Jan L. Peterson on tue 24 jun 03
If I was making pottery, I'd want to sign my name just in case someone liked
it. That way, if they wanted more, they could inquire around and find me for
an order of more of them. I think that in pottery, as in picture
painting\drawing, it's good business sense.
I picked up a pot the other day. Can't say I like the brown on it much, but
the blue around the rim is a delightful dark blue, and the pot is unusual in
it's style. All it has on the bottom is '87. Doesn't do me any good if I would
like more of varying sizes of the same to have a set. It is also very heavy for
a little pot. Well, not little, little, but smaller than medium, which is
also an unusual trait. Jan
clennell on tue 24 jun 03
Just to get David excited about the list again I am going to revisit signing
pots but with a new yet untalked about twist. Why is it that women sign
their pots with their given names- Linda, Diane, Louise etc, etc. I think
it is goofy. Diane who? Linda who? I have never seen a man sign his pots
with just his given name.
Is this a Men are from Mars thing or are women laying on this informal kissy
face, huggy bear kinda thing that I'll never understand?
David- help me to become a new age sensitive man. Lord knows, I need your
help!
For those that know me, you can see the twinkle in my eye.
Cheers,
Tony
Tony and Sheila Clennell
Sour Cherry Pottery
4545 King Street
Beamsville, Ontario
CANADA L0R 1B1
http://www.sourcherrypottery.com
clennell@vaxxine.com
Jan L. Peterson on tue 24 jun 03
Being a woman, I'd say signing by your first name, the only one a woman is
sure about being hers, makes sense. If they were determined to be a spinster,
then their last name would stay the same. Otherwise not. I got so many last
names, I'd run out of pot trying to figure which ones I wanted to use this week,
or who I felt like this month. And, I'm not a Mormon. It's just that, since a
kid, the people I was living with at the time would have me use their name, so
it got to be complicated by the time I was fourteen. There were three or four
by then. Besides, Chanel is famous with one name. So is Dior. A piece from
Diane, might stand out better that Joe Smith. Jan
Judith S. Labovitz on tue 24 jun 03
interesting...
I quickly did a scan of the 31 Guild members...8 of whom are men,,,
use given names: 11 of the of 23 women, one man
last names: 5 of the women, 5 men
initials: 4 women , 2 men
other 3 women, 0 men
I have no clue to the touchy-feeliness- of this erudite study
judy..in mid-michigan
At 08:13 PM 6/24/03 -0400, you wrote:
>Just to get David excited about the list again I am going to revisit signing
>pots but with a new yet untalked about twist. Why is it that women sign
>their pots with their given names- Linda, Diane, Louise etc, etc. I think
>it is goofy. Diane who? Linda who? I have never seen a man sign his pots
>with just his given name.
>Is this a Men are from Mars thing or are women laying on this informal kissy
>face, huggy bear kinda thing that I'll never understand?
> David- help me to become a new age sensitive man. Lord knows, I need your
>help!
>For those that know me, you can see the twinkle in my eye.
>Cheers,
>Tony
>
>
>
>Tony and Sheila Clennell
>Sour Cherry Pottery
>4545 King Street
>Beamsville, Ontario
>CANADA L0R 1B1
>http://www.sourcherrypottery.com
>
>clennell@vaxxine.com
>
>______________________________________________________________________________
>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.
clay.music on tue 24 jun 03
Greetings from lurker's land. Finally a post that I can respond to. Women
sign their pots with their first name because that's the name we use. Guys
have nicknames and never use their given name anyway. Of course signing a
pot Diane or Linda makes sense because that's our identity. Would you sign
your pot Huggy Bear, or Little John? Of course here in the South, the
nicknames get pretty original and you'd never sign a pot that way either. I
sign mine Sara, just Sara, and I'll grin every time just thinking about it.
Sara O'Neill
Geometrix Clay Designs
Durham, NC
clay.music@verizon.net
----- Original Message -----
From: "clennell"
To:
Sent: Tuesday, June 24, 2003 8:13 PM
Subject: Signing your pots- revisited
> Just to get David excited about the list again I am going to revisit
signing
> pots but with a new yet untalked about twist. Why is it that women sign
> their pots with their given names- Linda, Diane, Louise etc, etc. I think
> it is goofy. Diane who? Linda who? I have never seen a man sign his pots
> with just his given name.
> Is this a Men are from Mars thing or are women laying on this informal
kissy
> face, huggy bear kinda thing that I'll never understand?
> David- help me to become a new age sensitive man. Lord knows, I need your
> help!
> For those that know me, you can see the twinkle in my eye.
> Cheers,
> Tony
>
>
>
> Tony and Sheila Clennell
> Sour Cherry Pottery
> 4545 King Street
> Beamsville, Ontario
> CANADA L0R 1B1
> http://www.sourcherrypottery.com
>
> clennell@vaxxine.com
>
>
____________________________________________________________________________
__
> 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.
