Wild Pottery edition 2

February 2023 Edition 2

A publication of Wild Mount Morgan Clay ABN 74751331523

In this Edition…

WELCOME POTTERY AND AUTISM

Pottery & Autism

The surprising benefits DIY GLAZES Making non toxic simple glazes that work ANAGAMA HAPPENINGS WILD CLAY FINDING ADVENTURE

‘ As an artist with Autism and Synesthesia I feel colours as work. My ideas are best expressed creatively through pottery. The responsive nature of clay interests me; It is malleable and forgiving and thus pottery is naturally rich in metaphor and emotion’ Blake Zucker

What I’ve found locally WILD CERAMICS Ceramics to inspire REFINING & PREPARING CLAY pugmills and sieves SILICOSIS deadly silica SNAPSHOTS Pics from workshops

Mount Morgan Hinton Street Photographer L Jones 6*6

We would love to include your personal journey and pottery photos! Email to : louielouisea@live.com *

Greetings

Louise Jones is a visual artist/educator passionate about sustainability and authenticity in art. She is a registered teacher and has taught in state schools for seven years.

Her art practice has ranged from oil painting to pottery with every medium in between. Her work has sold throughout QLD and her pottery is exhibited in Longreach and Mount Morgan. She is an accredited workshop facilitator with Flying Arts Alliance.

Well a month flew by very quickly since the very first edition of ‘Wild Pottery’. Since then I have been hard at work renovating my studio space and running workshops. A lot of interest has been generated from my journey; Jasmine Hines from ABC wrote a thoughtfully researched article about the many people now sourcing and using wild clay. It is an exciting time to be exploring new styles and techniques in pottery!

Biloela Is hosting a Creative Capers weekend of workshops and I am excited to be running pottery classes throughout. As they are 100km away it would be amazing if my mobile anagama kiln was up and running… (more about that in the article) More and more people are finding the therapeutic benefits of living a slower lifestyle more surrounded by nature and the earth. So many new residents are coming to Mount Morgan and enjoying the small town ambience and at the same time bringing new ideas and enthusiasm to embrace the natural wealth we have here.

I hope you too are inspired to look around and discover new ways of connecting and creating

The surprising benefits

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‘Autism spectrum disorder (ASD ) is a general term that defines a complex group of neurological conditions characterized by varying degrees of deficits in social-emotional reciprocity, nonverbal communication in social interactions, and in developing, maintaining, and understanding social relationships’ (Suha Hussein). Few of us are unaware of the struggles of children with ASD both in the education system and in the family dynamic.

So it is quite good to know that creative activities like pottery could help with these issues.

As a retired teacher and mother of four children with autistic tendencies I have long known the benefits of tactile activities on aiding focus, attention and calming sensory issues. Now it seems there is the research behind creative activities which suppor ts this experience. For those struggling with the behaviour of children in the classroom, at home with ongoing sensory issues, pottery seems to help in a variety of ways.

‘Pottery’ is a broad term which includes hand -building sculptures with clay, throwing clay on a motorised wheel, and using techniques such as carving, pressing, rolling, wedging, coiling and decorating. One teacher Alice Darlington designed specific clay -based lessons for those with autism to assist intellectual development and communication skills. According to her, pottery activities: ‘significantly boosts the confidence of the participants , it generates a sense a curiosity among the students as they begin to ask questions , and the inclusive nature of workshops… improves the social interaction as they get to communicate and work with other s’ (Autism 360.com).Whilst these comments could equally apply to any artistic activity, Professional Potter Blake Zucker explains just why clay is so special.

‘My pottery is made on a pottery wheel; the spinning movement is soothing.

While pulling up the clay there’s a manipulative force and creative energy that allows me a sense of freedom.

Clay has a forgiving quality that’s appreciated, with a flexibility that most materials don’t offer. Wedging clay is a pure physical movement and fierce energy; this is satisfying in itself’ Blake very specifically describes the way in which working with clay assists focus, regulation of emotions and communication: ‘Thinking of what I will be making, I slap the clay on the wheel. While centring the clay I give thoughts to what I will be making.

