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who/what are your influences?

updated tue 31 dec 96

 

Dustin K. Martin on tue 10 dec 96

the question at hand...

Is there an artist or particular historical aesthetic that you follow or are
heavily influenced by? If it is a person that is somewhat obscure, please
also describe the attributes about that person's work that appeals to you.

thank you very much for all and any replies.

Dustin Martin

Fiona.Beaumont on wed 11 dec 96

My influence is probably a common one:

Not so long ago I had never thrown a pot in my life! I had always had
this "yearning" though!

I was doing a bit of sight seeing (ie: pottery spotting!) in Cornwall,
when I found a leaflet at a pottery offering week long courses.

I didn't think much more about it until a month or so later.
Fate/Karma/whatever was definitely playing a hand! I had arranged to
visit Brittany with a friend, when she had to pull out at the last
minute. So, with holiday time booked and nowhere to go, what was I to
do? I rang the number on the leaflet, and not only did they have a
course running the week I had booked time off, but they also had a
space available!!!!!!! (Getting spooky ?)

So, along I went - naive and innocent in the ways of mudslingers!

I had a fabulous time, I loved it from the first minute I held clay!
I was also very impressed with the guy who was teaching me!
Apparently he'd been taught by his grandfather, who had originally set
up the pottery at Wenford Bridge after returning from twenty odd years
in Africa in the fifties. Apparently, before that the Grandfather had
been working with this Japanese guy and another chap who was also
apparently well known (Beech?, Peach?...oh yes! Leach!) (Have you
guessed yet?)

I loved the style of pottery the father and son team produced, which
apprently was a continuation of the Grandfather's work. Stoneware,
wood-fired kiln etc.

After returning home and immersing myself in pottery books etc,
imagine my delight and chagrin when I realised just WHO Ara Cardew's
grandfather was !!! Yep - I threw my very first pot ever on Michael
Cardew's wheel !!!

(I think this even beats bumping into Sigourney Weaver in the ladies
loo!)

I must say I have experimented with other styles and still have yet to
"find" my own, but I still keep coming back to the simplicity and
beauty of the Cardew pots !

(Sorry I went on a bit!)

Fi
Dunstable,UK


fiona.beaumont@ps.net


______________________________ Reply Separator _________________________________
Subject: Who/What are your influences?
Author: CLAYART@LSV.UKY.EDU%smtp at ccx400uk
Date: 10/12/96 04:35


----------------------------Original message----------------------------
the question at hand...

Is there an artist or particular historical aesthetic that you follow or are
heavily influenced by? If it is a person that is somewhat obscure, please
also describe the attributes about that person's work that appeals to you.

thank you very much for all and any replies.

Dustin Martin

Akita-jin \"Lee Love\" on wed 11 dec 96

Hi Dustin,

I came to pottery in a round-about way: First, I was a Zen student.
My late teacher, Dainin Katagiri Roshi would be my main creative
influence. The founder of his school, Eihei Dogen, brought the first
Temmoku teabowl from China to Japan in the 13th Century. A monk that
travelled with Dogen to China built the first kilns in Seto (I think
Rhodes speaks about this.) These are a couple of the reasons why Shinos
and Temmokus are important to me.


====================================================
/(o\ Lee Love In "St. Paul", MN ' Come see some pixs of my AkitaPup:
\o)/ mailto:LeeLove@millcomm.com ' http://www.millcomm.com/~leelove
mailto:AkitaJin@Cryogen.com ' "It gets late early out there."
-Yogi Berra-