SPOTTERY!
This weekend sees the opening of 'Spottery' at the Gallery of BC Ceramics. I expect it will be a colourful, lighthearted show for Spring, with work by well-known and not-so-well-known BC potters featuring spots, dots, holes, circles and knobs. Spotty/Pottery.. They say the weather will be sunny on Saturday and we need to know that May, the next day, will bring warmth too for the garden!
Venture down to Granville Island right away before it becomes crowded the following week with visitors to ECUAD's Graduation Exhibition. That opens to invited guests on May 7th, runs from the 8th until 22nd, 10am - 6pm, and is always a great time to see the most creative new art and design.
Spring, Ardea books & new pottery tools
These colourful photos are here to celebrate the two days of Spring we had on Friday and Saturday! On Easter Day yesterday and today we're back to April showers which are no different from March or February showers.
But Friday was a perfect day to trundle into Vancouver to deliver the remaining jugbirds to Granville Island. After Al and I enjoyed a market lunch sitting outside with Vancouverites, tourists, pigeons and seagulls we went into Circle Craft. True to her word, Betty Haskell's plans to renovate and improve the gallery/shop layout are already underway. The gallery area will be visible all along the Netloft's common corridor now that the sales desk is being moved to the far Eastern end of the space. It's much more open and light now. I'm looking forward to seeing what else is planned.
I left my pots for the closed Gallery of BC Ceramics with the kind staffperson at Crafthouse. I'm told the boxes were taken over to GallBCC the next morning and that they like my silly owls! We plan to go to the opening of 'Spottery' there next Saturday.
Not wanting to drive straight home to Port Moody we took a stroll on West 4th Avenue in nearby Kitsilano. Al and I lived in a flat in a long-since torn-down old house on West 5th in 1970-71 and yes, we would like to live there now. Some hope! We found a brave new book store, Ardea at 2025 W 4th, owned by a previous manager of now-closed Duthie Books. She was so helpful in my search for Vancouver-based books for gifts. The Crafts Association of BC has an arrangement to show members' work there so there's a nice local and artistic feeling to the store, and comfortable chairs for patient husbands. The latter proved useful as Vancouver potter Nora Vaillant found me. Bless her, she mentioned that she'd learned that I was looking for a salt kiln. Ideas of a possibility she suggested will keep me smiling and inspired to get potting again now! More on that in a few weeks..
Saturday was a garden and house day. The flowers that volunteer for me each year are a joy. The modest bouquet is my nod to Easter and the pot is one I finally accepted that I don't want to sell.
Our small family was here for dinner yesterday and for once I tried new recipes from Wednesday's Vancouver Sun. I roasted a nice leg of lamb and with it served yummy mustard & lemon-coated roasted mini potatoes, tzatziki and orange and ginger stir-fried sugar-snap peas and red peppers. Well worth the effort! Steve brought me a delightful present of 3 tools I'd drawn for him. They are cut from galvanized steel and he's coated them with paint as well so that they don't rust. I shall use them for making the bottom bead at the base of a jugbird which winds up being the 'foot'.
Now there are several reasons to fish out that clay.
Rob Bush discusses crystalline glazing
Mission potter Rob Bush gave the TriCity Potters a very interesting talk and demonstration on his new-found 'hobby' of crystalline glazing. For many years he has been a production potter, throwing every kind of useful pot, decorating them with skilfull brushwork and firing them in reduction to cone 10 in a gas kiln. He also taught wheelthrowing at Place des Arts for several years. Now he has given himself permission to pursue this totally different way of finishing his work. He was happy to share what he's found out, show his results and discuss with a couple of members some related ideas. He, Dan and Jacq considered a blow-torch versus a hammer and chisel to remove the ring and dish which catch the excess runny glaze. Members were fascinated with the different colours of glaze and the patterns made by those elusive crystals.
Rob demonstrated how he throws the catchers for glaze that are used under all crystal-glazed pieces and then threw more just because that's what he likes to do. It was a nice informal sharing of information of his life as a potter, conversation rather than a slide show.
June and he worked alongside each other at Place des Arts, sharing teaching, discussion of glazes and firing results for many years. Rob and I were inspired as fellow students of Fred Owen when we were taking classes at what was then Douglas College, Surrey, back in the seventies. We owe Fred our gratitude for his enthusiasm and high standards and I wish he were still around to discuss pots.
Myrta Hayes has posted an account of the same evening with Rob on TriCity Potters' website. http://www.tricitypotters.ca/hot2.html
As Rob was packing up his work I couldn't resist buying a delicious cup and saucer. I have no crystalline-glazed pots at all and probably won't go down that road myself but this cup is a comfortable shape and a joy to drink from. Thanks for sharing your obvious dedication to pottery and desire to keep on learning, Rob.
Rob Bush presents to TriCity Potters
TriCity Potters' meetings are held at 7pm on the third Thursday of the month at the Port Moody Senior High School 300 Albert St, Port Moody, BC V3H 2M5 All are welcome to attend.
