4
FOUNDER: STAN CLARKE

Stan Clarke was the first Vice President of
the Potters Guild of B.C. He is a largely self:
taught potter who still can be found
occasionally at the Green Barn, Stan taught
at the U.B.C. College of Education for eleven
vears, His pots were shown in many
Canadian ceramics shows, in Washington
State and overseas in Brussels, Prague,
Ostend and Stratford. In the 1980/s he won
an award from the Vancouver Art Gallery for
a teapot entered in a local teapot show.

Stan and other early members of the Guild
were instrumental in making pottery supplies
available to B.C. potters. Stan opened a
pottery supply business in 1953 that was sold
to another potter in 1956. In 1972, following
& trip to Medicine Hat and Plainsman Clay
works, Stan opened another supply business
selling Plainsman clays to B.C. potters,

[Material extracted from "Retrospect
Ceramics 80°, the 25th anniversary catalog of
B.C, potters work published by the Potters
Guild of B.C.)

POTS AND PEOPLE

MAGGI KNEER

I find that one of the difficulties of potting in
Vancouver is that there are too many
distractions. It is very hard to discipline
myself to work. I try to start work every

morning at nine. My studio is a converted
garage downstairs, The doors were replaced
with glass sliding doors and windows and
baseboard heaters were installed ao I am not
freezing in winter. I do have to share this
space with the washing machine and dryer, so
T offen pop in the odd load between throwing
a few coffee mugs. The studio faces west and
looks out onto the street and on nice days the
sun streams through the windows. It is
always intervsting to see who is passing by
and to watch the kids playing on the street,

Tam also on the local cats! visiting list. They
all come in for a quick stroke and a sniff
around the glaze buckets. My two are always
in the studio with me when not chasing the
squirrels and terrorising the neighbourhood.
My Balinese, Kandinsky, likes to sleep on my
shoulders while I work and Georgina Fat Cat,
the moggie, likes to sleep on the workbench,
preferably on fresh rolled slabs of clay. I
have been thinking of incorporating a cat paw
design in my work. | also have a rumning
commentary going with Peter Gzowski. He is
my Canada 101 course. It may sound
surprising but I found Canada to be quite a
culture shock when I moved here three years
ago from England via almost 20 years in
Hong Kong. Peter helps me to understand
a politics, economics, ethics and way

The following is my list of New Year's
Resolutions to help me become a little more
structured and organized.

1. I will not leave everything to the last
minute and start on orders two weeks before
delivery. [ will start working right away, on
January 3rd (having two days off to recover
from the New Year) and have enough stock
for all the Christmas sales by the end of
August.

2. I will put a new glaze test into every kiln,
and keep rigorous notes of all glaze tests,

3. I will also keep notes of what went into
the garbage glaze which so often turns out. to
be a brilliant glaze that can never be
repeated.

4. I will wedge and weigh out all my
throwing clay the evening before.

5. I will not try to throw or trim pots with a
hangover.

6. I will not sneak off to Lonsdale Guay or
Granville Island on a nice sunny day and sit