The thrown pots were set aside to stiffen, while
massive slabs were formed, to be converted into
wall sculptures. Large pieces of burlap and a few
thirty inch squares of plywood, plus a variety of
objects found around the work area were the tools
employed. An imaginative use of coloured clay
inlays, dry kaolin surface patches, carving,
scraping, folding, cutting away and adding to
were a-] executed with free abandon. A running
commentary of all sorts of philosophical ideas,
and details of technique methods while the pieces
were in the drying stages, accompanied these
demonstrations.

After a welcome lunch of Greek salad and wheat
rolls, the previously thrown pots were brought
forth and brutally altered into sculptural
forms. Dropping pots from a height, pounding with
wood slabs, paddling, cutting off large areas -
all were accompanied by comments cn firing
methods. The clay used was a mixture of 40
Lincoln fire clay, 30 grog, 10 ball clay,

20 talc. Soldner stated that he judges
temperatures by eye and feel, according to
glaze used and finished result desired,
sometimes several firings employed, keeping
always in mind the essential meaning of raku
being "comfortable" - when you feel comfortable
and right about your piece, then it is finished.
A very personal feeling.

Emphasis was made on the ever-effective principle
that discipline gives freedom, and freedom

must in turn be controlled in order to know when
the time is right to consider the piece finished.

The afternoon session concluded with an outdoor
demonstration of his newly-modified oil burner,
still in the experimental stage, and promising
to be a most efficient, simple, compact piece
of equipment capable of servicing a wide scope
of firing requirements. Further details will
be available direct from the Soldner workshop
at Aspen as soon as this tool is ready for the
market,

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