and previous CT issues by checking against the current issue number at claytimes.com • To date, more than 2.75 million clay enthusiasts worldwide have logged on to the CT Website at www.claytimes.com
CLAYTIMES·COM n 20TH ANNIVERSARY • AUTUMN / WINTER 2015
I also signed up for a glaze workshop with Grace Lewis, a woman who had studied glaze chemistry with Val Cushing at Alfred University. Grace taught me things during that workshop that transformed me from a commercial glaze user into a glaze formulator.
cost of 4-color printing, I refined the idea to publish the newsletter as a “test predecessor” to the magazine. So I sent out my first message to the Clayart newsgroup, asking if anyone would want me to “snail mail” them a free newsletter on claywork. Before I knew it, I’d received enough encouraging replies to spawn the first issue of the newsletter, entitled The Claytime Companion.
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Flashback Clay Times: 20 Years (continued from page 15)
“I think it [the newsletter] is a great thing that you’re doing,” he said. Wow, I thought, this is great — an accomplished, professional, lifelong potter believes in the newsletter! During the ensuing months, I received enough paid subscription orders to take the leap from “newsletter publisher” to “magazine publisher.” In the fall of 1995, at the first Virginia Clay Conference in Front Royal, Virginia, I rented a commercial exhibitor’s booth and announced that the newsletter would soon become a fullcolor magazine. Rick Berman, Ron Meyers, and Michael Simon were presenters at that conference (known in subsequent years as the MidAtlantic Clay Conference). When I informed Rick that I intended to distribute the first issues of the 4-color magazine for free to more than 10,000 clay enthusiasts, he said I was crazy. Then he promised to help me ... and the rest is history!
CLAYTIMES·COM n 20TH ANNIVERSARY • AUTUMN / WINTER 2015
Thanks to Rick’s enthusiastic support and promotion to fellow clay artists, Clay Times was promptly embraced by the ceramics community. Clay world advertisers were supportive, too, thankful to have another way to reach our very unique audience of clay enthusiasts.
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Our super-talented and committed columnists, who still include Monona, Steve, and Marc, as well as Lana Wilson, Pete Pinnell, Vince Pitelka, David Hendley, Kelly Savino; and former columnists John Britt, Tony Clennell, and Bill van Gilder, have all served up a plate of ceramic knowledge that’s as relevant and useful today as it was 20 years ago. A heartfelt thanks goes out to those columnists and our office staff, freelance writers, and featured artists — past and present — and especially to our longtime proofreader Jon Singer, who has persevered during what is often a painstakingly tedious process with an unpredictable schedule. Our final thanks go to all of you readers and supportive advertisers, for remaining “stoked” and helping us keep the fire burning! Here’s to another 20 awesome years. [
Do you know who you’re looking at? Or which photos were taken when? Here’s what we received when we asked our columnists to submit then (1995) and now (2015) images of themselves and their work. (Check your answers online at www.claytimes.com.contact.html)
CLAYTIMES·COM n 20TH ANNIVERSARY • AUTUMN / WINTER 2015
*Originally appeared in Jan/Feb 2000 CT. For puzzle answers, visit www.claytimes.com/crossword
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Perspectives I As Far As I Know CLAYTIMES·COM n 20TH ANNIVERSARY • AUTUMN / WINTER 2015
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Developing Rich & Beautiful Surfaces in an Electric Kiln
PART ONE OF A SERIES BY PETE PINNELL
T
here was a time not that long ago when many potters considered electric kilns to be a second-class way to finish ceramics. “Real” potters fired in gas kilns or wood kilns and often added salt or soda to their firing. Firing, it was felt, should involve FIRE and not just heat. Somehow a small silver box clicking away in the corner of a garage or basement didn’t have quite the same sense of drama as a 30-foot long wood-fired anagama.
Another thing that we don’t often see in publications is that many of pots from these atmospheric firings end up being less than beautiful. We love varied surfaces, but another word for varied is inconsistent. Potters who fire in atmospheric kilns often struggle to make sure that those pots that aren’t magical are, at least, acceptable. This struggle has caused more than one wood/ salt/soda aficionado to rethink that approach to firing.
