Moving

Only become a potter if you own your own place or if you have very good friends who are willing to help you move the kiln, figure out electricity, move lines, hook it back up and understand what they are doing.

I had no clue, and although I learned a lot, I still have no clue.
Peter Winkelmann made it work, and my kiln (without the top ring, as it was drawing too much electricity) is sitting under the carport, waiting to be filled. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Transfer Images onto clay

I know I am obsessed about this whole thing, but I cannot help it. Paul Scott is teaching a two-day interactive workshop on “Ceramics and Print” in the ceramics studio at the Emily Carr Institute on Granville Island, and i have got to take it.

I am signing up. Too bad it is in the middle of summer, and we don't have money to go and the ferries are crazy and we need to water the garden. Who cares? Let's go.

Winter 2006-2007

The winter started crazy. The 8 week pottery class went well. They were really into it and they inspired me with their enthusiasm. I would go home and throw some pots myself.
I also did 2 children’s classes (I know, I surprised myself!). Hand building at someone’s house with 4 children in a class. They made beautiful pieces as Christmas gifts and I would definitely do that again. The Speedball under glazes I bought for this reason worked very well. They were easy to paint with on greenware, not powdery at all. More like acrylics. The colors turned out well, even when it went up to cone 6. (That’s the clear glaze I fire with) The only color that was disappointing was the Royal Blue. It turned out very dark, almost close to black. They made waxine light holders, bowls, soap dishes, masks, candleholders, art for the wall, tea sets, mugs and much more. They even made a little rowboat with a person in it, just amazing. The biggest challenge was to wrap it up and transport it to my house, glaze and fire it without breaking it. It was such tiny work. When they picked it up, they were so happy, it really made my day.

My sales at the Christmas Bazaar and at the Christmas Market went really well. So much support from such a small community! I had my pots in the Campbell River Art Gallery and many people commented on that, so that was good promotion for my work! Now we are trying to get ready for our holiday to Tasmania. I am hoping to visit many potters there!

Tasmanian potters

Whatever you do: don’t travel to Tasmania to visit potters. (We went to visit/research gardens and found plenty, but I was hoping to find some potters along the way)

Rynne Tanton and Bernadine Alting run Underwood Pottery. They were extremely kind, and showed us around their (huge) workspace/gallery. It was so nice to meet potters that are making their living with pottery, and loving it. He is definitely a production potter, and is good at it. His crystal pots are beautiful! She took the time to show us around the next day in the studio at TAFE where she runs the ceramic department.

Meeting them was one of my favorite moments of our trip.

Fall on Cortes

I feel the same way again as I did after Jonna died. I have no desire to do anything and if it wasn’t for my walking group in the morning I doubt I would even get up. Fall is here and we miss Doreen. She would be back from her road trip by now and the realization that she is not coming back is slowly getting settled in our minds. We had a thanksgiving dinner with her family and although it was a nice evening, Doreen wasn’t there. The leaves are falling, and even though the colors are spectacular, it makes me even sadder.

I am getting myself into al sorts of commitments just to keep so busy. I can hardly keep up. I am teaching an eight-week pottery class with MC, which is fun. Just to see the excitement of the 4 student is great. I hope we can teach them enough so they can continue throwing and finishing pots on their own if they want to. I am doing a 2 week hand building class for seniors and am starting 2 classes for kids that are home schooling. Computer stuff is piling up.

My display at the local Credit Union looks great and I am getting lots of comments from people, which is very nice. I am trying to make pieces for Christmas so I can go to the Friday market to sell my pots to the locals. I applied to the Campbell River Art Gallery to display my pots in their gallery – they have a separate display starting November.

I am not sure if I am at the Whaletown Christmas Bazaar this year. They are changing the rules and are looking for people and their art/crafts that are not already displayed elsewhere. Just when you think you got things covered… I love the Bazaar. I love the food, the people, the trading that happens and the setup the night before. I think I like it so much because we are Whaletowners and it was first Christmas Bazaar I ever did.

Things are changing and although I know change is good, it is going too fast for me.

Crazy summer

What a crazy summer. First I decided to take a 2 week workshop in the middle of the busy season. It was fun, interesting and some of the other students were great and I learned lots & laughed lots. We talked a lot as well because there was some interesting behavior going on with 2 of the students. They did leave which made the last week a breeze. Judy let me camp on her land, which was so nice and it is such a beautiful setting. We walked a loop for about an hour every night, shared dinners and sometimes went downtown to listen to music and walk along the water.

We came home on Monday and on Tuesday we heard that a good friend had been in a collision and did not survive. We were in such a shock that we didn’t do much in the next week or so. I was suppose to get ready for a show, but did not get anything accomplished. Even soup bowls did not turn out very well and I gave up for a while. I managed to get some pieces together before the opening, but nothing beautiful or creative. Normally I love sitting behind the wheel. My mind goes all over the place in the beginning and slowly settles down. Now it just keeps going and I keep thinking about her.

Today is September 1st and I am happy the fall is coming. It will be a change in the weather & in our daily routines. Our nights will be less hectic because of the lack of daylight. Steph is sad because of it and wishes the long nights would stick around for a while longer so she can garden after work. Because it is so busy, some things are impossible to maintain during the summer. But the tourists are leaving and Cortes is slowing down again.

I will be walking in the morning again, with a small group of people. And back to my computer. But also to movie nights, books and nice dinner parties. And I will start throwing again. For xmas, for fun and for gifts. I love the fall.

Summer

All winter long I though I was going to have time to throw in the spring. All spring long I was thinking I would have all the time in the world in the summer. Well, I am picking cherries, harvesting garlic, finishing a brochure and starting a new website. When we come home I am too tired to cook, so we eat salmon on crackers and drink a glass of white wine, which makes me even more tired. I take a bath, go to bed and pass out. The best thing to when life takes over (and it does here on Cortes in the summer) is to leave. Which is what I am doing.

I am taking a course on Salt Spring Island with a woman called Judy Weeden. She is well known in the ceramic world. Her pieces are hand build or thrown and altered and have all been decorated in a very beautiful way. I saw her work years ago while I was visiting a friend on Salt Spring and I came across a gallery that carried her pieces. I loved all the pieces I saw, but especially a little teapot with a square lid that fit perfectly. The design was a carved pattern and it was just gorgeous. Of course I did not buy it because I was very broke and don’t drink tea. And a beautiful piece like that needs a nice home with wooden floors and lots of space. Not a home with hanging garlic, drying squash and a computer desk in the living room.

I forgot her name right away, but the image of the teapot has never left me. When we were buying pottery supplies in Parksville last month, Steph saw a poster with her name. Isn’t that the woman with the teapot that you love so much? She asked. And it was. Of course I am taking the course. Even though it is the worst time in the year to leave, it doesn’t matter. Tomatoes will wait, lettuce will go to seed and work will have to pile up, even though I cannot afford to take 2 weeks off on in our high season, I have to take this course.

I am going to be with clay for 2 solid weeks, with a potter that I admire, camping on Salt Spring Island. I love summers like this.