ECUAD’S Julie York spoke to TriCity Potters
Julie York was our presenter at last Wednesday's TriCity Potters meeting. On a horrid rainy night, when there was almost no parking near the High School due to a concert at the same time there, Julie found her way out from Vancouver. She explained her beginnings in clay as a student of David Lloyd's at Kwantlen College in her home town of Surrey. Another instructor there, our board member Kay Bonathan, taught Julie in a Design class. They recognized each other on Wednesday and Julie kindly said her design sense stems from Kay's instruction. Julie then went on to Emily Carr Institute of Art & Design for her Ceramics BFA. More details are in Myrta's notes on TriCity Potters website - link below.
We gained an understanding of Julie's non-functional ceramic work from her photos of the process and the progression of the work over several years. Galleries Perimeter and Pentimenti carry her work. She says it's difficult to make a new series at present with the full-time teaching load at ECUAD, but that her new studio in South Surrey will be her retreat in the summer. She's also looking into which galleries in BC might show her work. It'll be interesting to see if any take on ceramics, even if it's non-functional. Her work is not 'Installation Art' because it's not activating the space, she makes objects to be displayed. I found that a useful distinction.
Thank you Julie for a thought and question-provoking evening.
The link will take you to Myrta Hayes' piece about the talk and some more photos, on the TriCity Potters website. http://www.tricitypotters.ca/hot2.html
Wide Open contd.
Here are some more pots from the 'Wide Open' Alberta Potters' show, on view at the Gallery of BC Ceramics. These first are titled 'Inhale' and 'Exhale'.
Wide Open
Monday was my day to deliver new work to Circle Craft shop and the Gallery of BC Ceramics. At the latter I was pleased to find the Alberta Potters' show 'Wide Open'.
While this show of small work travels to several locations in BC our 'BC in a Box' show is being shown in Red Deer and Medicine Hat, Alberta. I think their potters may have had a slightly larger box that the work had to fit in than we did - or is that an illusion?
The theme 'Wide Open' can convey the openness of prairie landscape, but also it may simply have meant that artists had a 'wide open' theme to work on.Certainly there is a large variety of methods, firings and ideas to be seen. I photographed the pieces that for one reason or another appealed to me. In some cases I was lucky enough to have met the artists in Medicine Hat last year and others I like because they celebrate Alberta and some just because they're unusual and they work. Sorry I couldn't document all the pieces. To avoid labels wandering too far from their image I'll put the rest on the next blog.
Crackerjack weekend
I enjoyed the chance to chat with fellow potters at Crackerjack. Celia Pickles had organized two floors of crafts displays and her husband manned the central check-out. The little gallery is in a delightful location on the beach at Ambleside. I want to live where I can see and hear waves lapping the shore and watch passing ships and seals.
Some participants stayed for the 3 days of the event, taking care of their own table-sized display but I opted to have my jugbirds sit amongst other items on a good central platform upstairs. Our commission was based on whether we wanted to help or not. I was happy to have my work sell itself and take the time to visit Circle Craft on the Friday, attend an opening at Coastal Peoples Gallery in Gastown on Saturday and then just be there for a while on Sunday afternoon prior to packing up. Some of my birds found homes, presumably in West Vancouver, and the rest joined others in a delivery to Circle Craft shop and Gallery of BC Ceramics yesterday. 
My next blog will include photos of 'Wide Open', the reciprocal 'in a little box' show from Alberta, at the Gallery of BC Ceramics.
Circle Craft Christmas Market
On Friday I dropped some jugbirds off at the Music Box gallery in West Van for 'Crackerjack'. 
Then I decided to go to see the big Circle Craft Christmas Market at the new Convention Centre. Not wanting to park downtown, or take the seabus on a nasty windy day I chose to take the Blue West Van bus from Ambleside, over Lion's Gate bridge and along Georgia. A 20 minute ride for $1.75 and no parking.
As I walked the half a dozen blocks down towards the water the heavens opened, thunder cracked, wind howled all around the high-rises, leaves swirled and fellow pedestrians and I laughed at our blown sopping selves!
I was pleased to come across Vancouver Art Gallery 'Offsite' on Georgia. Here are two photos of Elspeth Pratt's vast installation. Beside Coal Harbour I spotted a rainbow over Stanley Park, next to a fun Orca sculpture. The green-roofed Convention Centre features walls of wooden blocks and these egg-shaped forms below the ceiling. Conventioneers have a fantastic view of our city, the ocean and the North Shore mountains.
For about 4 hours I browsed all through the Circle Craft displays, enjoying the very best of Crafts from across Canada and I noticed one artisan from Washington State.