There were actually good reasons why potters preferred fuel-fired kilns. Atmospheric firing (what we do in gas or wood-fired kilns) can produce surfaces that are rich, complex, layered and varied. The magical combination of high temperatures, slow cooling rates, reducing flames, oxidizing plumes and flux-rich vapors can result in surfaces that are breathtaking. We often see images of these pots in magazines and on Facebook.
If there is one thing that we can easily get from an electric kiln, it’s consistency. Computer operated electric kilns, in particular, can be remarkably consistent. On the other hand, electric kilns only supply one thing: heat. They don’t supply a reduction atmosphere, vapors, fumes, fly ash or any of the other things that can tend to result in beautiful surfaces in a fuel-fired kiln. So how do we create beautiful surfaces in an electric kiln when all of these aspects are missing? The secret is to think like an artist.
That said, these pots can tend to have sameness about them, with most of the colors being in the warm end of the color spectrum. You won’t tend to see many bright, cool colors from a wood-fired kiln, for instance. On the other hand, this is one area in which electric kilns can truly shine. Electric kilns may not easily produce the rich variety of warm tones that can come from a soda firing, but they can produce a range of colors that would be nearly impossible in an atmospheric kiln.
In all the years that I’ve been in art schools, I’ve never heard a painter say “I’m going to put my canvas in that box over the weekend. I sure hope it’s beautiful when I come back on Monday”. The very idea is ludicrous. The painter knows that the only way she will find magic on the surface of the canvas is if she puts it there. Similarly, the secret to getting beautiful surfaces out of an electric kiln is to thoughtfully
consider all aspects of the surface and apply the right things in a thoughtful way before you put that pot into the kiln. How? As it happens, there’s a wide range of strategies and approaches that work very well, and they can be used in fuel-fired kilns, not just electric. First, always consider the surface of the clay itself. There is no such thing as a lack of surface: every pot has a surface, and that surface has things to say. It may simply be what was left over from the processes used to fabricate the pot, which may be a combination of finger marks, rib marks, trimming, and joining. Each of these tells a story about the forming of the pot, and each can be interesting. However, a story told purposely is generally more interesting than one that occurs without thought, so the first step may be to simply look at the surface and think about what you’ve left there. The surface of the clay should be consciously considered and addressed. Sometimes it’s just a small step from leaving a surface to making a surface, but it’s a very important step. A second thing you can do is look very closely at the glazes you’re already using and see what information those can provide you. Remember that you are never looking at just a glaze: you’re looking at the glaze as well as the glaze’s interaction with
Perspectives I As Far As I Know
Teapot by Pete Pinnell. Wheel-thrown and altered stoneware with weathered bronze glaze, fired in an electric kiln to cone 6.
A third thing you can do is apply the glaze in the way that shows it at its best. If the glaze looks best when applied very evenly (like a celadon, for instance) then you many need
to mix a larger batch of the glaze so your pot can be glazed by dipping. If droplets of the glaze look best then you might want to experiment with dripping the glaze on or even flinging it on in handfuls. Remember: the best way to apply a glaze is in the way that gives the best result. Sometimes the secret to glaze application may be more subtle. At an earlier time in my career I used a lot of cone 10 reduction copper red glazes, which tend to be quite runny. Despite their tendency to run, I wanted to apply these glazes all the way down to the foot so that I wouldn’t have a white foot showing below the red glaze. After
a lot of testing, I found that the best way was to dip the pot while holding it straight upside down. That way, the top entered the bucket of glaze first and departed it last, resulting in an application of glaze that was thickest at the top of the pot and thinnest at the bottom. During the firing, the glaze would move downward, resulting in a fired glaze that appeared to be all the same thickness. When I got it just right, the glaze would cover all but the bottom eighth of an inch, yet (most of the time) not run off the pot. Speaking of glaze thickness, the application of glaze also plays a
CLAYTIMES·COM n 20TH ANNIVERSARY • AUTUMN / WINTER 2015
the surface of the pot underneath the glaze. A closer look will often reveal that the glaze looks best over certain parts of the pot. What were those? It may be where the glaze breaks over an edge, pools in a depression, thins out over a bulge, or collects in a droplet. Whatever it is, finding the spot where the glaze looks best will provide you with some clues as to how to treat the surface of the clay as well as how to best apply the glaze.
