Mark C.
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Posts posted by Mark C.
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The ground is aluminum for sure but yes the new wires should be copper including the ground.
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Over 150 art vendors (no impots ever) must make your products-strict jury. I'm now part of the Jury as past years ago only 4 clay booths applied so I recuted more and this year we let in just over 10 ceramic booths (many share a booth). There is a beer booth (non profit) which will turn it over in next few years to us (the same old people whio run the show) so we will have that capital to work with. We have 10 food booths who pay a larger booth fee. Booth fees are just under $300 for artists and discounted for non profit info booth in center of plaza.We actually a few years ago made enough to lower booth fees so we did. I will be on the board after I'm retired from the show I'm sure. I replaced myself about 7 years ago with a younger artist so when i'm gone its still a concern. All us old timers got new blood in and they are the majority now on the board.
Fun is a big factor for the public check out or Samba parades on you tube (Samba North country fair) This show is alwasy near or on the equinox (always the 3rd full weekend in Sept.) This year its back on the Equinox. We all work for free on the board of course and hire a director and assistant to run the show. I recruited this director as well as I have know here since she was 7 now in her 30s .I love this show and its my only show now I do a year in my slowed down state these days . I have customers from SF that travel up to the show as well. 12 hour round trip. Its a once a year community show and we pull out all the stops to do it right-3 stages of music as well. Free event also a zero waste event as we have worked hard and where the 1st in this area to do that.
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Well I never thought I would be at this for 50 years. It all started with this one show-its turning 50 this weekend in Arcata Ca . It will be my 50 show as well as the shows 50th year (we missed one for covid)
Its been a local event for my whole adult life. I should add a disclaimer that I'm one of the folks who is on the board and helps put the show on. We are called the same old people with lots of meeting budgets etc over the course of the whole year. I am the only artist left who has done all 50. I have been on a corner for so long selling pots thats its almost an institution . Now the local paper has a write up by our founder which spells out how the fair started and how it is a total community event (non-profit) Its a good read as Jerry is a great writer. Enjoy the history of this small town festival -Samba Parade on Sunday all speices parade on Saturday Both at 1 pm. Town is 15 k in size and has a town plaza (square) We get a huge turnout and some come from SF about 6 hours south as once you have seen on you always come back.
A Bridge Across the Years: The North Country Fair, 1973-2024
At the time of the first North Country Fair there hadn’t been a public event on the Arcata Plaza for three years. In spring of 1970, Henry Kissinger’s bombing of Cambodia had ignited “campus unrest” across the nation. Like now, administrators panicked, cops over-reacted, beat and jailed protestors. At Kent State four students were shot.
At Humboldt State students brought their protest downtown, where the Kiwanis were having their annual barbecue. Amid the conflict of cultures and generations, a young man started a fire at the entrance of the Bank of America—now the Cal Poly bookstore. (Students had recently torched Isla Vista’s B of A because they were financing bases where bombers re-fueled.)
The fire scorched the bank’s entry, the young man went to jail, and Arcata’s chief of police declared no more public gatherings on the Plaza.
So Arcata was already divided when the freeway cut it in half. City Council members—five old white guys—were solidly behind it. So was HSU’s administration. Strange people had moved into town, opened shops that sold strange things. They mingled with students and faculty, became part of the college radio station. Students graduated, but didn’t leave. Started strange businesses of their own.
These new people were against the freeway and organized to stop it, but it was too late. It was reduced from eight to six lanes, but still the middle of the town disappeared: entire blocks of old houses, a church, a restaurant, trees and gardens, apartments and residence halls. A neighborhood connecting college and town.
Stop at Six had a final meeting. After that bitter defeat, what could they do? One person-she was calling herself River at the time-said: We should give the town a party.
Inspired craziness. Just what we needed. But where?
Now it was 1973. Things were changing. The draft ended. 18-year-olds could vote. The endangered Species Act. Ethnic Studies at the College. Liberals on the City Council. But Chief Gibson’s rule hadn’t changed.