Mayssan Shora Farra on tue 24 jun 03
No! No! No! Tony
We sign with our first name because it stays with us all our lives, while
the last name changes from husband , to husband , to husbend.;)
Mayssan
in finally beautiful weather in WV
http://www.clayvillepottery.com
Lee Love on tue 24 jun 03
----- Original Message -----
From: "clennell"
> Just to get David excited about the list again I am going to revisit signing
> pots but with a new yet untalked about twist. Why is it that women sign
> their pots with their given names- Linda, Diane, Louise etc, etc.
Men do something like this too, in Japan (folks always seem to think everyone on
this list is American. Hey, and we wonder why we are hated in so many places
on the globe. ;^). )
My teacher and many of the students that studied under him, often use
the first katakana in their first name. Katakana is usually used for foreign
words. Myself, being a foreigner, I thought it would be more appropriate for
me to sign with a kanji to follow the tradition, so I use the Chinese
pronunciation for plum, Li. It is the same character for Yi in the Korean Yi
dynasty.
On the first boxes I am signing, I use the stamp for my Zen name,
Dairin. I'm signing the box in romanji (using the english alphaphet), but
using Japanese words.
~~~~~~~Lee In Mashiko, Japan http://hachiko.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
* *
* No one has ever learned fully to know themselves. *
~~~~~~~~~~ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Marta Matray Gloviczki on tue 24 jun 03
, clennell wrote:
>... Why is it that women sign
>their pots with their given names- Linda, Diane, Louise etc, etc. I think
>it is goofy. Diane who? Linda who? I have never seen a man sign his pots
>with just his given name.
hi tony,
do you think that was the reason why van gogh couldnt sell one single
painting of his while he was alive?
because all the collectors (they probably were all male...) thought that
he was goofy?
"vincent who?"
on the other hand, i know that you are right...
i tried to change my goofy first name signature many times, even got some
stamps made... serious ones, with initials, or special marks, and with
last name---
i did try... but i didnt like any of them...
so i went back to my original, silly-billy, goofy one:
marta
http://www.angelfire.com/mn2/marta/
http://users.skynet.be/russel.fouts/Marta.htm
http://www.silverhawk.com/crafts/gloviczki/welcome.html
Elizabeth Priddy on tue 24 jun 03
Unlike men, many women change their names during their lives. If you assume that you are just making pots for your friends and a few to sell, you might choose to stick with the name you will definitely be keepin. (If anyone out there has a pot by Elizabeth Wells, it's mine)
Another reason to keep the man/name you've got...
clennell wrote:
Just to get David excited about the list again I am going to revisit signing
pots but with a new yet untalked about twist. Why is it that women sign
their pots with their given names- Linda, Diane, Louise etc, etc. I think
it is goofy. Diane who? Linda who? I have never seen a man sign his pots
with just his given name.
Is this a Men are from Mars thing or are women laying on this informal kissy
face, huggy bear kinda thing that I'll never understand?
David- help me to become a new age sensitive man. Lord knows, I need your
help!
For those that know me, you can see the twinkle in my eye.
Cheers,
Tony
Tony and Sheila Clennell
Sour Cherry Pottery
4545 King Street
Beamsville, Ontario
CANADA L0R 1B1
http://www.sourcherrypottery.com
clennell@vaxxine.com
______________________________________________________________________________
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.
Elizabeth Priddy
www.angelfire.com/nc/clayworkshop
Beaufort, NC
---------------------------------
Do you Yahoo!?
The New Yahoo! Search - Faster. Easier. Bingo.
Diane Serley on tue 24 jun 03
Here's another strange variation. I sign only my first initial "D". I do it
in the hyper-stylized way I use the letter to sign letters to friends/family.
It also appears that way at the beginning of my legal signature (that goes on
checks)....
Why do I do this? Because its my name ... like a personal chop. I've always
used the initial when signing things.
But then again... maybe its just a girl thing ;-)
ttfn
D
known to my parents as Diane, and to my bank as Diane M. Serley
Dannon Rhudy on tue 24 jun 03
Tony C said:
........ yet untalked about twist. Why is it that women sign
> their pots with their given names- Linda, Diane, Louise etc, etc. I think
> it is goofy. Diane who? Linda who? I have never seen a man sign his pots
> with just his given name....>>>>>>
I don't THINK it is a male/female thing. I believe that it may be
more of a cultural matter. However, it is indeed goofy. I never
let anyone in any of my classes sign anything with just their first
name. Both names, last name, initials, stamp - no "first only" or
it didn't get fired. I had some male students who wanted to
sign "Jeff" or "Dale", but - no, no, no. I find it either undignified,
or pretentious ("I am the ONLY Jeff") or, as you say, goofy.
On the other hand, I've seen a gazillion things signed so illegibly
that anyone seeking further work from that artist would be hard
pressed to figure out WHO they wanted more work FROM.
regards
Dannon Rhudy
Ms Noel on tue 24 jun 03
I sign mine with my given name because it makes a great stamp!
NO
EL
Twinkle, twinkle!
