[Clayart] mels6 recipe/story

[Tig Dupré]

WAY back in the late 1960s, I was at the University of Florida, studying "Ceramics."  It was a wonderful program, with seminars and workshops put on by many of the established potters of the time.  Toshiko Takeizu, Peter Voulkos, Paul Soldner, Clayton Bailey, and many more came to amaze and inspire us with their talks and demonstrations.

I remember a seminar with Val Cushing, who asked that we make up a batch of clay according to his recipe, and let it age for a month before the seminar.  I don't have the exact recipe, but I remember Redart and Goldart being two of the ingredients in the mix.  Val asked for 1,000 pounds of pugged clay, so we (the senior students who were allowed use of the old Walker pug mill) made about 3,000 pounds--just for good measure, you understand.

Val threw some amazing forms, which we eventually fired and glazed (cone 10) with recipes we had gotten from him.  What to do with all that left over clay?  <<heh, heh, heh>>  The clay was ALIVE!  It was buttery smooth to the fingers, and wanted to be made into forms, which practically threw themselves, held their shapes, and made beautiful pieces.

I have often wondered since then if the recipe was the same as the Mackenzie recipe Mel has mentioned, or some variation on it.

Mel, you've inspired me to mix up a batch of mel6!

Stay muddy,

Tig Dupre
in dry, smoky, dusty Port Orchard, WA

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