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Re: The Official "Ask the Artisan" Community Topic

by entropyembrace » Jan 27th, '11, 20:44

hopeofdawn wrote:
JBaymore wrote:The "best of the best" celadons have a quality of glaze surface and a depth of color that "sings". Knock your socks off. More "average" celadons are nice... but could be "faked" as far as the eye of the non-ceramist is concerned.

Ceramics is a complex field. The correct answer to any question about ceramics is, "It depends". :wink:
lol--like so much in art! Thank you very much for that explanation--that clears up a lot of my confusion about celadon ware. :)
haha....and like chemistry...my chemistry professors use very often the phrases "it depends" and "there are exceptions" :lol:

and ceramics is a fusion of chemistry and art :)

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Re: The Official "Ask the Artisan" Community Topic

by Chip » Jan 27th, '11, 21:32

entropyembrace wrote: and ceramics is a fusion of chemistry and art :)
... and F I R E !!!

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Re: The Official "Ask the Artisan" Community Topic

by Petr Novák » Jan 28th, '11, 02:27

You mean physics, Chip?

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Re: The Official "Ask the Artisan" Community Topic

by JBaymore » Jan 28th, '11, 05:47

Chip wrote:
entropyembrace wrote: and ceramics is a fusion of chemistry and art :)
... and F I R E !!!

Oh yes... let us not forget FIRE. :wink:

best,

...........john

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Re: The Official "Ask the Artisan" Community Topic

by bonjiri » Jan 28th, '11, 09:32

JBaymore wrote:
Chip wrote:OK, we have two questions running here. I would still like to hear more about Yohen and Reduction as posted before HerbMaster. :mrgreen:
Chip,

The Bizen pieces you show there are done in a very specific way. I actually fire chamber 3 and 4 of my noborigama using this same technique. I have done much of this kind of work when working over in Japan.

Different kiln locales in Japan use different terminology to apply to effects. Sometimes one term is used for a certain thing in one localle...and the same exact term used in another place for a different effect.

In the Bizen tradition, this particular youhen effect (fire change) is caused by the introduction of wood charcoal on top of the wares after they have been taken to and held at top temperature for a period of time. This charcoal is not "briquettes"...real charcoal like that used for certain cooking operations in Japan... and similar to that used for Chanoyu.....but not the same "quality". This is done at a very high temperature..... just "off" of the peak the wares were fired to........ like maybe about 1200C. The charcoal of course starts to burn, stoking wood on the chamber ceases, and the chamber is then allowed to cool in this atmosphere. It causes significant localized reduction on the SURFACE of the high iron Bizen clay, creating flashings as well as some charcoal ash fused onto the surface of the wares. Sometimes the colors can approach irridescent reds...and also a lovely grey-blue. The swirling flame pattern around the bits of charcoal is sometimes quite evident.

This is an effect that I LOVE. Not to mention the process is pretty dramatic.

best,

.................john
john

thanks for the insight on youhen

wow
amazing

ps i'd love to watch you fire someday

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Re: The Official "Ask the Artisan" Community Topic

by andrzej bero » Jan 28th, '11, 12:39

Chip wrote:
entropyembrace wrote: and ceramics is a fusion of chemistry and art :)
... and F I R E !!!
Petr nov... wrote:You mean physics, Chip?
You've hit the nail on the head :lol:

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Re: The Official "Ask the Artisan" Community Topic

by Chip » Jan 28th, '11, 13:49

I have sometimes envisioned our TAs firing up their kilns joining the roar of the kiln in singing (or at least humming) a myriad of classic rockin' "Fire" songs ... just wondering who would be rocking to David and to Jimi and to Jim, etc. :twisted: Would they ever admit to this ... hmmm?

At least I would be ... :mrgreen:

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Re: The Official "Ask the Artisan" Community Topic

by entropyembrace » Jan 28th, '11, 19:54

andrzej bero wrote:
Chip wrote:
entropyembrace wrote: and ceramics is a fusion of chemistry and art :)
... and F I R E !!!
Petr nov... wrote:You mean physics, Chip?
You've hit the nail on the head :lol:
Fire is more chemistry :wink:

though physics and chemistry do overlap a lot...I sure felt like I was in a physics class with all of the quantumn theory in chem 101 :roll: :lol:

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Re: The Official "Ask the Artisan" Community Topic

by JBaymore » Jan 29th, '11, 06:05

Chip wrote:I have sometimes envisioned our TAs firing up their kilns joining the roar of the kiln in singing (or at least humming) a myriad of classic rockin' "Fire" songs ... just wondering who would be rocking to David and to Jimi and to Jim, etc. :twisted: Would they ever admit to this ... hmmm?

