About.com Pottery

American Craft Council Moving

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 11:07:17 +0000

The American Craft Council is moving from New York City to Minneapolis, Minnesota. Hopefully, its new office will be open in July 2010.

This should be a good fit for the Council. Minneapolis-St. Paul is home to the third-largest number of museums in the US. The region also has quite a few very active studio craft communities.

Part of the American Craft Council's goals is to "connect the converging worlds of craft, design, art, fashion, architecture and industry." It is my own personal hope that this move will help the Council to reach and integrate even better with the average craftsman-artist.

I believe the life-blood of what makes studio crafts so important and special is the experience of an individual working closely with their craft medium....like those of us who play with clay. I think those who then own and use our crafted objects carry a bit of us with them in that object...our experience and our expressions.

But then, I am somewhat opinionated. What are your thoughts?

American Craft Council Moving originally appeared on About.com Pottery on Saturday, November 7th, 2009 at 11:07:17.

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Call for Footed Pots!

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 09:04:19 +0000

Wow! The first week in November is nearly gone. Why is that important? That means it is time for the Footed Pottery Project!

Send me your footed pot photos, please! They can be bare feet, feet that look like sneakers, animal paws, stubby tree limbs, smooth circular rings, or whatever type of feet fits your footed fancy.

Happy Potting!

Call for Footed Pots! originally appeared on About.com Pottery on Friday, November 6th, 2009 at 09:04:19.

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Porcelain for the People

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 08:55:39 +0000

You have to love a clay body that is named "Porcelain for the People"...or at least look twice. Especially when the label has a Mad Potter-George Ohr lookalike staring fiercely over the heads of Chinese pottery militants (Do you remember your porcelain history?) bearing a banner with the clay's name.

Ok. We have established that Matt, Dave, and Bill (of Matt and Dave's Clays LLC) have a sense of humor. But can they make good clay?

These guys know the science, no doubt about it. And the porcelain they sent me to try out shows that science makes pretty phenomenal clay, too. Check out my Porcelain for the People review for the full scoop.

Porcelain for the People originally appeared on About.com Pottery on Friday, November 6th, 2009 at 08:55:39.

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WW - Pottery Whoops!

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 01:59:20 +0000

Photo � 2009 Beth E Peterson

I cut myself while using this razor-sharp pottery knife to open the bottoms of some thrown components to a sculptural piece. I knew something was wrong when I saw red in the white clay body! The good news? I was prepared with adhesive bandages and antiseptic ointment right there.

It was a good reminder though....Pottery demands we be conscious of safety practices and first aid, especially when using sharp knives.

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WW - Pottery Whoops! originally appeared on About.com Pottery on Wednesday, November 4th, 2009 at 01:59:20.

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Pottery Dancer

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 06:05:56 +0000

I have loved the graceful pottery dancers that the ancient Chinese potters created for a long time. The ones I love the most are so fluid, you can nearly see them move and hear the music playing. (They were made by pulling the clay to create arms and draperies, just as we pull handles now.)

Imagine how interested I was, then, to read that a Han Dynasty dancer was expected to bring $6,000 - $8,000 USD at auction on November 1st. I don't know how much it actually sold for, but I have to admit... I don't think this dancer is nearly in the class that many of the more fluid dancers are in.

Sculpturally speaking, the dancer at auction is static. The negative space is uninteresting, as well. If you were to create a dancer, what would you do differently?

Pottery Dancer originally appeared on About.com Pottery on Tuesday, November 3rd, 2009 at 06:05:56.

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Make a Photo Table?

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 16:21:23 +0000

You bet! I just discovered Miniatures Guide Lesley Shepherd's article, Make a Portable Photography Table! What a great way to get those pottery shots with ease!

Make a Photo Table? originally appeared on About.com Pottery on Monday, November 2nd, 2009 at 16:21:23.

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Photograph Your Pots!

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 13:57:35 +0000

Photographing pottery can be a real headache, especially when it comes to the glare that is all too easy to get with many glossy glazes. Having heard from several people that they wanted to know more about how to get good shots of their pots, I have written up an article on just that very thing!

How to Photograph Pottery will help guide you through the process: deciding what your purpose is, the equipment, how to light your pottery, and how to set up the shoot.

I take photos of my own pottery for personal reference, to share online with friends at the Pottery Forum, for stores, and for articles. Do you take photos of your pots, too? What do you use them for?

Photograph Your Pots! originally appeared on About.com Pottery on Monday, November 2nd, 2009 at 13:57:35.

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Submerged Pottery Resurfaces

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 06:08:15 +0000

What could be more cool than doing archeological pot-hunting? Doing underwater archeological pot-finding!

The site is Pavlopetri, a submerged city off the southern Laconia coast of Greece. At first, it was thought that the underwater ruins dated to about 2,000 years ago. Now, however, Neolithic pottery which has been discovered at the site has shoved that back... Archeologists now believe the city was established and thriving at least 5,000 years ago.

Dr Nic Flemming of the National Oceanography Centre, Southampton (UK) said, "What we've got here is something which is two or even three thousand years older than most of the submerged cities which have been studied, and it is uniquely complete." Intrigued? Check out the full story!

Submerged Pottery Resurfaces originally appeared on About.com Pottery on Thursday, October 29th, 2009 at 06:08:15.

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WW - Pottery Composites

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 10:43:32 +0000

Photo � 2009 Beth E Peterson

Sometimes we get too caught up in if a piece is thrown or hand built. Let's face it; clay allows us to break and seriously bend nearly as many classifications as we humans can come up with. This goblet is one such example. It has a thrown base and a pinch pot cup!

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WW - Pottery Composites originally appeared on About.com Pottery on Wednesday, October 28th, 2009 at 10:43:32.

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Clay, a Universal Connection

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 15:52:47 +0000

In looking at a couple of photos and paragraph about potters in the Pattani province of Thailand, it struck me. Clay is a universal connection.

Think about this for a moment. Oh, the words will change, but those of us who work with clay will always have a connection with everyone else who works with clay. This is true of potters working in distant lands as well as potters who worked in the distant past.

Pottery, of course, can also add new and exciting layers to your up-close and personal connections as well. For example, Amy and Ron Holland, who began potting together several years ago.

Get connected with other potters!

Clay, a Universal Connection originally appeared on About.com Pottery on Tuesday, October 27th, 2009 at 15:52:47.

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