Pres

@Mark C. in a recent Qotw mentioned attitude being everything, but then went on: attitude is everything unless the customer crosses the line (been there as well) Refusing service always is a last resort but I have done it more than once-this may be another topic? Good topic I would think as people get into doing more shows(if Covid allows). Attitude is everything when dealing with customers, and I have had some interesting interplays with customers as I am sure if you do shows you have also. I can always relate to the folks that could never find the right colors with my pots to match their decors, or those that wanted me to pull out all of my stored pots so that they could find the perfect piece and yet leave with nothing. I have also had those that seemed to want to get out of the sun and just stand in my booth. . . making me request that they move along. Then there have been the young people that got into an argument that was about some non festival related topic that I feared would get violent, so I asked them to take their problem elsewhere. I do remember one very particular person that came down the Penn State Festival booths with a bucket of water and a ladle. He stopped at every potter and wanted to test their teapots for pourability! Some potters turned him down as it was a very busy day, sometimes crowds 4-5 deep at my booth. He had not bought a thing, and had tested out some pots up from me maybe 4 booths before he got to me. He had a daughter with him in her 20's he appeared to be in his early 50's. He introduced himself and asked if he could test out my teapots. Big crowd, do you turn him down? I didn't. He poured water into a teapot, and put the lid back on, noticing the rim notch. then he poured form the pot a few times with quick and slow angle stops. He repeated this for 6 teapots (all I had out), setting all aside and not saying a word. When finished he and his daughter looked at each talking about aesthetics and color etc. In the end he bought 3 teapots from me, and he proclaimed to the crowd that all were excellent! I was relieved, but better yet by the end of the day I had sole 4-5 more. Attitude is everything, whether on the part of the customer or the vendor. QotW: Attitude being everything; how do you deal with customers that cross a line of sorts, and have you ever denied service to someone? best, Pres

Bought one of those for the HS I worked at. Great wheel, solid, good motor and controller. For most potters it would do well, but for the HS with 50 min. periods and clean up at the end, better to have the other version with the removable splash pans. Next 3 were those. best, Pres

Wow GEP, that is a different solution. Thanks for sharing. best, Pres

Coolers are really important for outdoor shows. I remember days when the PSU arts festival would be 98F. and 90% humidity. People just dragged themselves through it. I bet they sold lots of water that weekend. best, Pres

Hi folks, pondering new questions, thinking about old days, festivals and art shows, small events and large, far away and near. . . .and one question was always on my mind; how do I feed my self and wife when working the booth? I don't know about you, but I like good food, not overly seasoned or salted, not heavy in the belly, but flavorful and healthy, within reason. I would see all sorts of solutions with folks from buying from a vendor/food truck, to coolers of sandwiches and drinks, and even some folks cooking brunch at a small camp stove behind their booth. Their food would have probably sold better than the crafts from the smell of it. My own situation was usually my wife would go and get something of her tastes, then I. Other times we would bring a cooler with salads and cold drinks. I thought it might be a good topic, as many times food is important to keep your nerves even, and your blood sugar from diving! QotW: How do you feed yourself when working art shows or festivals? Please include examples! best, Pres

Yesterday @Mark C. posted: Any supply chain issues for you as well as raising costs in thios new landscape . Things like plaster are scare as well as talc at Laguna Clay Com.Equipment is long backordered they say- Prices are creeping up on most items I had to raise my prices as well to keep up. any issues for you in ceramics? To paraphrase, if I may, QotW: Are you dealing with any supply chain issues, or seeing creeping material prices that have or may cause you to raise prices? Personally, I have not purchased any materials this year yet, and not any in the last few years as I am usually a bulk buyer with little in the way of output. I even have #50 of Albany slip purchased years ago! However, as I have run out of metallic oxide materials for glazes I will be making a trip to Pittsburgh SC to stock up once again. I am sure I will be in for sticker shock! I will repeat my plea: QotW: Are you dealing with any supply chain issues, or seeing creeping material prices that have or may cause you to raise prices? best, Pres