At least I would be ... :mrgreen:

I'm thinking of the "Crazy World of Arthur Brown" here. :wink:

best,

...........john

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Re: The Official "Ask the Artisan" Community Topic

by andrzej bero » Jan 29th, '11, 06:12

Entropye... wrote:
Fire is more chemistry :wink:

though physics and chemistry do overlap a lot...
yes,yes that is like in an old story about elephant and blinds.
But I was thinking about such important for pottery physical aspects of fire (I think Petr too) like energy and colour (Chip has reminded third - sound).
But I am a simple man and can be wrong.
peace :)

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Re: The Official "Ask the Artisan" Community Topic

by brianckennedy » Apr 28th, '11, 21:26

I am looking for a special gift for a very special Northwest Teacher. Doug is a 71 year old mentor of many of the Puget Sounds psychotherapists. He has taught at the local universities for many years. He is an unassuming humble man. Doug is truly an artist in terms of his ability to help people heal from their wounds. Those who know him, know what a gem of a being he is. I have been mentored by him for 16 years. Doug will be retiring soon from nearly 40 years of service to his clients and his students. Next Friday (May 6, 20110, he will be giving what may be his last lecture and workshop. He is thinking of it as a coming together or culmination of his life's work. His Opus as it were. Although Doug is far to humble to call it that.

Get to the point Brian. An art form that seems to perfectly symbolize his work would be Kintsugi. Might you have or might you direct me to someone who has a piece of pottery mended in this fashion. A piece that might show the cracks very clearly, but has a beauty none the less and ideally mended with gold lacquer. Doug is not someone who has a taste for fine art, but he is someone who would very much appreciate the deeper meaning in the gift and its symbolism to his work with the wounded people of our community.

Any help you might offer would be very much appreciated.
Brian Kennedy

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Re: The Official "Ask the Artisan" Community Topic

by AdamMY » Apr 28th, '11, 22:45

brianckennedy wrote:I am looking for a special gift for a very special Northwest Teacher. Doug is a 71 year old mentor of many of the Puget Sounds psychotherapists. He has taught at the local universities for many years. He is an unassuming humble man. Doug is truly an artist in terms of his ability to help people heal from their wounds. Those who know him, know what a gem of a being he is. I have been mentored by him for 16 years. Doug will be retiring soon from nearly 40 years of service to his clients and his students. Next Friday (May 6, 20110, he will be giving what may be his last lecture and workshop. He is thinking of it as a coming together or culmination of his life's work. His Opus as it were. Although Doug is far to humble to call it that.

Get to the point Brian. An art form that seems to perfectly symbolize his work would be Kintsugi. Might you have or might you direct me to someone who has a piece of pottery mended in this fashion. A piece that might show the cracks very clearly, but has a beauty none the less and ideally mended with gold lacquer. Doug is not someone who has a taste for fine art, but he is someone who would very much appreciate the deeper meaning in the gift and its symbolism to his work with the wounded people of our community.

Any help you might offer would be very much appreciated.
Brian Kennedy

While I am not one of the artisians and am unsure of where such pieces could easily be bought. If you gave us a price range you were looking for we could tell you if it is remotely feasible for you to find such a piece. I say this for several reasons. The art of mending pieces with gold lacquer seems to be dieing in the sense that not many artists are willing to put in the time to do the repairs, and even then they are costly. Along with the fact that it somewhat of a rarer practice now a days meaning most surviving pieces are antiques. Usually people will accept the death of a piece of teaware unless they were exceptionally tied to the piece, or it cost a fortune in the first place.

All these things add up to the fact that while pieces can be found, I do not think I have seen such a piece selling for an price less than several hundred if not thousand dollars.

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Re: The Official "Ask the Artisan" Community Topic

by debunix » Jun 20th, '11, 21:32

I was asked elsewhere about my beautiful new Korean teapot--"do you know how the carbon trap effect is created?" And I realize I have no idea. I tried to read some rather technical discussions of it, but soon decided to ask the experts here. How is it done?

Image

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Re: The Official "Ask the Artisan" Community Topic

by togei » Jun 22nd, '11, 15:10

Here is a thread that might help.
http://www.potters.org/subject76564.htm/
Dave

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Re: The Official "Ask the Artisan" Community Topic

by debunix » Jun 22nd, '11, 16:01

That helps, thanks!

To check if I understand it correctly now: you need the right glaze, the right oxidation/reduction balance to generate some ash flying about in the kiln, the ash sticks to and sinks into the glaze a bit, and gets trapped there as black speckles. Other glazes might not be as prone to incorporate it just right (needs to be just viscous enough, not to thick, not too thin), or perhaps wouldn't be compatible with the ox/redox balance required to get the flying ash.

If that more or less right, or complete nonsense?

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