Okanagan University College, North Campus

August 22 & 23, 200.

Demonstrations by Regional
& International Clay Artists:

Randy Brodnax (USA) Back by popular
demand! This time Randy will build a cone 10
wood fire and raku kiln. In addition he will throw
and demonstrate some new surface decoration
techniques that he has developed since his last visit.
www. iflytish.com’brodnax

Cathy Jefferson (Can) Throwing and altering salt glaze

wares. www.cathijetfarson.com

David Roberts (Gritain) Hand building, decorating and raku
firing. www. janroberts.clara.net/

Les Manning (Can) Throwing & altering stoneware & porcelain mix
Don Ellis (USA) Throwing, raku and copper matte glaze techniques

Marcia Selsor (USA) Architectural ceramics, decorating with latex
resist

August 24
in the Mud Fun with demonstrations & hands-on mini
workshops given by local clay artists, including making an oxy-probe,
A free community event. Bring the kids!

Exhibition & Sale of Presenters’ Works

Festival and workshops sponsored by

7
Sam The Okanagan Potters Association

and 107 Silk FM

Accommodation available at the college
For information & registration
Kelowna Clay Festival

Glenmore PO Box 30025
Kelawna, BO Wi eld

Tal. (250) 762-5697 FAX: (250) s66-4240

with the generous support of Greenbam Potters Supply Lid.

email: kelownaclayfestval @ hotmail.com
wew boohamm-art.com'caytest
4 Potters Guild of British Columbia Newsletter

Book Review
by Rachelle Chinnery

spent Jose Saramago. The Cave
hardcover, $25CN 307pp

Departing from the instruc-
tional books on ceramics,
or the gallery and collec-
tions beoks, a novel has
emerged for potters from the fertile mind
of the Nobel Prize winning writer, Jose
Saramago. The Cave is the story of an
ging potter from a traditional village in an
anonymous country facing the encroach-
rent of Orwellian imdustry.

The novel opens with Cipriano Algor at-
tempting to sell his pots in the Centre. He
is erected coldly by the merchandise con-
troliers whe inform him that pottery is mo
longer needed or wanted because people
much prefer plastic these days. Desperate
to hold on to a vanishing way of life, the
potter turns to making clay dolls.

Saramago is a complex writer and his
novels read like kowotted string. There are
many unexpected twists, setbacks and re-
versals making it difficult, but extremely
engaging, to follow his train of thought. He
has a total disregard for punctuation, with
sentences that can run for pages, But his
humour and poctic prose lure us forward.
In a chapter that 1s dedicated almost en-
tirely to the creation myths involving clay,
the narrator says, “To return to the creator
who had to fire his man inthe kiln, we give
below a description of events, and there
you will see that the failed attempts re-
ferred to above were a result of the said
creator's lack of knowledge as regards the
comect firing temperatures... Anyone else
would perhaps have given up, would have
hurriedly dispatched a flood to finish off
the black man and the white man, and
broken the yellow man’s neck, indeed, one
might even think this the logical conclu-
sion of the thought that went through the
creator's mind in the form of a question, If
I myself don't know how to make a proper
man, bow will | ever be able to call him to
account for his mistakes?” (page 191)

The Cave is full of truths about humanity
and the current social issues facing craft
delivered in quirky language and biting
humour. It's not every day that a literary
genius tums his eye to the potters’ world.
Definitely worth a read,

May 2003