Hi Everyone,
We are very happy to report that Laguna Clay Co. has responded to our requests for more information regarding the seller that has been misrepresenting the product sold as Air Dry Clay as Ceramic. Of course we knew the entire time that we were correct & this was not a case of "artistic interpretation" but sometimes in life we find ourselves defending proven fact against misinformation and I really happy to be part of the small group of ceramic bead artists who cared enough to do something about it. I do hope that all the people who bought the tutorial and were misinformed will now follow through & describe their finished product truthfully. Enjoy all the materials that are out there to create your beautiful art but please be responsible and advertise them properly when selling them. Through our attempts to enlighten we were called bullies and liars - even though our initial requests were done so thoughtfully and professionally. Its very frustrating but it is important to always stay the course when people are being manipulated.
Thank you for following & Here is Laguna Clay Co. response:
Hi Lisa,
A Ceramic object by definition must be fired, among other things.
Just because one uses raw materials that are often used to make ceramics, that does not necessarily mean the object you make with them is Ceramic.
By definition, Stoneware is a Ceramic object and therefore must be fired. See- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stoneware
We have informed the person in question of this which is the extent of our control.
Thanks, Jon Brooks - Laguna Clay Co.
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| BEADS -RAKU FIRED CERAMICS - Fired to approx. 1800 degree's |
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| Husband Hank & Friend Nadine Firing up my RAKU/Gas Kiln |
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| RAKU WARES right before they are removed from the kiln shelves, placed into organic materials to burn and covered Pots by Lisa Peters & Nadine Unsworth |
The celebration of ceramic has been inspired by an unfortunate event in which a wonderful new air dry product that seems to mimic stoneware is being plugged as "true stoneware" or a true ceramic product by a tutorial writer on Etsy. It is most important for you to know that this is not the fault of the manufacturer. The manufacturer has responsibly described what their product is on their website and packaging. But it has come to our attention that this Etsy seller who has created a tutorial for this product is leading people to believe that the product is in fact true Ceramic body without a need for firing which simply is not true. It is important for the us to do our best to make sure those who may want to purchase something like this are not being mislead. After many failed attempts of requests from the Ceramic Community for this person to truthfully describe the tutorial we are sad to say they have gone completely ignored.
So now its time for all of us to Celebrate Ceramic & become educated! Please hop on over to the Love My Art Jewelry Blog and read Marsha's very interesting article as well as checking out Natalie Pappas's from NKP Designs blog - who also wrote something on this subject as well.
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| PODS c.2005 -RAKU FIRED CERAMICS - Fired to Approx. 1800 degree's by Lisa Peters |
I want to thank everyone for stopping by the blog today!
as always I wish you
Happy Creating!
Lisa
5 comments:
Yay for celebrating ceramic! Nicely said. Thanks!
Thanks for the kind words about my Ceramics post Lisa. I like how a lot of our journeys in Ceramic clay start with questions and being interested in a material - then that bug bites and we just cannot get enough!
I enjoyed how Natalie's post gets right to the point about how ceramic clay must undergo a high temperature firing in order to change from clay to ceramic.
Susan Peterson's book (The Craft and Art of Clay) also mentioned how clay exists in nature, but ceramics do not. I though that point was also a great "Yeah!" moment reading that...
Creativity includes Artistic Interpretation.. Scientific facts do not - can't get much more direct than that! I think you both did a fabulous job with your blogs on Ceramic.. they were a pleasure to read and most informative!
Great post - nothing wrong with other materials. I am totally all for exploring other media and expressing its creative possibilities. But it is our responsibility as artists to correctly identify the materials used to create the work we show or sell. This is true for any media, from the drawing and painting arts to the sculptural, ceramic and other dimensional arts (remember those little placards next too art pieces in galleries that explain want the artist used to create them?). This is so that the patron or buyer is properly informed when making acquisition or buying decisions since the materials and processes with affect the longevity, durability, and other characteristics of the piece over time. For example, my brother is a metal fabrication artist who creates large metal sculptures intended for display in architectural or landscape settings. They have to be delivered by truck and set in place with a crane. The materials and finishes (type of metal, patina, sealing agents, etc.) need to be appropriately identified for the buyer to know if it can be located outdoors or requires a protective interior setting. My brother carefully communicates all this prior to and during any acquisition transaction.
Beads should be similarly identified. As a jewelry designer I need to know the materials the beads are made of since it will inform me as to their durability, fragility, and longevity. This in turn allows me to properly inform buyers of my jewelry. Any misinformation along the way will ripple along the creation process and ultimately to the buyer.
Missed your blogging. Very much liked this one as it was very informative and I like raku.
~cryssT
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