I enjoy the delightful O'keefe reminiscent forms of Martha Grover. https://www.marthagrover.com/ Even though these are not a style far from my own, I can relate to them, and find them quite pleasing. I have seen Martha demonstrate a few times at conferences and she always amazes me with her use of the wheel, un bottomed forms that she reshapes and adds bottoms to, and the control of the porcelain. These attributes are only enhanced by her subtle use of accent color. best, Pres

@Mark C., you are such an Old Timer! best, as always, Pres

Hi folks, I have been thinking a lot of how the studio is the center of artist's experience and how things can impede or enhance that experience. Something that I miss being able to do was to have an open studio event. I used to participate in one with a painter. She had a barn near her house that she had a studio set up in, and would open up in early summer for an event. She would usually have some music, a couple of other artists, some food and wine venders. It was not real large, but would usually have over 150 visitors. I did it with her for about 3 or 4 years, and then she moved and it was gone. My own studio would never lend itself to an event, or even open studio tours as are offered in some areas. So my question this week. . . QotW: Do you participate in any open studio tours, kiln openings, or other events allowing visitors to your studio/shop? best, Pres

@oldlady Hats. .. .you know my picture. . . years ago I demonstrated at a street festival for the arts-3 day affair. Throwing pottery in the 90F. days without a hat, and no tent overhead. I ended up with large blisters all over my head, even though I used sunscreen in the morning. Never again do I go without a hat. best, Pres

Hi folks, as there is much talk about the heat lately, I began to wonder if the weather interferes with shop time. I am sure over the years you have heard me complain about freezing clay, complain/praise the brick garage/shop that is my studio, and various other thoughts about the weather; I need not cover it further. QotW: Does the weather interfere with your production/exploration of Ceramics? BE specific, and tell us whether you have air conditioning, heat, or other means of controlling your shop/studio environment. best, Pres

Excellent amount of information here Mark, thanks for sharing these. . . . old documents on a much loved piece of equipment. best, Pres

I realize that I have been thinking and posting a lot about equipment, but then we all go through phases. This week I was wondering what would be my next investment in the studio? I have often considered numerous additions to the studio and yet I have big problems with adding any more equipment to work with-SPACE! I really do not see myself cramming another table as in Slab roller, or some free standing piece of equipment like a spray booth. At the same time my wall space is relatively limited with shelving, tool racks, kiln space zones, doors and windows taking a majority of the space. I often wonder what others would invest their money or effort into to add a new piece of equipment to their studio. What do they not have that they really feel they need? So the Question for this week: QotW: What piece of equipment that you do not have will be your next addition within the next year? For me it will be a fold up spray booth. I am working on ideas and plans right now in Corel Draw, following measurements and specs that I have been gathering the last few years. I will have a fan system, with a filter system the same size as my house filter in the whole house air/heat system. I will probably use it on the wedging table, with ducting out the window next to the table. I have for years considered building a waterfall type spray booth, but do not believe I could build it well as easily as an fan alone ducted system. I have also considered getting a Bailey extruder, but believe the spray booth to be more important. best, Pres

I have a wash recipe from Bill Van Gilder that calls for .25 ball Clay and .25 Nepheline Syenite. This as weight, and then .50 of various coloring oxides. Use mine quite dilute with water and it seems to work well on my two cone 6 clay bodies from SC. best, Pres

Fancy industrial nut cracker! best, Pres

Hi folks, no new question in the pool so I will pose another. Based on my buying my first new kiln in over 30 years, anything over 4k is a big expense, especially for a retired teacher and hobby potter. So I will ask of you: QotW: What is your first and second most expensive equipment expense? This is a pretty easy question for me, as #1 is the new kiln, the L&L e28m-3 , and #2 is my 30 year old Brent CXC potters wheel. Really in the end, considering the years of use. . . these have been really cheap, even though the original sticker shock is daunting! best, Pres