Subject: Signing your pots- revisited
> Why is it that women sign
> their pots with their given names- Linda, Diane, Louise etc, etc. I think
> it is goofy. Diane who? Linda who? I have never seen a man sign his pots
> with just his given name.
> Cheers,
> Tony
Sue Leabu on tue 24 jun 03
On Tue, 24 Jun 2003 20:13:33 -0400, clennell wrote:
>Why is it that women sign their pots with their given names- Linda, Diane,
Louise etc, etc. I think it is goofy.
I've wondered this as well! :o)
Sue in Kalamazoo, MI (who always signs her pots with her first initial and
last name...)
Liisa Reid on tue 24 jun 03
Tony,
....why do women not use their last names to sign pots when men do use theirs?
Consider this: a man's last name is pretty closely identified with him, whereas a
woman's last name is just some man's she may not even any longer have a
relationship to.
Liisa (sign me LR) Reid, though I do think of changing it to something more
personal, like river, pond, brook, or lake. But, then that seems goofy too.
Wendy Peck on tue 24 jun 03
Tony,
Few know me here, so I best preface with *twinkle in the eye*.
Of course many females use only one name. Once you have met us, or our work,
we KNOW you will never forget us. Linda who? Never. The single word Linda
will bring back to mind all you need to know. If you meet another Linda, the
same holds true, because the tone on the name, the voice, and certainly the
personality in the pot will add the last name for you, and once again bring
all the information back to you. It's so simple, really. (If the above does
not hold true for you, I advise that you bluff until you figure out Linda
who. )
The more practical reason may be that we are never quite sure what our
surname may be next year. You guys are born with a name and carry it to the
grave. Not so with us. We get married, and change our name, or not.
Hyphenate, but then get bored with that trouble so drop it. Sometimes use
one surname professionally and one personally. Or maybe, we dump that guy,
revert to birth name, maybe take an new name when we marry again, or not, or
hyphenate ... you get the picture. Some women could have pots with four or
five surnames - that could be confusing even to her.
Having said all that, the truth is that I don't have a clue.
Wendy
Great Web Typography: Techniques for great CSS and graphic text, with tips
from top industry professionals. Just released. http://wpeck.com/type/
KISS: Keep It Simple ... Create effective, CSS-controlled menus and menu
areas with Wendy Peck at http://productiongraphics.com
Author: Menus with Beauty and Brains and Weekend Crash Course Dreamweaver MX
and 4 (Amazon.com)
Wendy Peck http://wpeck.com
----- Original Message -----
From: "clennell"
Just to get David excited about the list again I am going to revisit signing
pots but with a new yet untalked about twist. Why is it that women sign
their pots with their given names- Linda, Diane, Louise etc, etc. I think
it is goofy. Diane who? Linda who? I have never seen a man sign his pots
with just his given name.
Richard Aerni on tue 24 jun 03
On Tue, 24 Jun 2003 20:13:33 -0400, clennell wrote:
>Just to get David excited about the list again I am going to revisit
signing
>pots but with a new yet untalked about twist. Why is it that women sign
>their pots with their given names- Linda, Diane, Louise etc, etc. I think
>it is goofy. Diane who? Linda who? I have never seen a man sign his pots
>with just his given name.
>Is this a Men are from Mars thing or are women laying on this informal
kissy
>face, huggy bear kinda thing that I'll never understand?
OK, Tony, I'll jump in on this one, as unqualified as I may be to reply, I
still have an opinion (as I do on most things!)...and as I juggle the bowl
of oatmeal on my lap, I will try to reply...
I returned from doing one of the Karen Karnes shows recently, at the
Worcester Center for Crafts in Massachusetts. As anyone who has been to
one of her "sponsored" shows knows, it is very female friendly; there are
lots of female potters who show there. Several of the women potters also
signed their works with their first name only. I noted that fact with
curiosity.
Recently, I have spent time with a new potter friend, Julia Galloway, who
teaches at RIT's School of American Craftsmen, and also makes great pots,
and saw that she also signs with first name only. So, when I read your
posting, and went down to the kitchen to make my porridge, I mentioned that
fact to my wife, a Ph.D. economist who has done a great amount of research
on gender issues...her immediate response was "of course a woman signs with
her first name, and a man with his last. A women's first name is her own,
and her last is that of some man." I think she might have a point. She
also went on to say that identifying a work a female is perhaps not the
best thing to do, from an economic point of view, since in virtually every
field of endeavor a woman's work is valued less highly than a man's, all
other things being equal. But, _I_ believe that in the pottery field,
especially when one has practiced one's craft for long enough to work
yourself into a relatively unique niche, that you are selling to the
enlightened few, and not to the general public, which may in fact value
female work less highly. The enlightened pottery buyer probably does not
care whether it was made by a male or female, in fact may actually prefer
the female work, but also probably will recognize the maker by first name
only.
So, our long and short of it is that it is not some cute faced, huggy teddy
bear kind of thing, but a rational response to a number of external
factors.
OK, enough of this...time to get that kiln unloaded and check out all the
new glazes.