When I’m unable to sort out my feelings and thoughts my work can express emotions help me move forward and bring a balance in life. Many times my works are a profound voice when I have difficulty speaking.’(Autism is art)

Pottery is therapy also for the anxiety which often manifests in Autism. According to Elizabeth Kvarnstrom it is a powerful artistic avenue which deeply benefits people suffering from mental health issues. This is because it combines the primal experience of touch (clay, tools) with emotional and creative engagement. In this way she believes it activates our natural resilience , in a sense grounding the self.

The arts are often overlooked as non essential learning or activities, but in reality they are closely aligned to cognition, visual and spatial awareness, fine motor skills and resilience. Art allows those with autism to express themselves through images when they struggle to communicate. As visual thinkers those with ASD can use the concrete materials for self expression, imagination and self-soothing. When conversation is stressful, interactions with clay is a useful tool to communicate what the individual is thinking or feeling and still remain included in the class.

Most of all those with ASD can benefit from emotional regulation by engaging in thoughtful, deliberate activity ; ‘Pottery incorporates physical movement and tactile sensation with meditative practice. Pottery creation can be deeply relaxing and provide sola ce from troubling thought patterns and behaviours’ (Bridges to recovery) Many people have discovered the therapeutic benefits of pottery withou t perhaps knowing exactly why. These studies contribute much in our understanding of viable interventions for those struggling with ASD. Blake Zucker: Why making Ceramic Pottery is my Preferred Art Form | The Art of Autism (the-art-of-autism.com)The Impact of Art on Autism - Autism Care Today (act -today.org) Pottery May Improve Autistic Intellectual Abilities | Autismag (autism360.com) Pottery Therapy in Mental Health Treatment - Bridges to Recovery

Why make your own glazes?

• • • •

They create a unique glossy finish to your pottery It doesn’t involve toxic chemicals on your pottery or in your kiln You can use materials from around home Is usually cheaper

What is glaze made from?

Basic ash glaze- historically used in Chinese, Japanese& Korean pottery Made from simply wood ash, clay in approx. half and half proportions with water added. Specific woods produce slightly different effects when burnt into ash and included in this recipe; likewise the type of clay ie: fire, powdered porcelain, stoneware Salt glaze: salt is introduced into the kiln at high temperatures ie 12000 to create a pitting effect. The salt reacts with the silica mineral in the clay to form a glossy,

Henry Crissman’s Mobile Anagama Kiln

In our first edition of ‘wild pottery’ I described my research journey into the Anagama Kiln.

I had come across extremely talented and skilled ceramicist Henry Crissman in NY who had designed and created the mobile Anagama Kiln based on the Japanese Anagama design.

I was excited to finally find the blueprint to this kiln and even more excited when the arts co-ordinator of a nearby township wrote a letter of support for the building of such a kiln which would support their arts community as well as mine.

Of course, despite a background in DIY I would baulk at such a project which involves welding and archway engineering. So I turned to the very skilful Men’s Shed in Mount Morgan , who were a little overwhelmed at the scale of the build. Needless to say they have offered to construct the inside wooden skeleton should I pursue the project. A more interesting point was made that this trailer would be very heavy and how was I going to tow it? I also wondered how I would go about getting it registered for road use…

In the meantime I have successfu lly fired up my mud daub wind tunnel kiln to 830 degree s and with a few alterations feel I could make it up to bisque fire. I have also managed to make this without spending a single dollar on materials (or labour!) I just using the oil drum I had, the modified washing machine tub that had been welded into a smoker, with legs and hinged door. This shell was insulated with raw clay, rocks and clods of earth dug from my designated concrete slab area. A chimney was inserted into the drum lid and covered in another 2 inch layer of insulation. So far I have fired the artworks from the workshop with great results, on an internal rack half way up the structure. .

I put a call out locally for anyone who think they have clay to contact me. Here is what we discovered….

