The
13 local artisans who will be showcasing their latest clay works on
May 18th and 19th practise one of the oldest
decorative art forms on the planet. It has long been theorized that
pottery began with the advent of agriculture around 10,000 years ago.
But in 2012, archaeologists discovered fragments in a cave in south
China that are confirmed to have originated another 10,000 years
earlier than that! Denman's 32nd annual Pottery Studio
Tour promises a diversity of styles and techniques representative of
ever evolving local creativity, with incredibly deep roots.
Shirley
Phillips is one of several island potters who enjoy the age-old
methods of building vessel forms by hand with coils of clay, and
smoke firing or wood firing them when perfectly dry. Much as her
ancient predecessors created patterns by pressing various materials
into the clay surface while still damp, Phillips excels at utilizing
a wide variety of natural and found objects to make her own unique
markings. Some pieces are
constructed with slabs of clay, rolled and
then layered like a patchwork quilt. Others are pinched, stretched,
folded and enhanced with fascinating textures. One technique involves
applying thick clay slip with a brush to the surface of her vases and
small bowls or cups to produce a tactile ripple effect. Lilac Sun
Pottery visitors will also find affordable gift ideas like tiny
plates glazed in vibrant colours that have been fired in a modern
electric kiln. A number of pieces currently in the works are destined
for the 'anagama', also known as a 'climbing hill dragon kiln', on
Gordon Hutchens' land. Swirling smoke and wood ash will circulate
through its chambers producing dramatic results on the pottery
carefully stacked inside, even without the addition of decorative
glazes.
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| LILAC SUN POTTERY |
The
'anagama' was introduced to Japan from Korea in the 5th
century. For over 20 years now Hutchens has orchestrated communal
wood-firings in his own resident 'dragon', custom-designed by master
potter and kiln builder Yukio Yamamoto. The process is a week-long
affair requiring several cords of wood and round-the-clock 'feedings'
for days! Hutchens' own work is a marvellous example of ancient
techniques married to contemporary innovation. For example, he has
recreated, and
continues to experiment with, copper red glazes that
date as far back as the Song dynasty (960-1279). 'Denman lustre', an exquisite iridescent glaze unique to Hutchens' work, is created with clay the potter has dug from his own land. An abiding passion for art history,
along with his absolute mastery of the alchemical process, keeps this internationally celebrated artist busy exploring numerous creative threads simultaneously. On a recent studio visit, I was fascinated to learn that the 'mirror-like' glaze combined with others on a
spectacular new multi-coloured vase was achieved in a way not unlike how old-fashioned glass mirrors were made – by combining silver nitrate (also a traditional element in black and white photography) with bismuth (the same element used as a pharmaceutical). Glaze itself is a specialized glass, Hutchens reminded me, formulated to adhere to a vertical clay surface by adding clay content.
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| GORDON HUTCHENS POTTERY |
along with his absolute mastery of the alchemical process, keeps this internationally celebrated artist busy exploring numerous creative threads simultaneously. On a recent studio visit, I was fascinated to learn that the 'mirror-like' glaze combined with others on a
spectacular new multi-coloured vase was achieved in a way not unlike how old-fashioned glass mirrors were made – by combining silver nitrate (also a traditional element in black and white photography) with bismuth (the same element used as a pharmaceutical). Glaze itself is a specialized glass, Hutchens reminded me, formulated to adhere to a vertical clay surface by adding clay content.
Tour-goers will discover new works by Dante Ambriel in Flowing Art Studio that combine silver with porcelain - a high fire clay body with an illustrious 2,000 year history
of use in the ceramic arts. One lovely
piece, called 'The Silver Torso', has been sculpted in white
porcelain and glazed in pure silver. Another, 'The Silver and
Dichroic Leaf'', is carved out of black porcelain and incorporates
both pure silver and 'dichroic' glass (the latter refracting light in
such a way that a second colour is made visible to the eye as one's
perspective shifts). Ambriel's 'The Flooding Ocean Bowl' is also
carved porcelain, resting on a wooden base. This engaging piece
includes copper, dichroic glass, silk and other mixed mediums.
Flowing Art Studio is also the exhibition space for multi-media
artist Tashi Draper. She has been combining sculptural concepts and
hand-building to create a series of vessels that both stand alone and
compliment each other. Recent works involving the primeval practice
of pit firing after burnishing the clay surface by hand, evoke a
sense of antiquity that transcends time.
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| FLOWING ART STUDIO |
Many
modern scholars suggest that the very first potter's wheel originated
with the ancient Sumerians in Mesopotamia. Others credit southeastern
Europe, China or Egypt as its birth place. In ancient Egyptian
mythology, the deity Khnum was said to have formed the first humans
on a potter's wheel. Today, at least in this area of the world, most
potters rely
on electricity. Denman's Hanne Christensen, however,
prefers to use a traditional 'kick wheel'. Looking out over lovely
Lambert Channel from her East Road studio, she creates all manner of
versatile kitchen and tableware with this self-powered technology.
Everything from bowls and colanders to pitchers and casserole dishes
are decorated with the artist's trademark pussy willow pattern. Whole
sets are also bathed in deep forest green, brilliant blue or Christensen's
popular multi-coloured glaze, bringing visitors back year after year
on the annual tour to add to their collections.
