D.M.Ernst

Cannot start the day without my teapot.  

ya know you might suggest that they could revise the policy to allow a 'buddy' system of 2, 3 or even a small group working together during one eight hour shift and frame it as  being to broaden participation. I assume the whole point of having the wood kiln and the firing is to promote and enrich the pottery experience. There are many, many health situations that are not immediately visible that would make it impossible to 'work' an entire 8 hour strenuous shift. COPD, back issues etc etc.
The other question that comes to mind is if the Guild is truly about mission when it come to this kiln or if some members see this wood kiln as some sort of personal domain or perc and thus inclusiveness is not really part of the agenda to begin with. 

You know for all my complaining about my thumb, and arthritis. I am in amazingly good shape, and hope that I will remains so for a long time. My Dad is looking forward to hunting season soon as we hunt together in Northern PA. He is 91!
best,
Pres

Bless all you awesome people here. The stories of your overcoming are inspirational. Keep up the hard work.

Gabby,  I cannot begin to imagine how you do it....or any of you who have experienced or in the midst of experiencing great medical challenges.   My heart goes out to you all. 
My troubles are small in comparison.  I am 61 for a couple more months and have always used my hands whether in fiber arts or 25 years of restoring ceramics  and making ceramics for 15 years...  all stuff that is hard on the body.   My hands, wrists, back and shoulders have given me trouble for many years .  Most of the time I don't think about it....it is my normal. 
I had to put the studio on hold for a few years for a variety of family and financial reasons, but with the arthritis pain increasing in my hands, I feel driven to get moving on getting my studio up and running and me back to making pottery....the road before me doesn't seem without end like when I was younger.  I just want to be able to give my craft a good 25 to 35 years....or as long as the hands and back hold out. 
Oh....I hand build.....there is something very comforting about building with the clay...cut and formed very much like the textiles I worked with years ago.  
Thank you, Pres for starting this thread.  

As I mentioned before somewhere I have leukemia. When I was diagnosed I promised myself a few things. One, I would do what I wanted the way I wanted as much as possible from then on with the time I have left. Working with clay to some extent gives me a focus and relieves my depression to a large extent, helps me to handle my fear, and though I don't really believe in 'legacies' it's sort of nice to know that a few things I made will be around a long time after I'm gone. Right now I actually feel physically pretty good and thought I was doing well in remission. A visit about a week ago with my oncologist cleared my hopes up when he said it's time for me to get in line for a bone marrow transplant. Hm, yes, well.
Anyway, on the bright side I got to quit my job (after not being able to finish a shift at work due to having pain from a swollen spleen, a health care provider with no health care, thanks to the heartless health care system in the US) three years ago when I finally walked into an ER and got diagnosed. I'd been managing and working through horrible symptoms undiagnosed for at least two years not knowing what I had. The ER doc suddenly got excited saying my white cell counts were off the scale and I was rushed over to another hospital in the middle of the night, put into all sorts of contraptions, IV's inserted, etc. The oncologist assured me I didn't have long if it was one type, about 25 yrs if another. My only thought was "Christ I can finally quit my job!" -that's how much I hated it. After recovering and getting social security and medicaid worked out, I sold my wee house in Idaho, (also hated Idaho, I'm from CA originally, seriously a fish out of water) and used the money to move to a place I love on the Oregon coast. Anyway I'm cramming as much of what I want, that I can afford on next to nothing, into what's left. Not everyone gets the news they better get their affairs in order and have such and such time left to do it. Most of the time, I'm grateful, not always. 

Maybe two questions can be squeezed out of this: 
What was your lowest moment with your pottery? 
What was your best moment with your pottery? 

