Greetings Cyber Travelers and Pottery Lovers Everywhere, January 21 2010

Happy New Year. Never too late for a good thought.

I'm looking forward to another year of making pots and ??? This year I plan on getting more pots made this spring so I can be freer this summer.

I am going to be more diligent with my website updates. There are things I'd like to change and I'm not sure whether to start again or just make some changes - like a new demonstration video and an updated Campfire Pottery article for instance. I've added a sitelock security feature. I don't know if it is necessary but I don't want to risk harming people. In much the same way I take care to design pots and glazes for safe practical use.

Please note Loriginals Gallery in downtown Salmon Arm (see stores below) is another place to find selected pieces of my work. I'll be posting show dates too (see below).

Thanks again to all you faithful customers. Your enthusiasm (and repeat business) inspires me to keep creating and refining. Pots sticking to shelves keep me humble.

Aurora still lures with her enchanting and elusive gleam. I'll take some pictures to show you what I mean before the weekend.

Back to the studio........

OLD News?

Hallelujah .. I've finally discovered how to entice Aurora onto my pots. I hope to have time to take some pictures of this next week's kiln load. Watch for an update. In the meantime the Photo Gallery has some good representation of what may be available in the Gallery or at shows (see schedule below). The small bowls shown are my recent explorations into "the perfect one" bowl. If you only had one piece of pottery - what would it be?

More regular info. below.

NAME THAT "GREEN" GLAZE CONTEST 2008:  winner announced.

Congratulations to Kirsten Mazur of Enderby - seen above receiving her prize from yours truly. Her brilliant suggestion "Verdi" is the new name for my Green Glaze. Honourable mention goes to the suggestion "Joe" (you might have to ponder that one). "Gang" made me laugh but might not help sell my pots. Thank you to everyone who played the game of finding a name for the Green Glaze by entering the contest.

Verdi- why didn't I think of that? I have great faith in my customer's creativity.

See last year's Red Glaze contest winner's submission below.

Aurora is the Roman Goddess of the Dawn and the name for a special glaze effect in my high iron glaze?

News Flash ........."Name That Glaze Contest Winner announced"

Congratulations to B. Keylor of Edmonton for her winning entry in "The Name That Glaze Contest". Thanks to everyone who played along even if you didn't send in an entry.

The winning suggestion is Aurora which captures the essence of this glaze perfectly. This glaze is as mysterious as her Goddess namesake and captures the glory of the dawn in the starry night sky and/or the Northern Lights. Following is  an abbreviated copy of the Wikipedia  embellishment from the winning entry .

Aurora (astronomy)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Aurora borealis

Aurora borealis

The aurora  is a bright glow observed in the night sky, usually in the polar zone. In northern latitudes, it is known as the aurora borealis  after the Roman Goddess of the Dawn, Aurora and the Greek name for north wind, Boreas. and is also called the Northern Lights. Aurora australis, has similar properties. Australis is the Latin word for "of the South".

Above are bowls that Aurora visited recently. See Photo Gallery for more pictures. Picture on the right is taken with photo quality light and background.

By the way do you think Bowlealis is too corny?

General Information Below:

I'm mostly in the studio now making more pottery for the Shows and Stores (see details below) and my Gallery for those of you who can come to the Studio. My Pottery is a down to earth solid representation of my thoughts and practices. I look for beautiful expression in my singing too. I feel great joy and wonder in working with air and sound (singing) and earth, water and fire (pottery).  The latest kiln offerings are inspired by Mozart since I will be singing his Requiem with the Monashee Chamber Choir and being the tenor soloist next March 8 th. & 9 th. in Salmon Arm - more details later. Dreams do come true. See Photo Gallery  for pictures of some "Bel Canto" dishes. Also see new newspaper article on the "about us" page. Yes that is a real violin bow.

For those of you faithful viewers of this website and newcomers I will be adding  more pictures of my pots at different stages in the production process.

The process is linear but photographs get taken when the light is right, the subject matter is interesting, the background isn't too cluttered and I think of it. Still I think you will be able to join the dots in the end and get a picture of how pottery is being created here at Heaven In Earth. Any feedback?

