the next step in throwing!

Did they not teach you throwing? Practice, practice, practice. If your did not learn enough at university (beggars the mind if you have a degree in ceramics) I suggest you see if you can work for an established potter who throws and is willing to give you advice, that would then answer both your questions.

Don't know about where Vicky is but, around here there can be an art/craft split. At University you learn high art, much theory little technique. Learn to think, you can buy technique. Throwing would be introduced as a historical part of ceramics. You wouldn't expect to perfect it at a university. I exagerate a little and it varies from place to place but no, you would not hone functional potting at a university.

Elaine

Of course, being the US contact for the Deruta school - that is what I recommend to advance students.

We offer customized courses at one of the best known schools of ceramic in Deruta, Italy in the beautiful countryside of Umbria. Courses last from 1 week to a few months. The school offers the best value to advance and professional potters.

Buy your own wheel. Even if you don't have access to a kiln and must throw out (or recycle) the results, owning your own wheel is vital, I believe.

Look at it this way: throwing is a physical experience requiring concentration, good muscles, careful control....rather like a sport.

Athletes don't think twice about putting in long hours, nor should potters.

Just be sure you wear a mask.

Wear a mask when throwing?? Say what. There is no inhalation risk with wet clay. When recycling dry clay and mixing glazes etc etc, yes do wear a mask, but throwing, not necessary.

In any confined space where there is dry clay dust, e.g. from yesterday's throwing, there will be a health risk. There's got to be a mountain of evidence already that particulate matter is bad for you; silica dust is especially bad.

Here's a starter link, to aid in your learning.

After reading the article, I assume that you wear a mask at all times - at home and outdoors?

Yes, there are toxic pollutants everywhere, in all parts of our life.

However, we would probably inhale more toxic pollution going to the shops than we would in a well organised pottery workshop.

Still, if wearing a mask in the workshop makes you feel better, why not!

So you don't clean up after throwing?? That is the first rule, always clean up with a damp cloth or sponge. Throwing is with wet clay therefore no dust. Cleaning up is essential and a studio must be kept as dust free as possible. Never dry sweep.

Wearing a mask when using dry ingredients such as mixing glazes is a must. When dealing with wet clay in a well cleaned studio, not necessary at all. Heck there is clay outside in the ground, are you going to wear a mask in case of inhalation??

I have to agree with you Annemarie. Dry sweeping is just asking for trouble. Dust gets into your lungs, on your greenware, into your glazes, into your equipment and kiln...and who knows what's in the dust? Some claymaker somewhere, or mine technician could have sneezed into it (or worse) with an infectious disease (can you say TB?), and the spores would still be active. The cat could have used that pile of trimmings on your floor as a litter box. It's DIRT, after all, that we're working with here, not the clean room at IBM. Wet mop those floors, folks, after you vacuum (and use a good quality filter in your vacuum, or vent it outside while it's on) Macho considerations aside, it's YOUR health. Protect it when you can. Luckily, I live in an area of the country that allows me to work in an open space year round. I know we are not all so fortunate. And even I use a set of fans to direct everything away from the space I'm in. Wayne Seidl

Huh? this is about general exposure to pollutants in the environment. I am sure we have all heard about pollutants in building materials. Arsenic used in treating wood etc. What this has to do with throwing wet clay in a clean studio I don't know. I am sure you wash your hands when you finish work, and wet wipe up your mess. How are you going to breath wet clay? That is the trick, keeping it wet and cleaning wet. There are (as mentioned before) when mixing glazes, you are working with dry material and must wear a mask. When spraying glaze is another. Heck you would inhale more dust driving down a dusty road than you would wet throwing clay. Pollutants are everywhere and as potters we do have to be very careful, but that IMO does not include wearing masks when working with wet clay.

I'm in a studio where proper clean-up is an issue. The floor tends to get mopped with a dirty string mop and a dirty bucket. I'm sure some of the clay gets picked up but this method seems to do a good job of spreading the clay around. The fact that all this arduous mopping doesn't result in getting the clay off the floor, seems to avoid the notice of the mopper. When it dries, the clay gets spread around by foot. We don't have a vacuum with filter nor the money to buy one. Sometimes I sweep, using sweeping compound (supposed to keep down the dust) and a mask. Why do I do this? Because whoever made the mess has done nothing and I don't want all that muck to end up in the mop bucket. Did I mentioned the uncleaned up spilt glaze? grumble grumble

We're supposed to have a meeting about this. I'm trying to think of positive ways to point out the error of all this, because I've ended up nagging and think I am viewed as an irrelevant bitch.

Ah well.

Elaine

The point is that every studio is unclean to some degree.

I have seen studios at colleges, at local art centers and private studios. They have all been fairly dirty. People are lazy but even the biggest clean freak cannot completely get a studio clean.

Given that there will always be clay dust in a pottery environment, it is wiser to wear a mask. OSHA recommends this too.

I would see if there was a local pottery studio in your area and offer to do work for them in exchange for priviledges in the studio, i.e., throwing. There isn't a studio in existance that can't use volunteers. Marlynn Marlynn A day in which I haven't learned something new is a day lost......

Elaine: Bringing up the health consequences of particle exposure, such as silicosis might have the effect you desire...that of making people think twice before leaving a mess. You don't mention how many use the studio. In my (albeit limited) studio experience, we had to sign in and out of the studio. It would be extremely easy to track, then, who made the mess. Anyone found leaving a mess for someone else to clean up was then charged for the cleaning, at the current rate of $20 (US) per hour. One person, who adamantly refused to either clean or pay, was asked to leave, and find another space. No loss there, she was a lazy cow.

It's YOUR health, after all. Why risk it cleaning up after someone who doesn't have a clue, doesn't want one, couldn't care less.

If that makes me thought of as a nag, or an irrelevant bitch, so be it. Wayne Seidl

Each to their own I guess. I am not about to wear a mask when throwing, I do when spraying or dealing with any dry ingredients. I have not in fact come across a potter who wears a mask when throwing, but if it makes you feel happier, :o)

Totally agree, studio cleaning is absolutely essential. I give childrens lessons in my own studio so I am scrupulous about cleaning. We all should be for our own health though.