Mark C.

For most of my 49 years in Humboldt we had very little clay access. The nearest was in the SF bay area about 5-6 hours one way. We potters formed a few group buys over Time in the 90s and filled a truck to bring it behind the redwood curtain on a yearly basis. We would always get the 12 ton price breaks.As many potters turned into very few (full timers). Back in the 70s I started hauling in as much as I could material wise and became self self sufficient in terms of yearly supply.For example I bought #3,000 of kingman feldspar from Az mine direct in 1980. Still working with that supply )down to last 400#s. Since supply was so far away I filled my 3/4 pickuop every time I drove south for the 1st 20 years .I stock a huge amount of materials now and can coast for years without much. I became a laguna distributor myself some time back for best pricing and truck in my own stuff-I used to gather orders with others but there are very few left now to add on the order . About 15 years ago another Laguna distributor opened up a small shop about 5 miles away as well and they have a meduim selection of materials.They sell manly to hobbist market (local clay art center) and a few schools nearby.

I used to make clay when I was young and dumb-it takes a lot out of you as clay is cheap really. The only reason to make clay yourself is for special clay bodes not made commercially . I learned about 30 years ago that making clay is not worth it. I have always made my own everything -heck I stated out with home made balance beam made from wood to weigh materials-bought my 1st sieve at a restaurant supply. Those where the old days 1971. I make all my own glazes-I do have a ton of my own glaze made for me every 5 years by Laguna ( rutile blue) with my formula and materials list. I have lots of space so storing is not an issue.I'm still using Kingman feldspar from a 3000# buy in 1980-down to 400#s left. I'm a glaze material horder . Always have been. Its paid off in spades. My glazes look the same over the decades.I like to know whats in my products I sell so I know that 100% always and that important to me.

I tend to fix everthing myself. A few exceptions-I sent my two oxyprobes away for platinum wire repair. I wired our whole house and plumbed it and did the forced air system-solar water system-so when things need repair I learn about how they tick and fix them. I also did the roof install twice on the house-last time I put up 50 year singles and am done withg that as well as 25 year paint so thats also done for my lifetime now. I did hire the last of my foundaytion work (65feet) after my wrist surgery so I have to baby my wrist and working with concret is no babing your wrist. That 20k was the best wrist health I could buy. I do not like to work on cars but I can ( I have rebuilt a motor in my youth) but usually farm that out so I can make pots instead. I am replaceing a radiation in my 1989 restored Toyota small 4x4 pickup truck this week. Of course the truck has a brand new motor and transmisssion /clucth so the radiator (OEM) is the last topping .Its my personal local get around rig not connected to either of my businesses so no write off there. Tax /account day was yesterday for me so I do farm that out as well. I am installing a 5/8 baltic birch subfloor in our office this week over the fir subfloor to stiffen it as well but hired a pro flooring person to install and finish the wide plank maple. I could do it but I would rather make pots. This was our last carpeted space which now the whole house is hardwood and tile floors.Its also the last remodel on the interior we will do-YA.I'm having a cherry writing/comuter desk made for this new space as well from a talented wood worker -Yes I could do that but would rather make pots. Having skills as a potter has severed me well.Electrical and plumbing and mechanical and woodworking -hey jack of all trades -its dying art these days with so many just skipping thru life on their phones.

No I try not to. I will on a hot day when loading the car kiln which is outside drink a cold drink-no alcohol I occasionally will finish my noon expresso walking into studio before working again

Maybe a piece of tin roofing as a heat shield next to house to defuse the heat

I as a professional I need infrastructure -I'm good at supplying it as well (meaning I have those skill sets). My studio is insulated and has cold water into a lage flat sink-that sink drains into a two tired settling tubs outside then runs to a timber Bamboo patch. I shovel the clay out of the tubs after it settles and dry it and throw it away in the trash can.I heat the studio with natural gas heater and alos can heat water on that stove with all metal pan. In winter the heat also dries the wares as well as warms our bodies.The drying pots is really important midwinter. I also have speakers and a sound system and pipe tunes into studio from house with a volume control in studio and one outside in kiln laoding area (must have tunes to work)-also a central vacuum system for clay dust control. I also have a few telephones on the wall-one in the main studio and one next to my wheel in throwing room. With all the time i spend in the studio it has to work well. The floor is wood so leg fatigue is cut downas well.

Looks like the chamber is all lined with fiber.Then the shelves cover the fiber? I would suggest a taller chimmney to induce more draft. Do you have a damper in chimney to control draft flow? I did not see one in photos?

Bench is covered with kiln sections and parts and elements. I emptied all the control boxes of swtches and wires and anything inside and wire wheeled them down to bare and am repainting them a new high heat primer and then a high heat copper color-New band jackets (tghe right ones hopefully?) came today as well. Going whole hog on the rebuild. Of course I'm putting is new heat shields around kiln area outside . I spent a few days moving the whole area around kiln into a new more space saving shelves and storage area .Gives me a larger area for kiln and work flow.Just bought a few sheets of 1/2 inch 3x5 cement board for new heat shields as well.I derusted the kiln stand and high heat painted it as well.

Nothing ceramic for a month for sure-only taking pots in van to outlets as needed until they are gone. Back to throwing later in Feb. I will rebuild my skutt kiln next week if that counts-

I'm sure I sold a thousand plus items in last 3 weeks at all my outlets and most where xmas gifts so Mayby I can say yes I did get some ceramics out under the tree this season. My guess Is I brought a lot of happyness to many on this the 25th day of Dec. Its always a good feeling around this time .I feel I'm in a happy business.

Nope not this year. After 47 years they do not need anymore clay items. I did give some ceramic fish to nephew for hous warming gift for his new house last October if that counts?

