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Greetings Cyber Travelers and
Pottery Lovers Everywhere, March
18 2012,
GOOD
NEWS = I'm back in the studio with
new awareness and ideas. Plates and
mugs last week.
This
year I have decided NOT to sign up
for OKPA and other Shows that I have
been in for many years in the past.
I apologize for any inconvenience
for my customers however my Gallery
will still be open and I expect to
have more Stores - watch for news on
this site.
Pictures
in the Photo Gallery
show examples of my work. Aurora
changes in
different light and in different
areas of the same pot!
For
years I have been wondering how to
appease the kiln Gods to produce the
red and blue glaze of my
imagination - now called "Aurora". I still don't know
why but am very happy
that the "Roman Goddess of the Dawn"
is gracing my pots in new and
fascinating ways. still
Older
news....
I
finally took a few more pictures for
the Photo Gallery. I've
chosen a few representations of the
new decoration I am placing in the
middle of some bowls. When it
pleases the kiln Gods new patterns
emerge from the bumps in the clay.
I'm also experimenting with the
lighting to try and capture the
nuances that Aurora and the other
glazes show in different light
settings. I may have to break down
and make a light box.
More
news is that I have been in contact
with my Pottery mentor Glyn
Nicholas. This is truly a
blast from the past and very
fascinating to take up a
relationship after a 40 year break.
No surprise we still enjoy each
others unique perspective. The
picture of the mortar and pestle
(plus some local clay) is a fine
example of the sort of equipment I
bought from Glyn in 1970.
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.
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 the best shape
and size? Of course we are all
different so I make many different
perfect one bowls. Picture below
shows top view .. note
spouts/handles on lip. Foot ring
(not seen) is a handle too so this
pot has a multitude of uses and
could make the perfect "one" gift.
More
regular info. below.
NAME THAT "GREEN" GLAZE CONTEST :
winner's 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.
"Name That Glaze Contest
winner's suggestion
Aurora
after the Roman Goddess of the Dawn
Aurora
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
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:
-
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 closed for
the season
L'Oiginals Gallery 180
Lakeshore Drive Salmon Arm
Essentials and Beyond
367 Victoria St. Kamloops
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.
Campfire Pottery Version 2010 is
an edited version of the original
1991 Version and is free for you to
enjoy.
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