This past week has been marvellously busy! But now, as I enjoy my five o’clock cuppa after the glaze kiln has turned itself off, I reflect once more that deadlines are great for getting work done! Here’s a little rundown of the week:

Last Thursday I was pleased to have painted the last five jugbirds in the current group. That’s about as many as I can finish in one day, and it included a new kingfisher and a loon. I was happy that we’d planned to have supper out with friends, in our local ‘The Burrard”.

Friday was spent drying the last pieces in my convection oven (on low, with the door open), applying terra sigillata on some of the work and loading the bisque kiln. It was a dreadfully stormy night so we skipped the planned trip to Vancouver to take in the ‘East Side Culture Crawl’.

On Saturday we surprised ourselves by thoroughly enjoying our season tickets to the matinee at the Stanley, ‘Mary Poppins’! We were one of the few couples not treating grandchildren. That’s something we have to look forward to! On the way we stopped in at the Western Front and collected two painted plates from Eric Metcalfe, and after supper at ‘Barney’s’ we came home, I put the plates in the kiln and turned on the bisque firing. There was a very loud ‘pop!’. No, it wasn’t a pot blowing up but I guessed that one of the switches had fizzled. The temperature in the kiln was rising as usual so I left it to fire overnight, figuring that a bisque firing was OK with 4 instead of 5 elements working. But I emailed our local kiln saint Clive Tucker.

Sunday saw Al zipping in to Vancouver to try to take in some of the ‘Crawl’ with son Mike and friend Eldon. Sadly I didn’t get to it this year. Nor did I get to the opening of Keith Rice-Jones’ big show at Evergreen Cultural Centre that afternoon and I’m sorry. I’ll make sure to check it out one day very soon. Instead I prepared a nice meal of pine-nut-crusted halibut for dinner for an overnight visitor, an old family friend from Victoria. It was a lovely surprise that he brought with him a gift that he felt should find a home in Port Moody. We now own a fine 1882 gently coloured etching called  ‘PORT MOODY. Vessel containing first shipment of Canada Pacific R.R. Iron.’ It depicts a clipper in our inlet, with clearly local Eagle Mountain and further away, Mount Seymour. Thank you so much, David.

As David left on Monday morning Clive arrived and in no time had replaced a burnt-out wire and some other elderly ones and my kiln was ready to go again. I spent a long day getting everything glazed and repacked in said kiln.

Now today I have had one of those nice turnaround days. I’ve made some white earthenware slab plates for another ‘painting raid’ scheduled for next Monday, cleaned out my wheel ready to start using grey stoneware next and damp-mopped the floor. Maybe the latter is because tomorrow we have another clay artist coming to stay overnight! Susan Delatour Lepoidevin will be the presenter for tomorrow night’s monthly meeting. She and Rod are driving 3 1/2 hours from their home in Princeton so we hope the road conditions remain Wintry but clear.

http://www.susandelatour.com/artist/Welcome_1.html

I got to know Susan when I was a guest artist at Fired-Up in Metchosin some years ago (in fact I believe she was the member who suggested me!). Her hand-built houses and vessels are delightful and entirely unique. I like her way of working which seems to involve a one-day process of making a piece and then applying all colour, including some glaze. Then it is once-fired. We’ll find out about the firing. I spotted some photos of her and enthusiastic workshop attendees on Saltspring Island earlier this year and thought that our TriCity Potters would really enjoy a workshop with Susan too. Tomorrow she will show us her process and influences and I’m hoping we can find a suitable and affordable space to host a weekend workshop with Susan in April or May 2014.

Whether or not you work with clay do know that you are welcome to join our group at Port Moody Senior Secondary School to hear Susan talk, and see her work. Meetings start at 7pm, in Room 214. We’ll also be briefly discussing our own ‘First Annual Christmas Pottery Sale’ which starts on Friday. Next blog about that!