In a comment on yesterday's blog Lynda asks me to explain why I might like to re-fire a couple of pieces in an upcoming soda firing. Most of the time the heat, flame and soda combine to give interesting, pleasing surfaces all around the pots when the kiln has reached its top temperatures.. in our case cones 10 to 12. Flashing slips can produce orange…
By 8am on the Tuesday, just over a week ago, we five were taking out the inner brick door of the kiln. Nancy and Gordon joined us to watch and later Jan and Ron, the local wood-firing potters, came to see our results too. We were pleased with the orange peel and colours overall but I expect we reserved real study until after we each…
Opening my studio to the public one day a year is a marvellous incentive to get the space clean and tidy. Tomorrow is the day of the Port Moody ArtWalk. Like last year it coincides with Summer Equinox. I have publicized the event on facebook and instagram and have sent invitations out to a list of friends. So if you've heard about this many times..…
One morning, a week before Christmas, found Dave Dobie, Ted Driediger and me, and later Jake Stelpstra, loading the salt kiln out at Herman Venema's country studio near Abbotsford. As Herman had no pots ready for this firing I invited Eliza Wang to participate. She had some pots that could use a little more melting in a salty environment and three of her potpourri pots which…
It's been a month since I last wrote a blog. The day after TriCity Potters' November meeting Alan and I left for Cuba. We joined a ten-day Art Tour sponsored by UBC's Museum of Anthropology which took us to Havana, and rural towns to get a feel for the country and to see museums, the Art School and to meet artists who mainly work in the Afro-Cuban tradition.…