but even with the appreciative eye of a collector I can see some of the methods that have been used. Slab pots are just that, slabs of clay pinched together and fires, while some are started from coils of clay and again worked by hand into shape. Most of us are familiar with the image of the potter sitting at his wheel shaping a mound of clay as his wheel turns. Besides the many kinds of clay, methods of using it, and tech- niques of shaping it there are also many ways of decorating it. Different minerals and chemicals can create different colors and glazes and apparently endless combinations of clay, mineral, fuel, temperature, and methods of manipulation go into the cre- ation of a unique object. Each of these combinations in itself can be the starting point from which to guide your collection. Another starting point, of course , can be geographical. Collecting the work of only one region or country, province or city, studio or potter. The more you focus your habit and the boundaries of your col- lection the more you learn about it. I only keep pottery made here in B.C. for my private collection and I am always wanting more information about how to recognize it and about its’ his- tory. There have been a few books published and at least one that is easy to buy at the B.C. Potters Guild on Granville Island. The guild also publishes a monthly newsletter for its members which can be purchased at the Guild Gallery by interested col- lectors. The book, Made of Clay, besides giving and interesting history of B.C. potters, displays the chop marks and inscriptions that the contributing artists use. However, over the 80 or so years of the province’s ceramics history, there have been many hundreds, maybe thousands of potters whose marks are not listed in a book. Decifering marks and inscriptions can be both exciting and frustrating and like myself you may have a number of mys- tery marks for future investigations. I have, however, had some lucky finds and discoveries over the last few years. One such concerns the work of Wayne Ngan. He is certainly one of B.C’s and Canada’s most renowned potters and his work is collected by many. I had a few pieces of his work years back before I recognized his mark and even sold a couple without knowing who had made them. As I learned to read this mark I began keeping as much of his work as I could find and putting together a small history in pots of his career. Wayne has been working consistently in clay for over 40 years and the progress of his work is a study in itself. He lives on Hornby Island and during his occasional visits to Vancouver will often go to antique shops looking for something he collects. A few years ago he happened through my shop and he introduced himself! We had a few short chats about pottery. This year when he was in, he singled out two specific pots on my shelves and asked what I knew about them and how much they cost. I had to tell him I didn’t know who had made them but that I liked them enough to put a higher than average price on each. It turned out they were both made by him. The first was this brightly colored pot which is signed but not with the mark | recognize as his. He explained that this signature is his name written in Chinese characters and that he made the pot before his chop mark was designed. The other wasn’t marked at all but he recognized the brush strokes in the decoration as uniquely his. As you can see the criteria for starting and building a collection are many and combinations of these can make your collection as unique an entity as each of the pots you add to it. John Lawrence Discovery Art Travel FEATURING Denys James UPCOMING CERAMICS EXCURSIONS ITALY TURKEY For details, please visit www.denysjames.com/excursions May 13 - 29, 2006 September 14 - October 5, 2006 For moresinformation on Discovery Art Travel or Denys James, please contact us at: Phone/Fax: (250) 537-4906 182 Welbury Drive, Salt Spring Island, British Columbia, Canada V8K 2L8 January 2006 Potters Guild of British Columbia Newsletter