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Perspectives I As Far As I Know CLAYTIMES·COM n 20TH ANNIVERSARY • AUTUMN / WINTER 2015
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Developing Rich Electric Kiln Surfaces (continued from previous page) strong role in the fired quality of the glaze. A thicker application may be better, or even a lot better, than a thinner one. Some glazes can be quite magical when they are applied very thickly. How thick is too thick? In all truth, you’ll never know until you try it. I like to make tea bowls for this kind of testing, since they can be quickly thrown and can fit into a blender for dipping the test glaze. Leave about two inches of bare clay at the bottom of each piece and dip the teabowl upside down so it is thickest at the top. Fire the pieces on a ruined shelf or on a piece of a ruined shelf, in case the glaze runs or drips. It’s not unusual for a glaze to crack (like a mud puddle) when it is applied in a very thick coating, and that cracking can sometimes cause crawling. In that case, begin by asking yourself if the crawling looks good — sometimes glaze “flaws” can be pretty nice. If not, then try applying your glaze in layers, allowing it to partially dry between layers. A trick I use is to force dry the piece in a microwave oven that I have in my studio: a couple of minutes on high (followed by a brief cooling) will often get the piece dry enough to apply another layer (warning: don’t do this if you’ve applied wax as it may trap the steam and cause the piece to blow up. I don’t use wax on pots that I’m going to microwave and I’ve never had one blow up). Another trick for layering is to add a very small amount (perhaps a quarter of a percent) of CMC (sodium carboxymethyl cellulose) to the glaze. CMC is an organic gum that acts like glue for the applied glaze. With CMC, a second layer of glaze can be added to the pot without it lifting the first layer of glaze off the bisque. The secret to CMC is to use no more than you absolutely must. Too much CMC will seal the surface of the bisque (as the glaze is
applied), resulting in a dipped glaze that remains wet on the surface of the piece, rather than quickly drying as the water is drawn from the glaze and into the bisque ware. Besides applying the glaze more thickly, you can adjust the cooling profile of the firing to help make the glaze more visually varied and interesting. This is definitely one of the best ways for getting richer glazes from an electric kiln. The glazes in fuel-fired kilns are often richer because the kiln has thicker walls and heavier refractories, so cooling occurs much more slowly than in a small, thin-walled electric kiln. However, it’s easy to fire down an electric kiln, either manually (in a kiln with switches) or automatically in a computer-operated kiln. Most of the characteristics that we describe as “richness” or “complexity” in a fired glaze are actually formed in the still-liquid glaze during the cooling cycle. If the glaze cools too quickly then there isn’t sufficient time for these changes to occur and the glaze can appear bland. During the cooling, glazes can form a wide range of microscopic crystals that result in matte surfaces, visual textures, and changes in color. There are even some beautiful affects that are the result of the separation of two different liquid glasses (imagine the separation of oil and vinegar in a salad dressing). These changes occur during the first few hundred degrees of cooling, while the glaze is still soft enough for its constituents to reform into new structures. In a low-fire kiln (cone 04), the changes tend to occur between about 1940°F (the approximate temperature of cone 04) and 1400°F. In a medium range (cone 6) firing, most of the changes occur between 2000°F and 1600°F. I first started doing this to my lowfire pots in the early ’90s, long before
I owned a computer-operated kiln. Once the kiln setter tripped I lifted the tab and pressed the button to restart the kiln. I then turned the three kiln switches to low and let it fire an additional two hours. A low setting wasn’t enough power to keep the kiln from cooling — it simply slowed it down. That change alone made the surfaces far richer. In a computer-operated kiln you can simply program an additional cooling ramp, or you can choose a temperature within these ranges and program the kiln to hold that temperature for a period of time. Choosing a different temperature for that hold can result in very different glaze qualities. It’s not at all unusual to hold a glaze for one to three hours. Like thickness, you never know what too much is until you’ve seen it. Not all glazes are improved by slow cooling or a long hold, so you’ll always need to test before instituting a wholesale change in your practices. A very long hold — or a hold at too high a temperature — may cause a matt glaze to become too rough or abrasive. On the other hand, a hold at too low a temperature may do little or nothing. Like glaze thickness, the best results will come from testing and experience. In the next issue I’ll continue this subject and provide you with additional opportunities for achieving rich and beautiful surfaces from an electric kiln. As always, you can reach me via e-mail at ppinnell1@ unl.edu. [ Peter Pinnell is Hixson-Lied Professor of Art at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln. E-mail him at ppinnell1@unl.edu or contact him via his Facebook page at www.facebook.com.
