Magnolia Mud Research

Art is in the mind of the observer.  
During the creation of an object the maker is the primary observer.  After the object is completed and released, the decision regarding the "artness" of the object is determined by the observer.  Different observers may (will) have different decisions on the placement of the object in the art ---- non-art spectrum.  
The debate within the ceramic "art" domain between art and functional ware is a contrived debate.  All ceramic articles have a function even if that function is to just take up space. The observers, owners, users, ...  are the decision makers as to the specific functionality of the object.  My tea mug has multiple functions.  At this moment its (the mug) function is to keep a fan from blowing paper off the desk. The sculpture across the room functions as both a hat rack and a source of inspiration until I put on my hat and go to the studio, then its function is to be a piece of burnt dirt taking up space and keeping the table from drifting off into the ether while it waits for someone to return and take notice!
LT
 

So the Hulk clarified his question about value by telling us : 
fwiw, my post to qotw has more t'do with "what is art" (and what is not art) than value of formal education; all good tho', carry on!
Th' topics weave together, surely.
So I will ask the QotW: How do you value or differentiate What is art and not art? I am assuming we are getting into the Art vs Craft discussion again, but then maybe there is more to it than just that. 
For me, there is that thing which is lower than craft, and this time of year we see a lot of it. I consider the glued together, tossed together stuff of decorative glitz used for the seasons, especially fall and winter. The combination of machine made, natural, natural covered with glitter, fake natural all pulled together with glue or wire to decorate. Hmmmm! Take a step up and consider the early stages of any craftsman, the learner that one day be considered a true craftsman of wood, metal, clay or whatever. Nice stuff, but still a layer at the bottom of CRAFT. I was there at one time, and all of us have to be. Then we start to evolve, not just making a form, but thinking about why me make the form, how to make it more efficiently, how to make it more useful, how to make it more decoartive or interesting. Through this thoughtful investigation we start to create true Craft objects, often very useful, aesthetically pleasing, and a joy to use. It brings a different dimension to those lives that use them. Then there are those that are still making functional objects, and have evolved in such an aesthetic, that their work is often considered Art. I give you Martha Glover as an example, where her organic wheel thrown porcelain forms with understated color are often described as art. There are others over the centuries that lift the simple functional object to art. Lastly we come to those rogues, those pioneers, or renegades that have lifted the world of functional ceramic into the realm of Art by their audacity and creativity. We would list many of the artist/craftspeople from the 60's and 70's, such as Voulkos, Autio, Callas, Paul Soldner, Takaezu, Mason, Price, and so many others that I dare not try to name them all. Too many. 
I do not presume to judge, as there are many pieces of work that I would not consider art myself, but they have cleared the way for a form of expression that has mirrored much of what was going on in the art world at the same time. They have also established clay as gallery art, something that before the 20th century was not as often considered in an Art museum. It is nice to be able to see ceramic pieces of all ilk displayed along with paintings, sculptures and other media.
 
Value. . . decide for yourself!
 
 
best,
Pres

I do a lot of stack and slam using two different consistencies of clay. Lately I have found a course wiggle wire is even more effective, especially when spraying some moisture on to the slabs. The wiggle waves hold the water better.
 
best,
Pres

There's an emerging discussion on another thread (re: craft/art) that is looking at the value of, or lack of value of, or even the detrimental impact of, schooling (college/training).  As someone who earned a degree in fine art (ceramics) at an esteemed art school (while on welfare and struggling mightily as a single parent & who was 20 years older than the other students) I must say how extremely enriching, valuable, freeing, and supportive of my creative expression and drive, the experience was. I have carried and used the benefits of that excellent education throughout all aspects of my life, not just in art interactions, but in ctitical thinking, world-view, career, understanding people and cultures, and many other areas of functioning. To me, formal training-- from competant, knowledgible & skilled instructors--is invaluable and can only enhance  one's creative expression and appreciation of crafts & art. What do others think--is formal education/training in ceramics (or any form of art ) stifling/useless/a negative or enriching/useful/a positive?

You know you are not meant to be a potter if ......          You are more excited by the details of a process or technique than the pots you make using these skills.          See Tony Clennell's posts over the last month:
         http://smokieclennell.blogspot.com/2018/02/confession-im-not-potter.html
 
LT

Actually the rollers and stamps are applied before shaping right after the cylinder is thrown. This expands the textures, smooths them a bit, softens edges.
No old lady, I am not getting rich, just a labor of love, wholesale, but not bad. teapots are higher return, but all in all I'll be fine. Hoping to save enough for a new L&L with controller!

Pumpkins. Not something I've made before, they are for a raku fundraiser next month.