The sauna is completed which now gives me 45 square feet of tiles to design and build.  Keep watching for photos of the project. The gas kiln will be tested again soon.

• News?News?News?

• For your information below is the information from a link to a recall page for Corelle Ware because of the lead content in their dishes. The link has subsequently been removed.

• It stated "World Kitchen, LLC is committed to making this recall program as unobtrusive as possible. " No wonder if you may not have heard of it. I am wondering what is being normally fired with so much lead as to cause the problem anyways? One may also wonder about other commercially made offshore pottery. Tested or not?

• Most of us cannot afford to have our pottery tested by a laboratory. A simple home test for acid resistance is to put a slice of lemon on a pot overnight (put on underside where it won't show if it discolours).

• I also suggest talking with your pottery supplier (Potter the best) and ask questions about his/her use of potentially toxic fluxes and/or heavy metal colourants.

• My pottery contains absolutely no lead or barium. I also avoid glaze colourants such as copper, nickel, chrome and manganese. Bright colours from cadmium and selenium may be attractive but I won't use them either. At the moment I am using only iron and cobalt. I use my pottery myself and I don't want to risk harming my family and friends.

More General Information Below:

I'm usually home so you can visit the Heaven In Earth Pottery  at Gardom lake  (15 minutes south of Salmon Arm) and browse in the fresh air Gallery. See Contact Us for map.

Stores to find my pottery.......

De Milles Farm Market  Pottery and Gifts Shop is now open and in new premises. Check out the imaginative display of my pottery while you browse for great local produce at this convenient Trans Canada Highway location (West Salmon Arm).

Kelowna customers can visit Paynters Gallery in Westbank. Gillian has a new selection  for your gift buying or collecting. There you can purchase other great local pottery (including mine). See location details below.

Kamloops Art Gallery - 101 - 465 Victoria Street  has a unique selection for your pottery needs.

Also check below for show/market schedule updates.

Keep checking to see what is being made. I usually post pictures to keep customers informed. This way when you see something you may want you can call. The Gas kiln still needs more testing - which will have to wait for when I am not busy in production mode.

Below is a picture of the Gallery in June - yes I finally changed the picture but the Gallery can change daily depending on who visits and what new pots are made. I am open most days but it is best to call ahead to avoid disappointment.

Come dressed for the outdoors but know the Studio next door is always warm inside and welcoming of cold cash.

Hope to see you soon.

Stephen

Notes on Celtic Knot decoration:

To me they are meditations which reflect and guide my thoughts. Beginning and end are unknown.

I have been exploring this original technique  for the last 5 years and compare it to playing a musical instrument. Practice allows for refinement and can reflect my mood (or the music playing in my studio) - or head). Like my pottery each pattern is a one of a kind in some way and sometimes everything comes together all the way through the whole process (drying, firing, glazing) in new and beautiful (to me) ways. This keeps me going - discovery/creation. This reminds me of singing too .... can you tell the pieces inspired by an opera score?

Here are some Glaze notes:

The blue was known as Big Blue which had an allusion to the quantity of Blue which finally arrived after much testing and adjustments, finger crossing and prayer rather than the colour which is impossible to describe. I'm running low. Oh Oh.

The photographs look nothing like the pots anyways but that's digital technology for you.

Verdi Green isn't green either it just looks that way because of the blue with yellow crystals. You think the camera is confused?

The Green's DNA  is a more predictable in a way than the Blues but not without it's magic as the combinations of thickness of glaze and clay, kiln location, and angles the decoration provides variables which provoke new and subtle crystal colouring in the hot glass and clay making some nice looking pots.

Really,  thanks for your patience.

Stephen

Feedback, Ideas or Suggestions welcome Please

More regular information about this site;

The Gallery is open most days but call ahead  (250) 838-6800 to avoid disappointments.

Video clips below showing how I make my Celtic Knot decorations on a bowl. Each clip is basically the same but in different sizes for those with  a 56k modem.

About Us has some  Newspaper articles and pictures and  some favourite poems.

 "Campfire Pottery" was written for Scouts  (and others) by The Revelstoke Pottery Plant. The Clay Kit Directions are a refinement of this early article.