an interview series by LANA WILSON Chandra DeBuse was full of spunk and originality at a recent Handbuilding Conference organized by Sandi Pierantozzi to benefit CERF+ (Craft Emergency Relief Fund). I was curious about her early aesthetic influences. Lana Wilson: When did you first get into clay?
Perspectives I Beneath the Surface
Handbuilding with Chandra DeBuse
Chandra DeBuse: I tried loving clay, very briefly, during undergraduate school. Although I enjoyed making the messes, I did not have the maturity or discipline to stick with it. I was happy to escape that class with a B-minus! Fast forward a few years — I was working a stressful overnight job in human services and I needed a creative outlet. The community clay studio was a perfect fit. I could not get enough! Wilson: Did you grow up with an awareness of art by going to museums or doing art?
Above (front) and below (back): Squirrel Platter by Chandra DeBuse. To see the illustrated step-by-step process she used to make it, tune into Part 2 of this series, in our next issue of CT.
Wilson: Are there any other artists in your family? DeBuse: My dad was an amateur photographer who would set up a darkroom in the bathroom. My mom was — and still is — interested in stained glass. I grew up in a DIY era, so one of my parents or my sister or I could always be found at
continued on next page
CLAYTIMES·COM n 20TH ANNIVERSARY • AUTUMN / WINTER 2015
DeBuse: Absolutely; despite growing up in very small rural town where cultural events were limited. My parents were both teachers with summers off, so we would load up the van and head across the country for a few weeks each year. They recognized that I loved to draw and make things, and they made sure we visited plenty of museums along the way.
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Perspectives I Beneath the Surface
Handbuilding with Chandra DeBuse (continued from previous page) the kitchen table with some craft project: wheat weaving, sewing clothes, rug-hooking, embroidery, or macramé. Creative expression was important in our family, but I don’t think I ever heard anyone label themselves as artists.
DeBuse: I have been working in clay for 16 years and started really figuring things out about five years ago when I was 2/3 finished with graduate school. I was on the verge of panic because I didn’t have a clear direction for my thesis project.
Wilson: Did you come to your current style of work early or did you have to go through various “periods” in your work to come to what you are making now?
Like most college campuses, the University of Florida is overflowing with squirrels. I had been thinking about a squirrel as a metaphor for chasing a goal and I began drawing cartoon squirrels in hot pursuit all over my pots. The project for my thesis show ended up being a playful installation of pottery forms that told a sequential story of achievement through the eyes of a squirrel.
DeBuse: Right from the start I was drawn to the vessel. Making functional pieces made the most sense to me and I have never seriously explored sculptural ceramics. I did go through a phase of making gestural teapots and vases that were raku-fired.
CLAYTIMES·COM n 20TH ANNIVERSARY • AUTUMN / WINTER 2015
Wilson: How long did it take you to find “your voice?”
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The work I am making now is an offshoot from that core idea. Although I use a variety of characters and looser narratives,
I am still telling playful stories of determination, desire, and achievement. Wilson: In a kiln load what percentage of “failures” do you have? How do you handle failures? DeBuse: Failure just means I am trying new things and pushing beyond my comfort zone, right? Recently, I had the luxury to play with a new red clay body. My failure rate in that load was about 60%, but I was excited about every single piece. With my current white claybody, I have tweaked my firing schedule and I try to minimize variables to get the maximum success rate from the kiln. Cups have been a reliable form, and I make sure I have around 20 cups in every firing. I experiment a lot with the surfaces of my cups, trying out new surface compositions or new characters and
Wilson: Do you think you are more interested in form or surface or equally interested in both? DeBuse: Above all, forms have to be strong. It’s really disappointing to see great surfaces on weak or poorly crafted forms. Because I’m exploring narrative and pattern through surface illustration, it’s the first thing people respond to, but it’s only the first step in understanding an object. Hopefully there will be a time, during use, when the surface takes a backseat to form and function. Getting form and surface to play nicely together is an ongoing challenge. Wilson: How do you evaluate your work, and what sort of questions do you ask yourself as you look at your work? DeBuse: Using my own cups, bowls, plates, and jars provides many opportunities for evaluation. I’ve made changes to handles, weights, depths, and glaze surfaces after using my pieces or seeing them in use.
