In The Palm of a Hand ..... BC to Japan Touring Exhibiton

From October 19 to November 13th, the Gallery of BC Ceramics plays host to a special collaborative exhibit: In the Palm of the Hand, a collection of 50 juried ceramic works from British Columbia and 38 from the city of Tajimi, Japan. One of the pieces is mine, a single bud vase which was made while I was in Denmark. It's a great exhibit concept - in 2005, as part of its 50th anniversary celebration, members of the Potters Guild of BC sent their work to Japan to be displayed next to works by Tajimi artists. The title of the exhibit was inspiried by each piece, which fits within an 8-inch wooden cube that is used for transport and display. Tajimi City, sometimes known as the ceramics capital of Japan, is situated north of Nagoya in Japan. Together with neighbouring town, Seto, the area forms one of Japan’s key centres of traditional pottery. The area has generated several styles, including Oribe, Ki-Seto and Shino, which have come to symbolize the Japanese aesthetic in ceramics. Today, ceramic sculptures line the main street of the city. Sounds like a perfect partner city for Vancouver!

Porcelain

Serene and beautiful.

Soda Wood Fired Footed Pot

Wood Soda Kiln - Denmark 2003

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This sweet wood soda kiln was constructed from a gutted gas kiln. This was a very moody, fussy giant that needed to be coaxed and persuaded to every degree. It took a painstaking 28 hours to get this kiln to temperature, a cone 11 flat which is approximately 2400 degrees Fahrenheit. The results couldn't have been more beautiful and if you have ever fired wood soda you know what I mean. Rich orange flashing, juicy blobs of suspended dolomite glaze, luscious orange peely shinos. It was worth very moment.

Pink Dahlia Topiary

The photo is as much about this extraordinary arrangement of pink dahlias and green apples as it is about the porcelain vessel holding them. This organically shaped vessel was wheel thrown in three parts and assembled while it was still pliable. It was fired to cone 6 in oxidation and is glazed with a simple dolomite matte white glaze.

^6 Soda Fired Teapot

I made this interesting teapot while at NSCAD in the summer of 2002. I love it's asymmetrical quality. This pot's unique form was made while employing the cut and paste technique. I first threw a volumous, bumpy bottomless cylinder. By treating the thin clay walls of this thrown cylinder like fabric, I was able to use a darting technique to achieve it's unique and volumous form. I especially like the feet that I added . The shadow produced below by the pot lifts it up off the surface that it sits upon. The fired surface of the pot is a stony matte texture. It was sprayed with Helmar kaolin and fired in a juicy reduction environment up to ^6. I was pleasantly surprised by the silver grey carbon trapping and soft orange flashing. This teapot pours really well.

Fast Fire Wood Kiln

This is the fast fire wood kiln that I mentioned below. It was built without mortar, so it can me moved fairly easily. It is made entirely out of soft brick. It is a cross draught kiln with a single bourry box. The fast fire aspect of it is greatly enhanced by using a forced air firing method. I used a blower from an air condition unit in the bottom mouse holes. It produces a very single directional air flow and that was reflected in the ash deposits on the pots. The forced air turned this kiln into a little dragon and in 10 hours cone 12 was down flat. I love this little kiln.

Woodfired Single Bud Vases

These single bud vases were wheel thrown in white stoneware. The top has been capped with limoges porcelain. They were fired to cone 12 in a small fast firing wood kiln that I constructed while on an artist's residency in Denmark. The unique grey markings are carbon trapping and the warm peachy tones are a desired effect of woodfiring calling blushing. They are glazed with a shino glaze on the body and a celadon on the top. The green drippy blobs are also a much sought after effect of melted wood ash.