Pres,
Recipe for wadding box:
Start with a big C-clamp, or 
a  big Double Anvil C-Clamp, or 
something like IRWIN QUICK-GRIP 0.75-in Clamp, 
some scraps of 1x4 and 1x6 planks,
some nails, glue, etc., 
your own creativity, and 
you can make one of those wadding boxes your self.  
LT
 
 

Clay toys
 
The ceramic I class has frequently required a ceramic toy (~90% ceramic) as one of the final assignments.  Students have made dolls, pinewood block derby type cars, checkers and chess sets of all sizes (one chess set used Raku pieces about 6-8 inches tall), jigsaw puzzles, dice, rattles, dominoes, blocks, and some other toys I don't remember.  Some were glazed, others were finished with acrylic paints, and some were left unglazed.  Many were just fired to bisque and then finished with paints and stains.  The assignment was especially challenging to the students that thought only traditional function ware was pottery. 
 
The Ceramics II class had a similar assignment, usually early in the semester, called the trompe l'oeil assignment, which in my mind is a sophisticated version of the toy assignment.
 
I had a classmate sometime back that worked with miniature cups, saucers, tea pots, bowls, bottles, etc. all less than 1 inch in size, all wheel thrown.  She sold them at festivals for dollhouse ware.  
 
I have made fortune cookies, apple popovers, dice, puzzles, tic-tat-toe boards and a bowl of grits; some were fired to only bisque, others fired to cone 10, with either oxide staining, burnished clay, or raw clay as surfaces.  The aesthetically successful ones were gobbled up at the club sales, the not-so ones become road rocks.  
 
I'll look around the storage cupboard and see if I have any pieces left for photos - don't hold your breath. 
 
Making toys requires an additional set of skills besides those of just manipulating clay.  Toys are expected to be "toyed with", not just become decorations on a desk or in a cabinet.  Therefore, the toy must also be functional and robust enough to be used as a toy.  The ceramic pinewood derby car required several tries before the student got the weight balanced and the wheels and axles aligned in three dimensions.  He learned a lot about making stuff from the assignment. 
 
LT

I follow the concept in this quote from Chuck Close: 
“Amateurs look for inspiration; the rest of us just get up and go to work.” 
Chuck Close 
( https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/166434.Chuck_Close ) 
 

I follow the concept in this quote from Chuck Close: 
“Amateurs look for inspiration; the rest of us just get up and go to work.” 
Chuck Close 
( https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/166434.Chuck_Close ) 
 

On that same theme, work begets more work. 
There's a theme here of doing tedious, mindless chores, things that encourage your brain into a delta wave state. That's where the magic happens.  Keep your hands busy and let your mind wander. It allows you to rest while being restless. 

I follow the concept in this quote from Chuck Close: 
“Amateurs look for inspiration; the rest of us just get up and go to work.” 
Chuck Close 
( https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/166434.Chuck_Close ) 
 

I follow the concept in this quote from Chuck Close: 
“Amateurs look for inspiration; the rest of us just get up and go to work.” 
Chuck Close 
( https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/166434.Chuck_Close ) 
 

For me it is not pride or ego ... it is in my nature. I simply cannot sell a pot I believe to be a ‘second’ at any price.
I have learned that for me ... a ‘second’ is a second before bisque. Nothing in a firing is going to save it. No glaze or decoration is going to do magic. No raku voodoo is going to hide it. So I don’t bisque it. No piece is so precious it cannot be made again.
Set your own standards on what is a second for you, then live with it.

Wedding jar completed except for cleanup a little after it sets up some more.
 
best,
Pres

When you have a cylinder that is open on the bottom, as it tries to shrink it will catch on the shelf and warp. By putting a slab under it, the slab will shrink with the cylinder, allowing the cylinder to shrink freely. I've even had tall foot rings on large bowls warp.

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

Interesting approach. 
Im curious why the iron oxide?

You know you are not meant to be a potter if ......          You are more excited by the details of a process or technique than the pots you make using these skills.          See Tony Clennell's posts over the last month:
         http://smokieclennell.blogspot.com/2018/02/confession-im-not-potter.html
 
LT

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

Carlo Zauli (Faenza-Italy)
Prof.Dr. Gaetano Ballardini (Faenza)
Hans Coper (Germany)
Robin Hopper (Canada)
Eva Zeisel (Hungary and USA)
Otto Lindig (Germany)
Horst Kerstan (Germany)
Edmund de Waal (UK)
Roberto Lugo (USA) "this machine kills hate"...
Lotte Reimers (Germany)
 
Will think of more.....