Alan and I took ourselves off to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, for a couple of weeks in January and were very lucky to escape a week of heavy snow here in Vancouver. We enjoyed the warmth, the colour of plants, exotic wildlife, Surrealist and Folk Art and friendly Mexicans. My resolution to be drawing more often only resulted in one afternoon of sketching with watercolours and a gel-pen.
Unfortunately we picked up some bug as we returned (I’m sure the food and water where we stayed was good) and have spent a further two weeks recovering. So, when February arrived, I was looking forward to getting back into my studio. As I began to feel better a day spent making a batch of tangy chunky Seville marmalade was satisfying, and creative!
I’m so pleased to have a pottery community right here in Port Moody. The January meeting was postponed so I was pleased to be able to join TriCity Potters at their Wednesday meeting recently. Shadbolt Centre Ceramics technician Jay MacLennan talked to the group about preparing for our soda firing, which is scheduled for April. Then, more recently, some of the same group assembled at the local Legion for our monthly lunch and conversation. Next Wednesday David Lloyd, retired Kwantlen U ceramics instructor will be the juror for TriCity Potters’ entries in a show to be held in Port Moody Arts Centre in March. I’d better decide on my entries right away.
February also saw me cleaning stoneware out of my wheel, spending a day throwing some jugbird bodies and making some slab plates with my red earthenware. This was so that I had some work started for the planned ‘Raid’ that happened on Friday.
A friendly trio of artists, Mina Totino, Michelle Normoyle and Philippe Raphanel came out to Port Moody on a rainy day. Others were stricken with bugs and we hope they’re recovering. But a small group made for a comfortable low-key day of working. I slotted bills into the jugbird bodies and then turned to one of my leather-hard slab plates and contentedly layered a selection of coloured slips. As before I experimented with laying on a jagged paper cut-out before painting porcelain slip and black slip over that. After the others had gone home I pulled the paper off.. and now I must wait several weeks before I can know how much the underlying colours will show through the veil of white.
The others selected from plates I’d bisqued for them, using underglazes to apply colours and patterns. Mina is enjoying making the top and bottom of her platters completely different so that the user has a surprise when seeing the underside. I love the bold contrasting colours she uses. Michelle planned not to make her pieces tartan-like but in fact her Friday work has fun swirly tartans anyway! One has dots, but you’ll see when I get them all fired and photographed.
Philippe chose two medium round plates and they may be the start of a set for dining. As before he followed a careful plan, applying straight lines and colour all over, followed by strokes of wax resist. A much darker colour was painted over all at the end of the afternoon, and I know that the finished results will be dramatic.
Michelle took a platter home to deliver to the ailing Eric at Western Front. He will be painting that as a Gala donation soon. So now I will need to bisque Philippe’s pieces again to burn off the wax and then have a glaze firing for all the work. I do believe the Raiders will have to wait for me to complete some more of my work before I get it all done.. by the end of February.
We enjoyed our usual potluck lunch, with a home-made tasty green bean and toasted almond salad from Philippe, egg pies, baguette and gourmet cheeses from Mina, and Michelle brought delicious cakes from Batard Bakery for tea. Alan and I are very lucky!
