jonathon’s gallery – Gillian McMillan — Rara Avis https://www.gillianmcmillan.com Thu, 13 Mar 2025 04:49:55 +0000 en-US hourly 1 Firing #555 https://www.gillianmcmillan.com/blog/2025/03/12/firing-555/ https://www.gillianmcmillan.com/blog/2025/03/12/firing-555/#comments Thu, 13 Mar 2025 04:42:28 +0000 https://www.gillianmcmillan.com/?p=16157

#555 was probably the last firing of my electric kiln in its custom-built shed. The kiln and shed were built for me in 1999 when I left my three-year residency at Port Moody Arts Centre (now PoMoArts). I have yet to discover the fate of my good kiln, but I’m sure it will give many more good firings.

It was rather odd not to have a single piece of my work in this load, but I haven’t been able to complete the painting of some jugbirds which currently are nesting in a plaster-lined storage bin. This group of pots is mainly plates painted by an ever-faithful group of Raiders, with a few pieces made by my lovely twin grandsons on their stay here in February.

Monique’s two large round plates turned out beautifully. Transparent circles float in a pitch-black space. I hope you’ll continue to paint on clay, Monique!

Monique
Monique

Karen had a good painting day. I think it’s safe to say that Eric was on her mind when she chose these shapes for her two coupes. I posted two views of the one to consider whether it’s a fish or a woman/vase.

Karen
Karen

Sally has intriguing plans for this platter. Perhaps she’ll leave it exactly as it is.. we’ll find out. The words are a clue.

Sally (Allyson)
Cathy

Of course I photographed both sides of this platter by Cathy. The words show up nicely after her painstaking work with tape resist and underglazes. I think she’ll be pleased. 

Finally, in this series, Renée had a cold on our Raid day but came out here shortly after and spent a morning working on a big leather-hard round platter. She used my coloured slips for a change. The results are intentionally softer than her usual hard-edged shapes.

Now we need to find a day to get these to their artists.

In other news, I’m honoured to be the featured artist at Jonathon’s Gallery in London, Ont. for March. Brian kindly posted several photos of the display in the prestigious gallery on Instagram recently. Here are my screen grabs.

soda-fired pieces in a prairie setting
some egg boxes with a bird vase
earthenware and stoneware pieces

The SECOND HAND pottery sale went very well. Many pots in my collection have gone to new homes. It was such fun to explain where and why I had acquired each piece. My TriCity Potter friends were a great help for a busy morning.

Of course we have retained far too many more special pots to take to our new home. On that front we continue to clear shelves etc ready for the For Sale sign to go up, and we have begun to look at likely townhouses in Port Moody. That will be exciting, and yes, Alan has told our realtor that we shall need a studio for Gillian!

Another piece in the latest firing was a fine plate painted with underglazes and then sgraffitoed, by TriCity potter friend Maria Palotas. In the other photo you can see a two-waffle plate, a dragon, a flying mouse and more by Lucas and Bennett. 

Maria Palotas
Lucas & Bennett
]]> https://www.gillianmcmillan.com/blog/2025/03/12/firing-555/feed/ 2 Primavera, Cambridge https://www.gillianmcmillan.com/blog/2023/10/05/primavera-cambridge/ https://www.gillianmcmillan.com/blog/2023/10/05/primavera-cambridge/#comments Fri, 06 Oct 2023 04:03:47 +0000 https://www.gillianmcmillan.com/?p=15022

It’s four years since I last flew across the Atlantic so I’ve planned a brief solo trip, starting next week. I have oodles of exciting plans, which include galleries, studios, trains and most importantly, family, in London, Cambridge and Salisbury. 

Earlier this year Jeremy Waller, owner of Primavera Gallery in Cambridge, emailed to ask if I planned a trip over with more jugbirds soon. Since August I have concentrated on making jugbirds which are mainly English species, although you may be surprised to see Jeremy’s requests for a more European Eagle, an Osprey and even an Emperor Penguin! Now I’ve packed most of my new flock into a sturdy cardboard box, ready to be my carry-on luggage. Below are photos of the fourteen jugbirds. The seagull found its new home already.

