Curtis Nelson on wed 14 nov 01
Pam wrote:
My very favorite handmade tool is a cluster of broom
straws
tied together or bound with a rubber band for applying
slip,
underglaze, glaze, or wax resist. Just pluck your broom
and
make any size you want.
*********
Okay, I'm ready to try this, but I can't get over the
idea that the result will be coarse, uneven, and
scratchy. And how does the bundle of straws manage to
hold very much of your slip, wax resist, or whatever,
being so stiff and not having much surface within the
bundle for the slip to adhere to?
A floppy fine-hair brush for this kind of application
seems so much more appropriate to the job
at hand.
Please comment on whatever the advantage of a broom-
straw bundle might have over the more conventional
brush . . . even a foam rubber brush.
Ciao,
Curt
pammyam on wed 14 nov 01
Curt, you hit the nail on the head. It is precisely the
coarse and scratchy effect that I like with this
application. For instance:
You have a round belly bottle. You've applied slip or
underglaze all over the bottle - let's say a light blue.
It's bisque fired. Then, using the trusty little straw
broom, you apply a simple swipe of two in an asymmetrical
"x" or ""o" or a simple horizontal swipe, or what-have-you.
Then you dip a medallion of glaze over the resist area.
Then you totally wax out the medallion of glaze, including
the straw marks and dip the rest of the exterior in another
glaze color.
It's a good idea to practice with how much to dip and the
brushstroke. You can act like a brush or dip sparingly
andsort of lay the color on rather than brushing it, if that
makes sense.
If you want, I'll email you a poor quality digital shot of
one of mine.
Cheers.
Pam
----- Original Message -----
From: "Curtis Nelson"
To:
Sent: Wednesday, November 14, 2001 9:39 AM
Subject: Broom Straws for Slip, Glaze, etc. Application
: Pam wrote:
:
: My very favorite handmade tool is a cluster of broom
: straws
: tied together or bound with a rubber band for applying
: slip,
: underglaze, glaze, or wax resist. Just pluck your broom
: and
: make any size you want.
:
: *********
:
: Okay, I'm ready to try this, but I can't get over the
: idea that the result will be coarse, uneven, and
: scratchy. And how does the bundle of straws manage to
: hold very much of your slip, wax resist, or whatever,
: being so stiff and not having much surface within the
: bundle for the slip to adhere to?
:
: A floppy fine-hair brush for this kind of application
: seems so much more appropriate to the job
: at hand.
:
: Please comment on whatever the advantage of a broom-
: straw bundle might have over the more conventional
: brush . . . even a foam rubber brush.
:
: Ciao,
:
: Curt
Cindy Strnad on wed 14 nov 01
It doesn't have to be a broom.
I haven't tried this yet, but my Robin Hopper
videos on decoration recommend using a bundle of
pine needles. If you happen to live in the middle
of a huge pine forest like I do, that's good to
know.
Cindy Strnad
Earthen Vessels Pottery
RR 1, Box 51
Custer, SD 57730
USA
cindy@earthen-vessels-pottery.com
http://www.earthen-vessels-pottery.com
pammyam on wed 14 nov 01
I said:
: It's bisque fired. Then, using the trusty little straw
: broom, you apply a simple swipe of two in an asymmetrical
: "x" or ""o" or a simple horizontal swipe, or
what-have-you.
: Then you dip a medallion of glaze over the resist area.
: Then you totally wax out the
I forgot to say "a simple swipe or two of _wax_"
pammyam on wed 14 nov 01
...and it doesn't even have to be a bundle of pine tags.
Just few dipped and pressed do lovely things, too.
I read somewhere about people chewing the ends of some
fleshy plant to make brushes. I guess you have to know that
they are safe to chew first...
Pam
: It doesn't have to be a broom.
:
: I haven't tried this yet, but my Robin Hopper
: videos on decoration recommend using a bundle of
: pine needles. If you happen to live in the middle
: of a huge pine forest like I do, that's good to
: know.
:
: Cindy Strnad
Richard G. Ramirez on wed 14 nov 01
Curt,
It's in keeping with the decor!!!...."The Clay Stalker", R.G.Ramirez
----- Original Message -----
From: "Curtis Nelson"
To:
Sent: Wednesday, November 14, 2001 6:39 AM
Subject: Broom Straws for Slip, Glaze, etc. Application
> Pam wrote:
>
> My very favorite handmade tool is a cluster of broom
> straws
> tied together or bound with a rubber band for applying
> slip,
> underglaze, glaze, or wax resist. Just pluck your broom
> and
> make any size you want.
>
> *********
>
> Okay, I'm ready to try this, but I can't get over the
> idea that the result will be coarse, uneven, and
> scratchy. And how does the bundle of straws manage to
> hold very much of your slip, wax resist, or whatever,
> being so stiff and not having much surface within the
> bundle for the slip to adhere to?
>
> A floppy fine-hair brush for this kind of application
> seems so much more appropriate to the job
> at hand.
>
> Please comment on whatever the advantage of a broom-
> straw bundle might have over the more conventional
> brush . . . even a foam rubber brush.
>
> Ciao,
>
> Curt
>
>
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melpots@pclink.com.
The Chapel of Art on thu 15 nov 01
It depends very much on the EFFECT you want or are
trying to achieve, Curt. If your work is very fine and
precise, then of course bound broom, pine needles,
raffia, horse hair or any other natural fibres are not
going to work for you.
Those apparently random, loose splashes, swirls, blobs,
swathes of wax, resist, pigment, slip or glaze you see
on work are more likely applied with freedom and
abandon using something other than a normal painter's
brush.
You may consider scratches unwanted in your own work,
but it can actually a be a plus characteristic of
broom-straw or any other very stiff "brush"...
Scratching through applied slip to loosen up the
surface decoration, perhaps whilst applying a different
colour at the same time (for example).
As for tools... Although I do not pot these days, I
still have my tool box... Seems to me that any broken
tool ends up in it "just in case". Rasps, chisels
without handles, worn out sanding blocks, tweezers,
even an old fleece paint roller which He Who Shall Not
Be Named left out and which makes a great random
texture. There are also a huge number of decommissioned
toothbrushes... They were used to apply slips, rough up
joins on slab pots, splatter pigments, imprint
texture... Yes, all very stiff brushes are useful for
more than just "painting" and decoration.
Janet Kaiser
The Chapel of Art . Capel Celfyddyd
Home of The International Potters' Path
8 Marine Crescent . Criccieth LL52 0EA
Wales . GB . United Kingdom
Tel: (01766) 523570
E-mail: postbox@the-coa.org.uk
URL: http://www.the-coa.org.uk
> > Okay, I'm ready to try this, but I can't get over
the
> > idea that the result will be coarse, uneven, and
> > scratchy. And how does the bundle of straws manage
to
> > hold very much of your slip, wax resist, or
whatever,
> > being so stiff and not having much surface within
the
> > bundle for the slip to adhere to?
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