Leslie Ihde on thu 6 jun 96
I got involved with clay because I enjoy throwing pots, but I feel I'm
neglecting other ways of working with clay. I've done some work with tile
and slabs. I've noticed some beautiful work in ceramics monthly from time
to time- large sculptural animals especially. These seem to be formed
from shaped slabs. Clayarters who work this way- what are your basic
techniques? Do you work with clay when it is leather hard and press it
into shape or do you form it by draping it on supporting forms? I'd love
to har peoples thoughts on hand build work.
Leslie
Vestal NY
dannon@ns1.koyote.com on thu 6 jun 96
>----------------------------Original message----------------------------
>I got involved with clay because I enjoy throwing pots,
I'd love
>to har peoples thoughts on hand build work.
>Leslie
>Vestal NY
>
>
Leslie,
The possibilities for handbuilt work are essentially endless. You can build
from not-quite-leather hard, or leather hard, or soft slab (coil,
combinations, et-endless-cetera). Drape molds, press molds.......
I do as much handbuilding as throwing, usually soft slab since I often want
a lot of texture on the outside of a vessel form and the forms I make are
organic as opposed to, say, geometric. Since I do want that, I must build
from the inside and avoid touching the outside. It is slow, I am
impatient...sometimes I throw the negative of the form I want, let it set up
to leather hard or so, use it to press the handbuilt form AGAINST, then
remove the thrown form and recycle that clay. Sounds a bit of trouble but
it is in fact very quick, and I get both the pleasure of throwing and the
satisfaction of random textures from the soft slab. And I like the surprise
of not knowing what the surface of the new piece looks like until I remove
the thrown form.
Sort of like making a crazy quilt with closed eyes......
On re-reading this, I'm not sure that it is helpful. Perhaps I only wanted
to say that possibilities are endless and it is necessary to try whatever
comes to mind until you find what works for you.
Dannon Rhudy
Nicole Lallande MIPANA INT'L on fri 7 jun 96
Leslie:
I personally love the infinite variety of things I can do with
handbuilding. You can never go wrong. Currently I am building a slab
sculpture of a child. I rolled out slabs and let them dry -- not quite to
leather hard -- but so that the clay lost some of its plasticity. Then it
is a combination of slabs and coils and frankly whatever works!
Throwing is a completely different experience for me, although I find that
centering a pot offers the same psychological diagnositcs as rolling coils
-- if I am not centered and balanced then the pots I throw are off center
and my coils are uneven.
Enjoy!
Nicole
***************************************
mipana@mipana.com
***************************************
Snail Scott on mon 11 nov 02
At 10:36 AM 11/11/02 -0700, you wrote:
>I've been told that a small coil should be placed along the inside of all
>seams after the slabs have been joined with the miters and slip. Is this
>necessary for a sturdy piece?
Not necessary, but helpful, and more
forgiving of an imperfect technique.
-Snail
Janet Moe / Paul Bailey on mon 11 nov 02
Most of my production work is slab built. I do not put a coil along the
inside seam except for the occasional shape - larger pieces where the
shape puts more stress on the corners. One thing that is very important
with handbuilt work is the type of clay you use. It makes a big
difference. If you are having difficulty with cracking try a different clay.
Janet, on Denman Island, British Columbia where it is no longer dry and
the cisterns are full!
Catherine White wrote:
>I've been told that a small coil should be placed along the inside of all
>seams after the slabs have been joined with the miters and slip. Is this
>necessary for a sturdy piece?
>
iandol on wed 13 nov 02
The notion of luting a small coil along a seam when hand building may, =
as Snail says, not be a necessity.
It does however, confer distinct mechanical advantages and it need not =
be an obtrusive feature. Carefully radiused fillets in corners act to =
redistribute stress over a greater area and therefore reduce the overall =
stress in a join. Sharp internal corners have always been know to act as =
stress raisers where crack may initiate. The small fillet helps overcome =
this problem.
