For the last few weeks I've been focussing on the goal of getting a small flock of jugbirds ready for Crafthouse YVR and preparing for Port Moody's 'Shuffle'. Last Wednesday I opened the kiln and was pleased to find that my thirteen jugbirds had fired well, so ten were put aside and tomorrow I'll pop out to Vancouver Airport with them.…
The most recent Raiders to my studio have had to wait a few weeks to see the results of their painting day. I needed to finish a special order for the end of the month. As it turned out the kiln was perfectly full, with nothing left out. So here are the plates from Mina, Michelle and Pierre (see my…
Any time you fire with flame rather than predictable electricity you are going to have surprises. Whether your work is in a reduction-firing in a gas kiln, in a wood kiln or a salt or soda firing you can never be sure how things will work out. There are sometimes serendipitous happenings and other times when the surfaces are flat, rough, crunchy or the wrong…
After Christmas I wandered into my studio and noticed that I still had the remains of experiments with blue, red and white earthenware clay. I decided to just enjoy throwing with no need to embellish the surface of the few pots I made. Only now, after trimming to reveal the striations, bisque-firing and then glazing with the new, all-forgiving clear glaze can I see what…
This year marks fifty years since I immigrated to Canada from England. Over the years I've made many trips back, usually with Alan, but sometimes on my own. I always make a point of revisiting favourite potters and galleries near where family members live. After Al had had his eight-day trip to Osaka recently we agreed that I should take a holiday in England…