At 9am this morning I checked in to ‘canadianceramics’ on Instagram to see what Jonathon Bancroft-Snell was up to. He’d mentioned that there was to be another box opening today.

Dressed all, and I mean totally, in red for Valentine’s, he unwrapped the dozen teeny red, black and white plates that he’d ordered from me a while ago. As we watched, local London baker Lisa delivered a box of delicious-looking macarons and Jonathon proceeded to explain his brilliant marketing strategy. Everybody who ordered one of my plates would also receive four elegantly-wrapped macarons and if they lived locally, ie in London, said Valentine’s gifts would be hand-delivered on Sunday.

I can’t share the Instagram video.. it is really fun! but if you go to ‘canadianceramics’ on Instagram you’ll be able to watch the 12+ minute video. Here are three screen shots, taken as the reveal was ending. You’ll see J’s red attire, and notice that the plates are numbered for ordering and that I had sent four red cardinal jugbirds to complete the red theme. Jonathon phoned me later in the day to let me know that at least six were already spoken for… two will stay in London, two are headed to Toronto and two are flying to Calgary.

For the record, here are better photos of the set of twelve. Now that they are safely in Ontario I can show them properly here.

I am being kept busy, but actually in these times of isolation and anxiety this isn’t a bad thing. Winter has arrived all across Canada, we even have below freezing temperatures and some snow here in the Lower Mainland. Alan lights a fire when there’s something worth watching on TV, we had our groceries delivered for the first time yesterday, he has another article to research and write while I’m in my studio, busy, fulfilled and ignoring worrying news.

As a few snow flakes were falling I trundled down to my kiln shed a few times this afternoon to unpack yesterday’s bisque firing. These are the pieces I have made for next week’s soda firing so now I shall glaze the interiors and glue wadding to their undersides. I have more than my allotted two cubic feet of ware so some will wait until the TriCity Potters’ group soda firing in April.

This is a link to my page in the Jonathon Bancroft-Snell Gallery website.

https://www.jonathons.ca/artists/2-jbs/282-gillian-mcmillian.html

One final note: On Monday February 1st I was the invited speaker for Hill Potters of Richmond Hill, Ontario. During their monthly Zoom meeting I figured out how to show them my Power Point Presentation  ‘Gillian’s Jugbirds’. It was a really nice evening ‘visit’ with more potters. I think they enjoyed the ramble through decades of my pottery and I hope that one day I’ll be able to meet them in person. Thank you so much for the invitation Hill Potters. Here is their website:

http://www.hillpotters.ca