By the way, in sealing in a thread of clay, take care not to cut a =
groove where the curve meets the flat. Introducing such a notch means =
you have a new stress raiser.
Best regards to all hand builders.
Ivor Lewis. Redhill, South Australia
Bobbruch1@AOL.COM on wed 13 nov 02
Date: Mon, 11 Nov 2002 22:34:55 -0800
From: Snail Scott
Subject: Re: Hand Building
At 10:36 AM 11/11/02 -0700, you wrote:
<<seams after the slabs have been joined with the miters and slip. Is this
necessary for a sturdy piece?
<<
-Snail
This also is the case if you are using a press mold.
Bob Bruch
Doric T. Jemison-Ball II on mon 17 jul 06
Dear Mel, and others discussing handbuilding rather than throwing:
I'm lefthanded and in the 60's when I started playing with clay, all the
folks who could teach me to throw were righthanded, so, I never learned much
beyond some rudimentary trimming and throwing crude spouts. That sort of
left handbuilding. For several years I worked with an excellent thrower,
Dennis Taniguchi. I hand built for him, he threw for me, until it got to the
point where we used to have to sit down and decide to whom each piece
belonged.
I've never experienced your problem with customers expecting thrown work and
ignoring hand built pieces. But then that may be because they have different
expectations of my work.
And don't underestimate what you can do handbuilding. I met a potter in
England in 1966 whose job was to hand build the industrial positive for a
commercial pottery firm. She was handbuilding [with tiny coils] a teapot to
standards so exacting they couldn't be met by throwing. Not my cup of tea,
but she was paid exceedingly well for it.
Whether you throw, handbuild, combine the two or come up with something
entirely different doesn't seem to be so important to me. It's whatever
works for you, and what the final piece turns out to be that counts.
P.S. I'm setting up my studio here in the scenic Mendocino coast in N.
California, and yes, I went and bought a wheel. I have given up on learning
Spanish before I die, but I will give learning how to throw a try; [mostly
because I can't find Dennis Taniguchi any more.]
Doric T.Jemison-Ball II
buffalo@bbs-la.com
"You can always cure the sausage that is too long." Susan Gatherers
mel jacobson on mon 17 jul 06
this entire thread has been lurking in the
back of my mind for some time.
as i have stated, a crazy need overwhelmed
me in the spring and i did \some combo pots
with thrown bases and hand/slammed/free form
tops.
of about 10 that i built, about 8 of them hit
the `dust bin`...with full force.
4 alone came from the wood fired kiln.
delam, cracks, bulges and crap glazes sort
of ended that saga.
just to be a dink, i ordered a small portable
slab roller. (i have a bigger one at the farm,
but it just makes me crazy to have it sitting in
a corner of my studio...taking up room.)
so, when the new roller arrives i am going to
take another stab at solving the problem i
started. i rather like the idea that is roaming
in my head, i just have to make it real with clay.
i will add a picture of one of the pieces that i
almost like to my website.
no need to critique or comment...just will
let you see the struggle.
and, it will let some of you know that i do not
spend every waking hour on a wheel.
i love to make paper stuffed slab bottles with thrown
tops. a great project for kids too.
sort of instant success.
the big problem with hand building is that my
customers will walk right past it...never see it.
they just want thrown bowls and teapots...and
a few plates. same old...not complaining, it is
just that it takes a very special pot to move their
heads from what they expect.
and, it always intrigues me when i am doing a big
double set of dishes...service for 14 doubled for
two customers....i don't want to do the fussy stuff.
i have one set done...with all the serving pieces...and
i really want to make something else. happens every time.
money in the bank, and i resist. i am doing a great deal
of repeat work, and sit at the wheel wondering when the
slab roller will get here. go figure.
the things that are worth sharing on clayart are the
struggles. the how each of us gets to the prize.
it is the only thing that we really know. it is the personal
saga of our clay work, and our experiences that help others.
if that seems to be a `bully system`, well so be it.
it is never intended.
