Ester Strijbos - Potter

On My Way to Penland

2010-06-03T15:11:00.000-07:00

It wasn't even Friday the 13th. But everything went wrong. I don't think I have ever had so much bad luck in one day. My day started at 5:30, off to the Campbell River airport to catch my flight to Vancouver. When I saw the female pilot I thought; good for her. Those thought lasted only minutes as I realized real quick that she was in training. I didn't know they trained pilots with actual people in the plane. Now I know. After a VERY bumpy ride to Vancouver, I pulled myself together and braced myself for US customs. There is always something and this time I had to fill in my Esta. For those who are unfamiliar with this, it's a form you have to fill in online if you want to go through or stay in the US. I learned at home that Safari and Firefox are not supported browsers, so I had to do it at the airport. Now, apparently I am the worst typer on earth. I managed to get "timed out" in the last step three times and the lady behind the counter had to do it for me. That line-up was loving me.

Got myself thru customs after paying for my bag. Realizing that I just payed to get my clay supplies to come with me, I didn't think any food would be served on the plane, so I ate some breakfast. I am in the US side of the airport eating a very US breakfast. When we board the plane I am a happy camper. I sit in between 2 ladies and they are both nice. One is lots of fun, and we are laughing because the plane is making interesting sounds. First I think it sounds like our truck in the morning. Then I think it sounds like Fred's tractor. After that I can't really place the sound, but I don't think I want to be on this plane if it actually is going to take off.

Well, it isn't. We sit there for 3.5 hours. Thank god I had a fun person besides me. They promise us they will try and rebook us, and surely the first class passengers do leave one by one. It stops there, and besides one other lady that booked a new flight with her iphone while being stuck in the plane, we are all just sitting there, wondering what will happen. They let us know that we are to pick up our bags, go thru customs, and re-book a flight. Customs is fast, he is confused of what to do; to stamp or not to stamp, and he lets me go. My bag comes fast, so does my new friend and for the first time this morning I use my brains. Let's run, I say. We do. We run like I haven't since 5th grade and when we get to the counter we are 2nd in line. We laugh so hard because we are exhausted. We think we ran for nothing. Ten minutes later we are still laughing; we did not run for nothing, there are over 100 people in our line.

The lady at the counter is very helpful and tells me there will be no other flight to Ashville today. There will be one tomorrow night, with 3 stop overs and she has 2 seats. Would I like one? No, I decide to take the same flight as my new friend Isabelle who is rebooked to Charlotte at 7 pm via San Francisco and is driving a rental to Asheville. I can hitch a ride and keep her awake as we will be arriving at 6:30 am

It is Isabelle's birthday so we go to a bar and I buy her a birthday drink. We cheers to that, and to the fact that we got ourselves on another flight. At 7 we board our plane and it actually takes off. We get there at 9, and we happily find our new gate. We find out that our flight to Charlotte is delayed by 3 hours. This cannot be true. Bars are closing around us, and I am confused as I thought that SF was a world city. It is worse than our local airport on Vancouver Island. Isabella's happy self is slowly staring to hide, and tiredness is showing. We sit there for over 4 hours. Just before we board I try to get myself an aisle seat. At 1:45 am we finally get to board the plane. I am happily surprised that I have the emergency exit seat, so my legs can stretch all the way. I pass out immediately and I sleep for three whole hours.

We pick up the car and drive to Asheville. It is 1:00 pm when we arrive. Obviously I have missed my shuttle and will need to get a private driver to get me to Penland. I tell him I will be waiting at the BBT Bank, as it is downtown and hard to miss. He tells me he rather picks me up at the Renaissance. I am sure he would, but we can't find it and we are VERY tired. So the BBT it is. They let me sit there for 1 hour, but I don't really care. I am so tired at this point that the fresh breeze and the shade is just perfect. I sit there and space out.

The lady that picks me up is very nice. She apparently knows about my delays and she decides that she needs to keep me awake at all cost. So she talks for the whole 2 hours. Aren't I lucky. When we get there she lets me know that I have to pay cash, as my credit card didn't go thru. They don't accept foreign cards. Thanks for sharing that info when we near a bank machine lady!
I give her the last of my US $$ and wave goodbye. I have had it. I find my room and fall onto the bed. It is a double and I am suppose to have a room mate. But at this point I don't care. I set the alarm and fall asleep. I made it. It took forever, but I am here.

Penland School of Crafts

2010-04-23T10:21:00.003-07:00

I know it is really sad. I am working on other people's websites, encouraging them to keep a blog, and tell them they have to post regularly. And I am not able to post anything myself on my own blog. I am too busy, that's my problem. I have started throwing again early this year. My back is still killing me, but I am almost a year later and I feel like I have to pick up and keep going even if I have to suffer a bit because of it. It doesn't seem to heal while I am not making pots, so maybe these stretches will help.

I signed up for a very exciting course. It is in Penland. I actually signed up before I knew where exactly Penland was. I was so excited that Kathy King and Paul Andrew Wandless are doing a 2 week workshop that I felt I had to be there. I did email him questioning the possibility of a workshop in Canada, but there wasn't anything on the horizon, and I just love his stuff. So I signed up.

I am going to Ashville. Where is Ashville, you wonder. Well, I now know. It is on the other side of the US, far away from BC. There is no direct way to get there. It is probably a good thing I didn't know in advance. It would have made me hesitate, wondering, researching. Don't have to do all that now. Just have to get a ticket with a few stopovers and get there in time.

I am so excited!! 2 weeks with people that love clay, a large studio, 2 teachers, all in a beautiful part of the US. No distractions like gardening, watering, harvesting, cooking, cleaning, phone calls, emails, etc.

Just so I keep the momentum going I am part of a show in July with 4 other potters and I will be part of the Studio Tour in early August. Wow, 2010 looks very promising.

May

2009-05-06T10:55:00.002-07:00

It must be the time of year that gets me going. The magnolia is magnificent, as are all the blossoms on the fruit trees, and how can you not get inspired. I am slowly making my way through my orders. Some of them have been on my "order board" for a while. The b mix is still giving me tiny cracks in the bottom of my pieces so I am back to Plainsman for now, it is more forgiving. All is well when I dry them in the living room instead of the basement, so that's where the drying happens. Right next to the flats of basil and cucumbers.

I found my notes on the workshop I took with Paul Scott, and the supplies I bought at the time. The month of May will be about exploring that kind of decoration, that I am so in love with.

Barefoot Gallery

2008-08-29T15:45:00.004-07:00

It has been a challenging year for pottery. I started really late, because I have been really busy with work. Also our new place comes with a big pasture that we would like to turn into a big garden, or at least an orchard. So basically I became a farmer: I was putting in fencing, picking rock, burning broom piles (or attempted to), and tending the starts in our greenhouse; transplanting them from trays to their own individual pots and keeping them moist. Now you probably think that a chore like that shouldn’t take that long, but you are wrong. It takes forever; there are slugs, I have to dig up compost and mix it with soil, and have to find more pots for transplanting on a daily basis. So by the time I get back into the house filthy from the mud and yet again with another load a fire wood, hours have gone by.

