Oyster Making Seminars

“It is, after all, the dab of grit that seeps into an oyster’s shell that makes the pearl, not pearl-making seminars with other oysters.” (Stephen King). I'm all for pearl-making seminars provided the participants go home and do their homework. That means imitating and then innovating. Pearl making seminar after pearl making seminar for years and years won't develop a signature of your own. My old buddy Robin "Grass" Hopper said it takes 7 years to learn the skills of being a potter and then another 10 years to develop a signature in your work. BTW that doesn't mean 17 years of 3 hours a week at the local clay studio. You know what it means.

I revisited some two piece cups I made when working with earthenware. They take twice as much time but I like the articulation that I can get without trimming my brains out. Why take the time to make two piece cups? Cups are the most personal objects that we make. If you make a cup a person choses every morning you have put your business card in their hands. I love cups and am pretty fussy about the ones I use. Tomorrow when I put them together I will try some poking and altering. The e-ware ones are a bit too straight up but at the time they were a canvas for multi coloured low temp glazes. More on the oyster making seminars. Nothing beats a good teacher live in person. U-tube gives ya some goods but a real live teacher makes the goods come alive. Hands on workshops are the best. When you are in a room with a teacher that has done something no less than 10,000 times he/she can give ya that ah ha moment. Keep diving for pearls!