When I first started participating in online national cup shows, I had not considered how the composition of the surface narrative would be read in one image. I made some changes to my work based on how
— Chandra DeBuse
the photographs looked in that first show. Cups are best staged for photographs with the contour of the handle clearly visible from the side. Previously, when I was illustrating a narrative on a cup, I would wrap the image around the entire exterior, including the bottom. Sometimes the most important part of the story could only be seen by viewing the cup at a strange angle. Now, I try to consider how the piece will be photographed when I’m composing the surface. It’s still important to me that the entire 360 degrees of the object be considered, but my compositions have become more “frontal” and easier to read through a photo. Seeing a large grouping of my work displayed at a show or gallery provides another opportunity to evaluate. Each of my pieces has a lot going on! I’m always reminded of ways to make the work look better in a grouping by leaving more quiet space and larger fields of color in select areas on individual pieces, without sacrificing the individual personality that each piece has. Wilson: How do you go about growing with your work or changing it? DeBuse: I sketch and draw actively and think about narratives I want to explore through my work. I have a lot of ideas and am easily seduced by novelty, so working completely through an idea is more of a challenge for me than changing techniques or clay bodies or glaze palettes. Wilson: What are your glaze formulas and color formulas? Do you use some commercial products?
DeBuse: My go-to base glaze is “EM Satin”. It takes color well and fits both my white and red clay bodies. I like how the surface changes from satin to glossier, depending on how quickly the kiln cools. [Turn to “Great Glazes” on p. 28 of this issue for the EM Satin formula.] Amaco Velvet Underglazes have been a studio staple for me. I especially like Chartreuse, Velour Black, and Radiant Red. I use these, along with Mayco Squash Yellow Underglaze, all over the surfaces of my work, including the bottoms of my pieces because they won’t flux out and stick to the kiln shelf at cone 6. I also love Stroke-and-Coats by Mayco for pops of intense color. I have been really enjoying Cutie Pie Coral and Orange-A-Peel lately. I water down the commercial products and use them more like watercolor washes to fill in the lines of my drawings. Wilson: My final question: what is wheat weaving? DeBuse: “Wheat weaving” is one of the “straw arts” that celebrate the harvest. The straw arts range from functional woven hats and baskets to cornhusk dolls to decorative braided strands of wheat, woven into small sculptures that hang on the wall or are placed in a shadow box. It is a crunchy craft that was very popular in the late ’70s and early ’80s in the rural midwest.[ Tune in to our next Clay Times issue for an illustrated, step-by-step look at Chandra's creative process. Columnist Lana Wilson may be reached at lana@lanawilson.com. Lana’s Website for workshop information and images is www.lanawilson.com.
CLAYTIMES·COM n 20TH ANNIVERSARY • AUTUMN / WINTER 2015
Photographing the work provides another level of evaluation. Because most people will see images of my pots before ever seeing them in person, it’s important that they photograph well. Sometimes I’ll take a photo of a piece in the leather hard stage and study the photo before I decide how I’ll approach surface. Sketching works the same way. Sometimes figuring out composition on a two-dimensional rendering provides a clearer understanding of the three-dimensional object. It can be less overwhelming.
“Failure just means I am trying new things and pushing beyond my comfort zone, right?”
Perspectives I Beneath the Surface
narratives. I am not always thrilled with the decisions I’ve made, but I can usually learn from my mistakes.
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Cascading. 14" x 8½" x 8½". Porcelain fired to cone 6 ox./electric. Chris Lively, Blacksburg, VA.
2015 Strictly Functional Pottery National
Pumkinned Ewer. 8" x 6½" x 4½". Dirty porcelain fired to cone 10 in reduction by Tina Gebhart, Gettysburg, PA.