I committed myself to a show at the Barefoot Gallery. It seems that I am only capable of making things if I have a deadline looming over me. So 2 weeks before the opening night, I started throwing pots like crazy. I know it was a bit late. OK, very late. But I am a champion in procrastinating. And I always believe it will work out.

What can I say, it was an awesome show. Erika Samuhelova, who made gorgeous wall tapestries, Ruth, who did the flower arranging, and my pots; all arranged nicely in this gorgeous space. The evening of the opening was pouring rain, and the gallery is perched on a rock near the water, which means: park you car and walk down a narrow trail for 10 minutes. I thought it would be me, Steph, Erika and Jack and Anna. I was wrong; lots of people showed up and we had a great evening. The show continued for another 2 weeks, and after it was over I dove back into the garden, where the tomatoes where screaming to be picked and canned, the garlic was ready for harvest and the beets were poking out of the ground, demanding to know if we were freezing them, eating them, canning them or composting them.

I am thinking about my coming year, how am I going to get enough time to play around with clay, to fill my need to be creative. And not after a day behind the computer AND canning 14 pints of pickled beets. Maybe it will never work, because I am not organized enough, and pottery will always stay the last thing on my “want to do” list. But maybe not. I am looking into the distance ceramic program at Red Deer. Now THAT will get me going, as it is full of deadlines and expectations. And I think I need some of those.

I just want to clear my head and make some pots.

Moving

2007-08-10T12:17:00.001-07:00

Only become a potter if you own your own place or if you have very good friends who are willing to help you move the kiln, figure out electricity, move lines, hook it back up and understand what they are doing.

I had no clue, and although I learned a lot, I still have no clue.
Peter Winkelmann made it work, and my kiln (without the top ring, as it was drawing too much electricity) is sitting under the carport, waiting to be filled. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Transfer Images onto clay

2007-05-15T12:01:00.000-07:00

I know I am obsessed about this whole thing, but I cannot help it. Paul Scott is teaching a two-day interactive workshop on “Ceramics and Print” in the ceramics studio at the Emily Carr Institute on Granville Island, and i have got to take it.

I am signing up. Too bad it is in the middle of summer, and we don't have money to go and the ferries are crazy and we need to water the garden. Who cares? Let's go.

Winter 2006-2007

2007-04-12T11:25:00.000-07:00

The winter started crazy. The 8 week pottery class went well. They were really into it and they inspired me with their enthusiasm. I would go home and throw some pots myself.
I also did 2 children’s classes (I know, I surprised myself!). Hand building at someone’s house with 4 children in a class. They made beautiful pieces as Christmas gifts and I would definitely do that again. The Speedball under glazes I bought for this reason worked very well. They were easy to paint with on greenware, not powdery at all. More like acrylics. The colors turned out well, even when it went up to cone 6. (That’s the clear glaze I fire with) The only color that was disappointing was the Royal Blue. It turned out very dark, almost close to black. They made waxine light holders, bowls, soap dishes, masks, candleholders, art for the wall, tea sets, mugs and much more. They even made a little rowboat with a person in it, just amazing. The biggest challenge was to wrap it up and transport it to my house, glaze and fire it without breaking it. It was such tiny work. When they picked it up, they were so happy, it really made my day.

My sales at the Christmas Bazaar and at the Christmas Market went really well. So much support from such a small community! I had my pots in the Campbell River Art Gallery and many people commented on that, so that was good promotion for my work! Now we are trying to get ready for our holiday to Tasmania. I am hoping to visit many potters there!

Tasmanian potters

2007-03-20T11:57:00.000-07:00

Whatever you do: don’t travel to Tasmania to visit potters. (We went to visit/research gardens and found plenty, but I was hoping to find some potters along the way)

Rynne Tanton and Bernadine Alting run Underwood Pottery. They were extremely kind, and showed us around their (huge) workspace/gallery. It was so nice to meet potters that are making their living with pottery, and loving it. He is definitely a production potter, and is good at it. His crystal pots are beautiful! She took the time to show us around the next day in the studio at TAFE where she runs the ceramic department.

Meeting them was one of my favorite moments of our trip.

Fall on Cortes

2006-11-12T16:56:00.000-08:00

I feel the same way again as I did after Jonna died. I have no desire to do anything and if it wasn’t for my walking group in the morning I doubt I would even get up. Fall is here and we miss Doreen. She would be back from her road trip by now and the realization that she is not coming back is slowly getting settled in our minds. We had a thanksgiving dinner with her family and although it was a nice evening, Doreen wasn’t there. The leaves are falling, and even though the colors are spectacular, it makes me even sadder.

I am getting myself into al sorts of commitments just to keep so busy. I can hardly keep up. I am teaching an eight-week pottery class with MC, which is fun. Just to see the excitement of the 4 student is great. I hope we can teach them enough so they can continue throwing and finishing pots on their own if they want to. I am doing a 2 week hand building class for seniors and am starting 2 classes for kids that are home schooling. Computer stuff is piling up.

My display at the local Credit Union looks great and I am getting lots of comments from people, which is very nice. I am trying to make pieces for Christmas so I can go to the Friday market to sell my pots to the locals. I applied to the Campbell River Art Gallery to display my pots in their gallery – they have a separate display starting November.

I am not sure if I am at the Whaletown Christmas Bazaar this year. They are changing the rules and are looking for people and their art/crafts that are not already displayed elsewhere. Just when you think you got things covered… I love the Bazaar. I love the food, the people, the trading that happens and the setup the night before. I think I like it so much because we are Whaletowners and it was first Christmas Bazaar I ever did.

Things are changing and although I know change is good, it is going too fast for me.

Crazy summer

2006-09-01T15:57:00.000-07:00

What a crazy summer. First I decided to take a 2 week workshop in the middle of the busy season. It was fun, interesting and some of the other students were great and I learned lots & laughed lots. We talked a lot as well because there was some interesting behavior going on with 2 of the students. They did leave which made the last week a breeze. Judy let me camp on her land, which was so nice and it is such a beautiful setting. We walked a loop for about an hour every night, shared dinners and sometimes went downtown to listen to music and walk along the water.

We came home on Monday and on Tuesday we heard that a good friend had been in a collision and did not survive. We were in such a shock that we didn’t do much in the next week or so. I was suppose to get ready for a show, but did not get anything accomplished. Even soup bowls did not turn out very well and I gave up for a while. I managed to get some pieces together before the opening, but nothing beautiful or creative. Normally I love sitting behind the wheel. My mind goes all over the place in the beginning and slowly settles down. Now it just keeps going and I keep thinking about her.

Today is September 1st and I am happy the fall is coming. It will be a change in the weather & in our daily routines. Our nights will be less hectic because of the lack of daylight. Steph is sad because of it and wishes the long nights would stick around for a while longer so she can garden after work. Because it is so busy, some things are impossible to maintain during the summer. But the tourists are leaving and Cortes is slowing down again.

