How can we be so far into January? I had planned to get a kiln load of earthenware pieces, including some more plates for Raiders made by now. At this point I have some jugbirds and yunomis waiting to be painted and I've thrown and assembled two special Rhytons. The latter just need to dry now and the plan is for Eric to paint them…
Members of the BC Potters' Guild have been invited to submit work for a September show which will illustrate parts of the artist's process. Potters need to know so much about the huge variety of ways of working with clay. Starting with hand-building or wheel-throwing, the potter then needs to understand ways of finishing their work, whether with the use of slips, underglazes and glazes, or…
My usual Woodpecker jugbirds are the right colours but I decided that I'd like to try to replicate the long neck and broad shoulders of the real bird. So I recently threw parts for said project, including two tubes to be his feet - just to see how that would work out. The photo shows the pieces, plus bodies for two…
Last October I received an interesting request. Would I consider making a Toucan Jugbird? A concert pianist from Texas, Anton Nel, had had an encounter with a toucan while attending a music festival in Colombia. He will be staying with his Vancouver friend this week jurying a piano competition and it was hoped that I'd make one for a surprise presentation. I was distracted from…
It's so good to be able to take a walk at the end of Burrard Inlet. Alan and I watched the last of the salmon drifting in Noon's Creek, having completed their epic journey. The creek was roaring down from the mountain after serious rain the day before. I thought I'd just get another kiln load made and fired before Christmas. There are 18 new…