and, a side note...stephanie stephenson is a dear friend.
we make jokes and laugh with each other all the time.
i know we let that spill to clayart, and sometimes folks
just `don't get it`. but a good laugh is my best friend.
just like telling stories...it is a thing i cannot help doing.
mel
from: mel/minnetonka.mn.usa
website: http://www.visi.com/~melpots/
Clayart page link: http://www.visi.com/~melpots/clayart.html
Hank Murrow on tue 18 jul 06
On Jul 18, 2006, at 3:47 PM, Doric T. Jemison-Ball II wrote:
> Whether you throw, handbuild, combine the two or come up with something
> entirely different doesn't seem to be so important to me. It's whatever
> works for you, and what the final piece turns out to be that counts.
>
> P.S. I'm setting up my studio here in the scenic Mendocino coast in N.
> California, and yes, I went and bought a wheel. I have given up on
> learning
> Spanish before I die, but I will give learning how to throw a try;
> [mostly
> because I can't find Dennis Taniguchi any more.]
Dear Doric;
I will be coming to Gualala CA(just south of Mendocino) to install my
portion of the show "Six Oregon Potters by the Sea" at the
Stewart-Kummer Gallery there. The opening is August 26th, and I hope to
meet you, if you can make it. I'll be showing my large tiles from the
"Migrations" series as well as lots of pots.
Cheers, Hank
www.murrow.biz/hank
Jeanie Silver on tue 18 jul 06
This handbuilding thread interests me greatly and I'd like to weigh in on
it.......
My work has been largely concerned with imagery and 3-D form.. Clary Illian
once critiqued my work as being'totally content-driven.' Though I bristled
at the time, I soon realized she was utterly right. And why not? Some of
the 'pure pottery' discussion on Clayart leaves me baffled. Where is the
concept lurking in the utilitarian/romance of potters with clay? I respect
it, engage in it, but do not want to be defined by it, or limited by its
organizing principles.
Which brings me to handbuilding. If you're looking for a bare,
thought-swept plain, on which you're willing to wrestle like Jacob with the
angel of your concept, Handbuilding is it. There is no 'organizing
princicle', such as the wheel offers, with its lure of radial symmetry.
There is just you, your concept, and the clay. In
handbuilding, everything depends on learning how your claybody behaves, on
making friends with gravity, on waiting for the clay to catch up, on
pinching your brain so that it will wake up to the ways that clay is
embodying your idea(sure to be previously unsuspected by you).
Handbuilding is less about a subtle dance of three graces(you, the clay and
physics) and more like a rich, bawdy conversation among three friends, each
with a secret agenda. You want a competent well-built form, the clay wants
to sag,split crackand be itself, and the idea, your insecure,brash, or
irrelevant, concept, is longing to have a material expression in the clay.
What will happen? I love a good wrestling match....
Jeanie in Pa.
Jody on tue 18 jul 06
Yea..........what u said, I'm a handbuilder and it's hard to convey to folks
what this is all about. So do u have a website would love to see your
stuff. jody
----- Original Message -----
From: "Jeanie Silver"
To:
Sent: Tuesday, July 18, 2006 12:24 PM
Subject: Re: hand building
> This handbuilding thread interests me greatly and I'd like to weigh in on
> it.......
> My work has been largely concerned with imagery and 3-D form.. Clary
> Illian
> once critiqued my work as being'totally content-driven.' Though I
> bristled
> at the time, I soon realized she was utterly right. And why not? Some of
> the 'pure pottery' discussion on Clayart leaves me baffled. Where is the
> concept lurking in the utilitarian/romance of potters with clay? I respect
> it, engage in it, but do not want to be defined by it, or limited by its
> organizing principles.
> Which brings me to handbuilding. If you're looking for a bare,
> thought-swept plain, on which you're willing to wrestle like Jacob with
> the
> angel of your concept, Handbuilding is it. There is no 'organizing
> princicle', such as the wheel offers, with its lure of radial symmetry.