Richard Aerni
Bloomfield, NY
Snail Scott on tue 24 jun 03
At 08:13 PM 6/24/03 -0400, you wrote:
>Why is it that women sign
>their pots with their given names...
For a VERY generalizing question, an excessively speculative
answer:
I think that most potters are either hobbyists or started out
that way. As such, women seem more likely to make pots and give
them to friends, and only later may begin to treat pottery as a
business. Many seem to regard premature professionalism as a
bit pretentious. Men seem more driven to justify their hobby as
a potential business from the outset. Even if it never becomes
one, they often begin more formally and less 'first-name-casual'.
Further, men are more likely to be addressed by last name in
other settings, and regard it as 'what they are called', more
so than for women. Sports teams frequently adopt 'last-name'
identities for players, and boys often go by last names as being
'cooler'. The rare girl who goes by her last name is instantly
identifiable as a tomboy, from the painter Carrington to the
cartoon character Spinelli. It's not the social norm for a
woman's last name to be her usual identifier.
There are also a lot of women out there who allow themselves to
be jerked around by marital name changes, sacrificing years of
hard-won name recognition for a stupid tradition that only dates
back a few hundred years. Why? I don't get it. Of course, there
are still older women around who go by Mrs. John Smith, or
whatever, never even using their own first name in public. Ack!
Names may be a merely superficial label of identity, but even my
pets have names of their own!
I admit, I sign most of my pots with only my first name, but
while Scotts are a dime-a-dozen, I feel fairly unique as a
Snail! Also, my pots are indeed a hobby, and mainly given to
friends. My sculpture is fully signed with my name, just as it
appears in the phone book and on my business cards and website
domain name. (Nope, no actual site yet...) My sculpture IS my
professional existence, and I don't want any confusion about
whose it is!
-Snail
(A dumb-ass nickname, for sure, but I ain't changing it now!)
DEBBYGrant@AOL.COM on tue 24 jun 03
Well - I am a woman last time I looked and it never occurred to me to sign my
pots
with my first name. When I started out 40 years ago I used an initial stamp
for a short time but generally sign my pots with my married name - maiden
name being far too long. Last name that is. Besides, I've had that name for
almost 53 years and am quite used to it. So if you see a pot with Grant on the
bottom, that's me.
Debby Grant in NH
Roger Korn on tue 24 jun 03
Jeez, not another SNAG (Sensitive New Age Guy)! At least women tend to
use their names, whereas
guys tend to use chop/stamps.
Roger
"All generalizations are false, including this one." - Oliver
Wendell Holmes
clennell wrote:
>Just to get David excited about the list again I am going to revisit signing
>pots but with a new yet untalked about twist. Why is it that women sign
>their pots with their given names- Linda, Diane, Louise etc, etc. I think
>it is goofy. Diane who? Linda who? I have never seen a man sign his pots
>with just his given name.
>Is this a Men are from Mars thing or are women laying on this informal kissy
>face, huggy bear kinda thing that I'll never understand?
> David- help me to become a new age sensitive man. Lord knows, I need your
>help!
>For those that know me, you can see the twinkle in my eye.
>Cheers,
>Tony
>
>
>
>Tony and Sheila Clennell
>Sour Cherry Pottery
>4545 King Street
>Beamsville, Ontario
>CANADA L0R 1B1
>http://www.sourcherrypottery.com
>
>clennell@vaxxine.com
>
>______________________________________________________________________________
>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.
>
>
>
--
Roger Korn
McKay Creek Ceramics
In AZ: PO Box 463
4215 Culpepper Ranch Rd
Rimrock, AZ 86335
928-567-5699 <-
In OR: PO Box 436
31330 NW Pacific Ave.
North Plains, OR 97133
503-647-5464
Elizabeth Herod on tue 24 jun 03
Interesting thread you started Tony!
I=B9ve never been known as Elizabeth except legally. The deal with having th=
e
name was that I be called Beth plus another name, consequently Beth Carroll=
,
and when my parents were not angry with me, BC. Although I have several
friends who have decided to call me Elizabeth.
Having had a few name changes, I decided to keep my maiden name this time
around. =20
More often than not, I am called Bethy. But, I don=B9t really feel
comfortable putting Bethy on a pot, sounds a bit kid like to me. My brothe=
r
wants pots that he takes signed Bethy. Too bad.
Many people at Silvermine sign their pots with first initial and last name.
I think I just need a stamp. Most of the bottoms of my pots aren=B9t big
enough for me to write on.
I agree with Dannon about reading the signature. I have two Malcolm Davis
pots, both signed differently, and I cannot for the life of me read either
one.
Oh, so I sign them bcherod, but half the time the d has to go underneath th=
e
o. I never was very good at writing stuff in the box.
Beth
And, it=B9s true, there have been two, two days of sunshine in the East. Of
course, we did go from November to June overnight.
Hendrix, Taylor J. on tue 24 jun 03
Hey Tony,
I sign all my pots "Clennell." Keeps the riffraff away.