Tomorrow's presenter is Rob Bush. The information below is taken from our newsletter. Thanks as ever Linda for getting the word out to members - in spite of having spent the weekend at ArtWalk.
PORT MOODY SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL
Our Guest presenter for the evening will be Robert Bush. Rob taught many potters the fine art of throwing clay during the many years he worked at Place des Arts. He now lives in Mission and continues to work with clay in the large studio space he has created for himself there.
Rob graduated from the Vancouver School of Art before it was named Emily Carr. As well as being an extraordinary thrower and maker of functional pottery for many, many years, Rob has more recently been working with, and creating some exceptional crystalline glazes. Rob will demo for us as well as talk about his most recent work.
Please note that as Rob will be using a wheel the meeting will be in the Art Room, Rm 211, not 214. It's right next door. Come and see crystalline surfaces!
Circle Craft AGM. ArtWalk is over.
It's been a busy week leading up to the ArtWalk. Last Wednesday I decided it really was time for me to attend Circle Craft's AGM. I gather they never get a quorum! This year they did. I'm so glad I made the effort as I had a chance to share a table with people I never get a chance to talk to - Penny Birnam, Linda Doherty, Fredi Rahn and Thelma Ruck Keene. The latter two represented the gallery committee. Nearby I spotted potter Laura Van der Linde but we didn't have a chance to chat. We were given a ticket for a glass of wine and nice tasty bits. The new executive director, the lively and optimistic Betty Hasker was introduced. She talked of plans to make major changes to the shop and gallery space and ideas of boosting marketing with every social and electronic medium possible. Paul Yard gave an interesting account of the main financial effort of the co-op, the Christmas Craft Fair at the Convention Centre and plans for and dates of this year's event. When it was all over Penny asked me to give Thelma a ride home to her apartment off Commercial Drive, on my way home and I was pleased to. Thelma had a Canadian Craft shop years ago and is now the co-op's reviewer of monthly shows in the gallery. She wrote the review which can be seen on my website's 'home' page and I am so grateful for her skill and perception! And I know that she will not mind my mentioning that she is all the more astonishing for her continued enthusiasm and joy in Crafts and its community as she heads into the second half of her 9th decade.
I tidied up my studio and set out all my work well ahead of ArtWalk partly because another artist wanted to see jugbirds while I had a good selection. We never get the chance to see each other's work and that's a problem we've been unable to solve. Perhaps an evening tour beforehand? But then there are the artists setting up in a temporary display area for the weekend. Maggie kindly suggested I keep her Seagull choice until after the weekend so that others could see it. Same thing happened with another unexpected visitor on Thursday!
On Friday we set up samples of our work in the upstairs room of the Old Mill Boathouse in Rocky Point Park for the usual Tour Preview.
There were lots of paintings and photographs but not a lot of 3D work. The evening event is a good time for we artists to chat and to see at least one or two pieces by each person. Visitors enjoy drinks, snacks provided by the ever-supportive Fred Soofi and the accompaniment of small local jazz band.
The third photo shows the view north from the venue showing Burrard Inlet and the Boathouse restaurant and the fact that at last the evenings are getting longer!
The ArtWalk itself was most gratifying. I don't get hordes of visitors at my end of the city but the ones who came are interested in pottery and many are old friends or students from wheel-throwing classes years ago. It's so good to catch up! Sales of new jugbirds were good and people enjoyed seeing the difference between the earthenware colourful painted work and the quieter and more traditional salt-glazed pieces. I have a list of the next pots I need to make and the names of some people who want to take a 'Slip-painting on Tiles' workshop, probably in July. Having visitors come to my Open Studio for these two days is lots of work but is so good for getting feedback and making contacts. I am so lucky to have a studio here in Port Moody. I rather think I shall not trundle boxes of work to another location for a sale any more. My galleries treat me well and really earn their percentage!
New Jugbirds for ArtWalk
When clouds weren't obscuring the lovely sun yesterday morning I dashed outside and photographed my brand-new jugbirds on a suitable tree stump or garden walkway, wherever a bird might happen to hesitate.
Later in the day I enjoyed a jaunt in to Granville Island. At Circle Craft I borrowed back half a dozen of my best salt-fired pieces to show to ArtWalk guests. And Vincent Massey and I were able to meet up so that we could transfer 3 boxes of my bisque-fired, liner-glazed and wadded pieces to his car. He is on the island on Monday evenings to take a painting class at ECUAD. He plans to fire his salt kiln at his Whistler studio in early May so I will be waiting excitedly to hear how that goes. Thanks So Much Vincent!
Clay 2011 opened at Maple Ridge Art Gallery
I didn't go to the Saturday opening of the Fraser Valley Potters' show at Maple Ridge Art Gallery. We had a young man here tidying up our 100-yr-old cedar tree and removing low branches.