I will be walking in the morning again, with a small group of people. And back to my computer. But also to movie nights, books and nice dinner parties. And I will start throwing again. For xmas, for fun and for gifts. I love the fall.

Summer

2006-07-19T22:34:00.000-07:00

All winter long I though I was going to have time to throw in the spring. All spring long I was thinking I would have all the time in the world in the summer. Well, I am picking cherries, harvesting garlic, finishing a brochure and starting a new website. When we come home I am too tired to cook, so we eat salmon on crackers and drink a glass of white wine, which makes me even more tired. I take a bath, go to bed and pass out. The best thing to when life takes over (and it does here on Cortes in the summer) is to leave. Which is what I am doing.

I am taking a course on Salt Spring Island with a woman called Judy Weeden. She is well known in the ceramic world. Her pieces are hand build or thrown and altered and have all been decorated in a very beautiful way. I saw her work years ago while I was visiting a friend on Salt Spring and I came across a gallery that carried her pieces. I loved all the pieces I saw, but especially a little teapot with a square lid that fit perfectly. The design was a carved pattern and it was just gorgeous. Of course I did not buy it because I was very broke and don’t drink tea. And a beautiful piece like that needs a nice home with wooden floors and lots of space. Not a home with hanging garlic, drying squash and a computer desk in the living room.

I forgot her name right away, but the image of the teapot has never left me. When we were buying pottery supplies in Parksville last month, Steph saw a poster with her name. Isn’t that the woman with the teapot that you love so much? She asked. And it was. Of course I am taking the course. Even though it is the worst time in the year to leave, it doesn’t matter. Tomatoes will wait, lettuce will go to seed and work will have to pile up, even though I cannot afford to take 2 weeks off on in our high season, I have to take this course.

I am going to be with clay for 2 solid weeks, with a potter that I admire, camping on Salt Spring Island. I love summers like this.

April Gates - Haliburton Technician

2006-04-13T16:54:00.000-07:00

We just received an email from our technician at Haliburton. She is no longer a technician there and I wonder how it will be without her. She was only working part time hours with a full time workload. She managed to stay happy, we could always ask questions and she would take time to answer them, even if they were again about the kiln. She listened to us as a group: we disliked many of the glazes and she managed to get us a blue and some other colours that didn’t look like we were still living in the seventies. She supported us to get longer hours in the studio, gave us demo’s if we wanted and prepared everything for the next teacher to walk in and start classes. Technicians like her are hard to find.

When we were in Haliburton and she was the technician, she didn’t have much time to make pots. Now she has the chance become a self-employed potter.

I am finalizing my order today for materials. I ordered my scale (bd present) and today I prioritized the geek meeting over the guild meeting. I will no longer be a guild member. Everything is in place. This is my chance to become a self-employed potter.

I think I might grab it.

Patience.

2006-04-11T06:01:00.000-07:00

My kiln has definitely been testing me. As I am sitting at my parents’ house in the Netherlands, unwrapping the mugs I brought for the whole family I realize that I bought the kiln almost a year ago and it has taken me almost a year to figure it out. Many ruined pots and frustrations but now I am at a point where I understand that the firing process was just going too fast, even if I was going very slow.

When we purchased a brand new kiln this year with our guild, I figured we would be loading, firing and unloading perfect glaze firings from the start. None of that is true. The new kiln needs lots of test firings as well, also fires too fast, even if we fire with the directions from the book that came with it.

As I am having coffee with my brother I realize that he should be on Cortes, figuring things out. He likes that kind of stuff. He wants to fix it and wants to know why things aren’t working the way they should. I don’t have that in me. I just want things to work the way they are suppose to work and otherwise get it fixed. I don’t have the curiosity, or the patience. I just want to throw pots, carve, be in my own space, fire the kiln and sell my pieces to people who love to hold and use them.

Kiln

2006-02-15T08:29:00.000-08:00

I never realized that all these power outages could be in my advantage. After too many happening in a row, we were running out of time to get our stuff ready for Christmas. I wasn’t going to use my own kiln anymore until after Christmas, because after all the disasters it was just too much of a gamble. But now I had too.

So I filled up my kiln and started the slowest firing EVER. After the cone started to bend I put it on medium and let it have a soak until I had to leave for the market. And guess what. Everything turned out beautifully. No pinholes, crazing or strange colours. Everything came out the way it was suppose to be.

I cannot believe it. Now I can go away on my holiday and feel a bit better again about the kiln that I purchased almost a year ago. Now I won’t think about it for the whole time I am away, trying to figure it out.

I am sure the next time I fire it will give me some more grief. But at least I’ll start 2006 with the thought that the kiln might be saved from a trip to the dump.

Structures, leveling and roofing.

2005-11-24T22:37:00.000-08:00

What do you do if someone asks you to choose between a 10x16 ft wooden structure that needs a bit of work on the roof or a garden shed. You dream about a glazing shed and choose the garden shed because that is what you really need and Steph really wants.

What do you do if a week later you are allowed to take both? You think: how on earth is this going to work, can we afford it, do we need it (YES). And then you have to deal with the result of your excitement. Steep driveway, not much space, leveling, trucking companies, $200 per hour rates and most important: landlords. The last was easier than expected. They thought it was a great idea as long as we could still make a turn around. The trucking company was fine too, he seemed to have time to do it and when I told him I was a bit worried about the roofing, he laughed, pet me on the head and told me he could fix it in a few hours work with the right materials. Of course we did not say no.

We cancelled our trip to Vancouver and started leveling. Now here is a whole new thing that we had never done, nor heard of. Leveling. What you do is you put earth and rocks from one side to the other until it is level. If you keep doing it and it still isn’t quite level, you think oh well, it will be ok because everyone around you told you it didn’t come down to the centimeter. Well, it does come down to the centimeter and it will not be ok. After you put the building down and it is not level, a whole new can of worms opens. But that was beside the point. The buildings came. We spend 2 full days out there getting it ready and when he showed up with this humongous truck and the building on the back, I was so happy.

I already was happy: studio at home, kiln outside in a beautiful kiln-house and no more commuting when I have time to throw. But this is different. It is really cool. A whole shed to do my stuff. It is really quite exciting.

He came back the next day to prepare for the roofing. Delay with the roofing rolls, not the right weight and they missed the ferry. But he hammered away and at the end of the day it was ready. Could I phone some friends to help, because these rolls were way heavier than expected. Sure. I went inside and looked at my phone list. I hate asking people for help. Love to do it all by myself, but I wasn’t climbing any roofs. Or nailing them. So, not much choice, either the roof was going up with help, or it wasn’t going up at all.

