THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, November 13, 1994 TAG: 9411100198
SECTION: CAROLINA COAST PAGE: 22 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: Mary Ellen Riddle
LENGTH: Medium: 88 lines
Jim Fineman works with clay, water, glaze and heat to create stoneware pottery. The 45-year-old craftsman forms bowls, plates, mugs, pitchers, vases and lamps in his Roanoke Island studio.
There is a simple beauty to Fineman's pots. His work, on display at the Island Art Gallery in Manteo, can easily be classified as art. But Fineman does not concern himself with elevating his craft to any hierarchy. He simply throws pots because it pleases him.
``I like taking something that has no value and turning it into hopefully something useful and attractive,'' he said.
Fineman's been throwing pots full-time for 22 years, so he has the mechanics down. While he is not wildly experimental, his work does change.
``I continue to experiment some,'' he said. ``A lot of it is subtle variations, and evolution is gradual over time. I'm not really into radical change. One thing leads to another.''
Out of a monthlong series of bowls, there can be a million variables. Some may have an S-curve profile, while others show a more continuous flow from the lip to the foot. Rims vary, and proportions of the base to the top fluctuate.
Fineman can create most of the contents found in the kitchen. He's inspired by traditional early American pottery, but he also gets ideas from kitchenware catalogs, by examining his own work and the work of other potters, and from his own needs.
``Out of a need I had in my own kitchen, I made my first colander and orange juicer,'' Fineman said.
He can make everything short of pots and pans, all dishwasher and microwave-safe. Fineman begins with a piece of clay that has been homogenized. By applying varying degrees of pressure with his hands, he forms objects on the rotating wheel. A mirror about two feet in front of him allows him to observe the piece in the round as he works.
A potter can choose many kinds of clay to work with. Fineman says creating a blend is like making cake batter - a little of this and some of that. He prefers to use stoneware because it can handle everyday abuse.
Each element in the blend, like feldspar, fire clay, ball clay, flint and iron oxide, influences the process. The workability of the clay can be affected, along with the color.
Heat resistance and response to glazes are also a few of the considerations in choosing ingredients. Fineman's pottery is adorned with earthy colors: various shades of cobalt blue, sienna, umber and ocher.
The glazes are brushed on. Leaf imprints are also used along with incising and wax resist. Feathery ferns turned up and down, which merge slightly in the firing, take on a more abstracted look. Repetitive brush strokes, meticulously applied in three or four colored layers, grace his vases. The brown and blue marks resemble the orderly design found in pine cones.
It takes Fineman about six weeks to create and fire a kiln full of pottery. Due to the nature of the firing process, Fineman has experienced many ups and downs. Atmospheric conditions and technical problems can affect the final product.
``You never have full control,'' he said. ``You always know that you're always gonna be at odds with it. You have to accept that to be doing this.''
When it's time to fire up the kiln, powered by propane and electric powered blowers, Fineman is always alone. Filling the kiln is like working a puzzle. Pieces are grouped by size and height. Pots that need more heat are placed higher up. Temperatures can range from 1,600 degrees to 2,400.
``It's a nice time to reflect on what you're doing,'' Fineman said. And it's a time filled with expectations, a private time - for better or for worse.
Sitting on top of the kiln, watching each firing, is a figurine that Fineman calls a kiln god. Ancient Chinese created figurines to place in the kiln door to ward off evil spirits. Fineman says he first saw such figurines when he was a teen taking art classes at the Rhode Island School of Design.
``There were hundreds in the university kiln room,'' he said.
Tucked in corners of his home, on ledges and adorning some pot lids, the figurines sit. Most resemble fantastic animals like dragons or dinosaurs. Fineman laughs when he says some people try to psychoanalyze them. To him they are just fun things that he would never sell. Sometimes he gives them away as gifts.
And sometimes, he jokes, if the firing doesn't go well, he threatens to smash the figurine.
While pottery is a rich art form with a history dating to 1500 B.C., filled with spiritual, artistic and practical objects, Fineman's attitude toward his work echoes the simplicity of the clay.
``I'm just trying to make good work,'' he said. ``I have no higher notions or anything.'' ILLUSTRATION: Photo by MARY ELLEN RIDDLE
Roanoke Island potter Jim Fineman works on the wheel in his studio.
by CNB