D COLUMBIA President’s Message I could write about how we need more volunteers to help with various activities and volunteers to join the Board of Directors. But I’d much rather tell you about my exciting January—who would think that January could be exciting? Well it has been for me! For the past year and a half, I have been building a wood-fired kiln with Pia Sillem, Jan Lovewell and Ron Robb. Every few months, we would steal a few days from our busy schedules, pack up our tools and head up to Pia’ place in Earl’s Cove to pore over plans, sort bricks, and slowly construct our kiln. Our goal was to fire before Christmas, but seasonal sales, family commitments and whatever made us postpone the inaugural firing till January. Then, a last minute no- show by our friend and mentor Al Tennant sent us scrambling for help. Thanks to Lynn Johnson jumping at the chance to join us, oe Vase, 21 cm x 21 cm (2008), by Tam Irving. Man’s Best Friends, by Jean Pederson-Ellis, FingerPlay Exhibition. we were able to ignite the first Hames on Jan. 19. The 55-hour firing was surprisingly smooth. And the results were better than we could have possibly hoped for in a first firing! It was a great way to start the New Year and we are looking forward to another great firing very soon. By the way, I am still looking for volunteers. —Jinny Whitehead Gallery News By Sharon Cohen It’s not what you know, it’s who you know, and apparently Jinny Whitehead knows Tam Irving. A big scoop, a major coup for the gallery—at very short notice, Jinny managed to persuade Tam to hold an exhibition here in April, and we're absolutely thrilled. The exhibition is to be entitled “Colour Fields.” If the few teaser images Tam has sent us are anything to go by, we're in for some truly inspiring work. Tam celebrates colour and form in this work, and the results are nothing short of spectacular. Please come and join us for the artist’s reception on Apr. 4, 1 to 3 p.m. Tl try to not buy anything before the show begins; Tl try and leave something for our customers, hard as it may be! To keep us interested and excited prior to Tams exhibition, we have FingerPlay (“BC in a Box”) to host for the month of March. We can't wait to see it. It’s sucha great concept, a show that enables so many B.C. artists to showcase their work province wide, at various locations in various communities. The exhibition provides an opportunity to raise the profile of ceramics and increase exposure for all 50 of the participating artists. Again, there have been a few sneak previews thanks to emailed images, and the scope and diversity of the project is truly impressive. On the subject of showcasing diverse work, Potters Guild of BC Newsletter - March 2009 its time to start thinking about adding the work of new artists to our excellent array at the gallery. True to the mandate of the Potters’ Guild, we wish to identify and promote new talent (and/or existing talent; the work of established artists who may not be represented in the gallery.) Our annual retail jury will be held in April, and we hope to receive submissions from guild members who may be interested in supplying us with work on a regular, ongoing basis. If youd like to apply, the form can be found on our website at http://www.bcpotters.com/forms/2009_ Gallery_Jury_Application.pdf. Judging by the quality of the applications we received for the featured artist slots, there’s huge talent out there, and a lot of it. For guild members who aren’t able to comply with the policies that pertain to juried artists, there are other ways to be represented in the gallery. Any PGBC member can sell mugs, and mugs are always popular. Wall tiles are popular too, and have sold well. We're really low right now, and are having to cheat a bit to keep the tile wall looking full! Please bring in tiles for us. As long as they meet the standard and comply with the specs (6”x6” and two-dimensional), we'd love to sell your tiles and swell the ranks of gallery artists.