Raw clay

Location 10cm under surface of ground in a seam 1 metre thick Hillside

yellow dense clay sticky when wet On surface appeared as rock, next to riverbed Cemetery

Grey brown hard lumps Cracked road – breaks off in chunks

Car Lyn red clay near brickworks

In garden while excavating

chocolate crumbled clay that is soft when wet

Filtered & wedged clay Fired clay bisque

I recently stumbled across the Wild Clay Club worldwide and thought I’d share the beautiful creations from the variety of coloured clay found in the ‘wild’

Figure 1

Figure 4 Tonya Fedders

Jake Hartner

Figure 2 Andreia Pinho

Figure 3 Ms Uhlrick Brisbane

Figure 5 Mary Kate Shire

One of the challenges in using wild clay is that i t does no t come r eady to use in a slab. The c rumbled clay you might find first needs to b e hy dra ted and th en refine d in some w ay in order to use especially on the pott ery wheel.

I began hand-building with my local y ellow clay aft er just adding wate r and wedging, removing rocks a s I did so. I managed to build and fire this w ell, but found tha t th e result often crumbled and had a roug h tex tured finish. I d id some resea rch into refining a nd found some very expensive me thods on one hand and very che ap options on the o ther.

If you have a spa re $4500 you could go for the highly recommended Venc o pugmill. (see image below). Sold in Australia this is for th e studio pott er and repor ts to ae rat e , refine and consolidate. What is a pu gmill you ask? Well, apparently it is a fe ed hopp er with a mo tor us eful in mining , farming and cerami cs. It is used to blend n ew clay or cla y scrap s to crea te a more uniform and workable consistency. Clay is loaded into the feed hop per and the inter nal auger pushes the clay through th e ba rrel through a fine sc r een, compr essing the clay a nd forcing it out the no zzle. As you c an see in the photo above, th e clay is pe rfectly formed and ready for use.

On the oth er ch eap end of the scale is hand forcing through a sieve – some even use a met al kitchen sieve. My own experimentati on began wi th some leftov er flyscree n mesh I stapled to a frame. This work ed v ery w ell to sieve the clay to a fine smooth r esult but was ver y labour intensive and the mesh kep t st re tchi ng and even tually we aring out. My ar ms and ha nds wer e similarly worn out!

At the local ha rdwar e stor e I found a gardening sieve which w as a circular plastic shape and the square holes approximatel y 5mm eac h. While it was much easier to use th e result was not as effective; th e sand and grit conten t was still too high. My next trial was with a gold -panning sieve (see image below) ; mad e of stu rdy metal and circular , it w as lovely t o hold, sat perfe ctly over a bucket and removed some grit. The we ave of the sieve how ever is n ot flat …and the grit caught in the grooves so that it was not eas y to r em ove. It becom es time consuming when after each dr ag I n eeded to wash out the g rit. If I banged the clay through, th e grit simply went int o the refined clay.

A combination of th ese approaches will I believe work, to overlay flyscreen mesh onto th e me tal sieve to provide fine sieving and structural fram e to prev ent stretching . I’d w elcome fe edback from anyone who has used o ther s uc cessful methods .

Figure 6 Venco minipubmk11

Journalists recently in Australia have exposed the ‘epidemic’ of silicosis in young tradespeople in the manufactured stone industry. Just like mesothelioma and asbestosis before it, those working with raw materials are at high risk of dust borne respiratory diseases.

What has only just come to the attention of Visual Art Teachers and home Potters is the risk inherent in clay. Despite clay being a ‘naturally’ found raw material unlike manufactured stone or asbestos sheeting, what is not commonly known is that clays are minerals composed of hydrated aluminium silicates which often contain large amount s of crystalline silica, the inhalation of which is responsible for occupational lung disease.

Like mesothelioma, chronic silicosis is also slow to develop and sym ptoms may not appear until years after exposure to crystalline silica. Symptoms include: • • • • • • •

Shortness of breath Persistent cough Fatigues Rapid laboured breathing Chest pain Fever Gradual darkening of skin • Gradual dark shallow rifts in nails leading to cracks What can be done to prevent inhalation in the home pottery studio?

1. Use respiratory masks and air ventilation systems when using powdered clays 2. Maintain clean environment – don’t allow dust to settle 3. Use wet down approach rather than sweeping. Use wet cloths and mops to clean area to trap the dust within the wet material 4. Avoid shaking out of towels and aprons- hose down instead 5. When burnishing, sanding or scraping greenware or bisque use respiratory masks https://ehs.princeton.edu/.../art-theater-safety/art-safety/ceramics

By Gumersindorego - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=17408768

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