Ceramic Review

Editors :

Eileen Lewenstein Emmanuel Cooper 17a Newburgh Street London WlV lLE

January February 1978 CONTENTS Number49

Ceramics and Music in Schools M J French lliusionistic Realism Elaine Levin 6 Off Centre Edwin Todd 9 Charcoal Firing at Taggs Yard David Burn Books 12 Pots for Cheeses 15 Crystalline Glazes Michael Machtey 16 Plate Making Da vid Lloyd Jones 20 Pots and Potters 22 Peter Dick - Recent Pots W A Ismay 26 Letters 27 Forthcoming Exhibitions 29 Classified Advertisements 29

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Ceramic Review invites contributions on fuel conservation and saving - either as tips, notes, articles or photographs of interesting or worthwhile experiments. Your next Ceramic Review The next issue will be the 50th Ceramic Review. To celebrate this occasion Ceramic Review No 50 will be a bumper issue with a full colour portfolio devoted to the work of Bernard Leach. As well as four colour plates there will be excerpts from Bernard Leach's early writings and an appreciation of his work by Victor Margrie . All this plus the usual wide range of articles, reviews and photographs. Regular subscribers will be sent their copy as usual, extra copies of this special souvenir issue will be available.

Cover: Richard Shaw - House of cards with Torn King - porcelain,

china paints, fired on decals, h 6" see article page 6 .

Say When-Now Energy - its use and conservation concerns us all. While big business and the motorcar account for most of the fossil fuels - coal, oil and natural gas - used at present , potters cannot but be aware of their own use of fuel, particularly when firing kilns. The savings we can make may be small compared with industry, but nevertheless useful. Not ortly do they help conserve fuel but also by reducing the amount used , lessen the cost.

In a recent paper on Energy, Dr J K Dawson, head of the Energy Technology Support Unit, said that on present trends 'there is a growing concern about the depletion of the finite resources of traditional fuels on which industrialization has been based'.

Apart from not firing, what can potters do to help? Kilns must be fired and experienced potters are mindful of tight , economical kiln packing and always avoid wasteful firings. But do we appreciate , for example, the benefits of the new light weight insulating materials? By absorbing and conducting the smallest amount of heat they are highly efficient. Kilns can be fired more quickly (if required) with the consequent use of less fuel. Most kilns however are still built with traditional insulating bricks and good opportunities for economy are lost.

Glazes need not be fired at such high temperatures. Is that extra 1 0°C or 20°C, which often takes so long to achieve really necessary? By careful use of fluxing materials, bodies and glazes, can be made to work equally well at lower temperatures, as Katharine Pleydell-Bouverie has shown so successfully by her use of calcium borate frit (see CR Book of Glazes page 20).

There is also what is technically known as 'wasteheat recovery' making use of heat given off from the kiln, other than using it to warm the workshop or dry off the pots. Peter Dick has devised a clever system in which water pipes running by the side of the kiln provide, when the kiln is firing and cooling,copious amounts of domestic hot water.

Solar energy, wind and tide driven generators are not yet a reality for providing energy to fire kilns ; but as techniques are investigated and developed they may become so .

Wood is the one renewable fuel which perhaps we should consider more carefully. Plant a tree year may yet prove an important contribution to future energy sources. Wastewood, often discarded by industry can be searched out and is ideal for potters kilns.

Nick Casson busily signing copies of his book 'The Craft of the Potter' in the Craftsmen Potters Shop last November, (see review on page 12)

For New Readers Just in case this is the first issue of Ceramic Review that you have seen, this is what you have missed in back issues still available at cover prices i.e. 45p ,50p , 55p,60p +postage and handling charge 25p - 1 copy, 40p - 2 copies , SOp - 3 copies, 65p - 4 copies, 70p 5 copies. No.36 Alan Barrett-Danes by Tony Birks . Two Chambered Kilns by Robert T . Compton. Decorating Tiles 45p . No.38 Glazes , Try it and See Part 2 by Robin Hopper. Pinch Pots by Mary Rogers. Colloidal Slips by Ben Cooper. SOp . No.39 Egyptian Paste by Sylvia Hyman . Vamps & Floozies by Hilary Brock. Glazes , Try it and See by Robin Hopper Part 3. SOp. No .40 Michael Cardew at 75 . This is Clay. SSp . No .41 Art School Survey '76 . Spanish Potters . An introduction to clay geology . SSp . No.42 Ash Glazes , Part 1 by Eric Mellon. A new kiln by Clive Davies. Terry Bell-Hughes, a profile by Sue Harley . 60p.

Ceramic Review,1 7aNewburgh Street, London W1 V 1LE 01 4393377 MAGAZINE SUBSCRIPTIONS Annual subscription (six issues) £5.50 Overseas rate £6 surface mail, by International Money Order only. Airmail rates on application. Single copy by post £1.10. Overseas £1.20. Opinions exp~e~sed are those of contributors and do not necessarily reflect the opm10n of the Craftsmen Potters Association. © Ceramic Review 1978 No articles may be reproduced without the Editors' permission.

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