Earthenware pots – Gillian McMillan — Rara Avis https://www.gillianmcmillan.com Thu, 08 Oct 2026 03:34:09 +0000 en-US hourly 1 Colourful Clay https://www.gillianmcmillan.com/blog/2026/08/01/colourful-clay/ https://www.gillianmcmillan.com/blog/2026/08/01/colourful-clay/#respond Sat, 01 Aug 2026 21:04:08 +0000 https://www.gillianmcmillan.com/?p=16930

On Thursday I drove over to Port Coquitlam to open Shelley’s kiln. Production is slow these days but I felt I had enough finished pieces to warrant bisque and glaze firings now. I have a soda firing to look forward to in the Fall but I was happy to return to my favourite D’Arcy Redart earthenware clay for a month or two. I also wanted to make some more pots using Pottery Supply House 400 white earthenware. Here are my efforts, some jugbirds, bowls, mugs and plates. I’ll be taking them down to Circle Craft along with selected soda pieces very soon.

Really, just for fun, I made a couple of large carved garlic pots. I’ve made one like this before, but with them needing only a single 04 firing I should do more. They aren’t glazed, just coated with warm terra sigillata, so the garlic should keep properly in them.

garlic pots 5.5" wide
pouring bowl with coloured slips & sgraffito 7" x 4.25"
bowl painted with blue slips 7.25" x 3.5"

I do enjoy throwing and trimming bowls. These two were painted with my usual coloured slips. All are clear-glazed.

Deco-style bowl 6" x 3.25"

Of course I needed to get some more jugbirds made, and I could get tired of doing that one of these days. But once they’re all finished I grin and plan on which birds I’ll make next! There are matching sugar bowls for a couple of them this time.

Seagull (in white clay), penguin, crow & flicker. all c 5" tall.
Cardinal & goldfinch jugbirds
just playing with triangles.. 6.5" x 1"

I made these slab plates just because I felt like working with hard edges and sgraffito again. 

Rain Forest coupe. paper stencils with coloured slips 9" x 1"
mugs coated with terra sigillata
yunomi, thrown with white earthenware. 3.5" x 3.5"
wee plate 5.75"

So that’s my most recent collection of pots. Raiders might be interested to know that I have also bisque-fired a number of slab plates so we can plan another Raid. And there are some other pots dried and awaiting more to fill a kiln.

Yesterday Alan and I made our way over to West Vancouver for Harmony Arts Festival and the opening of featured artist Tam Irving’s show at the Ferry Building Gallery. When I’ve sorted some photos I’ll share those here next. Tam says I should buy a kiln!

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