Marsha suggested I sign my work "Pottery by Stupid." I didn't think
that was very nice.
Taylor, in Waco
-----Original Message-----
From: clennell [mailto:clennell@VAXXINE.COM]=20
Sent: Tuesday, June 24, 2003 7:14 PM
To: CLAYART@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG
Subject: Signing your pots- revisited
Just to get David excited about the list again I am going to revisit
signing
pots but with a new yet untalked about twist. Why is it that women sign
their pots with their given names- Linda, Diane, Louise etc, etc. I
think
it is goofy. Diane who? Linda who? I have never seen a man sign his
pots
with just his given name.
Is this a Men are from Mars thing or are women laying on this informal
kissy
face, huggy bear kinda thing that I'll never understand?
David- help me to become a new age sensitive man. Lord knows, I need
your
help!
For those that know me, you can see the twinkle in my eye.
Cheers,
Tony
Tony and Sheila Clennell
Sour Cherry Pottery
4545 King Street
Beamsville, Ontario
CANADA L0R 1B1
http://www.sourcherrypottery.com
clennell@vaxxine.com
________________________________________________________________________
______
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.
Ellie Blair on tue 24 jun 03
I've always signed my pots with my last name or initials. I never felt th=
at it made too much difference. If the person likes the pot how it is s=
igned on the bottom shouldn't make an difference as long as it is signed =
one way or another.
Ellie B
----- Original Message -----
From: Liisa Reid
Sent: Tuesday, June 24, 2003 10:03 AM
To: CLAYART@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG
Subject: Re: Signing your pots- revisited
Tony,
....why do women not use their last names to sign pots when men do use th=
eirs?
Consider this: a man's last name is pretty closely identified with him,=
whereas a
woman's last name is just some man's she may not even any longer have a
relationship to.
Liisa (sign me LR) Reid, though I do think of changing it to something m=
ore
personal, like river, pond, brook, or lake. But, then that seems goofy t=
oo.
_________________________________________________________________________=
_____
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@pclin=
k.com.
pdp1@EARTHLINK.NET on tue 24 jun 03
Hey Taylor,
...ye'd mention'd...
>Marsha suggested I sign my work "Pottery by Stupid." I
didn't think
>that was very nice.
Well, if she was holding the Pot, was it not quite near, or
'by' her?
Where were you standing?
Anyway...'stolen by stupid' might be fun for some occasions
too...
Phil
lasvegas
----- Original Message -----
From: "Hendrix, Taylor J."
Hey Tony,
I sign all my pots "Clennell." Keeps the riffraff away.
Marsha suggested I sign my work "Pottery by Stupid." I
didn't think
that was very nice.
Taylor, in Waco
-----Original Message-----
From: clennell [mailto:clennell@VAXXINE.COM]
Sent: Tuesday, June 24, 2003 7:14 PM
To: CLAYART@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG
Subject: Signing your pots- revisited
Just to get David excited about the list again I am going to
revisit
signing
pots but with a new yet untalked about twist. Why is it
that women sign
their pots with their given names- Linda, Diane, Louise etc,
etc. I
think
it is goofy. Diane who? Linda who? I have never seen a man
sign his
pots
with just his given name.
Is this a Men are from Mars thing or are women laying on
this informal
kissy
face, huggy bear kinda thing that I'll never understand?
David- help me to become a new age sensitive man. Lord
knows, I need
your
help!
For those that know me, you can see the twinkle in my eye.
Cheers,
Tony
Tony and Sheila Clennell
Sour Cherry Pottery
4545 King Street
Beamsville, Ontario
CANADA L0R 1B1
http://www.sourcherrypottery.com
clennell@vaxxine.com
____________________________________________________________
____________
______
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.
____________________________________________________________
__________________
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.
Penni Stoddart on tue 24 jun 03
I think my first pots were signed with my first name only. Now (and for the
past 5 or 6 years) I use a capitol P with an S through it. Basically I write
the stick of the P, then the top and continue with an S (wish I could SHOW
you what I mean!). It all ends up together. My initials (Penni Stoddart).
If the pot is big enough I write "enelope's" behind the P (making it
Penelope's) and Pot in front of the S to make Pots. My business name -
Penelope's Pots. Don't do that often though.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Penni Stoddart
of Penelope's Pots
Full Time Education Assistant,
Part Time Potter
You're just jealous because the voices only talk to me.
I'm not a complete idiot -- some parts are missing!
Stephani Stephenson on tue 24 jun 03
I am really enjoying reading everyone's story on this one.
I never even realized women tended to sign pots with first name only!
I thought we weren't supposed to sign them at all,
(joke! but containing a bit of the harsh truth from bygone eras)
Pots I have and ones I remember by women potters seem to be signed with
either a chop or a combination of initials or an entire name.I have
never ever signed a pot or tile or sculpture 'Stephani' . Never even
thought of it. Unless it was a gift to a close relative or friend or
sweetiepie. Then there would likely be a personal inscription with
it... but probably didn't even do it then....