I'll bore blog readers with my photos of the clay vendors I appreciate. I respect their displays, huge amount of work and the energy to work in their booths for 5 straight days!
My modest purchases did not include any pots - I really have lots! 
With performances, food and craft demonstrations there was much to entertain visitors and the jolly-vested volunteers were everywhere and most helpful. I have since heard the complaint that there is now too much emphasis on food and food-related products at a craft show but I don't mind it. A multi-sense shopping experience is more like an old-fashioned outdoor Christmas market with food, music and bright lights. Well done Circle Craft and all the amazing craftspeople.
As I ascended the escalator to go back out to rainy Burrard Street I spotted the world above my head, with the Olympic Cauldron beyond. The bus arrived quickly and in no time I was back at Crackerjack for 7pm.
Busy week!
The tight schedule for the last week seems to have paid off. A week ago I spent the day frantically applying terra sigillata to the bases of all my pots. With the plates painted by those artists on the previous Thursday there were 43 pieces to cook. On Monday I had my flu shot and then spent all afternoon unloading warm pots, waxing, glazing and reloading. After a slow start to make sure all the moisture was gone I turned the kiln up late at night. It's the fullest glaze kiln I've had in quite a while and I really noticed the difference in evenness of heat. By the afternoon of the next day both witness cones melted to the same extent with the nice 20 minute soak at 1922 degrees F. With a smaller kiln load I sometimes have colder pots at the bottom.
On Wednesday the pots took all day to cool so we had to postpone taking any photos until Thursday morning. Eric Metcalfe and his friend David Barnhill arrived at 11am to collect the finished plates and tiles. 
David took a look at all the new pots but had set his heart on a chickadee - and there were none this time! 
Eric brought out 2 more plates which he'd painted with underglazes at home. So with David's chickadee, Eric's plates, a bird teapot order and more flickers and woodpeckers I need to get back to the wheel right after the weekend and fire by Dec 11th.
The photos are of the plates the 4 artists painted, as well as a triangular dish by Allyson and tiles by her and Colette.
I was pleased with the glaze on all my jugbirds - mainly medium and miniature jugbirds destined for the 'Crackerjack' crafts show this weekend. There are terra sig mugs for Gallery of BC Ceramics and Red Cardinals which Ron Kong has said are needed in Circle Craft. And our carpenter ordered a large birdmug for his wife. Slightly hokey, this one is its twin. Let's see if anyone likes it! And there were 7 candlesticks which are destined for the Amnesty International fundraising dinner next Tuesday.
On Friday morning, yesterday, I took 16 assorted jugbirds to 'Crackerjack' at the Music Box Art Gallery in West Vancouver.
Another whole story to tell, perhaps tomorrow, is my bus ride from there to downtown to go to the big Circle Craft Christmas show in the new Convention Centre. I'd won a ticket! Bus ride back to W Van for 7pm to attend the show there and then a rainy drive home to Port Moody - 3/4 hr.
Artists visiting Port Moody
The clocks went back last night, the sun is shining today, the Fall colours are perfect, the salmon are spawning in Noon's Creek and my bisque kiln turned itself off a couple of hours ago. 
It's been a busy week as I endeavoured to get all my jugbirds and other pots painted and, yesterday, terra sigged. The last few were fast-dried in my convection oven on warm. The kiln is really full, what with some more candlesticks of mine and Kay Bonathan's to donate to Amnesty International, some special orders, the jugbirds and also some plates from a fun day last Thursday.
Eric Metcalfe brought out his ex-student, Blanket Gallery artist and writer Eli Bornowsky, SFU Contemporary Arts professor Allyson Clay and her Newfoundland friend, performance artist Colette Urban to spend the day painting on slab-built oval plates I'd made. 
It's always fun to have artists who are used to another medium experience painting on a somewhat 3D surface. 
The plates were bone dry and I supplied them with underglazes. If I do this some more I will buy more colours. 
Colette and Allyson also experimented with some leather-hard tiles I'd prepared for them, using my larger palette of slip colours. 
I shall enjoy seeing their results - all so different. They're lucky that I shall be able to get them glazed in days. Here are the artists - sorry Sally (Allyson) I moved as I took your photo. The finished plates and tiles will be posted here next week.
Jugbirds ready to be painted
I need to get these 15 jugbirds painted by Friday! They are intended for 'Crackerjack' the following weekend. Five will be Red Cardinals and the others will be Flickers, Woodpeckers, an Eagle, Chickadee etc. After that I'll take all I have to Circle Craft and Gallery of BC Ceramics. How on earth did I wind up making pots that take days to complete?!