> There is just you, your concept, and the clay. In
> handbuilding, everything depends on learning how your claybody behaves, on
> making friends with gravity, on waiting for the clay to catch up, on
> pinching your brain so that it will wake up to the ways that clay is
> embodying your idea(sure to be previously unsuspected by you).
> Handbuilding is less about a subtle dance of three graces(you, the clay
> and
> physics) and more like a rich, bawdy conversation among three friends,
> each
> with a secret agenda. You want a competent well-built form, the clay
> wants
> to sag,split crackand be itself, and the idea, your insecure,brash, or
> irrelevant, concept, is longing to have a material expression in the clay.
> What will happen? I love a good wrestling match....
> Jeanie in Pa.
>
> ______________________________________________________________________________
> Send postings to clayart@lsv.ceramics.org
>
> You may look at the archives for the list or change your subscription
> settings from http://www.ceramics.org/clayart/
>
> Moderator of the list is Mel Jacobson who may be reached at
> melpots@pclink.com.
>
Crista Nelson on thu 20 jul 06
Here is the link again, dont know why it didn't work, but I am sure this is
it:
_http://www.flickr.com/photos/clayart_ (http://www.flickr.com/photos/clayart)
Thanks, Crista......
In a message dated 7/19/2006 7:00:56 P.M. Central Daylight Time,
pots@SOCAL.RR.COM writes:
Crista,
Flickr.com does not have the photos you reference. Is the a problem with the
shortcut URL address?
D
Linda Mccaleb on fri 25 sep 09
=3DA0 Hello ClayFolk=3D0A=3DA0 On my first day and second, my teacher taugh=
t us t=3D
o hand build, then onto throwing. We were able to choose what we wanted to =
=3D
do because we had a small class. I wanted to hand build some more. I was sh=
=3D
own some hump and slump molds and was sent to work. That was it. I had to t=
=3D
each myself everything I know to my self. I bought books and books and prac=
=3D
ticed, but never found a book that really got into it. I want to learn more=
=3D
. Can any one suggest a good book on suggestive hand building?=3DA0 I know =
th=3D
e basics like how to build straight sided objects, and to sculpt but I want=
=3D
more. Is there a book out there?=3D0A=3DA0 Thank you for your time,=3D0A=
=3DA0 Lind=3D
a=3D0A=3D0A=3D0A
Snail Scott on sat 26 sep 09
On Sep 25, 2009, at 9:59 PM, Linda Mccaleb wrote:
> ...Can any one suggest a good book on suggestive hand building?=3DA0 I=3D=
20=3D
> know the basics like how to build straight sided objects, and to=3D20
> sculpt but I want more...
I can't really recommend a particular book. Most have
a good basic intro to technique, but since the options
are endless, it's hard to do 'how to' beyond the basics.
(Not sure what you mean by 'sculpt'...it's all sculpture,
really.)
With throwing, it's generally assumed (not always
accurately) that the intent is pottery, and that it's best
to begin with the basic forms: cylinder into bowl, vase,
plates and permutations like pitchers and teapots. For
all of these, there are precedents and 'typical' types.
For handbuilding (and wheelwork that's not pottery)
it's a matter of taking very basic methods and applying
them. What you apply them to and how, now that's the
$64,000 question, and no book can tell you how to
proceed.
When I teach, I start with handbuilding, introducing all
the 'classic' methods (pinch, coil, soft and stiff slab)
plus extrusion, all on the first day. I emphasize joining
very strongly, going back to first principles. (Clay is
platelets, which must be forced to interlock to make a
strong joint.) Luting is good for soft clay; scoring and
slipping for stiffer clay. some students must be dissuaded
from bad habits learned in earlier classes. like using
a needle tool to score. I point out that all they are doing
is slicing deep lines at far intervals, when what's needed
is shallow disruptions of as much of the surface as possible.
Toothbrushes are great, and forks will do.
