Deborah Bouchette on mon 26 jun 00
OK, I'm almost recovered from 17 intense days studying ceramics in China =
with 9 other committed ceramic artists (including some big names, but I =
haven't sought their permissions to discuss them, so I won't name-drop =
here--yet!). For all of you interested, the editor of the Chinese =
Clayart e-mail newsletter will again host a trip next year. Every year =
will be a bit different depending on what events are happening over =
there. Check out www.chineseclayart.com to view this year's itinerary. =
(I skipped the Hong Kong and Taiwan parts due to prior commitments.)
Whew. The home of 5000 years of kiln-fired ceramics. China has it all, =
ancient kilns, ancient pottery, museums, factories, reproductions, =
wonderful original work, incredible hand-painted underglazes and =
overglazes, and, of course, that personality-filled life-sized terra =
cotta army! And a dozen different artists that welcomed us into their =
homes, served us tea and watermelon, and shared their techniques with =
us.
I'm going to make this posting short but I hope to compose something =
that really gives the flavor when I have more time. But let me tell you =
this: it's VERY IMPORTANT to pick a tour to China that has *your* best =
interests in mind. We crossed paths with two other ceramic study tours =
that exhibited the following faults:
1. One tour had 60 traveling, but only 2 guides. Our tour had 10 =
traveling plus 2 guides. If you don't know China and don't know =
Chinese, I'd recommend no more than 15 travelers to 2 guides, just so =
you can hear and ask questions. Also, a smaller group has a lot less =
stand-around-and-wait-time that could be better spent on pottery.
2. One tour stayed in school dormitories in one city, and only got hot =
water for 2 hours per day. China is not a very clean place, and it can =
get very humid and hot. If you value personal hygiene, keep this in =
mind.
3. Most tours are going to have one or more segments of travel on =
Chinese trains, where first class is the only decent way to travel. One =
tour didn't get or book enough first class space and 8 travelers were =
reduced to a lower class. All 8 were subsequently HOSPITALIZED with =
respiratory infections--just from breathing.
And I doubt that we would have been able to visit the homes of as many =
Chinese artists if we had had a bigger group.
--Deb Bouchette
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http://www.aleatoric-art.com
Just because no one understands you doesn't mean you're an artist.
The century and new millenium start 01 January 2001. Then, *I* will =
party.
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