Vancouver School of Art has given me the basics and the chance to
find a way of expressing myself in a means that I love - and I
am grateful,

But I have much to learn and dot
Carol Kurzreiter,

Ce

Pottery and Alchemy

The alchémy of working with the four basic éleménts - earth and
water (pot making and glazing) air and fire (kiln firing) is a life's
work,

You unravel your education as you go: from someone you meet
telling you that hemlock bark ash makes a fantastic speckled glaze
at cone 9; a good criticism from your instructor about the fit of
your lid on your jar: to meeting potters in Seattle who are on a
completely different trip - aesthetically and visually.

All these experiences help you grow. The longer you are involved
the more reverence you learn for all the processes, Preparing the
clay, collecting ashes and rocks for glazes, kiln building and
firing. The more reverence you have, the more love you put into
your work and the better your pots turn out,

Ancient alchemists transmitted basic substances into gold the
same way the initiate potter is involved in transmitting clay and
other earth substances into beautiful pots-objects-gems.

Eileen Halpin Siller

I have been asked to contribute a few thoughts on what I feel
would be a good environment in which to learn ceramics.

First I think people are the most important part of any pottery:
it's their attitude that influences the g@neral mood of the studio
and the resulting work.

pecondly a ceramics studio must have a point of reference and

some sort of goal or direction with which one could make a ‘9