Oestreich & Pelt, NCECA 2019

Jeff Oestrich keepin it real: his income still only about 25K. Ayasha Peltz also speaks of having an alternative source of income (making & selling bats w a punch press?), & accepting that you'll never have much money, in exchange for very satisfying work.
[I guess I don't suck as much as I thought.]

Oestrich speaking of learning to do things yourself - carpentry, etc. Also of the clay community supporting each other.

"Instagram Potter"…is that a thing?

Peltz discussing thin glazing to let the form through, not "encasing" the pot in glaze. Talking aboutr choosing the right pot for the qualities of the glaze. 2 coats thin glaze, skim milk consistency. Matt glaze with more saturated color, layered with more fluid less-colorant glaze.

"Things at their most ripe." "right now the work is feeding itself" >>I know this feeling very well.

Both acknowledge the difficulty of pricing..."All this work for not a lot of money" ..."We both just hit this 'this is nuts' stage a couple times a year.

Oesteich using a piece of stiff clear plastic on the rim of a freshly thrown pot to float the spacing tool.  >>Good idea

Peltz describes different shapes of glaze container - a pvc pipe with a plastic bat glued to the bottom, to dip a tall vase. Dips pot in clean water before dipping in runny glaze.

A question about safety. Oestrich telling stories about the CRAZY bad safety risks that were just ordinary decades ago.

Pelts talking about having enough bats influencing work - leaving the pots stuck to the bat to be able to push firmly to create altered volumes. She likes masonite (hardboard) bats. (I hate them personally, they warp pretty much instantly.)
Pelts throwing porcelain now. Speaks of how her early strategies for dealing with insufficient skill grew into her aesthetic - faceting, folding, stretching, stacking.

Oestreich, re pinterest & the like: "Maybe there's too many resource now; it's like trying to take a sip from a fire hose." Interesting thought! Does it make it harder for one's aesthetic to develop independently?
Jeff mixes his own clay for control - softer, or add grog. "I mix my own, and I let it age for about 15 minutes" LOL "I don't like clay that's really plastic, it feel slimy." "I like to have to struggle a bit"

Aysha : I'm exactly the opposite, I want clay that's really plastic, so I can stretch it & it won't crack.

She's speaking of making vases but thinking about form instead of how flowers would look in them: form before function.
Oestreich cut only part of the bottom to oval the piece!
Peltz compressing facets with the rib.
Oestreich faceting with what looks like a 10" kitchen knife.
OMG you guys you should see Aysha Pelts EMBRACE THE WONK here
Oestreich speaks of over doing "you can kill the freshness."
Peltz, working in series - The first one is a reminder of the process.
Oestreich:" one thing I think about often is when an idea is over.""It's very hard to let go of an idea that you've got a lot of mileage out of."
OMG Jeff Oestreich teaches at the Northern Clay Center! I used to teach there.

Is anyone selling a cheese cutter-like clay faceting tool?

Peltz facets bottom-up.
Oestreich says anyone who has used a Leach wheel for decades has a bad right hip. Good to know!
Peltz: I do all my altering right after having thrown them, it's about trying capture this wetness. " Warns of messiness & overworked qualities.
Oestrich making a really great, angular faceted foot with his fettling knife.
Peltz: "I want this to be like it just grew into this shape, like I didn't have to do anything"
Oestreich: "If I say 'that's good enough', that's my red flag. It has to be 100%. It just has to."


oops lunch time more later.