Coming around again

Oh dear, a cliché already, using a song title (Carly Simon's) for a post title.  I mentioned before that I am doing a residency at Central TAFE - aka Central Institute of Technology, Perth in the ceramics department so I will talk a little more of that.  I applied to Central about eighteen months ago when I only had a small but purpose built studio in the back garden.  Then I was lucky enough to rent a second work space for hand building and printing in Fremantle, close to home but up a stairs, albeit a very handsome stairs in the historical Old Customs House Building in Phillimore Street.   At Central I've been making large platters and purging the need to do just that, to explore engobes and textural glazes and now, unexpectedly, after making about ten platters, finding myself wanting to get back to the wheel, play with porcelain, make fine, thin vessels - what for? To glaze, to decorate, to light from inside with candles to make best use of the translucency of porcelain, to get glowy thin melty glassy rims, to put flowers in, or small fruit, to hang glazes on the white canvas of Southern Ice porcelain - did I say I had the answers yet?  I still assert that throwing with Southern Ice feels like I imagine throwing with Philadelphia Cream Cheese would feel.
I'd show you, but I keep forgetting to take photos because time is running out and I am getting quite a lot done.  But this lure of the potter's wheel got me thinking, and trawling and I found some good videos to show you that kind of illustrate the contentment and zen-ness of working with clay.

Anne Mette Hjortshøj

I went back to bed this very cold morning after sending the lads off to school,  got under the king sized electric duvet (or 'doona' to Aussies), snuggled up with Poppy - my cocker spaniel and we watched pottery vids on Vimeo on the iPad such as  Anne Mette Hjortshøj in Denmark, I have shared that one before, and

Rocking Bowl by Karin Eriksson

Karin Eriksson of Manos, in Stockholm, Sweden and Phil Rogers in the UK.   I think new pottery students should see these vids, to be inspired and excited and embraced into the world of throwing.
Now back to real life, supermarkets and work.  I hope your day treats you well,  especially you AC, hope 'the power' comes back on so your (magic) power comes back! Now get off your computer and make something.
Oh and did I mention yet that you lovely readers should hop on over to Mud Colony regularly, at least every week, to see what a growing number potters who blog have to say about their week and work.  Maybe you could join in with  your blog?

Phil Rogers throwing a Yunomi

Progress

Easter is over and on to another term.  I am enjoying the kickback time with our boys who have a few extra days at home but it plays havoc with my work habits.  This week I start teaching a class at Challenger TAFE in Rockingham, Print on Clay stuff, over three Thursdays.  I will try to grab some snaps of the progress there.

For the Introduction to Throwing class last term at CIT we spent the last class glazing and the students took to it like a duck to water.  They were the perfect students. I explained why not to double dip pots from one bucket of glaze to another  - to avoid contamination of the glazes and they were hyper vigilant about it.  Now their work is ready to be collected, and I hope they will be thrilled. Here they are signing their work before putting them in for bisque firing,.

Pottery Wheels

We all like to poke around someone else's studio don't we? We enjoy gleaning insights and hints about how people work.  I think most throwers here in Western Australia have Venco wheels.  This is a local brand and they are certainly built to last, they are practically ubiquituous here and seem to hold their value very well.  Oddly though my own electric wheel is what Aussies call a 'Bitsa' - like they call mongrel dogs a Bitsa - 'bitsa this and bitsa that'.  I have two wheels in my small studio at the end of my garden.  The electric one (above) was cobbled together from parts from many makes of wheel. I bought it secondhand twenty years ago from the technician at Curtin University Art School, and it still goes like a rocket and has amazing torque.  Is that the right word?  It spins very fast, has good control and the pedal can be locked into position so it continues to spin while you walk away which can be handy for banding or drying.  These days Venco produce the most desirable electric wheel I know of - a wireless wheel!  It is light, easy to transport and very, very adaptable.  I was lent the prototype by my friend Stewart Scambler and am hankering for one in a ridiculous manner.  Venco pugmills sell very well in the US too they tell me.  This wheel below is my other wheel, the pedal is on the left and being short, I need to counterbalance my weight with some bricks underfoot on the other side.  It is a very contemplative Zen thing to use this wheel. I never wanted one until I saw a video of Kaye Pemberton using hers.  The tray is lined with copper.

Anne Linneman, Denmark ceramic artist says that when she set up her studio she put her money into the Rolls Royce of Wheels, as it is her main source of income.  I can't recall what brand.  Additionally, she is extremely aware of protecting her body from repetitive strain injury, warming up before she sets to work.  There is nothing common about common sense, sometimes we need the obvious pointed out to us.