Back in early December I made 75+ tiles for a fireplace surround in a Courtney house. It was a tricky arithmetical challenge because I wanted to choose a tile size that would not require any to be cut to fit in the space, but clay shrinks. In the end I cut out two different sizes and they were all 10 percent bigger than what I want them to be when fired. I painted them all with my Marigold yellow slip and left them to dry.

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.