Question #4

Back again, answering the latest Blog Watchers question #4.  A funny one too, for me anyway, a ceramist, since it is clearly designed for painters. Nonetheless, I'll give it a try and see what comes of it.  The question this week is:

What kind of paints do you use? How long have you had your painting table, and how did you decide to set it up?

Paint?  No, clay.  I mainly use porcelain, and more recently, some white stoneware as well.  Actually, I use regular stoneware at times too, especially if I am making pieces that are more functional.  But again, most of my work tends to be in a white clay, porcelain or white stoneware.  I like this because it allows me to use glazes that sit on a white surface, and when color is used, it works well.  Sort of like a canvas with gesso on it.  Color works better on top.  And the purity of porcelain is seductive, and with a slightly sanded surface, nice to touch.  Something about the whiteness I find alluring, and while I say that color looks good on top, I tend to use more black glaze to contrast with the white clay surface.  So both are reasons to use porcelain, at least for me.

The problem with porcelain is its difficulty to work with, compared to other clays.  For this reason I add a white grog to it (like a fine sand), which helps its workability.  Still, not the easiest.  And because of the type of work I am now doing in the studio, I have been experimenting more with a white stoneware.  It is a bit easier to work with than porcelain, and still gives me a white.  But the whiteness of this clay is not as intense as the porcelain I use, so there is a tradeoff.  I hope to figure it all out once I start finishing some of the work later with the white stoneware pieces, and see what I can get.  But for now, I like working in the white stoneware and hope it is not disappointing once I try to apply glazes. But in the end, I think I may be able to look for glazes that work better with the white stoneware than what I currently have for the porcelain.  These glazes are familiar to me as I have used them for years. The challenge is to not assume what you have for one clay will transfer to another.  We'll see.  More glaze testing will be needed to figure it all out!

As for my 'painting table', this one makes me chuckle.  I work on a potter's wheel, use a slab roller and an extruder, and even do a little slip casting, and have had them all from the beginning.  I have a large table that I use to assemble pieces.  So the idea of a painting table is somewhat abstract for a potter, at least for me and what I make.  Perhaps another ceramists working with colored slips and glazes, painting designs on the forms might find this question more applicable.  (Actually, I will correct myself a bit here as I do occasionally produce some colorful decorated bowls, and in doing so I have a number of colored slip containers that I use.  Perhaps this is as close as I can get to a 'painter's table'?)  Furthermore, asking how I 'set it up' is also different for me.  My entire studio is set up to allow for work to move from one location to another, depending on what I am doing to the pieces.  For example, I throw and trim pieces in one section, make slabs and extrude coils in another, and then assemble pieces in yet another.  While it sounds like they are separate rooms (I wish!), they are not.  It is all in the same space, but still, areas specific for what it is I am doing at that time.

So, in the end, I think asking these questions makes perfect sense for a painter, but for a ceramist, not the same.  While clay people share a common sense of what is needed, the work they produce dictates how the working spaces are set up.  Different, I think, for a painter.  Maybe?

Images of my studio in a previous posting might help illustrate some of what I say here.  But for now, I'll post some images here of pots, slip containers, decorating syringes, etc. to help round out some of what I am saying.  Really though, I doubt these images add a lot to the discussion, but I still like them.  I think the more we 'look' at an artists studio and their tools, materials and arrangements, the better we might understand the work produced, or at least how it is produced, or at least I hope so.

studio question #3

Back again with the Blogwatchers studio questions group.  They are now on #3, so I'll work on answering that one, even though it is only my second (I missed the first one!).  Here is this week's question:

Please describe a typical day, being as specific as possible. For example: what time do you get up? when do you come to the studio? Do you have specific clothing you change into? Do you listen to music, radio, TV when you work? If so what, and does

it affect your work?

Typical day?  What's that?  I try to get studio time whenever I can.  Unfortunately there are times when the gap between studio work is long, mostly because of other things, like teaching, committee, travel, etc. that get in the way.  But like most artists, if I have a show or a deadline for work I make time.

Lately however, I have been getting a good amount of work done.  I started over the Christmas break and made a commitment to maintain it once school was back in session as best as possible (usually the start of school stops, or slows any studio momentum!).  So far so good (but of course, that is what the man who jumped out of the 50 story building was heard saying as he passed every floor!).  We are over a month into the new term and I am still making time, almost daily, for studio work.  I find if I can keep work moving along, (which in clay means having it ready to tend to at the various making stages), I have reason to return to the studio.  Sometimes I think I am only going there for a quick visit to check on things drying, and then three hours later I am closing shop for the day.  Feels good when I do this as it means I am generating more work.  More work spawns more work, which also means more ideas bubbling up.  So while I do have a rhythm going now, in the long run, I would never claim things to look like a typical studio day.  Again, not sure what that is, but what I just described is working for me now.

I tend to work more in the evenings, after classes and I am home, more often after dinner.  That's also when it is tempting to become lethargic, so getting off my ass and into the studio gives me more energy, once I am there working.  Funny how that happens, huh?  On weekends, I try to get into the studio during the daytime, sometimes for a couple of hours, other times longer.  Again, whatever I can muster.

Clothing, yeah, right!  I tend to work in whatever I have on, which works because I really never have anything on too fancy.  I teach in the clothes I work in, so they are all the same.  And when I am working in the studio, I often have clay on me at school too.  Since I am in the studio teaching, doesn't make sense to have two different outfits now does it?  But if I need to go out, or to a meeting, I may try to be more aware of what I am wearing, but really, even at school, most folks know what we do so having clay on me is accepted as part of my job.  I can get a bit messy (on my clothes) when I am throwing, so if I am ever aware of how I look, it is generally after that.  Otherwise, not a problem.

