Ceramic Pottery Making Inspiration or Forgery?
Posted by - admin : Category - Ceramic Pottery MakingEven the most creative artist sometimes get stuck for ideas. That’s one of the reasons I love going to craft fairs. Just walking around in such a creative atmosphere always gets the juices flowing.
So when does inspiration from someone else’s ceramic pottery making efforts become a forgery?
A recent article about the Burnsvile Craft Fair in the Valley Beautiful Beacon raised this question in my mind as I read the paragraph about a potter who works with basic ceramic pottery molds and adds her own touches to them.
Of particular interest to the writer was the ceramic pottery wine bottle coolers that were accented with grape-leaf impressions. A brilliant idea!
The writer assures us that they were quite stunning but alas she didn’t publish any photos because the lady was concerned that her idea would be forged. Read the full story here.
I have heard this concern voiced before by artisans and they have a valid point when you concider all the “knock-offs” that turn up in any given product market.
I think this is question that every artist must answer for themselves when inspired by other’s work.
For the home hobbyist, experimenting using another ceramic pottery maker’s idea isn’t so much of a problem as the finished work may only grace their home or the home of a friend or loved one.
However for the commercially minded ceramic pottery maker some sensitivity is required I think, especially if you are going to publish your work (on the internet as an example) for sale.
At the very least an ethical ceramic pottery maker would atribute their inspiration to the original artist and at the very most they would take the idea and develop their own unique application of the technique and make it their own.
Tags: Ceramic Pottery Making