My guess this is because of the new world demand for batteries in phones and cars is the major resone for this injustice-Thats just a guess but greed usually is the culprit . My stocking up was long before the world ramped up on the cobalt greed scale.I was pointing out also that its just not only cobalt or diamonds in terms of labor injustice. I do not buy ornamental diamonds myself or my wife but we do use industrial diamonds in many things . Ceramics is not a light footprint on the planet . I do not take this for granted but understand it as part of the whole.

Mining the earth for materials is what Man has done for oh so long in history. Its never been anything short of exploitive really.People get exploited in most mining operations from land grabs to labor. Its been a fact for eons.Not just diamonds. I use almost a pound cobalt oxide per 10,000 grams of my black glaze which manly I use as an underglaze (sample #3 on my website) I usually keep about 20,000 grams in a huge bucket and go thru a large quantity of this glaze per year. I have always bought large quantities when the price was low About a decade ago I bought a 55# drum of cobalt carbonate from a non ceramic supply source-I sold 2/3 of it as I did noted that much but the price was good for all of us then-I still have some left. The same is true with cobalt Oxide I bought a bout 30#s when it was ow cost-still using it and have enough to last maybe 5-10 more years-maybe all the years I have left in ceramics The cell /car battery market has put a crunch on this material in past years . One thing to learn is watch the market on materials as we potters are the trickle down users who account for near zero in the materials market. When the price is low buy a lot when its high hold. If you only buy as a hobbyist then you will get clobbered now and then on price-thats true with many materials as well . I mentioned some of the points in My CM article last year Its all about paying attention-been that way with Tin oxide as well for my 47 years in the business.

Its a blend of form and function that appeals to the user . Say in a mug the handle feels right and the form feels right as well as the color is good for that user.Everyone has a different value for this but you know when it all lines up for you. The bowl looks like it should weight as much as it does and the way it feels and works makes it just right.The foot looks and feels right and the balance is great between these aspects .

I took private lessons in 1969 to learn to throw. It was in Seal Beach Ca. I was in high school and I did it as a suggestion from a friend`as we had wheel access at scholl but no instructor . So we signed up for a night class and threw on 5 different wheels-3 were power and two kick wheels.I do not recall how many months we did this maybe 3-4 months. That same year I bought a wheel for home and within 6 months moved away to collage where I had more training in throwing. I guess about 4 instructors in total for throwing skills. I think it took me about 6-8 years to master it really. I thought I mastered it in 4 yrs but looking back that was not the case especially handles.

I.m a motivated high funtioning individual I have been told.. It helps with a production pottery business as well I have found out.

Back from big successful show and taking 12 days off to finish remodel -siding up on last wall-need to paint it soon before the weather changes. Hook up hot and cold water copper lines and waste lines for 1/2 bath and also hook up 3 forced air heat vents and trim out one closest and hang a wall hung toto toilet and hook up sink facuet and drian and supply lines-also drain line for mini split need installing -I should get this all done in next 12 days.then its back to gallery orders for fall-and a larger wholesale order as well.I only have one local private sale left this year at xmas

It takes me more time to trim a bowl than throw a bowl. 100 is a great way to learn a form

In a normal production week all wet clay goes into peter pugger-all trimmings (usually 2-3 five gallon buckets goes into my weekly trash pick up can. (auto can loader on trash truck) I used to take it down the hill to our road concrete recycle plant but I stopped that as I got tired of hualing the buckets.I have zero clay or shard dump on our 1 acre property.I like a clean place relatively speaking-no clay or shards anywhere.I do dry out my settling clay vats in the sink system and throw away a clay box amlost weekly of wet goo as well from that system .

I used to dig clay and add things to it to make it work-what a hassel for crappy clay. I also used to reclaim all my trimmings-what a hassel-I started in clay in last year of high school(1971) I was full time in 1976- after graduation -drying my scrap in large plaster forms and wedging it all then pugging it at facilities at collage for trade like class tours of studio . I gave that all up in tyhe 80s and trew dred trimmings away-still do. I bought a second hand peter pugger in 2013 if I recall after hand/wrist surgery(PRC -3 bones removed) I wish I had done that 35 year earlier-and I could have If i chose to. I will add that making your own clay gives you insight to clays and the same is true making your own glazes. I like having atht background as a full timer when issues pop up yuou have the skills to guide you. Clay is cheap and making it costs more time than its worth money wise at least for me. Its a young mans fancy as its also a back killer-I reall that part well. With ceramics knowing as much as you can gives you a edge as the rest of your life you will add to it and never get it all-its about 3 lifetimes worth of stuff to learn

I'll bite Cone 10 porcelain mostly Daves from Laguna -fired in treduction atmosphere to soft cone 11. All homeamde glazes dipped and some brushing. Aslo use a bit of 50/50 porcelain and some Babu both from Laguna clay company. down to 6-8 tons per year now.95% thrown forms with minor slab work.I fire in two gas kilns-a small 12 cubic footer (fired my 18th laod yesrterday for the year in that kiln and my car kiln. (35 cubic feet) fired my 17th load yesterday for the year in that kiln. I like porcelain as it tougher and shows the glazes off better than stoneware and chips less as well.

For me it may be building two salt kiln conversions at a Molkai Art center on two different trips. Pro Bono as well. I am in the giving back space of life and passing on knowledge is part of that process. It felt right and was for a good cause . It still feels great years later

Nice piece

My workbench /wheel is now empty after a two week production run that may have been one of my largest output periods ever. The last two kilns are firing now and the van is about 2/3 full for an upcoming big show. This last two kiln loads has my wall fish and odds and ends in them. I plan on a small ceramic break after the show and do some diving before returning to my remodel for a few weeks in August. I'll get back to clay near end of month for fall shows . Now packing for a huge show and a dive trip all in same vehicle .