Since we are sharing our personal episodes with names:
I never really liked my own name as a signing name but just couldn't
think of a good alternative I felt satisfied with.
Now , as to the first name , last name thing:
my first name is so much like my last name it doesn't really matter.
Occasionally when I sign a check, I space out and instead of writing
"Stephani Stephenson",
I write "Stephani Stephani" .
The person cashing the check looks at me like I am some kind of shi-shi
nitwit..
and I do feel like one at that moment
And yes I have done that onto a pot by mistake. DOH!
Not only is my whole name repetitive, it is dang long.
For awhile I went with "S.S.", but that was too much like 'SteamShip"
or
'Secret Service" or storm troopers or something,
Now I hear that white supremacist gangs down here use carved SS
symbols, "lighting bolts" , as graffiti which indicates their presence,
so that took the fun outa that one.
So, I went to "St. St." for awhile mostly for fun, plus I could make it
look kind of cool on the graphics end of it, also used "STE. STE", for
the same reason... even though it reads a bit like a stutter
But initials don't do much for identifying who made the pot, so over the
years I seemed to return to "S. Stephenson."
Then I thought someone might mistake it for 'Susanne Stephenson'. (HA!
in my dreams!)
I am no relation to Susanne Stephenson that I know of, but I sure would
like to be,
and I sure wouldn't mind it if someone thought my stuff was her stuff,
but that is beside the point,
so now I sign everything "S or S.G. Stephenson" or "St. Stephenson",
which brings forth a little chuckle from my catholic upbringing.
I figure if anyone believes that this pot was really made by a saint,
they would truly understand that there is such a thing as infinite
forgiveness.....
Stephani Stephenson
who, in a decade , may just sign them "Oh bollocks! Steffie Gay."
Concepts in Clay on wed 25 jun 03
In a message dated 6/24/2003 10:58:36 AM Eastern Standard Time,=20
mayssan1@YAHOO.COM writes:
> No! No! No! Tony
> We sign with our first name because it stays with us all our lives, while
> the last name changes from husband , to husband , to husbend.;)
>=20
> Mayssan
> in finally beautiful weather in WV
>=20
Not necessarily true. I have been married for lots of years and never gave u=
p=20
my birth name. He has his birth name. I have my birth name and I sign my=20
whole name (for posterity or some such thing).
Bobbi in Central PA
I envy paranoids; they actually feel people=20
are paying attention to them.=A0=20
=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=
=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0Susan Sontag
foxpots on wed 25 jun 03
Hi You all,
I paint iron oxide and Rutile on the bottom of my pots (inside the foot
ring); then draw my fox hollow emblem and sign my name Jean Cochran; at the
bottom of the circle I draw a number representing the amount of clay used to
throw the piece. I remarried and my name is officially McGregor, but I kept
my professional name. Thought you all would just be fascinated (heavy
sarcasm) to have this bit of information about one more of us femlins.
Jean Wadsworth Cochran
http://www.foxhollowpottery.com
Russel Fouts on wed 25 jun 03
>> Here's another strange variation. I sign only my first initial "D". I do it in the hyper-stylized way I use the letter to sign letters to friends/family. It also appears that way at the beginning of my legal signature (that goes on checks).... Why do I do this? Because its my name ... like a personal chop. I've always used the initial when signing things. But then again... maybe its just a girl thing ;-) <<
Nah, it's a gurl thang! ;-)
I also use a stylised initial. Actually it's a sort of branding iron i
found in a fleamarket in Nagoya. It's the character "na" in hirigana (I
think). Backwards and upside down, it looks like a small "f".
When initialing other things I use a stylised, cursive small "r" and
small "f" enclosed in a loose circle (you can see it at the bottom of my
web pages).
Ru
--
Russel Fouts
Mes Potes & Mes Pots
Brussels, Belgium
Tel: +32 2 223 02 75
Mobile: +32 476 55 38 75
Http://www.mypots.com
Home of "The Potters Portal"
Over 2300 Pottery Related Links!
Updated frequently
My work can also be seen on:
The World Crafts Council International Site: http://www.wccwis.gr
The World Crafts Council Belgium Site: http://wcc-bf.org (English
Pages)
EasyCraft: http://www.easycraft.org
"To announce that there must be no criticism of the president, or that
we are to stand by the president, right or wrong, is not only
unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American
public." --U.S. President (and Nobel Peace Prize winner) Theodore
Roosevelt.
Michelle Lowe on wed 25 jun 03
I have gone through various 'signatures' over the years, and even created a 'chop', but for some reason I never liked stamping my ware, just seems too impersonal I guess. And I know that actually 'signing' with a tool is somewhat less sophisticated (little burrs created, messier looking), but for some reason it appeals to me more than the stamped mark, so I continue to sign. I have also, over the years, sort of gravitated to people calling me "Mishy" (my nickname from childhood), as opposed to Michelle, for various reasons (a big one being the advent of the internet and zillions of Michelles out there). Since Mishy is kind of unusual, I am able to use it as a signature without a last name, not sure if there is actually another "Mishy" potter out there anywhere!?