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| HANNE CHRISTENSEN POTTERY |
At
the opposite end of the island, Tom Dennis enjoys the meditative
practice of working on a potter's wheel in his peaceful Lake Farm
studio. Forever experimenting with new glazes and other decorative
techniques, Dennis' extensive selection of functional wares includes
large platters, 'square' plates with rounded corners, vases, mugs,
tea bowls and soup bowls of various sizes ranging in colours from
maroon red to mauve and golden earth tones. Trios of
red dots on
individual pieces, and the use of straight edge tools lightly pressed
into the clay surface to create striking, repetitive line patterns,
are but two unique features that stand out in Dennis' showroom as
characteristic of this highly skilled potter's personal stylization.
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| TOM DENNIS POTTERY |
The
adventure of winding one's way down long country driveways in search
of unique ceramic treasures is also amply rewarded by a visit to
Beardsley Pottery. Scott and Garnet Beardsley produce some of the
most beautiful and diverse functional and decorative wares to be
found anywhere. Complete dinner sets adorned with three-dimensional
'seashells' are available in a creamy matte ivory glaze. Other full
service sets are awash in a stunning 'leopard spot' glaze (combining
milk chocolate tones with velvet black). A wide assortment of vases,
teapots and other vessel forms feature leaf patterns pressed onto
unglazed surface areas. And some larger pieces serve as
three-dimensional canvasses for bas relief carvings of animal, insect
and human figures in amazing detail.
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| BEARDSLEY POTTERY |
Other pots are adorned with
tactile 'crawl glazes' that resemble blue green lichen growing on
rock! Garnet's two-dimensional drawings on mugs and other pottery are
also immensely popular - her miniature mountain vistas and tiny
chickadees are perfectly rendered celebrations of the natural world.
Of
course, flora and fauna have provided inspiration for artists since
time immemorial. Barb Mills delights in creating 'to scale' versions
of the various birds that frequent the Morrison Marsh ecosystem that
she and partner John Mills call home. Tour-goers will find little
free-standing wrens, chickadees and towhees in Raucous Raven Pottery
alongside nuthatches, north slope fly catchers, winter wrens, yellow
rumped warblers, golden crowned kinglets, flickers, ravens, pileated
woodpeckers (complete with flaming-red crests) and other birds
sculpted on branches or tree trunks. To achieve the appearance of
bark, an iron-oxide 'wash' is applied to the rough ceramic surface
that is then partially removed with a damp sponge. This same
technique is employed to create contrasting tones on Barb's new
earthenware tile series depicting wildlife, as well as her delightful
Thai Buddha masks. John specializes
in wheel work – his lidded
pots, colanders, casserole dishes and bowls are made with a clay body
that fires brick red. Gorgeous glazes range from a celadon-like green
to deep night sky blue.
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| RAUCOUS RAVEN STUDIO |
The
mythical birds and beasts that come to life through LeBaron Studio
invite visitors to step 'between the worlds'. Gods and goddesses hold
court alongside miniature dragons, prehistoric bulls and shiny jet
black ravens with exaggerated beaks and talons. And there is plenty of
mirth to be found in the newest members of Bentley LeBaron's clay
menagerie – a pack of dogs sporting myriad dispositions! Collectors
will also find Vasilia Clayworks on display in the LeBaron studio space
over the May long-weekend. Apprentice Vasilia Wees has been working
with the veteran potter for some time now, honing the skills of the
trade and developing her own impressive talent. Brand new works
include tall mugs, bowls and plates, charming miniature pigs and
elegant life-size female figures. Says Wees, “Sculpture allows for
such stylized abstractions and gestures of emotion that the
never-ending variations are an unending joy to imagine and create!”
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| VASILIA CLAYWORKS |
According to archaeologists, shells found coated in red clay in eastern Morocco have been dated to a mind-boggling 82,000 years ago (making them the oldest known human ornamentation). Beads in various forms have been worn for thousands of years in ancient cultures, and making them out of clay today is one of Marjo Van Tooren's specialties. Tour-goers will find a wide assortment of hand-rolled bead necklaces alongside hand-built dishes,
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| DOWN TO EARTH POTTERY |
All
month long, a special exhibit at the Denman Craft Shop is featuring
examples of work from each of the ten studios participating on the
tour this year. On the May long weekend you can pick up a free map in
the shop and begin your self-guided tour there! Maps will also be
available at the General Store, Abraxas Books, and the ferry ticket
booth in Buckley Bay. All venues will be open from 10 am to 5 pm
daily. For a colourful sneak preview, please visit
www.denmanpottery2019.blogspot.ca.
You can also find the Denman Island Pottery Tour on Facebook. Mark
your calendar now, and be sure to invite your friends!
With
many thanks to our kind sponsors: Abraxas Books and Gifts, Buckley Bay Beachcomber Petro-Can, Denman Electric, Hornby Island Estate Winery, Van Isle Vet & Hospital, RE/MAX The Islands, H2O Environmental, Royal Lepage, Union Bay Credit Union, Dr. Peter Walford, Corlan Vineyard and Farm, Denman Island General Store, Sure Copy, Baynes Sound Insurance, Cafe Pourium, Denman Hardware, Hornby Denman Freight, The Denman Island Tea Company
