For the last few weeks I’ve been focussing on the goal of getting a small flock of jugbirds ready for Crafthouse YVR and preparing for Port Moody’s ‘Shuffle’. Last Wednesday I opened the kiln and was pleased to find that my thirteen jugbirds had fired well, so ten were put aside and tomorrow I’ll pop out to Vancouver Airport with them. Crafthouse YVR have been very patient. I’ll post good photos of those shortly. There were also some slightly silly spoon experiments in that firing, some of which I took to TriCity Potters’ monthly meeting that evening, in response to a challenge to members. Our submissions will be displayed in Coquitlam Library, Poirier branch, in September.
On Thursday Al took his usual good photos of the pieces, plus better ones of the Pope’s Hat plate ‘For Sonia and Piet’ (that’s Delaunay and Mondrian for anyone wondering what inspired me to work in a mid-Century Abstract Modern mode). I made a big effort to make the studio tidy and clean and began to arrange my work on the big work table. Art Walks are the best way to show my work. My days of carrying boxes of pots, shelves and lighting to a Craft venue are over. All I had to do was cover my tables with cloths, arrange an elevated section in the middle, try to show my latest work in a pleasing way and put out signs. I also used the opportunity to set out some older or experimental or demo pieces and offer ‘bargoons’.
The extreme heat and humidity earlier in the week eased off so that the Friday evening of the inaugural ‘Solstice Shuffle’ was just right. We had made an effort over the last while to have the garden looking its best so the interested, cheerful shufflers could stroll around outside as well as see my comfortable studio. I didn’t offer to demonstrate, and that’s just as well. Alan and I may not have had as many visitors as the venues on ‘gallery row’ and the Arts Centre had (both two or three hilly blocks from here), but from 5.15pm on there were folks checking out #1 on the map almost continually until 9pm. It is so convenient to have my materials and photos and earlier examples of what I do all around, so that I could explain some of the journey I have taken in clay.
Some pit-fired pieces from long ago generated conversation.. how? what clay? glaze? burnishing? and some demo tiles from tile-painting workshops have gone to new homes.
I showed the YVR-bound jugbirds and there was some disappointment that they weren’t for sale that night, but the available ones have gone to new homes in Greater Vancouver.
A nice surprise was the arrival of Vancouverites, two having driven and three jolly ‘Raiders’ who trundled out on Skytrain and had walked up the hill. I think they planned to visit other stops on the Shuffle and then reward themselves with Rocky Point ice cream before taking Skytrain back home. I was pleased to send them off with carry bags of pottery! And I’m happy to know that when the Raiders return for a much-postponed ‘Raid’ on Thursday, one will be taking home my big new Pope’s Hat plate!
The new evening time for an Art Walk, and the choice of the first day of Summer was lovely. Two whole days for ArtWalks in the past often felt a little too long. The busy-ness of the one evening event may be due to the limited number of venues this time – the idea was to keep it a reasonable walk and to celebrate old Port Moody. I see that the poster invites more artists to join us for a similar event next year so I wonder if we should think of opening our studios for some time on Saturday too.. 11am to 5pm?.. and increase area of the Walk, but not for three days. I can just lock my basement door and re-open it the next day but the option of a second day is much more of a challenge for those artists who set up tables and tents on the lawn by the Arts Centre. I can see discussions ahead.
But meanwhile I must thank the Arts Centre, and gallery manager Janice Cotter in particular for organizing of this successful first ‘Shuffle’, and thanks to Rose Kapp who volunteered her graphic skills for the design of the brochure, map and posters. As usual with these sorts of events one would wish to have had a chance to visit all the other venues and see what art activities and products were offered. I could only ask my visitors if they were enjoying their ‘shuffle’ and by all accounts, they were. I did.
