Alfred University Summer Ceramics, Monday July 10th
Visiting artist, Lisa Orr presented the morning demo. She has a free-flowing style that includes the liberal use of bright colors. She’s profoundly influenced by Mexican art, having grown up near San Antonio, two hours from the Mexican border.
It was fun to watch Lisa throw, for she purposefully does not center the clay, plus she uses a treadle wheel. The rhythmic spinning of the treadle wheel, powered by the potter’s foot, gives the work an ebb and flow “feeling of hand.” She places the clay on the wheel, not as a lump, but in pieces — first the base, then, using a coil of clay, the sides — all the while spinning the wheel with the treadle. She also likes to put holes in her work, small enough to eventually fill with glaze, which allow colored light into the already brightly colored object. She says she feels a tingling in her gut when she sees (1) bright colors or (2) low relief. Thus her work is a colorful modern narrative inspired by the low relief of Roman and Ancient Grecian art. She imparts texture and low relief to her work through the use of clay molds and the addition of sprigs (small, separately molded designs) and then decorates with abandon, using brightly colored low-fire colored slips and glazes. She often uses colorful fruit to display her work — to emphasize the ware’s function.
Back in the studio, I had to remove glaze from three of the pots I glazed yesterday, as the glaze was took thick and had begun to crack and flake off. I dried the wet bowls in the sun, then re-glazed them for the wood kiln, which was loading in the afternoon. It took a crew of students all day to clean out the wood kiln from the last firing and load the kiln. It was all organized and directed by In-Chin, as much of the kiln contained his pots. Loading the three-chamber kiln is like solving a 3-D jigsaw puzzle, the video clip below gives a glimpse into the process.
This is “day 2” of the MostArts music festival; each day features a free chamber music concert at noon. It has become difficult to decide between art and music — particularly as Friday is our last bisque firing. But this year, unlike previous years, I decided to enjoy the music at the expense of making fewer pots.
In the afternoon I threw eight 2.5-lb plates. I used “Julia’s method;” Julia is the potter next to me, who told me to assume that each throw is a practice that I will eventually cut in half, examine, and remove, before beginning afresh with the next lump. This tricks your mind into approaching the craft with abandon, often with better results. None of the plates were exactly perfectly centered, but In-Chin was right, absolute perfection is not necessary as the piece can be encouraged somewhat back to center during later stages. Plus it’s pleasing to have the “feeling of hand.” My first attempt had to be cut, examined, and removed, but the next seven were “keepers.” By then the first lump had dried enough that I could throw it again, yielding eight plates in total. I was pleased to see that the plates became wider, with a smoother bowl shape, with each successive throw.
John Gill introduced the afternoon lecturer, Lisa Orr, by reminding us of the story of Frankenstein. “‘Frankenstein’ was created by a scientist and was not loved, so he became a monster. He kept seeking his maker; needing love, but not receiving it, he became even more of a monster.” He then went on to say, “Lisa loves her work; celebrates it. The Monster is indeed the love of her life. …. So, if you are a scientist, believe in your product, don’t make it a monster; love it!”
And, finally, Monday’s evening orchestra concert: Felix Mendelssohn — The Hebrides, “Fingal’s Cave“; Dmitri Shostakovich — Concerto No. 1 for Piano & Orchestra performed by the Angelin Chang; and Georges Bizet — Symphony No. 1 in C Major. The concert was simply spectacular!
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