LeeU
Advanced Member   Members  520 1,014 posts LocationNew Hampshire Report post   (IP: 65.175.181.4)     Posted 11 minutes ago I've been thinking a while about those of us who have spoken about various limitations, challenges, health impairments, disabilities, and so forth. Some folks have had to leave the Forums and reduce their work because of certain conditions of body and/or mind (tho I believe they are integrated, not two separate issues). There is no Forum particulary suited or appropriate for discussion about one's aches and pains, or serious impediments that affect our ability to work in, and enjoy working in, clay, or work-arounds that help make it easier to function and hang in there. So, my question is:  Either generally or specifically, what do you think, feel, and/or do when confronted with moderate to serious/severe limitations of some aspect of health that alters how you work in clay? 
 

I don't know whether this is what you are asking,  but if you look just below the title for this thread, also in this ICAN forum, you will see all the past week's questions and answers.

Apologies if this has been suggested before but I'm curious if anyone else uses "Kiln Gods" or Gremlins when firing their kiln. 
My first experience with clay was as a laborer trimming cups in a small production factory. (back in the early 80's, called Shapiro's Ceramic and Design, they took over from the slightly more well-known Overland Stoneware) They had two car kilns there and the owner who did the firing had a couple hideous little figures that looked kind of like what you see stuck on face jugs. According to him these were his "kiln gods" who watched over the firing process, and we weren't allowed to place them. 
My father was a Mason and a master welder for the air force. My mother told me that whenever they were having problems with a plane repeatedly, during the fix they made a gremlin out of scrap metal and welded it somewhere inside the body of the aircraft where it wouldn't be seen. 

Crystalline glaze: cut my teeth on it. My obsession with clay came because of it.
 

Hmmmm No takers this week? Cowardice will get you no where.
 
best,
Pres

"Politics: the activities associated with the governance of a country or other area, especially the debate or conflict among individuals or parties having or hoping to achieve power."
I get dismayed when the misuse of the word and concept of "politics" serves to characterize a topic, about which there may be disagreement, as something that should be off-limits, which may serve to cut off the dialogue.  I am not trying to be "too"  serious or snarky---I just wouldn't want to see discussions of the new Forum features get jettisoned because of sensitivity about critique.
So far,  everything I have learned about the new system has come from folks who are providing us with tips and directions. Reading other people's experiences/questions is helpful as well. Without that input I know I would get frustrated, or lost, and end up feeling negative before giving it a chance. I hate having to learn new systems, it is hard on my remaining and aging brain cells, but upgrades are a necessity. I guess I'm saying I wish there was a forum topic on the pros/cons/"how to" of it--if not a Qotw--to ease the transition! 
OH GOOD GRIEF....I just remembered there IS a thread on the New Forum.  I'll leave my 2-cents  worth about content being (or not being) "political" here, since I don't know where else to put it. Moderator should feel free to remove it if (dare I say it?) it is too political LOL. 

one thing that helps is to keep your hands on the pot throughout the entire process.  do not remove your hands until you have reached the top and allowed a complete revolution once there.  jerking your hands away part way up is a sure way to make a wobbly pot.  

I'm practicing cylinders again.  Can someone give me a height to aim for when throwing with 1kg / 2.2lb of clay?  I need something to aim for, even if it's difficult.  I'll set a gauge up so I can keep trying to hit that height.
Incidentally, here in the UK we call this # a hash sign.  I still find it confusing when people refer to it as a pound sign, which is one of these: £.

nerd, Based on your statement:             "Even when I slow down, pay very close attention, still pull the top of the cylinder slightly off and open," and my observations of many students (including myself) I am guessing that you are pulling your hands of horizontally from the top and you are moving them rapidly while the wheel speed is slow. If so, the most likely cause is the surface tension between the clay and your hand - usually the fingers.  The corrective action is: move your hand away from the clay surface slowly to allow the wheel to rotate several times as you move your hands off the clay.   LT

Glazenerd,
I really am pleased when posts are able to help others out. However, I can not take credit. . . . it takes a community.
 
 
best,
Pres

Pres:
i threw my new formulated porcelain for the first time today. Incorporating the advice here and elsewhere: actually made a piece I was happy with. Uniform wall thickness, went much smoother.   TY all

Very informative topic about Teaching Ceramics to Adults. Soon I will be 50, and I think it is time to learn a new hobby. Ceramic Arts Daily community has a great forum of learning from experienced artists, art  educators and enthusiasts. I'm looking forward to learn more.