There was another battle, but this time we won. The first North Country Fair was on the Autumn equinox of 1973. The plaza filled with music, food, crafts and services, businesses and nonprofits, and the townspeople and the students partied and shopped, ate and danced, and saw themselves as one community.
The biggest obstacle was again presented by the City: a million-dollar insurance policy and a whopping bill to pay the police to watch us. But eighty booths paid twenty-five dollars each and the Fair broke even, mostly by not paying ourselves anything. And there was this profit: lots of local artists, musicians, services and food places had their beginnings in those twenty-five-dollar booths and on that play-for-nothing stage.
And there was also this, at the bottom of the mimeograph poster and application form: We believe the basis of our life and economy is cooperation and mutual aid.
Half a century later, the North Country Fair goes on for two days, with two stages, two parades and over two hundred booths. Its budget seems enormous, but it still runs on a shoestring. Crafts people and artisans and nonprofits still struggle to stay solvent. Musicians play for a small honorarium. This year there will be a chance for fairgoers to help pay the bands and keep the music going. Please contribute what you can.
Yet all these years later, the freeway and the college administration are still a divisive issue.
Caltrans has offered to atone for some of its massive ecological and social damage— $148 million divided with San Diego and San Francisco to compensate for engineered apartheid. Arcata’s share will be small, but there is already a plan for more engineering—The Arcata Cap-to put five-acres of reinforced concrete over Highway 101, from 14th to 17thStreets.
But the administrators and trustees of the State University, on the other hand, are still using every means possible to isolate itself from the town—and from its own faculty and students. There is far more interest in power than education. More than ever we need a college that is not afraid of the town, and a town that doesn’t try to fix all its problems with cement.
I call upon all of us, students and townspeople, to recognize and
celebrate the spirit of the North Country Fair. Please join us on the Plaza on September 21 and 22. Happy Equinox,
Jerry Martien
Director Emeritus
The North Country Fair
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I learned in collage as I bought a used electric then (for the electric side) but first In Junior collage the art department needed gas kilns build and I laerned to make catanary arch kilns there by building them ,. I know already how to throw as I bought a wheel in HS. Later at the university I was the a glaze teck and kiln loader firing and all around kiln grunt-shelve griding etc. Cleaned out the ceramics lab every 1/4 as well. Did that for a few years. That program was cone 06 electric and cone 10 reduction gas. I was late teens and early 20s throuh that time.
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Most of my work is for use (for example our plates for everyday use salad and dinner are my stoneware made in the 70s) the mugs are mostly from other potters as Ilikke to use other potters mugs daily. The objects of a long life in clay decorate the home and are vases ,jugs covered jars (salt raku ,porcelain stoneware) many our mine others like Tom Colemans ot Otto Heinos or Warren mackinze are mixed in as well as personal potters whom are not famous but friends. I like to see good pot every day no matter who made it.
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This may sound strange to you but I have no code or formula . I just dump some carbanate in a jar and add a bit of water until it feels/looks right. No measuring. I never measure homemade stains its always by feel no matter if its coblat ,rutile or Iron. I do stir it up constantly and never add a flux or gum. My thought is its one more thing to burn out and make for crawing . If you add flux that can also make the drawing move more and get blurred is also my take. Once dry I glaze with a very thin clear glaze and fire hot (I'm a cone 10 potter) . Using the right brush is also a key point
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I think you are diluting the carbanate to much with water and gum
What is the purpose of the gum???
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From what I can see they are most all connection issues and also to wet and to thick issues for the speed of the firing cycle.
More slip and scoring when connecting (more pressure and both pieces need to be same moisture) less thick walls will help. get the work dryer and slow firing is best especially for thick work.
- Pres, Kelly in AK, Rae Reich and 1 other
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2 hours ago, davidh4976 said:
Another data point. We fired our Paragon Viking 28 yesterday to cone 6. It's a 60 amp kiln and has a 29" deep by 28" wide chamber. It is 12" from a wall which is consistent with the Paragon manual's requirements. The hottest point on the wall was 160F; still below the 170F cited in the article for combustion with long term heat exposure. Kiln sides 280F, top 380F. It's in a warehouse type facility with ceilings that are way too high to get a temperature reading on them.
