Mind if join your group?

I have been lurking for awhile now and was hoping to post with ya'll,
if'n ya don't mind. I'm a novice to pottery, have a wheel, a kiln and
500 pounds of clay. What I don't have is all the experience ya'll have,
okay, I have NO experience... yet. But I'm game for anything. I see
you advise newbies to get books, I have no $ for that and have to rely
on the internet for my info. Ergo, that's why I'm here. So... where do
I begin? Do you folks do joint projects? Everybody to themselves? I
also notice there's a bit of an international flavor amongst ya'll, so
let me introduce myself, I'm a furniture builder from Tennessee, USA. I
build lawn and patio furniture but the work is very seasonal. I have my
own shop and am looking to get more creative, to fill the voids during
winter. That's it. So who is everybody and where ya'll from?

Kroozr

"the ''Kroozr''" wrote in message
...
I have been lurking for awhile now and was hoping to post with ya'll,
if'n ya don't mind. I'm a novice to pottery, have a wheel, a kiln and
500 pounds of clay. What I don't have is all the experience ya'll have,
okay, I have NO experience... yet. But I'm game for anything. I see
you advise newbies to get books, I have no $ for that and have to rely
on the internet for my info. Ergo, that's why I'm here. So... where do
I begin? Do you folks do joint projects? Everybody to themselves? I
also notice there's a bit of an international flavor amongst ya'll, so
let me introduce myself, I'm a furniture builder from Tennessee, USA. I
build lawn and patio furniture but the work is very seasonal. I have my
own shop and am looking to get more creative, to fill the voids during
winter. That's it. So who is everybody and where ya'll from?

Kroozr


Welcome, we come from all over the world. I live in Wellington New Zealand,
sometimes known as Middle Earth ;o)

My advice to you is to do some classes. Really its the best way, pottery is
such a hands on project that it is really difficult to learn from just
books. There are probably night classes or similar in your area, see if you
can find out, here you go, is this anywhere near you?
http://www.studiospottery.com/classes_pottery.html
good luck
Annemarie

Check out your public library. They often have books as well as video tapes
and/or DVDs on making pottery. Plus they are free to use. RAM

"the ''Kroozr''" wrote in message
...
I see you advise newbies to get books, I have no $ for that and have to
rely on the internet for my info. Ergo, that's why I'm here.

steve jepson videos are great - round $45 each but around 2 hours long
too. great basics for about the price of a class. i know he
advertises in ceramics monthly every month. ~ don't have any links
handy.

see ya

steve

As mentioned, the library is an excellent place to get books for free and in
fact even if you buy books it is a good place to spend enough time with the
book to know if it is what you want. Your local library will often take
requests for books. Once upon a time most communities had adult ceramics
classes for almost nothing but that went the way of tax cuts winning
elections.

You can certainly do low fire hand built pieces with very little investment
of money and training.
http://www.claystation.com/technical/firing/pit.html. Go to www.pottery.org
and search the archives for information if you haven't yet.
http://www.gartside.info/woodkilnforbeginners.htm is an example of building
a kiln for little to no money for low fire work. www.digitalfire.com is a
great site for educational material but probably beyond what you are ready
for yet - still keep it for future use if you get involved with glazing. If
you are going to be self taught and working with a very limited budget, I
would stick to pit firing to begin with though you could spend a lifetime
enjoying and learning from just that one area. Tennessee is where we get
Ball clay from http://www.oldhickoryclay.com/tnclay.htm . I would think you
could easily find clay deposits locally.

This is not a monitored group and while it is nice for you to ask it is
entirely unnecessary. This room is open to all and there is a very wide
range of experience. Everyone has something to offer and questions asked
count as a valuable part of the room.

I currently live on Long Island, in NY. Though I started with reduction
cone 8 firings (high fire stoneware done with a gas firing where you starve
the flame of oxygen which it then removes from the glaze - giving rich reds,
browns, golds, etc.), I now fire with an L&L electric kiln for most of my
work which is an oxidation firing at cone 6 (still considered stoneware but
on the low end). I recently did a pit fire and thought it wonderful. I've
done raku and enjoyed the party element of it but pitfire is something I can
imagine really doing in a serious way. I will probably do a great deal more
of it if the neighbors don't have me arrested. I've been working in clay
for much more than two decades but only part time since computer programming
pays the bills and keeps the kids in school (at least that is what I'm
told).

Donna

"the ''Kroozr''" wrote in message
...
I have been lurking for awhile now and was hoping to post with ya'll,
if'n ya don't mind. I'm a novice to pottery, have a wheel, a kiln and
500 pounds of clay. What I don't have is all the experience ya'll have,
okay, I have NO experience... yet. But I'm game for anything. I see
you advise newbies to get books, I have no $ for that and have to rely
on the internet for my info. Ergo, that's why I'm here. So... where do
I begin? Do you folks do joint projects? Everybody to themselves? I
also notice there's a bit of an international flavor amongst ya'll, so
let me introduce myself, I'm a furniture builder from Tennessee, USA. I
build lawn and patio furniture but the work is very seasonal. I have my
own shop and am looking to get more creative, to fill the voids during
winter. That's it. So who is everybody and where ya'll from?

Kroozr

steve wrote:
steve jepson videos are great - round $45 each but around 2 hours long
too. great basics for about the price of a class. i know he
advertises in ceramics monthly every month. ~ don't have any links
handy.

see ya

steve

Like the man sez, join a class, local colleges usually have them, cost a
bit but are really worth it (sez he who teaches a couple), you get acces
s to wheels, kilns, clay, and most important people who know how to use
them, that you can learn off...
I Live in the SW UK, good Luck, and welcome to the family...
Hugs
Eddie

They're all good suggestions, but when it comes to web resources, I like
to tout my own...
Brad Sondahl

--
For my comics, pottery how-to videos, original art, music, pottery, and
literature, visit my homepage
http://sondahl.com

Wow, I think I hit the motherlode here! You guys are good. I saved all
your replies. Major thanks. I have gone to the pottery.org site
several times, everytime I've done a web search, they would come up. I
appreciate ALL the info, you are the best bunch. Two great suggestions,
the library and classes, are impossible as I work 7 days a week, 9 to 9.
This is probably one of the oldest crafts in the world, right up there
with the oldest profession. I was going to say that puts us in good
company but that doesn't sound right. I had to crack up that you would
know about clay in my own area that I didn't have a clue about. I also
like the fact that this group is global, way cool. Thanks for the
welcome and the primo sources of information, now its time to get to
work. I don't suppose you know where I left my keys?

~Kroozr

Ummm --- 84 hrs/week working, when exactly do you plan on learning to make
pottery? Rick

"the ''Kroozr''" wrote in message
...
Two great suggestions, the library and classes, are impossible as I work 7
days a week, 9 to 9.

In article , the
''Kroozr'' writes
Wow, I think I hit the motherlode here! You guys are good. I saved all
your replies. Major thanks. I have gone to the pottery.org site
several times, everytime I've done a web search, they would come up. I
appreciate ALL the info, you are the best bunch. Two great suggestions,
the library and classes, are impossible as I work 7 days a week, 9 to 9.
This is probably one of the oldest crafts in the world, right up there
with the oldest profession. I was going to say that puts us in good
company but that doesn't sound right. I had to crack up that you would
know about clay in my own area that I didn't have a clue about. I also
like the fact that this group is global, way cool. Thanks for the
welcome and the primo sources of information, now its time to get to
work. I don't suppose you know where I left my keys?

~Kroozr

I'll bet someone on the NG has a prime wheeze for not losing Keys!!
--
Steve Mills
Bath
UK