[Clayart] Handmade

Sun Aug 7 13:45:58 UTC 2022

Actually I do give a damn and that post was a response to John Rogers. I think integrity and honesty in  craft is incredibly important if skills and respect for craftsmanship are to be maintained. Maybe time to bring back guilds. 

Back in the days when my wife and I did shows it was not uncommon to have a potter trying by careful misdirection to pass off molded ware as wheel thrown with pieces complete with throwing ridges    and even thumbprints. I have nothing against that type of work but I do not appreciate deliberate attempts at pretending the creative process was other than what it actually was. 

And next we will have 3D printed ceramics which offers amazing creative possibilities and which I suspect will make molded ware obsolete.

Paul 

Sent from my iPad

> On Aug 7, 2022, at 7:41 AM, David Woof <woofpots at hotmail.com> wrote:
> 
> Hi Paul,
> you may be the proverbial kid outside the candy store looking in and yelling that "you don't give a damn."
> 
> But yes, Paul, "you do give a damn" or you wouldn't bother to say that 'you don't give a damn.'
> 
> Taking liberty with the immortal words of the Bard: "perhaps the gentleman doth protest too much"
> 
> Oh Paul, Smile! you know you owe me one!
> 
> Love,
> David
> ________________________________
> From: Clayart <clayart-bounces at lists.clayartworld.com> on behalf of paul gerhold <gerholdclay at gmail.com>
> Sent: Saturday, August 6, 2022 12:28 PM
> To: Clayart international pottery discussion forum <clayart at lists.clayartworld.com>
> Subject: Re: [Clayart] Handmade
> 
> Lots of words to say " I don't give a damn"
> 
> Paul
> 
> Sent from my iPad
> 
>> On Aug 6, 2022, at 7:46 AM, John Rodgers <jrodgers113 at gmail.com> wrote:
>> 
>> Very interesting conversation here. But to quote Rhett Butler in Gone With
>> The Wind, I don't give a damn. Took me a  long while to arrive at this.
>> Fretted  about it a lot, finally arrived at the conclusion "I created it,
>> whatever it took, and if you, the customer, like it, here's my story about
>> its creation. Now buy it, take it home and enjoy it. Nuff said. I have quit
>> fretting myself over the debates that seem to go on forever. I have too
>> many pots and other things to create instead of  spending my energy
>> fretting over this. Show your customer your work, whatever it is. Talk to
>> them about it. Tell them about your clay journey. Get inside their head a
>> bit. Then they will be more likely to buy, and they will feel like they
>> have taken a piece of the artist home with them. Gives them something to
>> talk about with their friends, neighbors and relatives.
>> 
>> If anyone cares to look, Google for Southern Grace Gallery and check out
>> my "creations!'
>> 
>>>> On Fri, Aug 5, 2022 at 8:32 PM <vpitelka at dtccom.net> wrote:
>>> 
>>> Hi Lis -
>>> You didn't waste anyone's time, because this is a very important subject
>>> that NEEDS to be brought up again and again.  This group is constantly
>>> evolving and as Mel said, we have added a lot of new members.  It is
>>> important for them to be involved in these discussions or to at least read
>>> them.  If I were you, I would print some simple information about
>>> "handmade" that tactfully advises buyers to seek work that is truly
>>> handmade in order to support the continuity of handmade fine craft.
>>> - Vince
>>> 
>>> Vince Pitelka
>>> Potter, Writer, Teacher
>>> Chapel Hill, NC
>>> vpitelka at dtccom.net
>>> www.vincepitelka.com<http://www.vincepitelka.com>
>>> https://chathamartistsguild.org/
>>> 
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: Clayart <clayart-bounces at lists.clayartworld.com> On Behalf Of Lis
>>> Sent: Friday, August 5, 2022 2:55 PM
>>> To: kathi at lesueurclaywork.com; lis at pine-ridge.ca; Clayart international
>>> pottery discussion forum <clayart at lists.clayartworld.com>
>>> Subject: Re: [Clayart] Handmade
>>> 
>>> The reason I brought it up, not knowing that it had been answered about
>>> 2793 times already according to Mel, is that I find myself in a situation
>>> where such a potter was juried in, and is now charging very high prices for
>>> what I consider inferior work. Some customers think it must be better than
>>> mine, after all, it's more expensive. Sort of a double whammy for me!
>>> 
>>> Anyway, I guess there is no answer and I'm sorry to waste everyone's time.
>>> 
>>> Lis
>>> 
>>>> On 2022-08-05 3:23 p.m., kathi at lesueurclaywork.com wrote:
>>>> This is especially a problem at juried art fairs. Even if there is a
>>> potter on the jury they often have no idea of what is available to potters
>>> today. I was once on a jury where the other jurors were impressed with the
>>> artist’s decorating on pieces. I pointed out that the meticulous brush work
>>> they were seeing was actually commercially made decals that the potter just
>>> fired on the pots. What looks like unique glazing is just following
>>> instructions from the glaze manufacturer on which jarred glazes to combine
>>> for special looks. I once asked on another pottery forum why anyone would
>>> pay $290 for a five gallon bucket of shiny blue “dipping glaze” when that
>>> same bucket could be made with less than $20 in materials. Many, many
>>> potters today evidently have so much spare money that they have no interest
>>> in learning how to make glazes and will gladly pay $16 for an 8 ounce jar
>>> of glaze.
>>>> 
>>>> Kathi LeSueur
>>>> Sent from my iPad
>>>> 
>>>>> On Aug 5, 2022, at 11:52 AM, Lis <lis.allison at primus.ca> wrote:
>>>>> 
>>>>> Well, I certainly agree with what you wrote, David. What gets me these
>>> days is all the potters switching to underglaze transfers and calling their
>>> work hand made. I had someone come to my booth at a sale and ask me to make
>>> her a large number of a certain item, and to decorate them using the
>>> underglaze transfer she had purchased. Needless to say, I refused. My work
>>> is made by hand (your definition) and hand painted. If I wanted to
>>> machine-make pottery, I might as well go work in an office instead. At
>>> least then I'd make real money.
>>>>> 
>>>> 
>>> --
>>> www.pine-ridge.ca<http://www.pine-ridge.ca>
>>> Garden Blog: www.garden-on-the-ridge.blogspot.ca<http://www.garden-on-the-ridge.blogspot.ca>
>>> Pottery Blog: www.studio-on-the-ridge.blogspot.ca<http://www.studio-on-the-ridge.blogspot.ca>
>>> 
>>> 
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