-----------
Michelle Lowe potter in the Phoenix desert
http://www.desertdragonpottery.com
Mishy@desertdragonpottery.com
mishlowe@amug.org
\|/ |
-O- | |
/|\ | | |
|_|_|
____ |
\ /-----|-----
( )
<__>
Elca Branman on wed 25 jun 03
Ditto..If it says Branman , hand scrawled on the base, it IS me. It
might look like Branna, or Brenner or any number of things, because when
I say scrawl, I mean scrawl.
For a short time I used a stamp with circle atop another circle and a
line bisecting both, for EB ,a rounded E but it looked too much like a
popular commercial dress designer's chop so I started scribbling instead.
Now you know who made that marvellous pot you were wondering about!
Elca Branman
http://elcabranman.com
On Tue, 24 Jun 2003 17:00:04 EDT DEBBYGrant@AOL.COM writes:
> Well - I am a woman last time I looked and it never occurred to me to
> sign mypots with my first name. When I started out 40 years ago I used
an
> initial stamp for a short time but generally sign my pots with my
married name -
> maiden name being far too long. Last name that is. Besides, I've had
that
> name foralmost 53 years and am quite used to it. So if you see a pot
with
> Grant on the
> bottom, that's me.
>
> Debby Grant in NH
>
________________________________________________________________
The best thing to hit the internet in years - Juno SpeedBand!
Surf the web up to FIVE TIMES FASTER!
Only $14.95/ month - visit www.juno.com to sign up today!
Elizabeth Priddy on wed 25 jun 03
I never know so many women on the list had the same trouble with this.
I sign my pots with a studio chop if it is just a repetitive form like a mug. The same one that is on my letterhead, my packet info, my video label, anything that leaves my studio has one of these somewhere. I usually stick a business card with the logo and complete info inside each small piece.
If it is "artistic" I sign it with a stamp that says "Elizabeth Priddy, Beaufort, NC" because I live in a tourist area and the tourists like to have the name of where they were, and also to help people who like it find another.
My painted tile work is signed three times, one on the painting, one on the tile, and one on the back with the NC stamp. It is sarcastic. I grew up loving the unknown craftsman philosophy and got a load of grief for not signing my work as soon as it became "collectible" in some low-key, local sense of collectible. So now I sign the living hell out of them.
You know you've really got one I love when there is no signature but a small incised square chop that has a P and the roman numeral for the year, like the one I am using this year, III. That means that I have only made one of that thing and there is no other thing like it. It was a spontaneous creative effort. I call it my personal chop. I have a little collection of them, they expire on New Year's eve. They are made with little cubes of wood and a Dremel with a wood carving tool.
Then there are my chops for painting on paper. These are different, made of jade or other soft rocks. I got some made in China. The most precious is the one given to me by my teacher after five years of study.
The NC one is made of soft rubber and is used with a potters pad, the chop is carved and leave a raised mark as can be seen on my tiles at my website, the ones made of rock were made by stone carvers.
For those who want to make their own, the dremel wood block thing is way easier than it seems, do-able by anyone who can make and carve pots. And there is a weird product that they use to cover ropes with liquid rubber called "PLASTI DIP". If you carve what you want the rubber stamp to be into soft clay, then paint it with this stuff, giving it about four coats to build up a thickness of about a quarter's thickness greater than the carved part. You can trim it up and glue it to a wooden cube or dowel. It works fantasticly well, just the same as the ones I pay for from Staples. The only difference is that the ones from staples can be from things I print out from my computer, like my name logo and words small but really legible.. But for quick reusable and cheaper rubber stamps for any purpose, this stuff is great. You can get it at hardware stores. Use it in ventilated spaces only. it is cheap, one can has lasted three years for me.
I have had issues with sigs ever since I had to change my name after establishing my career with my maiden name. I didn't want to dishonor my mother by changing my name, but I anticipated children and changed it to make life easier. I didn't have the kids, but now I can be called Priddy Woman. Or Ms. Priddy when I am on the sh-- list here on Clayart. ; )
I prefer the chops, they make it all clear.
The one thing I dislike is the scrawled signature on the bottom. I may like your pot, but I don't know who you are or where you are from, and I can never get another one unless I somehow managed to get your name from the store keeper who frequently won't give it to me because they think I am a retailer seeking to "take" one of their vendors (they think that if they don't tell me who you are, I can only repeat purchase from them, they are right, as long as you are still doing business with them...after that, no more pots for me). Something to think about...
Elizabeth Priddy
www.angelfire.com/nc/clayworkshop
Beaufort, NC
---------------------------------
Do you Yahoo!?
The New Yahoo! Search - Faster. Easier. Bingo.
Earl Brunner on wed 25 jun 03
I like to use either a cheap ballpoint pen or a sharpened, pointed brass
rod to sign my pots right after trimming. Then when they are dry I also
go back with a damp sponge and sponge the signature, it removes the
burrs and softens the signature, I like the look.