All the people I phoned showed up. We were there with eight of us and 3 hour later the new roofing was on both sheds. With a lot of laughing, sliding and missing nails it came together and at noon they all left and picked up the day as if nothing happened. Except for me. I am sitting here at home, being really happy, impressed and thankful. For Ruth and Oliver for being always so supportive even if our ideas are pushing it a bit. For Steve Ringwood to talking me into it not being such a big project as I thought it would be and pulling us through till the end. And to Peter, Norberto, Gary, Chris and Bernie for showing up after such short notice and happily climbing the roof, tarring it and nailing the roofing on. The feeling to be so supported is immense. And invaluable. We are so lucky to be where we are.

a year later

2005-09-21T09:39:00.000-07:00

It is a year ago that we started our Ceramic Certificate Course in Haliburton . We are still in contact with each other. We are on the email at least 3 times a week with about half of the class. Some are very involved, others just read it. We share results, exciting moments, disasters, recipes and questions. One of the teachers, Barbara Joy Peel , is on the email list and she is very helpful.

Joanne just emailed that she is teaching 3 classes. Beginners, adults and children. Lori is starting up in Toronto and is close to doing her first firing. Charlene is still going at it and is trying to fix her kiln after it got an electric shock. Helen is busy living, but is the first one to help out if we need notes or lost recipes scanned. Ruth bought her own Whisper wheel and is getting her stuff in a local café. Lela is now setup in her basement, ready to go and still looking for some excuses to slow it down. April , our technician, went to Medalta. She was part of the 2005 Medalta International Residence Program . We haven’t heard from her how it went, but hopefully we will at some point. Last time we got an update from Mandy, she was working with a potter in exchange for studio hours.

Most of us are still trying to make it a big part of our life, and it takes some time to set it all up. I just dropped off my portfolio at 2 galleries in Victoria. We’ll see what happens. In the meantime I’m working on my orders that were a result of my show and I am still figuring out my kiln.

And I am sad that the summer is over. September is beautiful here on the West Coast, but the summer went by too fast.

"Surface" Ceramic Exhibit 2005

2005-09-15T18:17:00.000-07:00

The show went really well. Thanks to Ruth for setting up with me, prepping all the food and the Ikebana. And to Steph for hanging in there in those 2 weeks of being around me while I was throwing, trimming and staying up really late watching cones. I was really nervous, but people showed up, said nice things, purchased some bowls, ate some good food and stayed for a while. It was a very succesful evening and I could not have wished for anything else. Thank you all for coming. It was great!

Getting it together

2005-09-07T14:46:00.000-07:00

I realize that if I want to have any ceramic pieces in my own first solo show, I have to start throwing. It is august 9th. I have 15 days to get it together.

Jonna

2005-09-06T14:36:00.000-07:00

Jonna. My sweet friend Jonna. She got diagnosed with cancer when I was in Haliburton. I realized when I saw her in March when she told me that she knew she wasn’t going to make it until August that this would be the last time I would get to be with her. To hang out in front of a Dutch café, taking in the spring sun and talk about nothing and everything. She was so easy to be around and so difficult at the same time. She’s had a big influence in my life and I will always love her for it. I cannot believe I am about to lose one of the most important people in my life. We talk about life and about shoes. She was a shoe addict and for the first time in our lives together she has stopped buying shoes because there is no point in buying shoes anymore. I will miss her a lot, and when I have to say goodbye because I am going back to Canada, we cry. She gives me a ring that she knows will never fit me and brings me to the train station.

When I received the dreaded phone call months later everything sort of stopped. I stopped working, caring, laughing and I stopped being myself. I was just trying to get through the days, trying not to think about her and about all the things we did together. But it was hopeless. All I could do was think about her. After a few weeks it was still the same. The beach, the trees and all the music in the world reminded me of her. I didn’t talk to her anymore in the last month before she died. She was too far gone, and we were never good phone or email friends anyway. When we saw each other it just sort of picked back up where we left it the year before. It was always so much fun. Grieving feels so selfish. You are sad about what you don’t have anymore, but for her it all just got way better.

I didn’t want to throw clay anymore. I didn’t want to do anything anymore.

Mistakes

2005-09-04T01:41:00.000-07:00

Maybe it was all a big mistake. The breaker keeps shutting off when I am a few hours into my firing and after a retired friend (electrician) has come over to check twice and can’t find anything, I am not sure what to do. I phone the guy who sold me the kiln and he promises to come over and take it back to see what’s wrong. This is not an easy thing to do. It takes a whole day to get over here with all the ferries and in the summertime the overloads are guaranteed.

He comes anyways and takes it. He phones me 2 days later to tell me that the kiln is working in his shop and has reached cone 6 twice without any problems. Great. I go over to bring the kiln back home. I call the electrician who has put in the wiring and tell him he needs to fix it. Turns out to be a breaker problem. This is all such a hassle and it is costing me way more money than I have.

I fire a bisque and all goes well . Then 2 days before a gallery opening I do my first glaze. I am way behind schedule because of the kiln issue. And I am very good at procrastinating anyway. All my pieces for the gallery are in it and I try to copy the firing schedule from our guild, that I know so well. No problems until 3 hours after I put it to high. The kilnsitter has shut off. This is way too early. I look into the peephole and all 3 witness cones are gone (5, 6, 7). There is not much I can do about it. I should have never put all these pieces in there (not that I had a choice). It is too late now. I won’t be doing a soak to get my matte glazes to develop, because I have no idea what the temperature is inside the kiln. Obviously it is very hot and it became too hot too quickly. What a nightmare.

I called my friend and told her to keep her fingers crossed. I asked the universe if for once it could please not become a total disaster. I asked it about a million times that night. Please no melting glazes on the shelves. I have no money for new shelves.

The next day I open the kiln. Nothing melted to the shelves. Everything turned out well. Some pieces are glossy that were suppose to be matte, others are more blue than green but I am very relieved. I tell myself that I have to keep better track of what I am doing and read more about the process of firing. For now I feel nothing but happiness and relief.

Back Home

2005-09-01T08:00:00.000-07:00

For the first 3 months back home I have not done any pottery and I am really sad about it. I am busy working and making a living and it seems to just take right over. Leaving your home for 4 months does have a big impact and it has taken me this long to get back on track. I went straight from intense Haliburton to an intense working schedule.

Then I win a design contest and we decide to go to Cuba for 2 weeks just to see the sunshine after all that snow and to rest. I slept an amazing amount of time and I felt really refreshed. It also gave me time to think about what I want and how to go about it. Can I set up at home? How do I do it. What do I need?

We are very lucky where we live and the people we share land with. We rent a 3 bedroom cabin and what was my office for the last year will become my studio. They are very supportive about it and Steph doesn’t mind my office in the living room so we are going to give it a try. A kiln house will be build outside and we’ll figure the glazing part out later. For now a wheel and a kiln will do. We buy the kiln on the way back from the airport and a day later I find a wheel. I trade time for a wedging table and feel on top of the world. We put vinyl on top of the carpet in that room and set up a water system outside to clean my stuff. The electrician puts in the proper lines & outlet and I phone the kiln guy that I am ready for the delivery.

Then I go back to work because I need to pay for all of this and a month goes by again.
It is May and I have not done a thing yet. But I can feel that I am getting there. Somewhere anyway.