A bit of cement board held off wall a bit would help any kiln situation to keep walls cooler
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Ok the cobalt line drawings came out of 2 cone 10 fires today. I have offered cat bowls at my upcoming fair for about 35 +years now with this year a more cat conciseness due to recent events that have nothing to do with my cat bowls. This upcoming show in two weeks will be my 50 year at show and its the shows 50th yearas well. also made some fish for the show as well.I even have a few cat sponge holders which have rubber no skid bottoms .
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shed spontaneously combusting=an urban legend in the beginning stages?
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I think all Laguna outlets are sold out? The 5 oz size was the best deal but Ca. Laguna had none on my order last week.
You can still get it on Amazon (duncan /maco)
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Looks like Amazon still has some.
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Well the news on lusters is they are going away fast. Only western ceramics supplies them now.
Gold and the others will be harder to obtain on this side of the pond
looks like I missed Mins post on this a few days ago.
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Here is some of the recent (a day ago ) cobalt brush work. I did made the pots and the cobalt banding and glazing another drew the cat faces. They will glaze fire in am. This brush gives a fine line as well. its just a cheap bamboo brush I have used for this type of work for many decades-maybe 4 ok 5 of them.
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For cone 10 see my post in the thread below. In terms of iron whaing out a stronger iron wash should not degrade much.Just use a NR red iron which is high purity red iron and a dab of water let dry then thin coating the clear over it as mentioned in my posts below
If you need a true semi non fluxing cone 10 clear I can post mine again if needed.-The trick is thin application.Firing hot helps as well to keep it clear.I did post it here long ago -its called HT 51
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I came to this forum long ago as I was recoving from a seroius wrist sugery called a PCR( Proximal row carpectomy). I wanted to know if any funtional profesional potters has recovered from this and been able to keep potting. I had one response in the postitive . I stayed on as I like the single line continuous threads. I had some to give and have learned some as well along the way. I check in now and then . I feel a bit of a loaner in the cone 10 reduction area with so many electric kiln cone 6 users here. I have had a fabulous run in clay after 5o years and still have a finger in the pie..Down to 8 outlets now and one art show. I have had many contact me from threads posted here long ago on subjects they are now working with.Its been a positive experience. Done some mentoring along the way as well with that long ago program that was here. I worked with those who wanted to be professionals via Skype Mostly in other countries. I have tried to share my mistakes a bit so others need not step in those potholes..
- Bill Kielb and Pres
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I started with a small 100 amp servive in 73 and outgrew it and by the early 80s upgraded to 200 amps. Electric kilns at 110 v will cost a lot to fire to cone 6. Your power will have to be cheap when firing and you need to not have lots running at same time.These days I would do 300 amps. I have filled up my 200 amps with my pottery stuff and mini splits and general stuff-,Always best tio have extra room .I should say I'm more a commercial user than a standard homeowner user.
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Posting a price may help the sale go thru.
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I need to mention I made these pots but did NOT do the drawings. Yes they are my sea themes for sure but a friend does that drawing. She is a great drawer. She is going to do some cat bowls that I threw today for my upcoming art show in a few weeks.I'll try to get a photo. They are simple compared to the pots I have shown so far. I band them and she draws a simple cat face in bottom.
- limiacrafts and Hulk
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These folks are still in business-they could supply you with the parts needed
QotW: How did you learn how to fire and maintain your kiln.
in Int'l Ceramic Artists Network (ICAN) Operations and Benefits
Posted · Edited by Mark C.
As a teck I loaded fired and unloaded kilns all week and some weekends . I was on a student work program for about 1.20 hr or something very low. for a few years part og the school of hard nocks learning. The shelf grinding was done in between quarters on the gas kilns on silicon carbide shelves. Not much glaze running on cone 06 electric shelfs .