It's been eventful and traumatic

Sorry for not having posted before this, everyone. It's been a very eventful nine months since my last post here. Apart from trying out new stuff, I've also been busy looking into getting my own little studio residence, and finally, I'll be moving in around Christmas. I wanted to interview other potters in Penang, too, but we've all be at sixes and sevens over the impending closure of our Japanese pottery class so that's another reason I've had to look for my own studio and living space. 

I'm thinking of buying a wheel once I've got settled in - and maybe, if I can afford it, an electric kiln as well though that's a rather long shot considering the limitations imposed by where I'll be staying. The good news, however, is that I've already got enquiries about teaching pottery and clay modelling, so I might be able to take a chance and get my own small kiln after all. Who knows? I'm still a long way from setting up shop, yet.

PS

Sorry for the grammatical error in my picture. That's what I get from typing on flu medication (and then not editing before I flatten the JPEG image.) Mea culpa.

Pat Jaffray's First Firing in Penang!

Pat Jaffray moved here from Canada. He's a studio potter and recently got his own kiln. Here are some pictures from his first glaze firing in Penang. I'm hoping to interview him for an article about his personal pottery aesthetics and techniques, so check back here soon!

Throwing a Chinese gourd on the wheel

The Chinese also have a rich history of pottery and it is very well-documented already so I can't say anything authoritative about it but here's a fun video I found of a young, modern Chinese potter demonstrating a very ancient shape.

 

The gourd is a popular symbol in Chinese myth and legend and  represents a long life as traditionally, the pills of immortality were kept in a jade gourd. It shouldn't be surprising that Chinese potters, artists, sculptors and embroiderers should include its image in almost everything they made.

 

US Pottery History

Here are two interesting videos about the development of American pottery. I find it an interesting contrast to the Japanese ceramic history videos I posted earlier, especially in the area of maintaining traditions while expanding the artistic side of pottery. 

Here's Part Two.

Two lovely videos about Japanese Pottery

I found these two lovely videos about the history of Japanese pottery and I hope you'll enjoy them and find them as educative as I did.

Part One

Part Two

Tibetan Pottery

There are some funny people who think that if you don't know how to use a potter's wheel, you're not a 'real' potter. Hah! I found these videos on Youtube and just couldn't resist posting them to show how wrong they are.

I don't think anyone who watches this video or this next one will ever think of handbuilding the same way again. There's no other description for what the Tibetans do with just their hands, a couple of oddly-shaped stones, a bit of water and simple home-made wooden tools but High Art!

What makes pottery beautiful for me? (Winston Lim)

The question of what makes pottery beautiful is a personal one but our ideas of what makes anything beautiful are shaped as much by our cultures as they are by personal preferences. My own ideas on the matter probably constitute a rather unorthodox point of view as I have been exposed to many influences throughout the course of my life. 

 

However, my personal ideal is clean, elegant lines and never more than three colours all either matching or two contrasting and a third neutral one. My current favourite technique involves a deeply coloured glaze over white slip flowers for contrast and texture though a single strong colour with a high gloss is usually good enough for me if I have made the pot a pleasing shape. And unless I'm making dishes or bowls, then I must also try to make a cover for every pot or my pot looks naked to me. I might put an ornate sprig on the cover but not much more than that if I can help it.

 

For example, I could make my pottery very colourful with lots of different glazes, but I wouldn't. At least not any more. When I started making pottery, I couldn't resist the temptation to splash all sorts of colours on my pots and even made covers in different colours. The results weren't always as successful as I'd hoped, as you can see from this old pot of mine. And though you can't see it, it's got a small, straight and rather narrow foot ring less than two inches in diameter - which looks nice and shows that my pot is perfectly balanced - but isn't quite the aesthetic I'm looking for. I prefer things that look like they won't tip over if you fill them to the brim.

At our class, our Japanese teachers and students have a rather different cultural sense of beauty in pottery - something for which I'm very grateful as they've taught me new ways to look at such things. My preference for graceful curves and simple colours comes from them. I'm not sure where my liking for pregnant shapes comes from, however. But if you'd like to know more about Japanese ideas of beautiful pottery, click here Japanese Pottery Aesthetics