End of program

2005-08-31T07:33:00.000-07:00

This is it. I am going home. The program is over. I am leaving Haliburton with it’s piles of snow, freezing winds and frozen lakes. Yes it is very pretty here, cold and pretty but I miss home; the green leaves in the winter , the ocean and the mild temperatures of the BC Coast. And I miss the feeling Cortes gives me. I miss my life. I can’t wait to go back to it and somehow set up a studio. I definitely know now that I want to do pottery on a daily bases.

Thanks Erin & little Seamus for providing such a nice place to live for the 4 months , and thanks Haliburton for getting these special teachers to come. Thank you April for being an awesome technician. Thank you class for letting us be who we are. What a great program.

Monica Harhay - Marketing for the Visual Arts

2005-07-07T17:03:00.000-07:00

Course outline: This course examines the ways in which artists can assess the market, promote their work ensure exposure of their work and price it appropriately. Through a combination of theory and practice, students will be introduced to the basic principles of arts marketing including; the role of public exhibition; channels of arts distribution; media promotion and the role of critics; the marketing plan; identification of market trends; produce pricing and retail principles. Students learn the value of effectively representing themselves through the development of a professional business image. This course focuses on the practical concerns of marketing using appropriate case studies and examples.

Our last week, I cannot believe it. We are done throwing, we are firing our last pieces and we are in the classroom for the whole week. This is very different then before but we have to get used to it, next week we won’t have wheels, kilns or clay anymore because we will all be on our way home.

Monica has an incredible amount of knowledge about marketing, has seen hundreds of portfolios and has been on numerous juries. Our assignment is to put together a portfolio that includes a cover letter, a bio, slides or photographs, business card design and a c.v. This is difficult. She has brought some as examples and they do help, but it is a bit overwhelming and soon I feel discouraged. Not for long because happily she crosses out some lines on my letter, adds some words and tells me to try it again. It takes me 5 times, but by then I have a beautiful artist statement, something I would’ve never dreamt to have. She shows patience and gives hints, makes us do class exercises and shares stories about partnership, business disasters and legal advise.

Her focus is mainly on Ontario which is fine by me for most of the time, but when it comes to grants and scholarships I wished she had some more of Canada in general.

She tells us about galleries, their strategies and their needs. Then we visit a gallery and ask questions about the just learned commission, breakage, payment, supply and display. That was a very nice opportunity/experience, and the woman in the store was very helpful and gave us a lot of her free time .

Our week is over and even though it was a lot of hours in a classroom, the time flew by and it was a good experience that we needed to finish this course of properly. Now I feel like I can go home and not feel totally lost when I want to try and market my pieces. I now know to make an appointment with the gallery before I drop off my portfolio that includes a cover letter, bio, artist statement, photographs and store cards. If desired I will bring some pieces to show the store owner. I have already decided on the amount I would like to receive and I know that I have to read carefully through the contract. Now I know what to do when I want to apply for a grant, scholarship or residencie. And I will need practice and lots of it.

But thanks to Monica, I know what to practice.

Les Manning

2005-07-07T15:52:00.000-07:00

Les Manning.
Because of him, I am here and because of him, 16 students walk out of here every year, with a strong sense of why they are making what they make. He is a very gentle, friendly soft spoken man that is extremely talented and instead of only focusing on this art, he also puts a lot of his energy into teaching. Lucky us. He makes you feel that he is there for you, that he will do everything he can to make you do things better for yourself. It feels like unconditional support and it is rare to receive that from people you don’t know and don’t know you.

He creates the moment where you feel very aware of what you are doing. And you need to be in there, in that moment, to find out more about yourself and your art. But first you need to know that moment exists. He makes you think about a lot of different aspects of your art. He made me think a lot. He makes so many strong comments, has many valuable tips and is honestly concerned about your health and your body. It is hard to describe in words what Les Manning is all about. You will just have to hope you will meet him one day. He changed my world. Forever. He gave me something special without knowing it. He gave me the confidence that as long as I keep loving the clay as much as I do, good things will happen, no matter what. And no matter where my paths will go in the ceramic world. They only go there because I met him.

We have 3 weeks of classes with him (the course outlines are at the bottom of this posting). It is about applied design, throwing V and studio operation. He has decided to combine them in the next 3 weeks, so we don’t end up with long lecture days. That works out really well. He talks about the studio setup, your body posture, the kiln room, the grinding machine and the glaze room. He demonstrates teapots, lids of the hump, spouts and handles. He talks a lot about the design aspect and about proportioning and placing. He spends time with each student and looks at their drawings, their wheel and chair positioning and their accomplishments so far. His demonstrations are excellent. We watch great slides and excellent movies. And we throw. We throw a lot, reclaim a lot and get encouraged. We have reached the point that we are making what we had in mind, instead of the clay guiding us into the unknown.

At the end of our 3 weeks we have “critique”. Our names go in a hat and he will pick one to present and one who critiques the pieces of the person who is presenting. After that the class can add comments and give feedback. It is a very interesting and valuable exercise. When you critique, you have to be honest and choose your words carefully. When you present your pieces, you have to try to not take it as something negative, but rather as something to take with you into your ceramic future. But that is hard when you are in the moment.

It did go well. In the beginning we all only said nice things about each others stuff. That came from us all being there for all those months and seeing the process from the beginning until the end. People who never touched clay, presented a beautiful display of pieces that were connected some way, with a design element. It is hard to do critique if you are attached to the people. We didn’t start off with a neutral frame of mind, we went in there and had to critique our friends, which is difficult. We knew some of them tried really hard, so how can you say something negative? But that’s the whole learning process. It isn’t negative. It’s all about the words you choose and the explanation you give with it.

Les was very specific and really good at making us think in a different direction, making us look at it in a different way. After the first few were over, our class started to really get the point. Out came the beautiful sentences, constructive feedback and good comments that you could take with you and use it whenever ready. Most of us were happy after our turn. Happy to walk away from an intense ceramic course with the feeling of support and confidence that you are on the right path and the confirmation that it doesn’t have to be perfect in the eyes of the world. It has to be perfect for yourself.

Course outline Applied Design for Ceramics: Students will learn design techniques as they specifically relate to ceramics, and investigate the nature of creativity. A variety of creative exercises will generate ideas that will be expressed through drawing and in written form. By identifying personal tastes and interests, students will develop their own style. Their ideas and unique style will then be translated into reality by combining pottery-making skills with design principles, issues of form and function, appropriate decoration, choice of production methods and craftsmanship. They will design and develop products such as dinnerware place settings, teapots, casseroles and more, in the form of prototypes that will be made in “Throwing Part V”.

Course outline Throwing Part V: Students will refine advanced level throwing skills to create large lidded forms such as casseroles, and more complex and demanding forms such as teapots. Students will also develop the prototype of the products they designed in the “Applied Design” course, that show a successful integration of the principles of design, functionality and aesthetics, with a distinct personal style.

