My mother, Joanne Copp, creates clay vessels with surfaces that are smooth and visually nich, Her pieces have a graceful Presence around our often boisterous household. Her forms are simple, yet elegant, They are reminders not only of what my mother is, but what she does. My mother revels in and excels as a potter, Over the years I have observed the process of mother mak- ing works. Living with this through my formative years, [ understand that so much of cerumic art is a process rather than a product. The consumer greets the product, but the creator has spent hours perfecting cach piece. When I was a child, I was very lucky to have a mother who greeted my siblings and me after school with a smack at the kitchen table. After my mother became serious about pottery, we came home to a table covered with clay and an assortment of tools. Slabs of cool Joanne Copp Reflections on My Mother, a Potter by Alicia Jinkerson moist clay lay against the surface of a canvas board as my mother vigorously kneaded the clay or worked it with ber fingers. She still listened attentively to our Joanne Copp's son (now 16) with unfired vessel, 1991, H: 26.0 5 W: 46.0 cm daily stories as she wiped her hands across her black apron or gave a needed hug, It was then that I began te associate the smell of sawdust fire with my mother. As her Denys James Excursions presents travel experiences for 2003 & 2004 Turkey Thailand Italy Turkey Thalland Tuscany, Italy May 14-31, 2004 17 days wt ool VBK 2La September 15 - October 6, 2003 21 days Denys James and Erdogan Gulec istanbul, Ankara, Cappadoccia Studio experience and tours December 15, 2003 - January 3, 2004 18 Days Denys James, Louis Katz, and Suwanee Natewong Tour of folk potteries, temptes, traditional arts and crafts Denys James, Giovanni Cimatti, and Pietro Maddalena Studio experience, terra sigillata workshop with Italian master Tours of San Gimignano, Florence, Siena Information and Registration 182 Welbury Drive Phone 250.537.4906 Saltpring Island, BC Denys James Email denyséidenysjames.com Web www.denysjames.com 10 Potters Guild of British Columbia Newsletter hair brushed my cheek, pungent smells of wood smoke filled my nostrils. Later, when we moved to the coast just north of Gibsons, my mother finally had her awn studio detached from the house, As teens we didn’t mind and became used to walking out to the studio or just called out to her My mother made this space uniquely hers. On a cold day, the studio stems particularly cozy and inviting with a warm glow radiating from the large windows. | often saw mother working overa vessel, shaping it with hands slicked in mud, her eyebrows were furrowed in concentration and a stray hair fell from a head scarf. [tis my mother who gave us a sense of the power and passion of art. For this, we are glad and will always remember watching her create and experiment in clay. Alicia Jinkersan ts Joanne Copp'y daughter. For Sale Teaching/drop-in Studio Profitable Great opportunity for pottery teacher(s) Fabulous waterfront location in Vancouver Call for more information Ask for Dave 604.270.4244 July/August 2003