tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56858451908876347062024-02-20T15:33:14.350-08:00Ultra Mega CeramicsEric Preecehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12633063089101070015noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5685845190887634706.post-85067366792155022732020-05-05T09:55:00.000-07:002020-05-05T09:55:08.308-07:00COVID19, the silver liningI was ordered to stop coming to work on March 3rd. I am still working my day job but now I am doing it full time from home, which is a couple of feet from my studio. I have a fully functioning pottery studio in my backyard. The isolation has been a revealing for me. I have gone deeper into pottery than ever before. I am starting to produce work that I am proud of. Pots that are well constructed. Glazes that are durable and beautiful.<br />
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I have started to force myself to finish every pot. If I make a mistake, I finish the pot. I find a way to overcome the mistake or to work around it. This is Bob Ross' "happy little mistakes" approach. I have found I can recover from almost any mistake. And in learning how to cope with mistakes I make better pots. A working potter told me the key to being a good potter isn't eliminating mistakes, it's being able to overcome them. Well, I am still working to eliminate mistakes, but when something does happen I know how to recover.<br />
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As a result of endless hours of being at home I have taken a series of glaze chemistry classes from <a href="https://www.ceramicmaterialsworkshop.com/" target="_blank">Ceramics Material Workshop</a>. While glazes have been my obsession for years now, after I completed a couple classes I realized how little I actually knew about glazes. I was a blind man trying to shoot a target I couldn't see.<br />
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I've culled all the glaze recipes that don't work. And now that I understand the chemistry, I know why each doesn't work.<br />
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I've had help and encouragement along the way. A nationally, heck, internationally known potter let me share studio space. She offered some great encouragement. My adult daughter poked at me to be more artistic in my work. I started doing sculpture as a result. I am loving that.<br />
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I've promised a set of bowls to each of my adult children. Once complete I am going to start selling on Etsy or some other platform. Just to see if I can.<br />
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In the mean time; there will be a lot more coming about glazes, glaze chemistry and some new techniques I am using. I am deleting all older posts as I hit the reset button on glazes. If any of the older glazes recipes worked it was strictly due to luck.Eric Preecehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12633063089101070015noreply@blogger.com2