Course outline Ceramic Studio Operations: This course offers the skills and knowledge necessary to set up and successfully operate a ceramic studio. Instruction will include ceramic studio design and maintenance, determining and purchasing materials and equipment; as well as making and maintaining tools and equipment. Kiln issues such as designing, building, repairing, firing, loading and unloading will also be investigated. Health and safety issues are an integral part of all aspects of this course and will be addressed regularly.

Throwing IV with Roger Kerslake.

2005-06-12T19:40:00.000-07:00

Course outline: The development of advanced throwing skills including the creation of enclosed forms, and centering and throwing large amounts of clay will be the focus of this course. Students will develop the skills required to make more complex lids that are well crafted, good fitting, functional and appropriate. Skill development will be continued in order to duplicate pottery forms to create sets and related multiples. New forms will be created by altering and reassembling thrown sections. The techniques and skills of creating, decorating and glazing will be applied to finish work appropriately, mindful of attention to details and the principles of functionality, design and aesthetics.

Roger Kerslake. A very nice teacher with lots of humour who is very precise, specific, patient and has constructive feedback. He shows us beautiful pieces. Teapots, big bowls, plates, handles, spouts, and all thrown clean and with style. We have to combine throwing and hand building together and our class goes nuts. We make great stuff. Some a bit far fetched and Christine the only one who has definitely found her niche, but we all have fun and create something special. He shows us handles, decoration technique’s, knobs, cool slides and painting on ceramics.

His finishing is an art on its own. Just to look at him while he is working is fun. I am in trance while he uses the tip of his pinky to finish a rim and by the way he holds and uses his ribs. He is comfortable with all sizes and while telling us English stories and jokes, he demonstrates a lot in our week. I am having a great time. He is an amazing teacher and I am impressed by his way of working. We combine wet and leather hard pieces, make 3 piece vases and wine jars. We stick leather hard with leather hard together with some slip and scoring and have to stand up because the pieces are getting higher and higher. Helen is in her element. Finally! She is making big, beautiful & bold pieces. Her creativity has been hit and she makes dancing wine goblets & funky lamp shades. The colourful decorations from Wayne are still in her mind and the pieces are starting to fit together. I sit across from her and while she has been wandering around for weeks, she is now sitting down, throwing and focused as can be. I finish my wine jar and am really proud.

And the lids. I am the lid-lady. I love everything about them. Making, forming, shaping, trimming, glazing and finally taking them of and putting them back on the pieces they fit (or don’t fit) when they are glazed. with the amount of different lids Roger showed us it is going to take me a year to practice and get them all right. This is too cool. Instead of throwing a chunk of clay and trimming it to death, I am now throwing lids. You might not get my excitement. For me, it was the icing on the already perfect cake. There is too much to tell you about what we learned. Roger shared with us not just all his knowledge about ceramics, but he also showed us how you can put something from yourself in your piece. It was an amazing week, and I am hoping that his path will cross mine again sometime in life. Because one week with Roger was not enough.

Glaze technology with Michael Sheba.

2005-06-05T22:15:00.000-07:00

Course outline: we will develop the skills and knowledge necessary to work with percentage and unity formulas so that the glazes can be analyzed, compared, altered, new glazes formulated, and glaze faults identified and corrected. The characteristics and choice of raw materials and their role will be studied using line blends and other testing methods to create various effects mindful of health and safety issues.

We meet with Michael again. He has already prepared us for this week when he was teaching us hand-building. He told us it was going to be a very difficult and intense week. The tone is set. Our class has mixed feelings about it. Some are really excited and can’t wait to learn more about the glazes, the technology and the chemistry behind it all. Others just want blue out of a bucket and don’t necessarily want to know how it got to be that colour. We have to work in teams, and I am partnered with Ruth. This has some advantage and some disadvantage. The advantage for me is that she is really into it, and wants to know every little tiny bit there is, chemistry wise & technology wise. She is eager to learn, to investigate and to do research and she understands most of it. The disadvantage is that she wants to know EVERYTHING about it. I don't share her enthousiasm. Fluxes, stabilizers, I am not really interested. Obviously she doesn’t have an advantage of having me as a partner.

I am also not having a good week, because someone who I felt really close to passed away this weekend and now I want to be at home. Where everybody knows me and where I can talk about how I feel. So if we get green, purple or blue, I don’t really care.

I am lucky that I know a bit about computers, now at least I don’t feel so overwhelmed by the program (Insight) we have to use. Michael is very excited about it all and he has a lot of knowledge about the subject. He loses my attention in the first 5 minutes, but then, I didn’t really give him a chance. It reminds me a bit of at home where Gary, one of the people in our guild, patiently explains about opacifiers and glass formers.

We do line blends and colour respond tests. We get crowded in the glaze room and dust up a storm. I am the only one with a proper mask, and feel that the school should have required from all of us to have one. The flimsy white ones don’t help much, and some people are already not wearing them. The glaze room is also connected with our studio without a door, so the glazes settle in the studio as well as in the glaze room. Not that healthy. After we have all finally done our test we all get to pick our dream glaze and have to find the right recipe. If you find a nice one right away, Michael will adjust it so it is not perfect anymore and you have to fix it. We start working on the computer and the program sort of does it all. Ruth is typing away putting in one test after the other, and I am reading her the amounts of silica, frit and nephsy we should use.

I understand the idea behind it., but our first crackle glaze turns out very nicely and after testing 8 more, the end result is that #1 was the nicest. Some of my classmates are very upset. 3 days later the supposedly red glaze is still god awful brown and the nice turquoise transparent glaze is not very transparent and they are staring at the scale, wondering why this is happening. They feel stuck and frustrated and don’t really know what they’re doing. Others are happy as a clam. They are adjusting chemicals, reading up on stabilizers and find out why some fluxes work better than others. Our class is split in half for the first time and when our week is over, we have some happy, some confused, some frustrated & some indifferent students.

Me, I just want to go home, crawl into bed and cry for a while. I miss home and I don’t care which colour my uneven bowls will turn.

Throwing III with Wayne Cardinalli.

2005-05-30T15:14:00.000-07:00

Course outline: Students will improve their pottery making skills in order to create better finished pottery with consideration given to functionality. Methods such as sectional throwing, and extended throwing with added coils to make larger pieces, such as planters will be learned. Students will be introduced to the skills needed to create pottery with simple, well crafted lids and the duplication of simple pottery forms to create related multiples. The application of techniques and skills of decorating and glazing to finish work appropriately, attention to detail, and the principles of function, design and aesthetics will also be addressed.

After our 1 week off – well deserved and very much needed – we have classes with Wayne Cardinalli. He is absolutely great. He has many jokes, good advise, laughs a lot, and makes beautiful pots. He throws like his personality, happy, quick, colourful and full of energy. If you weren’t happy when you walked in, you are sure to get a dose of positive energy from him. Our class picks up on it. We make big pots, colour them, play with rims, attach pieces, touts and handles and are having fun. That's is what is all about this week. How to make beautiful pieces without being too focused, too serious and anal about it. We are happy. People are singing, loading kilns without grumbling and while Wayne tells us good stories, we watch his movements on the kick wheel (with motor) and take notes.

