Basketry workshop results

This spring the potters in Val David asked basketry artist Nathalie Levasseur to give us a workshop in incorporating basketry elements to our pots. She graciously accepted and put together some projects to give us some skills in what to her is second nature. Let's just say the learning curve was a steep one! We struggled, cursed and then started to get the hang of it. I was very happy with the results. Then I tried it on my own, not fun. I realize that this is not the way I work, so I adapted, using wire and found bits to create something else. These are now on exhibit at 1001POTS in Val David and at Galerie ESPACE KAO, also in Val David.

I will be giving , along with Russell Ford, a workshop near Portland, Oregon, for the west coasters. We will be exploring glazes made from local ingredients ie river mud, volcanic ash, etc. and a variety of firing techniques, pit, raku, gas. It should be lots of fun, end of June, contact me on my email

studio open house, students' work exhibition

Sunday, April 29 we will be opening the studio for visits to see the new renovations and to check out the recent students work. We finished a series of classes this week with 2 firings, one at high fire and one barrel fire. Everyone did great work and was happy with the outcome. Gita and Lana have been doing really interesting work this winter and have lots of pots to show. As well, Gita will have her terrific, organic skin products for sale and  Leslie will be doing Tarot card readings. We look forward to seeing you 11-4.

renovated studio

Well, renovations are over, at least for the moment. It seems I am always looking at what we need to fix or tweak or add on. But for the time being, and I hope for quite a while things will stay as is. I am very happy with the increased space. We have room to move around easier and there is space for 2 more students. The kiln sheds are the same, work space is enlarged, Liam worked miracles by finding tricks to use every nook and cranny. We can now work without being on top of each other. Thank you to Liam, my patient family and everyone in the studio who put up with the disruption.

spring renovations

Well the season has abruptly changed from the interior quiet of winter to an explosively warm week to coincide with breaking down of an interior wall to expand the studio. Fortunately the weather was warm enough to leave windows and doors open while Liam , the genius builder, rearranged spaces, made doorways become walls, and walls disappear. The studio has doubled work space and we will lost the cramped feeling. The chaos of renovations is disruptive but exciting too. The next post will show the results.

ice curtain

Today, we snowshoed up the mountain to a rock formation called "le Bleue". Along the top of the cliff runs a trickle of water that slowly drips off the edge. In the winter this freezes and forms an ice curtain. You can even go behind the curtain into a cave of rock and ice. The ice varies in colour from blue to creamy yellow. The rock face is granite and I imagine the pale blue is from minerals migrating to the water, glaze made from granite dust makes this colour apparently, I've not been able to get the dust fine enough. The yellow is from iron in the earth on the rock. The ice is luminous, at least 6" thick. I will try to make a glaze like this, maybe nepheline syenite with ash. I get the creamy yellow with black slip covered with thick ash. The sun is strong and the ice is melting drip, drip drip, icicles down to the ground [snow].

winter

It is March and still snowing. We spend lots of time in the forest, walking, snowshoeing, and skiing. The landscapes are intimate, austere, I find them revealing of the bones of the forest. One aspect of perpetual interest is tree bark, each tree is different, each tree's experience is individual and the bark reflects this life. I striate my pots surfaces in much the same fashion. Here are some barks that caught my eye today.