I just took a couple of photos of the plates in situ and Mike took a silly one of me. Perhaps tomorrow I’ll hear who decided to give the six a home.

After that reception I hurried on down to Granville Island to join my fellow clay enthusiasts for the latest addition to the NorthWest Ceramic Foundation’s series of lectures. It was held in the Emily Carr campus and the guest was one of my ECU Ceramics instructors, long-time local potter and sculptor and many-year president of the BC Potters Guild, Tam Irving. He gave a carefully chosen selection of slides, explaining his long career in pottery and his influences. His audience were happy to be reminded of his journey and see familiar and also surprising pieces of his work. Thank you Tam for your cheerful presentation and impressive energy, and thanks too, to your wife Rosalind for her gentle guidance behind the projector.

Afterwards TriCity potter Linda Lebrun and I joined fellow potters Suzy Birstein and Dona Nabata for a happy drink at the Granville Island hotel before we went our separate ways. We agreed that it was good to have taken the time to get to know each other better.

And for those who may have been following the saga of the tile-painting in my studio over the last little while, I received a photo this morning from Lesley Norris. The Metcalfe tiles have now been installed around the fireplace in her 100-year-old house in Courtney and they look splendid! After the grouting and perhaps when summer is here we hope to be able to see them in their new home. I’m delighted that Lesley and, I think, Jane were able to apply them to the designated wall without having to cut any of them. I gather there has been some adjustment to the mantelpiece and perhaps the side-retaining wooden strips. The truth can be admitted now, shrinkage was less than I’d calculated for this clay!

Quite some time ago Eric and Karen were staying with their friend Lesley Norris in Courtney. Lesley is a print-maker and had been commissioned to make a silk-screen print of ‘Volute Krater’ in 2000 and it was part of the Attic Project show. The friends came up with the idea of having Eric create a design to enhance the house renovations currently underway. Lesley had seen the tiles I made for Eric to paint for his own Western Front kitchen and a large mural we’d made for a West Vancouver house. The plot was for me to make the tiles and Lesley would bring Eric and friends and lunch for a couple of days to draw in and paint the design.

So last Thursday Eric, Lesley and her friend Jane Wolsak were here for the day. Lesley had already drawn Eric’s design on transparent paper so there followed a careful discussion of exactly where and how it would be transferred to the bone-dry tiles.

By the end of the afternoon the design had been drawn on the tiles and the three had applied one coat of red, blue and black underglaze to them all. Plus we had a fine tourtiere which Lesley had baked for lunch.

Next day Eric left the painting to Lesley and her helpers. Karen Henry and Jane joined her and they very efficiently and carefully applied second and third coats to the whole collection of tiles.

While they worked I made some more plates for the next ‘Raiders” visit next week, and threw a couple of recently ordered non-bird jugs.

With another fine lunch, this time a home-made soup and a salad, it was a busy but fun day.

While Karen and Lesley finished their day by painting a tile each with their own designs, just for fun, Jane helped me to carry all the tiles down to my kiln shed. The first bisque firing was started that evening. Another will be needed and then two glaze firings after that. So far the colours are looking bold and bright so I hope the finished result will be successful.