I've only been working with clay as an adult for about 7 months, starting with an open studio type class in September. I came to that with the experience of three high school ceramics classes taken 20-some years prior.
 
My expectations of the open studio did not match reality, as I didn't quite realize how much I did know already, how much other beginners DIDN'T know, and how much of the instructor's time would be taken up by the participants with zero experience. I figured we'd be getting more demonstrations each session, but the format was geared more toward just making what you want to make. It was really up to me, being more determined to learn a specific skill (wheel,) to research techniques and just get in and practice.
 
When I was in high school, I was allowed to "fall back" on hand building when throwing didn't come easily. That kind of makes me mad now. Throwing ISN'T EASY, and I wish someone had pushed me a little harder then. The only part of that experience that I am grateful for now is that it gave me some drive to not just give up and take the easy route this time around. Yeah, I could be making press-molded slab plates like everyone else in my open studio group, but that's not the pieces I want. But I'm the one that has to push myself to get the practice in, because our instructor won't do that.
 
I do rely on YouTube almost exclusively for learning techniques, troubleshooting, and learning new forms. It's not a bad thing. I watch videos on single subjects from a variety of potters, and play around to see what works best for me. In that way, I was able to set my own "curriculum" while still creating functional ware that I didn't have to just pitch out because I wasn't "getting" everything all at once. For example, I tried trimming a pot the second week of class, and felt WAY too fumbly and unconfident. It ruined an otherwise decent piece, so I was pleased to find a few videos on trimming pieces while still on the bat, and fettling/thumbing off flat-bottomed pieces. I did that while I worked on getting my cylinders decent, and used those pieces to work through glaze experiments, so by the time I was throwing nicer pieces that I *wanted* to trim, I had the confidence to give it a shot and was also not ruining the pieces with ugly glaze combos. But I had to decide all that. If I had just run with the pack of beginners, I'd have had to suffer through the pinch pots and fish-shaped serving trays, and might never have gotten onto the path I wanted to be on.

and many of them start with clay that is too hard and are constantly frustrated without knowing it is not their fault.  it is too easy to blame yourself.

Idaho, I like your take on the mixed bag doing the handbuilding and the throwing. I often would have students that had one thing in mind to do. It may have been a handbuilt pasta bowl, or making ceramic molding, or learning to make a teapot, or some other specialized project. I would always have them fill our a little survey 4X7 card with their contact info, their hobbies/interests, their experience with clay, and if there was anything they really wanted to accomplish in the class. This would lead to the types of demonstrations I did, and how the demonstrations would branch to specific types of projects. In the case of the molding the extruder, the handbuilt pasta bowl to hump or slump molds. I a student was interested in throwing, I would have a group that once I started the handbuilders, and had done a throwing demonstration of a cylinder form, would meet at the wheels those just beginning would get the hands on hands treatment. They were always taught to master the clay-pushing up and pushing down, a good preliminary to centering. Pressure with the hands, and bend of wrist/positions were reinforced constantly. More advanced students would often ask what was going wrong, why things weren't light enough, what caused ripples etc. These things I would explain and demonstrate corrections. Many times a student would complete a second plain cylinder after much work, and I would coax/help them shape it into a more interesting form with their input of what they wanted to do with it. Next have them repeat the same with the next cylinder.
I only ran classes the same as you, with no practice time-the studio was used during the week by my HS classes, and most of these folks couldn't/wouldn't come in after school. However, as I was there late most of the time some folks would ask and come in to work. The last class was a glazing day, and then folks would come in to pick up their work the following week. Towards the end, they begged to have an extra day where they picked up their work, got to see everyone's work and could talk about it-and party, I could not turn them down. We had great fun.