He gives us an assignment in the beginning of the week. Find 10 to 15 pictures of things that you really like, ceramics or other art. I focus on ceramics. I go to the library that is under construction and plow through hundreds of Ceramics Monthly and Clay Art. You won’t believe it, but I didn’t find that many things that I really thought were beautiful. Sometimes I loved the form but disliked the glaze, or the other way around. After a while I realized I needed to be less picky. I look in some art books, but they are a bit out dated and decide to search for my “pictures” online. I see great websites, galleries and museums. I find the beautiful contemporary pieces I am looking for, and soon I have the pictures that I am happy with. We evaluate everybody’s sheet in the evening with wine and chips and it is really interesting. The carvers have many pictures with busy pots. The people in our class that have made not a single functional piece in their free time, have none on their sheet and the ones that make many plates, mugs and bowls, have pictures of food, food and more food, with some pots. It is funny now, to see it so clear without realizing it ahead of this exercise. We all already have our own path in ceramics, and even though we think we still need time to figure it out, we really don’t. All we need to do is take a moment to look at ourselves and look at what we are making. Or what we want to make. It’s all we need to know.

Thanks to Wayne, we had an excellent week.

Week 6: Mould making with Angelo Di Petta

2005-05-25T13:01:00.000-07:00

Course outline: Students will develop skills to make plaster molds for ceramics. They will learn the properties and various working techniques of plaster in order to make hump, slump, press, one piece, simple 2 piece and tile moulds. The composition, adjustment by understanding flocculation and deflocculation, and use of casting slip will be studied to enable the student to make slipcast pottery.

When we entered the studio on Monday morning Angelo Di Petta has covered our wedging table with interesting looking objects. Some are just beautiful and they all have different shapes, colours and angels. I read the course outline and to be honest, I didn’t quite know what to expect. I know what a mold is, but that’s about all I know as far as ceramics is concerned. Now I can see with my own eyes: all those shapes I have wondered about, all those angles I did not know potters achieved them. I get it now. Making moulds. I am impressed without Angelo saying anything and happy to be here.

He asks if anyone knows anything about the process and some enthusiastically start explaining what they know. I am relieved when he still starts his explanation from the beginning because I didn’t even know liquid clay existed. He walks us through the process and explains about plaster, angles, 1, 2 & 3 piece moulds & much more.

When we are to begin I am totally confused. I didn’t get it, I still don’t get it and I am a bit worried I am not going to get it any time soon.

We work on a piece upside down & are to imagine how it would look right side up. There are to be no undercuts because the piece will not release from the mould. Right… We build the form, mix plaster, laugh, hurry, pour, shake and worry all at once. He helps where he can, but this is the first time I think we ALL NEED HELP. He ends up running around, helping us all at our different stages and staying calm. I would have gone home by now if I were him.

I am absolutely mind blown at the end of our week when we are all pouring liquid clay into our moulds. With a little help from Lela, who is the queen of “getting your form out of the mould if stuck” we have 16 forms 30 minutes later. They are perfect. Who would have thought this could happen and who would have thought we could succeed. Obviously Angelo did and I am happy about that. Mould making #1 was a success and we are all looking forward to the day he will return and teach us some more.

Week 5 – Throwing techniques II with Barbara Joy Peel

2005-04-22T08:46:00.000-07:00

Course outline: We will develop and define our wheel throwing skills in order to make simple pottery forms. We will learn the methods of trimming pottery, jug spouts and perfecting handles, paying particular attention to finishing details.

Barbara Joy Peel explains what the outcome of this week should be. We all have to make a set of 4 horizontal forms (plates), 4 diagonal forms (bowls) and 4 vertical forms (mugs). They have to appear to be a set (1 colour of clay will help here) and we have to present them in 2 weeks on Friday afternoon.

This is really nice of her. Instead of stressing us out, she has actually created a nice relaxed atmosphere where no one is feeling pressured. Her demonstrations are very organized and on time (something I like). She knows what she is showing us and most important, if we want to see it 3 more times because it is just too cool, she will do it. She is putting her attention where it is needed the most.

We are all doing well. Everybody is past the first struggle of centering and even if we don’t get it centered all the time, half the time it is working. After you’ve passed that point, you have to start pulling it up and the clay has a will of it’s own; it’s going everywhere. But as the week goes by, we see mugs with decent handles, plates, bowls and interesting forms showing up on the 16 carts. We are weighing clay, throwing pieces, reclaiming some of it and we are learning how to wedge. She suggests we keep the first piece we make in the morning and the best piece of the day.

Barbara is showing us some really nice decorating techniques, how to make stamps, gives us formulas, tells us to “compress, compress, compress” and introduces us to “magic water”. Wow, our second week of throwing is over and it went really well. She taught us so much in a short period of time, it is great.

Yes, we are going to be potters. Maybe not now but later: it will happen eventually.

Sir Sandford Fleming College – Haliburton Campus.

2005-04-14T09:05:00.000-07:00

Studio...

Our studio is now open on Saturdays. It took some negotiating with the principal but after some going back and forth about what we wanted (24 hr access) and what they could offer, we ended up with Saturday 10-4 and Monday – Thursday 5-9. Fridays we have to be out at 7. Classes start at 8.30 and finish at 4.30. The school opens at 7 am Mon – Fri.

It was an interesting process to go through. Here we are, 16 students taking a ceramic course, and only half of them are interested in being there A LOT. The other half has children or a life and go back to enjoy that in the weekends. But the ones who came from BC, Quebec, the US (or nearby but don’t have money to travel back and forth) are in Haliburton 24/7. So you might as well be in the studio. I mean, it is a beautiful area but if there is 6 feet of snow who is going to go for a walk? You might as well practice handles.

Barb Bolin (principal) understood all of this very well. And it wasn’t a matter of not wanting to let us use the studio, but the matter was money. There had to be someone in the building if the studio was in use. That means you have to pay that person. But the construction wasn’t finished yet and they ran out of money. It makes sense she would rather replace the plastic with glass in the entrance door than having 4 students making ugly handles and 2 textile students sowing their brains out. I mean, if the choice was up to me and I had to pick one I would choose the glass myself.

We were very persistent and she tried really hard to make it work and she did make it work. We were very thankful for that because if you look at it from a logical and economical point of view it is hardly worth considering. Hopefully one of us will become really famous and will be able to donate a beautiful piece to the school for the auction.

Week 4: Throwing I with Barbara Joy Peel.

2005-04-06T06:55:00.000-07:00

Course outline: This week is an introduction to making pottery on the potter’s wheel. We will learn the basic characteristics and working properties of clay and how to center clay on the wheel in order to make simple pottery forms such as cylinders, bowls and plates. We will learn to operate the equipment and handle clay safely.