It was too tempting to stay here and take advantage of an unusual dry day, watch Brian up the tree and putz around arranging bricks next to my garden. Al tackled the endless task of raking out moss. Late in the afternoon I was able to unload the glaze firing. All good!
Linda Lebrun did drive out to see 'Clay 2011' and she took some more photos for me. She was happy to see that Eliza Wang won one of the 3 cash prizes and an honourable mention. Congratulations again Eliza!
Here are Linda's photos. If the titles become separated from the photos just click on one and its title will pop up. First is honourary member Judy Burke's stoneware platter.
Next is a prize-winning 'Quilted Plate' by Lynn Sea.
The third image is Eliza's prize-winning 'Teapot with Frog'.
Eliza also made the Crane Vase.
Next is Kaye Bonathon's Celadon Woman.
The juicy wood-fired curvaceous vase is by Grace Siu.
The final photo is of Eliza posed next to her pots at the Opening. It's interesting to note that 3 of these featured TriCity artists were in the group that visited Zhingdezhen last Fall.
Prize-winners are: Eliza Wang; David Lloyd for his water dropper; and Lynn Sea for her plate.
The honourable mentions are: Vallalee Hoffman - Open Book, Shirley Inouye - Wood-fired Vase, Beverly Lawrence - Set of 3 bowls, Lynn Sea - Bowl, Pat Schendel - Small Crystalline Plate, and Eliza Wang - Sake Bottle.
Eliza sent me the complete list of winners and honourable mentions along with 2 photos; David Lloyd's water dropper and one which features Connie Glover's vase and Eliza's Sake Bottle.
ArtWalk Invitation, April 16th & 17th
Here is the ArtWalk pdf with the map for your walk around Port Moody. Make a point of attending the Evening Reception on the Friday evening before, April 15th so that you can plan which artists to visit. I am #12 on the map. Can you see my Pileated Woodpecker on the brochure?
Studio time, and FVPG jurying
Finally we had some sunshine today - no warmth! But it is cheering not to be looking at rain or even hail. A full bisque kiln load turned itself off around lunch time so I spent a happy afternoon working in my studio on those things you don't want to do when pots need work. I mixed up a batch of wadding and 'Yellow Salt' glaze, a liner glaze from Medalta. While I had the scales out and my mask on I weighed out top-ups for some of my earthenware slips ready for the next jugbirds and a possible slip-painting workshop in July. Tomorrow morning when the kiln is cool I'll be waxing and glazing the 20, I think, new jugbirds for the studio tour next week. The stoneware pieces for salt will be dealt with once the cone 04 glaze firing is started. I shall need to liner glaze them and wad them. HAPPY! Vincent Massey plans to fire his salt kiln in early May so I plan to give my contributions to him when he's at Granville Island next Monday.
Last night's jury evening at Maple Ridge Art Gallery was most interesting. The members of Fraser Valley Potters Guild have entered a big variety of pots and sculptural work and Meira Mathieson has chosen some excellent pieces for the show. I tried to take photos of the work that appealed to me but I find the flash is awful inside so I rely on whatever light there is. The photos are of course long exposures and blurred. Meira's energetic talk about the work involved talking with her hands!
We were told the winners and honourable mentions but I think I'll leave that information until they're announced at Saturday's official opening!
I'll put some of my photos here in spite of their poor quality but I'll try to get better ones in daylight on Saturday.
Fraser Valley Potters Guild annual juried show at MRAG
Tonight June MacDonald and I plan to drive out to Maple Ridge for this year's Fraser Valley Potters Guild jurying evening. For many years Fraser Valley PG has been the only local guild to host an annual members' show for which they bring in an outside juror. It is always an interesting exhibition of the multitude of processes we all use. Galleries around the Fraser Valley region which host the show are always pleased to use it as an opportunity to invite school groups in for clay education. For FVPG members it is a chance to push their work beyond the expected and safe and have feedback from a kind, knowledgeable juror. They are encouraged to submit up to 10 pieces and usually an average of 3 pieces will be included in the show, with the sometimes difficult proviso that at least one piece from each entrant is selected.
The official opening, with awarding of prizes will take place this Saturday. The event this evening is when members can hear remarks by this year's juror Meira Mathieson. She will discuss her overall vision for the show and explain her selections. Jurors sometimes take the time to offer comments on almost everything submitted, time permitting. It is always a fascinating learning opportunity. I'm sure the Fraser Valley guild won't mind my saying that any potters are welcome to attend to hear the comments. 7pm at Maple Ridge Art Gallery.
I am a founding member of that guild and am now a life member. President Pat Schendel kindly invited me to show some pieces in the show, unjuried - like some other life members, Judy Burke, Cathi Jefferson, David Lloyd and Connie Glover. But I had to tell her that my most special new work has already been exhibited at Circle Craft last September. Also as I now rarely drive out to Kwantlen College in Surrey for meetings I am more involved with our local TriCity Potters. But I am pleased that we maintain close ties, including several potters who belong to both guilds and we exchange information on a regular basis.