Below you'll find a list of all posts that have been tagged as “technique”
Happy Valentine’s Day, A beautiful thing develops in a working artist’s daily life. It is the ability to know when to stop working. Stop. Done. Leave. As you know, My Work, My Way— the book, is on my website. It was done. I left. In it, I quote American baker Claudia Fleming. “You can always do it better. And until you’ve …
People have been asking me if I am retired. Nope. Never. This is what my friend Shelagh Rogers had to say about my retirement… So retire. No. Making Art yes, and writing yes. Playing pool yes. For the past two and a half years, I have been working on a book. It is a history of 50 years as a …
I love it when the stars align. I have some good friends that love good food. They made very good pork sausages with kimchi, which they fermented themselves, and added into the meat mix. Generous people that they are, they shared some with us. Tasty! These friends have most everything they need to survive, including good sausages, so how to …
In these videos, my technique of sprigging is shown here for the first time. Before watching, let me share what I have learned about sprigging. Chinese potters have used a technique for hundreds of years, but my own European background made me look there for the secrets of sprigging technique. You have to be careful when looking at “factory” ceramics …
I’ve placed two more videos on the site that add to a series of technical videos intended for both students and those interested in learning how I make and decorate bowls. In the video of me trimming a thrown bowl, I mention that if you do not like to trim pots, you should avoid throwing with porcelain. I used to …
I have been asked frequently to explain how Morgan glaze works. Truth be known, I don’t know all that much, except that I like it. I am also asked why I can like a glaze like Morgan, and at the same time like a glaze like my HH celadon. The celadon is following in the traditional steps of Song Chinese …
I have been making ceramics for almost 50 years. I used to do a lot of weekend workshops all across Canada encouraging potters to use and enjoy porcelain. In almost every workshop I was asked to make one of these large platters, because the method is a little unique, and takes some practice to do it well. I have to …
I thought you might be interested in this event. It is being held November 2nd and 3rd at thePinecroft Centre for the Arts at the old family studio of Jimmie and Selma Clennell. Pinecroft is just south of London about 2 hours from Toronto or Windsor. It is called ‘Making Dishes for Ourselves’, a weekend workshop by Harlan House RCA. …
I’ve added another technical page that discusses how I glaze my work. If you can believe it, I’ve been using an old Electrolux vacuum as long as I can remember. For those who are interested, check out the technical page on glazing. This Chinese sprayer is handmade on the streets of Jingdezhen and is commonly used for glazes that are …
Why focus on the technical side of a ceramics studio? For the longest time, I have known that in order to actually create the objects I can imagine, I will need the tools to get the job done. The tools lie asleep in thousands of years of making traditional objects. The move away from traditional ceramic knowledge has been gradual, …