Disclaimer: I do not possess a Ph.D. nor am I omnipotent. I do not know all things and I'm rarely perfect in the things that I think I know. I'm a self-taught potter, naturally curious and observant. The information that I share is a combination of my research and my observations. Please evaluate it within your own bounds of common sense and consider its application to your situation.
I'll begin sounding like I'm rambling, but I wanted to share why I'm blogging in this thought direction. You see, besides pottery, I also own a mini farm. I have begun working with pygora goats. They are a specialty breed of fiber goat. I already own 2 little girls whom I purchased from a farm that I could personally visit. For a variety of reasons, I have decided that I want to purchase additional goats from another source. While doing my research, I discovered that my next set of goats will have to come from a greater distance which would be inconvenient or impossible to visit. Originally, I was not comfortable purchasing my little ones (they are very expensive and require a lot of personal devotion) without first seeing the farm from which they came. How could I know the quality of care? How would I be sure that they didn't have health problems? How could I know what the parents were really like? How could I trust the farm if I couldn't see it? Then I found a website that shared everything about their farm. It was so detailed that I felt like I had visited the farm first. It is a great distance from me (about 3 days drive), but I feel so good about the information that I obtained online that I'm willing to make the investment in time, money, and care.
How does this relate to pottery? Well, I scroll through the pottery on Etsy, and with the extensive knowledge that I have regarding what I consider to be safe and suitably-made pottery, I question to myself if I want to invest my money in that lovely-appearing-but-maybe-not-suitably-made piece of pottery. There may be nothing wrong with that pottery, but it's hard for me to judge just based on a few pics and the limited (not technical) information in the description. Handmade pottery is more expensive and quality pottery deserves to be more expensive. But how do I know for sure that piece is quality? How do I know it is fully vitrified and water-tight? Can I be sure the glazes won't leach? What about shivering and crazing? Without actually seeing, touching, and asking the technical questions, how can I trust that pottery?
This is why I want to blog more about my pottery in detail and with some technical information. I want to reassure you that my pottery is safe and suitably-made. I want you to understand more about the clay and the glazes as well as eventually sharing my techniques in greater detail. I want you to visit my blog and feel like you have visited my studio. I want you to get to know me, my attitude, my considerations, my cautions, my thought processes...everything! And, most importantly, I want you to feel confident that when you purchase one of my pieces of pottery that it is a safe, suitably-made, quality piece of pottery. I want you to feel good about buying from me.
Please check out the new page tabs across the top of this page. Here you will find more information about pottery in general and my pottery specifically.
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