July in Kansas is hot. Sometimes it's really nice to open a bag of cool moist clay and sit down at the wheel with a fan and some tunes and cool off with a nice afternoon of throwing. Those people are known as mud potters*. Then again, there are also those types of people who embrace the idea that "well heck, it's already hot, let's make it hotter." These are fire potters*. Anne is definitely a mud potter, while Bill was a fire potter. A house divided? or a perfect yin and yang? This month, we polled some of our staff to see where they fall and what they would pick to put on sale. (there might have been one person who couldn't pick a side at press time. check back in next month's newsletter for the exciting conclusion....
* citation - Michael Cardew: "The mud potter lives for the plastic sensuality of the clay. The fire potter lives for the alchemy of the kiln." Listen to Jack Troy's explanation here
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Cindy Bracker
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Cindy is definitely a fire potter like her father. She finds the flames of the fire to be fascinating, mesmerizing, hypnotizing. It was an easy choice for her to select her favorite thing to put on sale. The Bracker Raku Kiln!
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Christoph Cording
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Sadly, we had to say goodbye to Christoph at the end of June. He is relocating to Kansas City to pursue a full time career as an actor on the many available stages out there. We wish him all the best and have been happy to have him while we did. If he were to be categorized by Cardew, I'm pretty sure he would be a mud potter. Christoph made all of our casting slip and was REALLY good at it, so in his honor, all Bracker's casting slip will be on sale for 20% off this month!
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Anne W Bracker
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Upon hearing the description that Cardew wrote, Anne got a far away look on her face and said "the first one, definitely..." she has had a love affair with clay and the potter's wheel since she first touched them. She still gets giddy when someone buys a wheel because she remembers when Bill brought hers home to her. So in her honor, the Brent C Wheel will be on sale this month!
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Jeanette Oliver
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"Mud Potter for sure! Fire is neat, but it was the tactile clay and 3D aspect that hooked me." Jeanette loves Sherrill Mudtools, so ALL Mudtools are on sale this month.
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David Sturm
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"I’m a FIRE!! More a gear-head really. But I’m about the process of making and firing, and the science surrounding it. The product is the ends, but exploring the many ‘means’ is what really piques my interest. I think I’d really put relays and thermocouples on sale."
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Chris Burke
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Chris struggled to select a side in this debate because he is drawn to both, but ultimately, he selected fire potter. However, he clarified that he likes the technical aspects of ceramics and what happens to clay during the firing and all of the chemistry that goes into it is a big part of the draw for him. He also thinks safety is important, so he selected kiln gloves to be on sale this month!
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