One of the things that came out of Tom Coleman's Studio, and I know that
some of the factories do something similar, is to put some additional
coding. Tom often uses Coleman Porcelain and White Stoneware (like B-
Mix) in his studio, when bisqued they are sometimes hard to tell apart,
yet the glaze responses are different. He therefore will add symbols on
the bottom so that he can tell the clays apart.
-----Original Message-----
From: Clayart [mailto:CLAYART@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG] On Behalf Of Michelle
Lowe
Sent: Wednesday, June 25, 2003 6:04 AM
To: CLAYART@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG
Subject: Re: Signing your pots- revisited
I have gone through various 'signatures' over the years, and even
created a 'chop', but for some reason I never liked stamping my ware,
just seems too impersonal I guess. And I know that actually 'signing'
with a tool is somewhat less sophisticated (little burrs created,
messier looking
Lee Love on wed 25 jun 03
----- Original Message -----
From: "Dannon Rhudy"
> On the other hand, I've seen a gazillion things signed so illegibly
> that anyone seeking further work from that artist would be hard
> pressed to figure out WHO they wanted more work FROM.
Hanko stamps are a great alternative. In school, I first signed my work
with the kanji for tree, using a needle tool It evolved to using a stamp with
the kanji 'Ikiru', from the Kurosawa film with the same name, meaning "To
Live!" I now use Ikiru as a kiln stamp and the kanji for Li as my makers
stamp. If I send work back home for sale, I may also stamp the kanji for
Mashiko on the pots. Some pots I stamp with the ancient characters for the
year, according to the Asian zodiac. I stamp with an element and an animal,
which means I won't duplicate for 60 years (5X12).
You can provide so much more information with a stamp in a much smaller space.
Here in Japan, boxes are signed in a more complete manner. Also,
each pot is provided with a document that has a sort of potters resume on it.
They are usually printed on hand made washi paper. I included my address,
phone number and email on mine.
~~~~~~~Lee In Mashiko, Japan http://hachiko.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
* *
* No one has ever learned fully to know themselves. *
~~~~~~~~~~ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Eleanor on sun 29 jun 03
I wrote the following last Wednesday and was about to send it when a
tree fell on a power line and the phones went dead. We got
electricity back almost at once but we went five days without
telephone service, so no email. I hope the pot-naming thread isn't
quite played out:
Disclaimer: to all--no offence intended.
I'm Jewish and proud of my heritage. But what with the way things
were and are in the world, I can't bring myself to believe in the
existence of a deity.
It is said that the ancient ancestors of present-day Jews worshipped
a number of gods before Moses introduced them to the concept of one
god, Yahweh (Jehovah). However, it took several centuries for Jews to
accept the idea that the several gods they worshipped were actually
aspects of the Mosaic god and agree to worship only him.
One of the several gods was named El.
When I married, nearly 50 years ago, I exchanged my long,
unpronounceable, often misspelled maiden name for that of my husband
and in subsequent clay classes, signed my pots "Eleanor Kohler".
But I never did like that name--it wasn't "real": my father-in-law
had changed his name from Kohn to Kohler to sound more American
(read: less Jewish).
When I began making pots at home, I signed them "Eleanor", but that
seemed unwieldy, especially inside a small foot-ring.
So now I sign my pots "El". Make of that what you will. ;-)
Eleanor (El) Kohler
sweltering Centerport, NY
--
claybair on mon 30 jun 03
Eleanor (El),
As far as I am concerned....
You sign your name any damn way you want...
and that goes for everyone else too.
I sign my pots "Bair"
Gayle Bair - whose grandparent's name was Zion but became Zison due to the
creative spelling of an Ellis Island immigration person.
Bainbridge Island, WA
http://claybair.com
-----Original Message-----
From: Eleanor
I wrote the following last Wednesday and was about to send it when a
tree fell on a power line and the phones went dead. We got
electricity back almost at once but we went five days without
telephone service, so no email. I hope the pot-naming thread isn't
quite played out:
Disclaimer: to all--no offence intended.
I'm Jewish and proud of my heritage. But what with the way things
were and are in the world, I can't bring myself to believe in the
existence of a deity.
It is said that the ancient ancestors of present-day Jews worshipped
a number of gods before Moses introduced them to the concept of one
god, Yahweh (Jehovah). However, it took several centuries for Jews to
accept the idea that the several gods they worshipped were actually
aspects of the Mosaic god and agree to worship only him.
One of the several gods was named El.
When I married, nearly 50 years ago, I exchanged my long,
unpronounceable, often misspelled maiden name for that of my husband
and in subsequent clay classes, signed my pots "Eleanor Kohler".
But I never did like that name--it wasn't "real": my father-in-law
had changed his name from Kohn to Kohler to sound more American
(read: less Jewish).
When I began making pots at home, I signed them "Eleanor", but that
seemed unwieldy, especially inside a small foot-ring.
So now I sign my pots "El". Make of that what you will. ;-)
Eleanor (El) Kohler
sweltering Centerport, NY
| |
|
