I have been lurking for awhile now and was hoping to post with ya'll, if'n ya don't mind. I'm a novice to pottery, have a wheel, a kiln and
500 pounds of clay. What I don't have is all the experience ya'll have, okay, I have NO experience... yet. But I'm game for anything. I see you advise newbies to get books, I have no $ for that and have to rely on the internet for my info. Ergo, that's why I'm here. So... where do I begin? Do you folks do joint projects? Everybody to themselves? I also notice there's a bit of an international flavor amongst ya'll, so let me introduce myself, I'm a furniture builder from Tennessee, USA. I build lawn and patio furniture but the work is very seasonal. I have my own shop and am looking to get more creative, to fill the voids during winter. That's it. So who is everybody and where ya'll from?
Welcome, we come from all over the world. I live in Wellington New Zealand, sometimes known as Middle Earth ;o)
My advice to you is to do some classes. Really its the best way, pottery is such a hands on project that it is really difficult to learn from just books. There are probably night classes or similar in your area, see if you can find out, here you go, is this anywhere near you?
steve jepson videos are great - round $45 each but around 2 hours long too. great basics for about the price of a class. i know he advertises in ceramics monthly every month. ~ don't have any links handy.
As mentioned, the library is an excellent place to get books for free and in fact even if you buy books it is a good place to spend enough time with the book to know if it is what you want. Your local library will often take requests for books. Once upon a time most communities had adult ceramics classes for almost nothing but that went the way of tax cuts winning elections.
You can certainly do low fire hand built pieces with very little investment of money and training.
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Go to
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and search the archives for information if you haven't yet.
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is an example of building a kiln for little to no money for low fire work.
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is a great site for educational material but probably beyond what you are ready for yet - still keep it for future use if you get involved with glazing. If you are going to be self taught and working with a very limited budget, I would stick to pit firing to begin with though you could spend a lifetime enjoying and learning from just that one area. Tennessee is where we get Ball clay from
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. I would think you could easily find clay deposits locally.This is not a monitored group and while it is nice for you to ask it is entirely unnecessary. This room is open to all and there is a very wide range of experience. Everyone has something to offer and questions asked count as a valuable part of the room. I currently live on Long Island, in NY. Though I started with reduction cone 8 firings (high fire stoneware done with a gas firing where you starve the flame of oxygen which it then removes from the glaze - giving rich reds, browns, golds, etc.), I now fire with an L&L electric kiln for most of my work which is an oxidation firing at cone 6 (still considered stoneware but on the low end). I recently did a pit fire and thought it wonderful. I've done raku and enjoyed the party element of it but pitfire is something I can imagine really doing in a serious way. I will probably do a great deal more of it if the neighbors don't have me arrested. I've been working in clay for much more than two decades but only part time since computer programming pays the bills and keeps the kids in school (at least that is what I'm told).
Donna
"the ''Kroozr''" wrote in message news: snipped-for-privacy@storefull-3358.bay.webtv.net...
Like the man sez, join a class, local colleges usually have them, cost a bit but are really worth it (sez he who teaches a couple), you get acces s to wheels, kilns, clay, and most important people who know how to use them, that you can learn off... I Live in the SW UK, good Luck, and welcome to the family... Hugs Eddie
Wow, I think I hit the motherlode here! You guys are good. I saved all your replies. Major thanks. I have gone to the pottery.org site several times, everytime I've done a web search, they would come up. I appreciate ALL the info, you are the best bunch. Two great suggestions, the library and classes, are impossible as I work 7 days a week, 9 to 9. This is probably one of the oldest crafts in the world, right up there with the oldest profession. I was going to say that puts us in good company but that doesn't sound right. I had to crack up that you would know about clay in my own area that I didn't have a clue about. I also like the fact that this group is global, way cool. Thanks for the welcome and the primo sources of information, now its time to get to work. I don't suppose you know where I left my keys?
In the winter my biz slows down to a trickle so I don't build much furniture. I spend most of the time waiting for the one or two elusive customers. While I'm waiting is when I want to learn pottery. After Christmas all the way to early spring its just plain dead. Sitting on my duff, doing nothing is only fun for the first week ot two, then I start feeling like a government employee without the benefit of pay. So this year, rather than counting all the tiles (3,427) I thought I'd start making some.
Hey, I do!!! I have a Tandy (the leather craft company) brass key ring. Though in this case it's coiled heavy wire. It slips onto my jeans pocket or belt loop. I've had it since 1978. Do I get a prize?
No I don't have a web site for the furniture. The stuff I build is too bulky to ship and not worth the added cost. Nowadays, I have to consider my competition, which is all the discount stores. Each item is hand crafted, not mass produced. I factor in time and materials as well as the public's willingness to spend. Thus I try to keep the price within reason. The most important thing for me is that my products are for everybody, not just for those who have money. Having been a "blue collar" worker and having started from the ground up, I never forget where I came from. You can have your cake and eat it too, matter of fact, what's the point of having cake if you're not going to eat it? Sorry, my mind wanders... and its really too small to be out on its own.
Mine are always in my righthand pantspocket, unless i am driving, then they are in the ignition. And since my house key and my car key are on the same ring, i cant leave them anywhere and i can't leave home without them. By the way, since you want to know how international we are here in this group, i am from Austria, that's that little country to the right of Germany and Switzerland. Alps, The Sound of Music, Mozart..... ok? I think Marianne (Bubbles) and i are the only two from Europe outside the UK.
Wow! This really is an international group. That is so cool! At least I don't have to worry about anybody just dropping in unexpectedly. Myself, I'm originally from Arnhem, Holland. We came to the US when I was, umm, lets just say it was a while ago. I've lived all over this country and finally settled in Tennessee, I live real close to where they brew Jack Daniels whiskey. Now there's inspiration for ya. I've always loved art and early on sought out a career in commercial art, namely advertising, but its such a competitive field, I put that on hold and went into several different businesses. The last 15 years in woodwork have been pure mana from heaven as its allowed me to be creative. You can't beat that. Its that drive to create that brings me to working with clay. That and my offbeat sense of humor. By the way, if I happen to offend anybody, feel free to let me know and I'll graciously apologize. I just have trouble shutting up, not my fault, mind you. I'd have less to say if this keyboard had less letters, but it doesn't and I can't just let them go to waste now can I? Okay, I'll shut up now. But it truly has been a pleasure to meet each and everyone of you. Amazing how many of you can relate to lost keys... oops, right, I'm supposed to shut up now, darn keyboard!
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