Hi folks, no new questions in the pool. . . but I have been thinking, and doing some reading. Often when working I stand, especially when handbuilding, Standing gives me much more leverage when wedging, rolling out slabs or coils. Later, when assembling I find myself standing over the banding wheel while working and while analyzing and planning the next stages of the piece. I stand when putting handles on thrown mugs and other forms. I stand when decorating with brush work and other forms. For me standing gives me more control over my view of the pot from different angles, up and down. I think much of this comes from standing in front of an easel when working with canvas or stretched watercolor paper. However, when it comes to throwing, I still sit with an adjustable chair that has a tilt leaning me towards the wheel. I often will change the height of the chair when throwing as the pot gets taller or if throwing off the hump. I often will end up standing in final stages of tall pieces so that I can reach with a straight arm down into the form. Everything seems quite natural, and I have not had back problems in many years, so do as I have come to be used to. So I will ask this: QotW: Whether hand building or throwing, assembling or decorating, do you stand or sit? best, Pres

Excellent points @Chilly & @Denice as electronic mediums do seem to be replacing books in hand. I also believe that some of us have become lazy, looking for an answer to a specific question instead of researching material for the answer. When you have a forum, it is easy to go there and post "What does cone mean?" Than to research it. I have often seen questions that I wondered how much the poster thought about it before asking. At the same time, I believe that videos of technique certainly give more information than a description or a series of pictures. One example here is a pulling technique that one of my students has adopted that inverts the right hand on the outside to make the pull. . . I tried it, not for me, but he uses it constantly with good success. I rely on my library, and hope to have all of the books out before Christmas again. best, Pres

Hi folks, I have a new question for you this week, involving reading. QotW: When looking for Ceramics related reading material, do you look for technique\, guided process, aesthetic, or historic related reading? In my earlier days, when learning how to throw, and make pieces, I would often select suck up any reading material I could on technique. Looking for all of the ways to throw, trim, assemble and anything else. I was voracious in my perusal of Ceramics Monthly, and then when Pottery Making came out it was my new favorite. I have always been more about technique, figuring I could figure out the process of how to make something. I got tired of reading someone else's analysis of an artists work early on. To me work speaks for itself. What I see and feel if anything is up to me. However, when it comes to histories I enjoy the progress of an idea through history, and the migration of a process through the parts of the world. It is amazing how much we have learned from other cultures about ceramics, and even how much we have lost from other cultures as we displaced them. Truly fascinating. So once again, I will ask QotW: When looking for Ceramics related reading material, do you look for technique\, guided process, aesthetic, or historic related reading? best, Pres

@Min You are right there, but I thought it was a good question for discussion as we have some out there that make for the load like @Mark C., and others that just load what they make. I believe there are more in the second category than the first, because most do not make for large scale production, but more towards an inventory for shows that they make replacements for when coming back from a show that just renews their inventory. best, Pres

Once again there is no new question in the QotW pool so I will pose one. I have been thinking of statements over the last year by potters who figure the size of their pots to the shelf heights they load. This is much different from me as I guess I throw together all sorts of mixed loads. I may have 20 mugs, 4 plates, some pitchers, or some small bowls and some large bowls in one load. However, some people run 50 mugs and a great number of bowls, or other things, not having the variety of forms or sizes and heights that I run. My question for the Question of the Week is: Does your stacking determine the items in the load, or does your load determine the stacking? best, Pres

When working with ideas rather than forms, often it is a matter of what if, and why today, or how do I feel, not just about the work, but about myself. I imagine that we will have many artistic expressions over the next few years concerning lockdowns, viruses, masks, and so many other aspects of the pandemic and the way it brought many to their knees> best, Pres

I moved this from the "Studio" area because I believed the content is more about feelings, and perception than process. Even though @LeeU's work is in evolution in the process and use of surface it is also as she describes it an evolution of the mood or feelings her pieces represent during the process. All of this seems to be more about the aspect of creativity and art as often referred to as aesthetics. best, Pres

Last bisque looked to have fired to ^04 with a ^06 setting and no cone adjustment. Yes, I agree with the adjustment being excessive, but don't have any other alternatives. I have looked over everything, and believe I am on the right track, but time will tell. best, Pres

Set the cone setting to -20 before the last glaze firing. Cone 7 was down, but less than the previous firing. I believe my next step will be another 20 for -40. I am closing in on the firing, and will start setting up my own schedule as soon as I graph out my present factors and figure in a slow cooling cycle. All in all, getting better, even though I know I am overfiring even though to look at the pieces it is hard to discern anything in the clay or glaze. best, Pres