Our teacher is Barbara Joy Peel. She is a very nice woman that has been doing pottery forever and you can see it in her throwing. She throws, talks & explains all at once without making it sound like it is very complicated. Some of the students have never thrown before and some have but are not very good at it. So after the first group learns how to center we will all be on the same level. We are all so happy to finally sit behind the wheel that we’re not too concerned about what the outcome looks like. And we have two weeks, because she will also teach us Throwing II so we get our evaluation at the end of the second week with her.

It is very interesting to relearn how to center. I had this lesson on Cortes from this guy who needed some money and gave a clay introduction class. I am still very thankful that he taught these classes or I would have never thought about touching clay. After the lesson was over and I was not even near centering a ball of clay I got the books out. Which is a very difficult thing: learning how to center from a book (at least I think it is).

So when we were all sitting in front of Barbara and she was explaining about her body and hand movements it all made way more sense. Most of our class picked it up real quick. Now at the end of week one, we can all center 1-2 lbs of clay, and we manage to make it look like something you could possibly use for something.

Next thing she is teaching us how to pull handles. At once we all feel really sad. Because they look awful, they don’t stick and they are deformed. And not just from 2 students. ALL of us made AWEFUL handles. And we didn’t even like doing it. You can imagine: 16 students all pull 30 handles. They all look bad. That is 480 bad handles. Which was kind of funny. Because we also have some very persistent students in the class who like to do things right. And it is not happening right now. Not with the handles anyway. We need practice and we need lots of it.

Week 3: Drawing with Roger Kerslake.

2005-04-05T06:42:00.000-07:00

Course outline: Introducing the basic techniques and methods of drawing, this course develops skills that are of critical importance in all aspects of the production of art. Through an exploration and application of the elements of design (line, space, texture, form and colour), composition, and using a variety of media and surfaces, students will examine the technical and aesthetic qualities of drawing two and three dimensional forms. Skills will be developed through the study of a range of subjects ( e.g. still life, life drawing, architecture, plant, natural forms and manufactured objects).

This starts as a disaster. Drawing is not one of my strong sides and that becomes very obvious when we have to draw boxes. They are setup on a table we all sit around it in a wide circle and sketch the boxes. Oh my god, this is bad. And there is NOTHING I can do about it. Next day we go outside and draw the school. I feel lost from the beginning of class until the end and have nothing decent on paper. The week continues and we draw plants, trees, sculpture, pots, gates, rocks and for 2 days we have life drawing.
The only 2 good things about this class is 1. our teacher Roger Kerslake who is a lot of fun and who doesn’t really mind if it looks like something as long as you are following the rules and direction he sends you in and try it. 2. We actually do learn a lot, it just doesn't necessarily shows on paper. Roger realizes too that he cannot teach someone to draw in 2 weeks. He is teaching us lots of interesting tricks and he gets us to try lots of different media, but some us were doomed from the beginning. We do have some stars in the class. The blacksmiths are definitely much better at this than the potters. MUCH better.
Thank god it is over after 2 weeks. Roger will teach us throwing IV and I am looking forward to that, but this drawing…..

It was a good class to have, but you know how it feels when you are very bad at something. You want it to end. Quickly.

Poor, poor blacksmiths, they have 2 more weeks of this. (with a different teacher)
We all feel sorry but happily get ready for our first throwing class.

Week 2: Basic Design with Stephen Hogbin

2005-04-04T21:17:00.000-07:00

Course outline: The course introduces the basic elements and principles of two and three dimensional design. The visual contrast and elements, along with the quality of line, shape, colour, composition, structure and proportion, will be explored through a variety of applied exercises. An examination of examples from design and art history, the built and natural environment will be investigated as it applies to one’s own work. Through group work, research, discussion, critical thinking and two dimensional design projects, students will develop techniques which will allow them to use and manipulate design elements in order to realize specific design goals, solve problems, find solutions, and communicate ideas effectively.

Here we are: half of our ceramics class mixed with half of the blacksmiths. They are a happy bunch of mostly young guys (and 2 girls) with many good ideas and although some of them are a bit shy, as the week progresses we get to know them and their thinking pattern better. Lucky for me I am in a group that is into sharing ideas and discussing different opinions. Our teacher Stephen Hogbin (author of “Appearance & Reality”) is a quiet man who only speaks when it is needed and we have to really listen if he talks because he has interesting things to say, but the noise around us is quite loud (still construction) and sometimes his words get lost.
The outcome of our design course is amazing and we are all happy with the amount of work we accomplished.

We have design in the mornings and have drawing in the afternoon which is a good thing because I honestly don’t think I could design or draw all day. Very intense, both of the classes but in a different way.

Week 1- Handbuilding with Michael Sheba

2005-04-02T12:03:00.000-08:00

Course outline: The focus of the hand-building course is to assist students in developing their skills required to make pottery using hand-building methods. Students will learn the basic characteristics and working properties of clay in order to successfully join clay and handle and dry finished pieces. Techniques covered will include pinch, coil, soft and hard slab, as well as the use of such aids as hump and press molds and the clay extruder.

Our teacher is Michael Sheba who is a ceramist from Toronto. He will teach us hand building and we are doing a raku firing at the end of the week. After April hands out our tools and paperwork, we start. The week is fun: we roll tiles, pinch cups, slab build pitchers, vases and boxes and create a non functional teapot with coil building. At the end we spend a day outside in the sunshine doing a raku firing, which is a perfect way to end week one.

Some of us are already exhausted. From coiling that vase according to a template (and had to redo it numerous times because the template didn’t come near fitting), from meeting new people, getting settled, being home sick and getting used to a new rhythm.

Our class is fun. All women, some early twenties, most early thirties and forties and a few early in the fifty. Most of us are new to all of this so we take it in with surprise and are happy with any result.

The class is like a chicken coop and if you would have walked in on day two, you would have thought we all knew each other for a long time.

Haliburton Ontario

2005-04-02T11:39:00.000-08:00

Haliburton September 2004
Not a great start. Our car broke one week before I was to start the Ceramic Course at the Haliburton School of the Arts in Ontario so we had to buy a new one. Bye bye school money. My tooth gave up on me on my flight there: result: a few root canal treatments spread over the long weekend. When we found the place I was going to live and biked to the new campus to see how far it was, my European bike let me know that Haliburton had (ofcourse, what was I thinking) Canadian Roads and my tire popped immediately.

Great.
4 months….maybe I am not suppose to be here.

My partner leaves to go back to Cortes Island and I am jealous. I already miss the ocean, our garden and the feeling that the land we live on gives me.

I am not sure anymore what I am doing in Haliburton.

When I arrive on Tuesday to start, the new campus is sort of ready. There is someone who welcomes me and gets me to the right room and although there is still construction going on, the inside of the campus is almost finished. In the classroom there is one spot left so I take it. I'm sitting next to Christine who is a very funny woman from Toronto who originally came from France. I have a hard time understanding her and her jokes, but I am Dutch and nervous so I let it go.