and decorative stoneware (with a bit of
raku for fian) survive largely because the
husband teaches ceramics in a regional
art college. Their work sells in gift shops
across from Tivoli Gardens in Copenha-
gen among other places,

France, with its broader ceramic tradi-
tions is another matter, but the realities
of making a living are not dissimilar.
Having accidentally run into Michael
Huyghe just before [left Vancouver, and
with Lynne. Johnson's recommendations
aswell, ] was determined to visit LaBorne,
a pottery centre since the 18th Century
(the Talbot family in the 19th C), Two
hundred kilometers south of Paris, near
the regional centre of Bourges, La Borne
is a village of perhaps filly homes, and at
least a dozen active studios, served by a
bar/ brasserie, one or two boulangeries
(bakeries), and a magasind'alimentation
for fresh vegetables, fruit, meat, cheese
and other staples. The latter was obvi-
ously the centre of secial activity on a
Friday morning, when | went to buy
myself something for a plenic lunch,
though the organization of local ceramic
craftspeople runs an exhibition centre
in the old church and often put on
special events in an exposition/studio
complex next door. My French was just

good enough to carry on some discus-
sion with the people whose studios |
visited, though the highlight was shar-
ing a cup of tea with Christine Pedley
and her visiting English father. Christine
arrived 24 years ago after graduating
from the Harlow Art School, with the
intention of only staying several years.
She works full time in her studio, as well
as running a “gite" -renting out several
small cottages on her property to visd-
tors. Her stoneware finctional work is
wood-fired, finely crafled, anc sells for
approximately 25% more than ours [owt
of her own shop there]. The cost of living
in France is probably at least that much
higher than Canada's.

The last two weeks of my holiday was
spent bicycling along and around the
Lotre valley from Saumtur to Blols with a
Broup of 1] other mon-French: 3 Brits. 5
Canucks, J Aussies, and 1 Kiwi, -a fairly
raucous group, in all. We sampled the
local wines, Visited chateaux, and ex-
plored the countryside and villages that
appear little changed from the 18th
Century, though posalbly missing the
young people who have consistently
moved away. Fields of wheat with red
poppies, barley, sunflowers, and vine-
yards are interspersed with huge forest

exparises filled again with bird song. In
a pol shop in Amboise | found a wide
range of work, from the saltglazed func-
onal Motte work to LaBorne type crocks
and beyond. Homes and restaurants
use this functional work everywhere: it
is still a regular aspect of everyone's day
to day life, from pitchers for wine and
water, to soup and salad bowls, ter-
Tines, and casseroles. It ls work by the
people, for the people. and of the people.

My search for an affordable small teapot
was very definitely thwarted, A little
Quimper jug from the 50's was a mere
$100 Canadian, and a piece 1 could
afford here was four times the price in
Paris.

The most interesting part of a trip such
as this for me was the rediscovery that
regardless of the formal language you
use, the language of whal you know is
what really counts, and | invariably felt
comfortable and at home talking abeat
clay: a good discovery when you've been
on the road for too long!

Its back to work and my own reality for
now, but | hope to visit France and
Denmark again!

Jan Fidne

Jane Reurtert,

Strandstraede Keramik, Copenhagen

June, 1992

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