For the 23rd consecutive year, the event showcased and celebrated the utilitarian aspect of claywork, with
the criteria that entries must be designed for purposeful use as well as aesthetic appeal. Best of Show was awarded to Matthew McGovern for his fluted white Vase [cover inset image of this CT issue]. Second Place went to Doris FischerColbrie for her Flax in Winter plate [pictured on p. 27]. All in all, a total of 110 works were selected to appear in this year’s exhibition and sale.
Although the live show has ended and most of the pieces were sold to the public, images of the works and info. on their makers may be viewed online at http://www.strictlyfunctional pottery.net/sfpn2015.html Additional inspiring print images of works from SFPN 2015 appear on this CT issue’s table of contents pages 5-6, plus pages 24, 26, and 27. To learn more about the show, contact codirectors Amy Burk at 717.490.6144 or Kevin Lehman at 717.509.7547, or email kevin@klpottery.com
CLAYTIMES·COM n 20TH ANNIVERSARY • AUTUMN / WINTER 2015
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uror Matt Long, Associate Professor of Art and Graduate Coordinator for the Department of Art at the University of Mississippi, selected the featured works for this year’s Strictly Functional Pottery National show and sale. The exhibition, presented by the Market House Craft Center, took place Sept. 25-Oct. 31 at Kevin Lehman’s Pottery in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
Table Place Setting. 5" x 8" x 8". Porcelain gas-fired to cone 10 in reduction by Carol Hurwitch of Adelphi, MD.
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2015 Strictly Functional Show & Sale (from previous page)
Small Plate with Arrows, ½" x 6" x 6". Screen-printed porcelain fired to cone 10 in reduction by Megan Mitchell, Gilmanton, NH.
CLAYTIMES·COM n 20TH ANNIVERSARY • AUTUMN / WINTER 2015
Text Vase with Red, 15" x 6" x 6". Stoneware wood-fired to cone 12 by Maureen Mills of Portsmouth, NH.
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Carbon Trap Shino Bottle, 7" x 4" x 4". Grolleg porcelain gas-fired to cone 10 in reduction by Greg Jahn & Nancy Halter of Billings, MT. Mug, 4" x 4" x 3". Porcelain fired to cone 10 in reduction by Noel Bailey, Waitsfield, VT.
Flax in Winter, 3" x 19" x 19". Stoneware gas-fired to cone 10 in reduction by Doris Fischer-Colbrie. Second Place Award winner in this year’s Strictly Functional Pottery National show and sale. [ 27
Great Glazes EM Satin Glaze (Cone 6 ox.) by Eric Mirabito furnished by Chandra DeBuse (more about Chandra on p. 21-23) Silica 20% Nepheline Syenite 20 Whiting 20 EPK 20 Frit 3124 20 TOTAL 100% add: Bentonite
2%
for color, add your choice: Mason Stain 4% to 7% For more great glaze recipes, order the “Great Glazes 1 & 2” collection of over 100 glaze formulas! Available from the online store at www.claytimes.com/store.html
Spectrum Glazes CLAYTIMES·COM n 20TH ANNIVERSARY • AUTUMN / WINTER 2015
Introduces three new lead-free metallic finishes for Cone 5; Gold, Gold Rain, and Mirror. In addition to our popular Pewter and Oil Spot, we think you’ll be impressed by the newest metallic additions to our Stoneware Glaze line when you give them a try.
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BY MONONA ROSSOL
T
alc is a natural mineral that has been mined and used for centuries as a cosmetic and personal hygiene product. It is also a common clay and glaze ingredient. Unfortunately, This mineral is one that could be contaminated with asbestos. The industrial and ceramic talcs mined in upstate New York by RT Vanderbilt are those most associated with this hazard. The Mines are Closed We probably do not have to worry much about exposure to New York talc. RT Vanderbilt Company closed these mines in 2009. Today, I only find their products such as NYTAL 100 or Ceramitalc when there are old supplies in storage room or bins in potteries or schools.