Robin & Great Tit jugbirds
Spotted Woodpecker & Green Woodpecker jugbirds
English Kingfisher & Emperor Penguin jugbirds
Puffin & Seagull
Golden Eagle & Osprey jugbirds
Blackbird & Red Cardinal jugbirds
UK Goldfinch & Greenfinch jugbirds

Jeremy also requested some of my cheerful plates so I hope to squeeze in a little set of playing card ones as well. 

I’ll be taking the train from London up to Ely to visit Jeremy and Sheila Waller’s College Farm and sculpture garden before Jeremy drives me in to Cambridge to unpack the pots in the gallery.

wee playing card plates

Here in Canada I was delighted to notice that Jonathon’s Gallery in Ontario decided that this is the month to feature my work. This post appeared on Instagram the other day. I see that they have some of both my soda-fired pieces and jolly earthenware ones.

Instagram post from Ontario

Now I have a few days to finish packing, make a  Thanksgiving meal and maybe do a little gardening. Today I enjoyed the rare treat of burnishing an admittedly wheel-thrown pot, after listening to famed primitive-firing potter Laura Wee Lay Laq’s talk to TriCity Potters last night. I hope it can be included in the group sawdust firing workshop she’s leading while I’m away. 

There’ll be so many stories to tell when I return but for now you’ll get a break from Gilli-blogs.

Happy Thanksgiving fellow Canadians!

]]> https://www.gillianmcmillan.com/blog/2023/10/05/primavera-cambridge/feed/ 2 Rainbow Eggs https://www.gillianmcmillan.com/blog/2023/07/23/rainbow-eggs/ https://www.gillianmcmillan.com/blog/2023/07/23/rainbow-eggs/#respond Mon, 24 Jul 2023 03:48:46 +0000 https://www.gillianmcmillan.com/?p=14752

A few months ago I had a phone-call from Jonathon’s Gallery, asking me if I’d like to make more of my carved, lidded egg boxes for a special show in July. “Could they be Rainbow colours, and how about Trans colours too?” I can do that, so I threw closed egg shapes, with a spare just in case, and promised to keep them secret until the show opened. Now I can show you how they worked out.

closed thrown forms
now they're trimmed and carved

I decided that I’d get the brightest colours by using underglazes rather than my coloured slips. It turned out that I needed to paint three coats and it was fiddly, but worth it!

jars of underglaze to consider
6 Rainbow, 3 Trans ie pale blue, pale pink & white, 1 terra sigillata

Those tight-fitting lids might have stuck in the glaze firing (underglazes can do that) so I put teeny wads there and it worked nicely. Below is a composite photo of all the eggs.

after the glaze firing, see the wee wads

Finally the London Pride Festival Art Show was announced last week and promotional images began to appear on facebook and Instagram. 

Ben Benedict Proud sculptures $450. ea.

Gallery proceeds are going to help fund ‘Ten Oaks Project’.

https://www.tenoaksproject.org/camp-ten-oaks/ 

My pieces were given imaginative titles and were paired for display with Jonathon and Brian’s friend, fibre artist Nancy Latchford. Thanks for a beautiful arrangement. I don’t know if any are left but if you’d like to own a coloured egg box, get in touch with Jonathon’s. https://www.jonathons.ca

The bundles of sticks could be referred to by another word. Crossword puzzlers will get it. I’m sure there was a fine party for this show’s opening last week.

another view of the show

Next up at Jonathon’s is this: https://www.jonathons.ca/events/axis-of-art-women-in-clay  but I’ll say more about that in early August.

If you live locally to me you might like to take in the show that’s opening this Thursday. PoMoArts is celebrating its first 25 years as an Arts Centre society with a display of work by most of the people who have had the privilege of being a Ceramics Artist-in-Residence there, including yours truly. 6-8pm at PoMoArts. https://pomoarts.ca/upcoming-exhibitions

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