I don't separate the processes into separate project
assignments, because they need to learn what methods
are good for what forms, and because these methods
aren't really all that separate. What's the difference
between wide flattened coils and short thick slabs? And
pinching is a useful adjunct to just about everything.
So, no recommendations. But visualize your intentions,
and figure out what methods will serve. The rest is up to
you.
-Snail=3D
Lorraine Pierce on sat 26 sep 09
Hi Linda...I believe your key words are 'suggestive handbuilding' but since
I do not know the books you have studied, these may or may not be
repetitive. They range from the sixties into the seventies, then take a jum=
p
to more currant Lark Books by Kathy Triplett, Handbuilt Ceramics, and
Handbuilt Tableware; Carlton Ball's Making Pottery without a Wheel,
Introducing Handmade Pottery by Tony Jolly, New Ceramic Design by D. Willco=
x
and Finding Ones Way with Clay by Paulus Berensohn. These are not basic art
school texts but I think are what you meant by 'suggestive handbuilding'. D=
o
you have interlibrary loan at your library, or are you close to a college
(art department) library? Try there before you buy.
My basic handbuilding course took weeks of making and glazing before
wheelwork. We had to complete by various handbuilding methods, several pinc=
h
pots, a low bowl decorated with slip and scraffito, a vase, a pitcher that
did not drip when used, an inlaid tile and a covered box with perfectly
fitted lid. (Mine did not warp, but then I did not know it could!)
Everything was glazed, clear over various slips. Happy hunting, Lori
Pierce in Fl.
On Fri, Sep 25, 2009 at 10:59 PM, Linda Mccaleb wr=
ote:
> Hello ClayFolk
> On my first day and second, my teacher taught us to hand build, then on=
to
> throwing. We were able to choose what we wanted to do because we had a sm=
all
> class. I wanted to hand build some more. I was shown some hump and slump
> molds and was sent to work. That was it. I had to teach myself everything=
I
> know to my self. I bought books and books and practiced, but never found =
a
> book that really got into it. I want to learn more. Can any one suggest a
> good book on suggestive hand building? I know the basics like how to bui=
ld
> straight sided objects, and to sculpt but I want more. Is there a book ou=
t
> there?
> Thank you for your time,
> Linda
>
>
>
>
Mayssan Farra on sat 26 sep 09
Yes:
Clay, A Studio Handbook. By Vince Pitelka. Is the one I keep going back to =
whenever I could not figure out something on my own. It is an all around st=
udio handbook. very thorough and well explained.
Mayssan in Rainy Charleston WV, Would someone please turn off the faucet.
Mayssan Shora Farra
http://www.clayvillepottery.com
http://clayette.blogspot.com
----- Original Message ----
From: Linda Mccaleb
To: Clayart@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG
Sent: Friday, September 25, 2009 10:59:44 PM
Subject: [Clayart] hand building
Hello ClayFolk
On my first day and second, my teacher taught us to hand build, then onto=
throwing. We were able to choose what we wanted to do because we had a sma=
ll class. I wanted to hand build some more. I was shown some hump and slump=
molds and was sent to work. That was it. I had to teach myself everything =
I know to my self. I bought books and books and practiced, but never found =
a book that really got into it. I want to learn more. Can any one suggest a=
good book on suggestive hand building? I know the basics like how to buil=
d straight sided objects, and to sculpt but I want more. Is there a book ou=
t there?
Thank you for your time,
Linda
Chris Campbell on sun 27 sep 09
Another good book for hand building is:
Handbuilt Ceramics by Kathy Triplett.
Chris Campbell - in North Carolina
Chris Campbell Pottery LLC
Designs in Colored Porcelain
9417 Koupela Drive
Raleigh NC 27615-2233
919-215-8644
Fax: 919-676-2062
www.ccpottery.com
http://neriagechris.blogspot.com/
marta matray on sun 27 sep 09
great book, full of handbuilt work:=3D20=3D20
"naked clay" by jane perryman=3D20
and check out also: "making marks"=3D20
by robin hopper
marta
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