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GREENBARN
POTTERS SUPPLY LTD.

9548 - 192 Street, Surrey. Phone: 888-3411. Fax: 888-4247

iW

GREAT NEW BOOK IN STOCK
"MAY: May Davis - Her Story"

This book is the fascinating autobiographical story of May Davis. Born in England in 1914, May became a
potter and this book details a life full of rich experiences. It traces her development as well as her relationship
with fellow potter Harry Davis, As the dust jacket states, "she melded the roles of potter, mother, musician,
author, and feminist, May takes us through her experiences in Africa, Patagonia, Cornwall, New Zealand, and
Peru.” As well as describing her own journey, May writes about her relationship with Harry and sheds an
interesting personal light on life with him.

Having worked with Harry Davis at Banff, and having also visited Harry and May in New Zealand in 1982, I'd recommend this
book to anyone interested in them, or simply interested in two intriguing people and their lives together....... 4g.e — (Dave Dobie)

*note: in her book, May refers to. a movie made in New Zealand about Harry and May. We also have that here in video formal.

DAVID LLOYD ON JEFF OESTREICH

This past July 10 and 11, Jeff Oestreich,
celebrated potter of Maine and
Minnesota, treateci us at the Gallery of
B.C. Ceramics toa nicely arranged slide
show of the evolution and sources of his
work. At Kwantlen College the next day,
he demonstrated altered wheel-thrown
pitchers and cups in his current style.
Jeff had planned to finish several more
pieces that eventually got done, notably
his boat-shaped serving dishes, but
having the easy habit of stopping all
work to answer whatever question came
to interrupt him, more talk and less
work won out. Several things of good
value did emerge, however, and upon
reflection, this is what ! think came of it
all:

1. Stnce very pleasing forms may be
borrowed from boats ard tall beaiid-
ings without too obvious a restate-
ment of their sources, you can learn
from this, and go out and find your
own pleasing sources of derivative
design for form that somehow share

Page 6

elements with the general forms you
are already working with,

. Very simple stamped shapes, or

repeal appliques of small flatshapes,
sparingly and strategically placed,
can contribute greatly to the senses
of scale and rhythm in rib-marked
surfaces which have only subtle
varlations. This “small” decorative
approach works most effectively when
the surface of the clay iteelf is close,
such as in salt-fired wares, rather
than with surfaces submerged in a
pressing, levelling glaze.

. Discipline in throwing and assem-

bling thrown parts, gathered over
years of slow improvements, doesn't
have to sacrifice freshness of form.

. The technical tip, for those of you

who want to try cutting the oval
wheel-tchrown slabs. ts first to make
plastic templates of a flexible material
fe.g.. salvaged note binders), and to

mark out evenly both halves of both
asides, and to join side A parts before
cutting side B; and later, to rae
your cutting wire about a half-inch
above the level of the balt so that
when you re-cul the wall for
attachment ot the base, it will be
thinner and firmer than the stuff
directly on the batt.

It seems most In attendance enjoyed the
time spent, even if the volume of finished
work was small. Two samples made at
the workshop will by now be bisqued
and available for your inspection,”

Many thanks both to David for the above
finclucing photes!), and teCathiJefferson
for her hospitality te Jeff and to those of
us whe were able te take part in the pot
luck in Deep Cove: another memorable
evening! For those of you unable fo attend
the slide evening, a video film of the
session will shortly be available for rent
ata minimal cest to the membership. See
Videos Library section in this issue.

September, 1992