The story you have heard about the talc probably stops there. However, because the latency period for developing mesothelioma is roughy 20 to 40 years, this problem is not going away anytime soon. It is only fair that you know that there
Seven More Cases The two jury verdicts were delivered in 2006 and 2007 and the second was upheld on appeal in 2009. Since that time, I know of no other lawsuit in which Vanderbilt has been before a jury. But I have now been retained in seven more lawsuits — ones I can’t tell you about. I have been advised that when cases like these settle, there are confidentiality agreements involved. But without these stories, how can I convince ceramic artists and teachers that they are at risk? How can I alert those who still have old stocks of this talc in their studios? I consulted my lawyer and lawyers for some of the plaintiffs in the mesothelioma lawsuits about what I am allowed to say. The consensus is that I can divulge how many cases I’ve been retained in and some basic information about the activity that exposed the plaintiffs to the dust. I can say that these people include an artist, ceramics teachers at levels from children’s classes to college, and people who did crafting or teaching at home. In these cases, RT Vanderbilt is or was (some have settled) one of the defendants. Ten Cases in Total These seven cases plus the two jury trials makes nine. But there is another that I can write about. In 1980, I interviewed my very first
mesothelioma victim. She was a doctor’s wife who had a small ceramic doll business in Port Ewan, New York. She used talc-containing slips and died of mesothelioma at age 54 in August of 1981. I wrote a short obituary for her in a newsletter called Art Hazards News. This means there are ten cases of mesothelioma in people exposed to RT Vanderbilt talc of which I am personally aware. Other Talcs Is upstate New York talc the only one containing asbestos? Clearly it is not. Research shows that there are other talc deposits in which asbestos is a contaminant, and one of these studies was on cosmetic talcs: Asbestos in commercial cosmetic talcum powder as a cause of mesothelioma in women, Ronald E. Gordon;* Sean Fitzgerald;* James Millette,* International Journal of Occupational and Environmental Health, Volume 20, Issue 4 (October 2014), pp. 318-332 Cosmetic talcum powder is known to cause lung fibrosis and has been suggested as a causative factor in development of ovarian carcinomas, gynecological tumors and mesothelioma. This study was designed to fill in the gaps in the data connecting talc to mesothelioma. But there are two important issues in the study for ceramicists. 1. The identification of the asbestos in talc is shown to require expensive and difficult tests.** I don’t know if these tests have been done on the continued on next page
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The New York mines were closed shortly after juries in two separate lawsuits decided that deaths from the asbestos-related disease, mesothelioma, resulted from exposure to the talc. The Plaintiffs in the first trial were the family of a man who was a potter at the time he was exposed to the talc (I was one of the expert witnesses in this suit). The other was a woman tile-maker. [See the July/August 2008 issue of Clay Times for a complete description of these trials.]
are several more such cases of mesothelioma.
Studio I Health & Safety
Should We Be Using Talc-Free Clay?
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Studio I Health & Safety
register today to join
Tom & Elaine Coleman guest presenters at
2. The study identified three different contaminated mines used to make the talcum powder.
February 3-6, 2016
“... The talc used by this cosmetic company that manufactured and distributed the talcum powder was from three distinct regions: the Willow Creek mine in Southwest Montana, the Regal mine near Murphy, North Carolina, and imported talc from the Val Chisone region of the Italian Piedmont ... These three mines all contained asbestos fibers; anthophyllite, and tremolite.” - pp. 318-319
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ceramic talcs on the market now.
Gulf Coast Clay Conference
ATTENTION Clay Times Print Subscribers:
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Talc (continued from previous page)
Which other talc mines might also be contaminated with asbestos? I really don’t know. I do know that RT Vanderbilt representatives said their talc was asbestos-free for over 50 years, and still say so. Yet, since 1980, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has consistently said that RT Vanderbilt talc does contain asbestos. The cosmetic talc suppliers also say their talc is asbestos-free, and there are mineralogists who will testify in court both for and against the premise that there is asbestos in various talcs. In fact, the two juries in the 2 2/4/14 6:57 PM Vanderbilt trials were not asked to answer the technical question about whether the long, thin mineral structures in the talc met the mineralogist’s definition of asbestos. They were only asked to look at all the evidence from the studies of Vanderbilt miners and millers, the animal tests, and other data to decide whether or not the talc causes asbestos-diseases like mesothelioma. In both cases, they agreed that it did beyond a reasonable doubt.
