Fourteen years ago, in October of 2010, five members of TriCity Potters spent an amazing two weeks in JingdeZhen, the famous porcelain-production city in China. Last Wednesday these intrepid potters, Grace Siu, Carlene Akester, Kay Bonathan, Hannah Chan and Eliza Wang, presented their experience there to us and then spoke a little about how the residency has influenced their own work.
Kay introduced the five, and showed slides of their intense adventure. She wrote an account of their time in JingdeZhen and nearby for the Potters Guild of BC newsletter in February 2011. (the link to newsletter archives is inactive on the PGBC website.. I hope it can be reactivated soon)
Grace has contacts there so had arranged accommodation and attendance at several workshop opportunities, and the JingdeZhen International Ceramics Fair had just opened. How marvellous it must have been for our own Eliza Wang to see her work in the International Ceramics Exhibition. She was one of only three Canadian artists represented.
The five joined residents from Australia, Switzerland, Sweden and the United States for two days of orientation, during which time they visited a ‘shard & antique’ market, bought tools, decals and underglazes, visited brush-makers and ordered custom stamps. Then they began six days of half-day workshops, experiencing mould-making, casting, decorating techniques, carving and finally, flower-making. When their work was ready to be glazed and fired they found an itinerant glazer and public gas kilns.
On most evenings the group attended lectures, on Turkish ceramics, smokeless wood kilns, Bellingham’s Jason Walker, and brush painting. They even gave a lecture themselves, featuring the work of TriCity Potters! There was interest in our various firing methods and the fact that we potters undertake all aspects of production individually.
While their pieces were being fired the five travelled to the more rural ceramics site of Yaoli to see a waterfall, villages, kilns and a waterwheel driving hammers to pound kaolin and saw the Tianbao dragon kiln.
They visited the Sanbao International Ceramics Institute, and finally marvelled at huge pots and tiles, amazed at the artists’ skills.
Their experience in these two short weeks has left them with thoughts and hopes of returning for longer.
Then each of the lucky five spoke a little about what influence the experience has had on their work. I love their aprons!
Thank you Kay for arranging for us to visit somewhere most of us will never see.
Members brought along jugs for our pop-up show at Willow & Wallflower Gift Shop. Owner Samantha MacDonald is delighted to be showing our work in her charming Port Moody shop for a few weeks in May. Do make sure you check the display from May 4th to 26th. You may find just the right Mothers’ Day gift. http://www.willowandwallflower.ca
Pene brought along the platter she’d made for our February ‘Exquisite Corpse’ underglaze painting evening. Her collaborators on this piece were Kay, Nicole and Sheila. Well done!
Well Done, Gillian!