Happypots,
 
I, like you, have given "private lessons" to adults, with a different take, however. If the student wants to learn ceramics, they start with handbuilding and work their way up. I remind them that getting work fired by someone else (other than in my studio) isn't all that easy. Most places feel more comfortable knowing the student has at least the fundamental basics under their belt. And I try to convince them that the first piece of equipment they need to buy is a kiln--not a wheel.
 
I have also had students who only wanted to learn wheel throwing techniques. My classes are three hours long (reality check--set up and clean up equal approx. 1/2 hour which is one-third of your alloted class time) plus the student can practice on their own for three hours a week as well. The classes (and the practice time) run for six weeks--no extensions. This is still only 36 hours total (providing they are motivated enough to practice). There are restrictions during class time. They do assigned work--cylinders, bowls, bigger cylinders, shaped cylinders, bigger bowls. If they practice, they can experiment as much as they like, but when they come back to class they do assigned work. Someone who took pottery in high school will advance more rapidly, but tossing a total newbie into wheel throwing without that background is a disservice to your student.
 
They need structure until they master centering, opening and repeated attempts at drawing up the clay into a viable form. Just as an untrained horse doesn't know what to do with that bit in their mouth, the newbie needs gentle, steady reinforcement so trust and confidence can grow. Rethink your method and maybe the time set aside for classes. When that student actually draws up a slightly wobbly cylinder and it doesn't collapse--their smile will light the whole studio. Once they feel they can throw well, I put more stumbling blocks in their way. They are expected to weigh the clay and make three whatevers of the same size and shape. No, I don't expect the outcome will be exact, but it is something that is important to working with pottery. They are also expected to draw what they intend to produce. No fancy drawing, jut a line drawing showing dimension measurements. These are not "rules" for teaching, they're my methods. I think they need goals--even if I have to set them.
 
If you are giving group lessons, invite your student in to see the progress of others (or maybe drop in to the community center to take a peek).

Tom, 
The biggest advice I would give my students came with a hand on hand assistance to the first pull and the second. (Assuming you are RT handed )Create the donut after opening up. That is a donut attached to the wheel head, centered. Then using your left hand with the thumb down at the base of the wheel head on the outside, and the fingers bent to the floor on the inside with the rt hand with a sponge on the roll of the donut. . . . begin squeezing firmly with the thumb and fingers of the lft as you push inward on the roll with the sponge in the rt hand.  As you feel the roll going up, ease slightly on the pressure and continue to rise with the roll just above your fingers and thumb. Continue until to the point that you have gone off of the clay. Never stop the pull motion at the top of the pot, always imagining the clay to be 1-2" higher.
Second pull, begin with lft on inside, rt with thumb or pointer or whatever edge you use to pull with. Elbows braced against the body leaning to the rt. Firmly squeeze the clay between inside and outside fingers of lft and rt hand. As the roll moves up, ease slightly on pressure again and continue up with the pull as before. 
The firmly here is important, as that is where thinning the base comes in on a pull. Without firmly squeezing at the base level of the pull, the pull actually starts above the base of the pot leaving a heavier area in the base. You must firmly squeeze that roll on every pull to get it to move out of the base.
best advice I have, now practice. . . 
 
Pres

that is a sign that you really are normal.  most people make hummingbird nests inside bowling balls with flat bottoms for a very long time.  
if it would not break your bank, you might want to look for an old book by charles counts.  he wrote Pottery Workshop in the 1970s and it takes a person from total novice to pretty good thrower in very simple, logical steps.  you might adapt the size of the clay ball you start with to fit your own hand if you find it too small.  do not skip a step, work from the front to the back and do not look ahead.
remember, you are not making a product, you are learning a skill.  do not expect perfection. 
and, get that excess clay out before you raise a wall, then you can lift instead of smooshing, counts shows you how.
oh yes, do not even read the glaze recipes.  some people say the errors were deliberate to keep the recipe private.