What Should We Do Now? I suggest when the issue is this serious and there are opinions on both sides, that we err on the side of caution — especially if we teach young people or children who can’t be expected to make an informed decision about whether or not to take this risk. Fortunately, all of the major ceramic suppliers offer talc-free clays. There are many talcfree clay body and glaze recipes to choose from, too. Footnotes: * Gordon works in the Department of Pathology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York. Fitzgerald is with SAI Laboratory, Greensboro, NC, USA and Millette is with MVA Inc., Duluth, GA. Their study was paid for in part by lawyers for asbestos plaintiffs but no funds were provided for writing the manuscript. The laboratories doing the analyses are available for hire by both defense and plaintiff clients.
** The asbestos was identified using transmission electron microscope (TEM) formvarcoated grids to determine the concentrations of one brand of talcum powder directly, on filters, from air collections on filters in glovebox and simulated bathroom exposures and human fiber burden analyses. The grids were analyzed on an analytic TEM using energydispersive spectrometer (EDS) and selected-area electron diffraction (SAED) to determine asbestos fiber number and type. [ Monona Rossol is an industrial hygienist/chemist with an M.F.A. in ceramics/glass. E-mail her at: ACTSNYC@cs.com
Making a Ceramic Baker’s Muffin Pan
teXt & Photos by bill Van Gilder
ways; sift, screen, mix, or blend. We then form something with the mix, sometimes kneading it first. Next, we might glaze or decorate it, then finally bake or fire it. One we will eat; the other we’ll eat from. Food and clay are like brothers and sisters: each emerges from similar making methods, but manifests with very different end results.”
Fig. 1
D
Necessary Supplies
Optional: • • • • •
8-oz. piece of clay [support for pointer] a pointed chop stick a texture tool an edge-rounding tool round cookie cutters
The Project Making a muffin pan involves a bit of repetition throwing, and some handbuilding and assembly … nothing too challenging, but the end result is seldom seen and always gets a ‘That’s so cool!’ reaction. That reaction makes the project not only useful but very marketable, if that’s where your interest lies. Your students can partner up for the making of their pans with one doing the throwing while the other prepares the hand-built parts. Our claywork is often a solo event, so creating partnerships to get things done gets everyone involved, no matter what their skill level. With your class, clay, tools, and a small erasable board at your wheel, share these two thoughts with your class: “There are lots of similarities between making pots by hand and baking food. Both start with a recipe of some sort, which tells us what materials we’ll be using. We weigh or measure the materials, then combine them in similar
Then talk about the techniques of making multiples of similar pots; “Once you’ve established in ‘your mind’s eye what you’re going to throw, use the first pot to establish the details: the height and width, both top and bottom; the shape of the rim; and the pot’s overall form. So, make your first pot and use your ruler and other tools to establish its size and shape.” It typically takes making a couple of cups before the proportions and measurements are completely sorted out and a rhythm of making is established. Here’s a tip that I think I’ve talked about in a previous CT column; “To make pots that look alike — and that’s the goal when making your muffin cups — start by using the same quality and weights of clay. Then use the same tools, in the same order, with the same hand motions. Note that if you vary one or more of these from pot to pot the end results will also vary.” At this point, pull up your small erasable board and diagram the project (Fig. 2). It’s important that students follow the measurements that you draw and describe. Why? Because a muffin recipe is measurement-specific, and we want to create cups that are sized to hold a complete recipe mixture: not too big and not too small. Students will need to refer to your board drawings to get the needed sizes as they move through the project.
CLAYTIMES·COM n 20TH ANNIVERSARY • AUTUMN / WINTER 2015 CLAYTIMES·COM n AUTUMN 2011
• (8) 10-oz. pieces of throwing clay [to make the cups] • (1) 4-lb. piece of clay [slab] • (1) 1-lb. piece of clay [trimming pad] • (1) 6-oz. piece of clay [for attachments] • water and a small sponge • a ruler • an undercut rib tool • a cut-off wire • a trimming tool • a piece of canvas • (2) small ware boards • a rolling pin and 2 sticks • a fettling knife • a short, ½"-diameter dowel
o you like to bake? Or do you have students who like to bake? If that’s the case, here’s a simple and very use-specific project to share with your class: making a baker’s muffin pan (Fig. 1).
In Form I Teaching Techniques
Pre-holiday Kitchen Project
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