A Potters Workbook – Clary Illian

Let’s begin with the view from the top and look again at the shape and size of the handle where it attaches to the pot. An obvious relationship is the one be- tween the width of the handle and the width of the spout. Making them equal creates movement across the diameter of the opening (fig- ure 98). But, once again, this is not a rule, and it is easy to imagine a spout width relating to something else in the form.

The shape of the spout, viewed from the top, is limited only by func- tional success. Too narrow a shape chokes the liquid and slows pour- ing. A broad, semicircular shape can make the liquid fan back and forth across the edge with disastrous results (figures 99, 100). What- ever the shape, the purpose is to provide a channel to guide the liquid to the pouring edge. The side view of a spout can vary widely, setting up subsidiary con- figurations with distinct edges or flowing in an unbroken curve from the wall of the pitcher (figure 101).

The only question is, once again, will it pour? Often students are taught that there must be two grooves along the sides of the throat of the spout or it will not pour well. This is not true and can be a trap unless the lines are executed with certainty and relate to all of the parts of the form. Any mark made on the clay must have all the quality of a good drawing mark. It must have interest in itself (figures 102, 103). pitchers pitchers Spouts in profile But it is true that the area where the spout grows out of the rim and walls must be attended to.

After the spout is stretched into a shape, it is necessary to reaffirm the original shape out of which it grows and to decide what happens where the spout and the encircling rim meet (figure 104). The mouth of the pot does not always have to be round. There are other possibilities (figures 105–110). Note also the shapes of the spouts.

Spouts can be applied instead of pulled for an almost endless array of graceful, forceful, or wacky appendages (figures 111, 112). The nose might lead the body; spouts, once invented, suggest body shapes rather than the other way around. These pitchers illustrate a very im- portant component of form, not mentioned thus far. As the eye travels down the slope of the spout across the body of the pitcher it comes to the falling curve of the handle, a strong diagonal movement. Gesture can reinforce or introduce diagonal movement, as can sensitive place- ment of the secondary pieces of form: handles, spouts, lugs, knobs, and decorative doodads.

In this age of bottled drinks, plastic milk jugs, and coffee-making machines, a pitcher—the intermediary for the delivery of liquids— might seem obsolete.

No part of this book may be reproduced or used in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, without permission in writing from the publisher. All reasonable steps have been taken to contact copyright holders of material used in this book. The publisher would be pleased to make suitable arrangements with any whom it has not been possible to reach. Printed on acid-free paper All photos are by Charles Metzger except the following: page 93, right, Tom Mills; page 94, top, Peter Lee; pages 20 and 97, top left, Hubert Gentry; and page 103, bottom, Mary Rezney.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Illian, Clary, 1940– A potter’s workbook / by Clary Illian; photographs by Charles Metzger. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references. isbn 0-87745-671-2 (paper) 1. Pottery—Design. 2. Pottery—Technique. I. Metzger, Charles. II. Title. nk4225.i45 1999 738.1—dc21 98-52161 99 00 01 02 03 p 5 4 3 2 1 A real tradition is not the relic of a past that is irretrievably gone; it is a living force that animates and informs the present.

. . . Far from implying the repetition of what has been, tradition presupposes the reality of what endures. It appears as an heirloom, a heritage that one receives on condition of making it bear fruit before passing it on to one’s descendants. igor stravinsky, poetics of music in the form of six lessons Any great craft tends at last toward a condition of philosophy. robertson davies, world of wonders Contents Acknowledgments ix Truth to Process 1 Wondrous 4 The Space Within 8 Beginnings and Endings 14 Cylinders as Pots 21 Pitchers 29 Bowls 49 Pots with Lids 67 Learning to See 80 Style and Voice 88 Utility and Tradition 100 Place 105 Notes 111 Acknowledgments I thought asking Charles Metzger to do the photos for this book would be a good idea.

It turned out to be an inspired idea. Charles is a professional photographer whose passion has shifted to making pots. He not only knew how to photograph the examples but why we were photographing them. In addition, he processed all the images digi- tally, an art form in itself. I cannot thank him enough for his expertise, generosity, and belief in the project. The photographs are of green pots made in workshop situations.

I felt that black-and-white photographs taken of pots in an unfinished state would keep the emphasis on basic form without introducing the personality of individual makers. Thanks to my assistants and stu- dents at Penland, the Jill Hinkley Studio in Washington, D.C., and the West Chester Studio in Pennsylvania who so cheerfully gave permis- sion to use photographs of their pots without attribution. Thanks also to the leadership of these institutions for their unhesitating support.

The depicted pots are not meant to be standards of perfection or a catalog of possibilities. They are designed to illustrate the points made in the text.

This is a short excerpt from the opening of “” by Unknown, quoted for review and introduction purposes. All rights belong to the copyright holders.

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