[Clayart] sieve to perfection, or?

[mel jacobson]

when working with modern commercial glaze and clay materials
we must realize that things are realllly refined.  they are
sieved, tossed, washed to perfection in the processing. in most
cases industry demands it.

so, if you over refine, already refined materials...what do you
have?  boy, your pots look like they came from the POTTERY BARN...wow...
you have achieved nirvana.

we used to talk about the `hand marks` of the craftsman. the hand made jewelry
made from gold and silver, the samurai sword, made by hand...the wonderful
wooden table with marks of the maker obvious. and of course textiles and
quilts made by skilled women. a needle and thread, by hand. the hand made
wedding dress...makes one cry.
 it was the badge of courage.
IT IS WHAT SEPARATED JUNK FROM CLASS. folks paid a premium for that `hand
made` by a human.

is it a wonder that i insert various forms of iron oxide, beach sand and
taconite grindings to my clay and glaze. it is why i sieve only 30 mesh for my
high temp pots. i adore the natural look, the non-commercial look of
my work. i want it to be a a part of the natural world. it is why i will
always use a twisted wire to cut my pots from the wheel head...i leave my
hand marks...i never use sandpaper.

it is the reason i throw boxed de/aired clay in my walker pug mill.  all my
clay that i use comes from the walker altered. i hate the tight fit of the clay
after it is de/aired.

i swear to god, that if we do not look out, folks will order their pots
made in china, glazed and fired and you sign the bottom with a sharpie.
mel
we all should know why ron roy adored my very old korean bowl. it was
a bit crooked, it had the marks of the maker...decorated with a thick brush.
i know if you look close enough you could read the finger prints of
the maker a thousand years ago.
thrilling.


website: www.melpots.com