| PAUL
DAVIS - Feb
26-27, 2005
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pictures to enlarge |
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After
a superb weekend of demonstrations, stories of Japan and great
conversation, BC potters have been left with plenty of ideas and
inspiration to stoke their imaginations. "There's no point in me
doing things you already know," said Davis. "I want to show you
things you haven't seen, and give you as many techniques as I can, so you
can apply them to what you're doing."
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| With that he proceeded to throw
form after form off the hump, and demonstrate his 'slam' techniques,
creating a variety of objects that come from the heart of the Japanese
sensibility.
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One thing that was striking about Paul Davis was how he worked his way so
seamlessly through a wide range of forms. Throughout the weekend he moved from thin,
small vessels, to heavily grogged hand built objects without a pause, and
didn't seem to lack for fresh ideas. The
workshop was engaging on a number of levels. Paul shared a wealth of
information both through hands-on demonstration, and stories. Simple
wisdom and comical tales are as much a part of his palette as bamboo ribs
and cutting wire. |
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pictures to enlarge |
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Paul's
tools created lots of conversation. They were primarily hand-made from
bamboo, and local hardwoods. Orchardists in the Sturt area drop off apple
prunings every spring, and bamboo grows in ample quantity, so he has no
shortage of materials. Nor do we, as he reminded us. The bull's tongue,
which he carved from a hardwood, has also
been cast in resin. Not shown is the feather file, a small trimming tool available at Lee Valley. |
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In
this picture Paul uses a rib to shape the inside of the bowl. This is
one a many shapes he created out of a broad knowledge of Japanese forms.
He used B-Mix to demonstrate stoneware and porcelain techniques, and a
heavily grogged Plainsman for larger and 'slammed' objects. Other vessels
were tea bowls, sake pitchers, plates, vases and a variety of bowls. |
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A
series of three chucks were thrown the day before the workshop, and
allowed to set enough to be used in demonstration. Normally these chucks
are bisqued, and kept damp between trimming sessions. A soft ring of clay
is added to the top and the bottom of the chuck to create a gripping
platform for the vessel to sit on. A nylon stocking can be placed over the
top ring to provide both grip and easy release. |
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pictures to enlarge |
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This
bowl is being trimmed on another, shorter chuck. The base was trimmed to
size according to a cutting disk that ensures uniform foot sizes. On the second day Paul
went back to a hardened b-mix vessel and did more trimming with a tungsten
carbide tool to create some sharp and precise trim lines. |
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This
Ikebana vase was made in the fashion of the bamboo original. He threw the
vessel first, then created the cross piece from the clay he cut out of the
sides, allowing the clay to remain consistent with itself while drying. |
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After
slamming clay into a block, Paul went to work with a 2x4 and
hammer. Hollowing out the centre in this manner added compression to
the vase. Later, a cutting wire was used to shape a roughly textured outer
surface. |
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Again the
2x4 was employed to pound the clay flat, using a cross-hatch pattern to
ensure compression in more than one direction. The surface was carved with
banding and roughed up a little more before he was finished with it. |
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This
simple drawing of bamboo illustrates four basic strokes.
1 - the tip of the brush, moving round like a bicycle pedal
2 - the side of the brush
3 - a broad stroke
4 - the Zorro stroke |
| Our
thanks to all those who worked to bring Paul Davis to Kamloops. This was a
rich experience and will continue to bear fruit for a long time. |
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