Five artists were here the week before last and that’s about enough people to work around my table so on Friday another three Raiders arrived for a day of painting. While I had been potting and glazing during the week I managed to prepare some more plates for this group. Luckily for me, potter Robert Shiozaki teaches at Totally Ceramics and at Port Moody Arts Centre so was kind enough to bring some more ‘Wonder White’ cone 04 clay from TC in South Surrey to me, two blocks from PMAC. Thank you Bob!

Pierre Coupey, Renée Van Halm and Marlene Madison joined me this time. Renée was keen to see how her sculptures had survived the bisque firing.. they had, so she considered whether or not to apply glaze, used my slab roller to make some more slabs to take back to her own studio and then spent the day meticulously painting a new large platter. 

Meanwhile I emptied my glaze kiln. It contained a variety of pieces I’d made since Christmas and the plates from the previous Raid (next two blogs).

Pierre hadn’t been here since his first Raid half a year ago, having been through horrid knee surgery in the interim. He was happy to be out and about again, chatting with other artists and sharing lunch. We all agreed that ours is mostly a solitary lifestyle and that we really enjoy the occasional day of working together. I look forward to seeing his two plates after the firings.

Marlene painted a large platter for her sister, and has left another to be completed another day.

These four plates will now have to wait until I finish making and slip-painting my own jugbirds.. soon I hope.

Excellent news discovered online last night is that my blogging has moved up into the ‘top pottery blog’ list for 2017 from Pottery Making Info. I am tied at #10 with three others. Other Canadian potters are Carol Epp, #1 again with ‘Musing About Mud’ and Tony Clennell at #4. Check the others at this link:

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