As to what I listen to while working, well, I do sometimes listen to public radio, but more often, I listen to music I have on my iPhone.  The talking heads on public radio can get a bit tiresome, so I get my fill of that pretty fast.   I have listened to books on tape from time to time, but generally I lose focus on the story as I am engaged in my work, so it does not work all that well.  Music is the best.  None of it really affects my work, and if I had nothing on, it probably would not matter all that much.  But again, I do like the music I have.

Below are some images from the studio, like tools, equipment, etc.  Not really sure why I am posting these here, but I like the way they look, and they do play an important part in my studio activity.

studio questions...

A while ago a painter friend (Brandon Smith at www.brandoncsmith.blogspot.com) asked me to participate with a small group of artists who all had blogs, asking each of them the same question, one a week.  So, here is my first attempt to participate in the exercise, even though I must admit it might get sort of strange since I am the only potter in the group while the others are painters.  The questions, all coming from the book "Inside the Painters Studio" by Joe Fig, are rather specific to painters.  But hey, who knows, maybe I can twist it enough to make sense for those of us working in clay.  We'll see.  Here's the question of the week:

How long have you been in this studio? Did you have a plan for the layout of your studio or did it develop organically? Has the studio location influenced your work?




I have been in my current studio for about six years, and it was built for me on our property in the country.  I used to have a studio in Lexington (where we lived at the time).  I shared a studio with two other clay artists there, and it was located about 4 blocks from where I lived.  I really liked that as it was close by, spacious, and very functional.  I liked sharing it with others too as it allowed for an exchange of ideas from time to time.  Since I teach I am comfortable working with others in the studio, and when I went off by myself as I am now, I was a bit concerned at first that I might not like the isolation.  There are times I might like to have another person to work with, but generally, I  have adapted well to working alone and now seem to thrive on it.  I find it allows me to be more contemplative about what I am making.


My studio is where I live, even though it is not attached to the house.  This can be an advantage for a potter as it keeps the dust and mess isolated, and not having to deal with messy footprints across the entry way.  I know some like a studio in the house, but I tend to not be too clean most of the time, so it is better for everyone in the house to keep it located a short walk (1 minute) from our house.  And I actually like the separation.  It is both physical and mental.  Something that seems to fit with the way I think and work in the studio.


I planned the space myself, but did keep in mind that if we ever moved it could easily be modified to be a garage like structure.  I have a work area, a kiln area, a material storage area (where I also mix clay), and another space that I hope to eventually use as a small gallery space.  The material and gallery spaces are still not finished (needing more drywall installed, etc.), but they are still rather functional.  The 'gallery' space is where I store finished pieces for now, mostly on shelves or in boxes.


The work space is fairly functional, at least for the type of work I make.  When I am actively using it, as I am now, it really gets messy, but works fine.  I am not the most organized in how I use the space, but hey, it works for me.  There are times I clean it up and it looks really good, as a studio, but when it is

dis-shevled, it seems to still work just fine.  And since we live in the country and have some land, I can store a lot of things just outside my studio if needed.  I do both throwing and hand building there, and have spaces allotted for each.  Since I do not produce functional ware, I am not easily over run with pots.


My kiln space is attached to the studio, yet it is outside, although covered.  I have a gas kiln and an electric kiln there, along with some shelves for storage.  So that helps a lot!  The pictures I am attaching, with the exception of the kiln space, are all the same just taken from a different angle in the room.  Hopefully this helps you see the overall work space, and confirms what I say about it being messy!

I do wish I had more storage space for work in-process.  More shelves would be helpful as it does get a bit cramped since I often tend to put off glazing and firing too long, making it seemed more cramped as time goes by.  Kind of how many of us work in clay, making pieces for a while and then having to stop and glaze and fire.  I do not have a glaze area per se, so I need to clean things up to do that, which does not encourage me to stop and glaze as it also means I am not making new work.  Of course glazing is an important part of the process, and certainly just as valuable as the actual making of work.  But having to 'change' your work space does not allow you to keep your head in the game with new work being born.  If I had a larger overall space, I would be able to simply move from one to another, allowing me to glaze when I need to, and then turn back to wet clay just as easily.  So, not ideal, but I make it work.  The danger is when you stop making things only to then glaze, you have to re-ignite the fire inside you to start a new body of work afterwards.  Sometimes that can be a challenge!

The last part of the question, has the studio location influenced your work, is not real applicable.  For me, it should read:  has the studio 'space' influenced your work.  My answer to that question is yes.  I am not able to work on anything too large, but honestly, I have little desire to do so anyway.  There are times, however, where my ideas take on a little larger scale than normal. but this is most often realized by working in parts, or sections (different sections that all comprise one piece, not attached to make one big piece).  So I guess the answer is yes, it influences what I make, but I designed the studio to fit the way I work anyway, so what came first, the chicken or the egg?

In the past I have worked in spaces not much larger than a big closet, to spaces that I could park a vehicle in.  In each case, I adapted and made work I felt was important and serious, and still seemed to generate ideas that ended up to be about the same size in scale regardless of where I worked at the time.

So to conclude, I think we conform to what we have, and continue to dream about the ideal space yet to come.