"mr y" wrote in message
news:Ve7Me.30024$084.22376@attbi_s22...
OK, so I'm a newbie, and an urban refugee to boot. Can any of you point
me in the direction of websites and/or publications that discuss how to
identify and collect clay from the wild? I'm doing fine on store-bought,
but I'd like to try to expand my horizons a bit.

Hi Y

I am a newbie too, and I was just today contemplating over the advantages of
having a "standard" clay to work with. If you harvest clay from your
surroundings - if you don't get it all from one huge deposite - each batch
will have different properties - plasticity, firing color, etc.

If I may be so bold .... I would suggest that you start out with bought clay
that is made to a standard mix and wetness, so that you can learn the skills
first and worry about the clay's own properties later.

I would strongly recommend Clay: A studio handbook by Vince Patelka
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/...927089-8943860
I am only up to about page 50, but have learned tons that 3 pottery
"teachers" haven't taught me. This book should be every newbie's first
purchase!

Anyway - that said - I would say that if you are a newbie, start with
techniques and experiment with clay later.

Marianne