108 
MRS. HENRIETTA BARCLAY PAIST - 
2298 Commonwealth Ave., St. Paul, Minn. 
KERAMIC STUDIO 
Page Editor 
TO KERAMIC STUDIO STUDENTS 
COLOR is at once the joy and the despair of the artist who 
works for reproduction. Working out harmonious color 
combinations is one of the most fascinating phases of Art. 
But to suggest color schemes in cold type and with black and 
white illustrations for more or less inexperienced students 
to carry out, with the bewildering array of materials from which 
to choose, with no definite color nomenclature and no way 
of knowing the limitations of the individual workers, is another 
and a very discouraging proposition. 
Anyone who has tried to fulfill this mission will recall 
letters from discouraged students whose efforts to follow the 
instructions have not been crowned with success. We are 
called upon to suggest how to counteract unfortunate results 
and we tear our hair and worry the grey matter for a possible 
solution. Most of the trouble comes from a lack of any funda- 
mental knowledge of color — either from the chemical standpoint 
or that of harmonious color relations. Mineral colors have 
chemical affinities. There also are those which are antipathetic : 
a general understanding of these laws is a necessity to the suc- 
cessful ceramic artist. For the student using oil or water 
color the study of color harmony is sufficient. But the ceramic 
artist must go deeper into the subject and study the action of 
colors on each other in the fire; the temperature at which 
colors will develop; the quantity of the glazes of different 
wares; the nature and office of flux, etc. The pioneers in 
this field of art had to get most of their knowledge first hand, 
by actual experiment. Necessity makes students of us, and 
there is nothing which teaches so surely as failure, if one is wise 
enough to search for the cause. 
The manufacturers have to-day reduced the necessity 
for experiment to a minimum and experienced teachers can 
save their students unhappy experiences through which they 
may have passed: but there are still many ambitious workers 
who are far from this practical assistance, and they must needs 
travel through the road of experience. The memory of early 
struggles should breed sympathy for the perplexed and isolated 
workers of to-day; those who are geographically removed 
from the practical help of the large studios. This need has 
been admirably met in the answers to correspondents column 
of this magazine. For those who have availed themselves of this 
opportunity questions have been answered and suggestions 
made in the most sympathetic and helpful spirit. Anyone 
who will take the pains to study this column regularly will find 
it a veritable gold mine of information and, if those who have 
back numbers of Keramic Studio will take the trouble to read 
over these columns, they are almost sure to find the solution of 
their individual problems. Comparatively few avail them- 
selves of this privilege. 
How often we hear remarks like this "I didn't care for 
Keramic Studio this month, did you?" "There wasn't any- 
thing in it worth copying," or " Oh, I'm not taking Keramic 
Studio this year, I don't care for so much conventional" and so 
on ad infinitum. 
Friends and co-workers ! did it ever occur to you that 
Keramic Studio is the only Art Magazine which caters to stu- 
dents, which supplements regular art instruction of the studios 
and Art Schools? Do you realize that it is the only Art Mag- 
azine worthy the name, which encourages or allows copying. 
Where in the whole realm of art can the keramic student get 
so much inspiration and information, with the additional 
President and Vice-President of the T. C. K. C. 
Henrietta Barclay Paist Florence Huntington 
advantage of further information through the correspondence 
column, and all for 40c. the copy? 
Is it possible that we are never to grow away from the 
"picture book stage of understanding?" How many of us read 
the editorials and educational articles? How many avail 
themselves of the privilege of asking questions? This privilege 
alone is worth the price of the magazine. Do we fully appreciate 
the advantage of knowing from month to month what the rest 
of the keramic world is doing; of keeping in touch with 
Exhibitions and seeing reproductions of the best work all over 
the country? Is it no advantage to know where to procure 
materials for our work from reliable dealers? Do we appre- 
ciate the advantage of an advertising medium which brings 
customer and dealer, teacher and pupil together? Can you 
imagine any degree of success without such an organ? Other 
art magazines do not cater to our craft; their advertising pages 
do not reach the rank and file of keramic workers and their 
pages are rarely open to the keramic artist except where some 
individual has achieved unusual honor or distinction. 
We are already practically cut off from the Old World; 
our supplies are curtailed ; we are thrown more and more on our 
own resources; we need to keep in touch with each other; 
how else can we do this except through just such a medium as 
Keramic Studio? Then think of the wisdom and patience re- 
quired to satisfy the demands of two factions almost diametri- 
cally opposite in point of view. In making compromises the 
magazine has had to sacrifice its highest ideals and risk criti- 
