Potters Guild of British Columbia

1329 Cartwright St., Granville Island
Vancouver, B.C. V6H IRT
(hth) HRA 9629

NOVEMBER 1993

ISSN 6319 812xX

A SUMMER VISIT

Lynn Johnsen and | were very fortunate
this summer to be accepted to attend
the ninth annual ['WCAT five-week
workshop (July 25-August 31) in
Tokoname, Japan. Tokoname. a city of
50,000 people located about 45 minutes
south of Nagoya, is one of the old kiln
areas in Japan, like Bizen, Seto, Tamba,
Mino, or Shigaraki. There is clay
everywhere, and everywhere you look,
studios and factories abound. They
were the first to mass-produce drainage
pipes and the town is also known for
small teapots made out of leeal red
"Shaday” clay. Retaining walla and house
foundations can be seen made from
“shochu* (old distilled aloahal bottles) ar
drainage pipes. The town was fascinating
to explore on bikes, with all the narrow
old streets, pottery paths and seawall
easily accessible.

The theme for PWCAT this year was
“expression by use ofthe wheel”. Located
in an ¢lementary school, the first two
weeks involved working on the wheel
with five different loral clay bodies and
watching some amazing demonstrations
by local potters. A day trip to Seto and
another to some local Tokename studios
were excellent.

The weather is usually very hot and
humid, but this summer the rainy season
didn'tend, so getting pots todry required
alot of effort packing, transperting land
cracking) to local drying reoms. Firings
included electric for the the shoday clay
and two gas firings. Temoku, celadon,
local ash, and a transparent glaze were
used for the gas kiln (computerized
shuttle kiln) at the Ceramic Training
Centre.

The focal point however was the anagama
kiln that has literally been dug inte the
side of a mountain, surrounded by a
bamboo forest, The floor of the kiln is
dirt on a slope with only the first part of
the walls and roof litved with bricks. I[t
took three full days to reach 1300 degrees

Having a studio in the country is not
without tts complications and hazards.
Iwas cleaning up out behind the place
recently when | noticed a heavy-set
mallard waddle around the comer.

On observing me, he merely tured.
arwund, walked along the front and in
the door of the studio, | was able to
watch him through a window, The
radio was tuned to CBC and the 6
o'clock mews was enlightening
Canadians from coast to enast, He,
the duck, was not overly excited or
impressed.

He did seem to be taking im all the
work in progress and appeared
Eenuinely interested. although it was
admittedly difficult to assess. [ve
never, -well perhaps once, observed
anyone's studio from 8" above the
floor, He wasn't bored, he not once
yawned. Perhaps ducks don't yawn.
He had a lovely newtrality about him,
neither going into flights of hyper-
criticism nor taking off into wild
exhortations of appreciation or
artificial pandering. And neither,
thank God. did you feel he might
break into a dissertation on “Clay: Art
or Craft?" This. one felt. he would
leave to those quacks who were flying
so high that they suffered from oxygen
deprivation.

KINGSMILL'S INDUCTION

He listened to the news. listened to "As
li Happens”, and tothe repeat of CBC's
“Morningside”, After a while he sat
down. The studio lights were on. 1
was reluctant to barge in to my own
studio for fear that he might panic ariel
fly inte a lot of stuff on the shelves, 1
was also befuddled by what lassumed
Would bea language barter, What do
you say toa duck who has taken over
your shuadio?

Over the years a lot of turkeys have
come by, but nevera duck. Why had
he left the soft grass for my concrete
floor? Was he there for the CBC radio?
Was he the reincarnation of some
great oranonymous potter who longed
for the rotting clay smell ofa workshop?
Was he merely wanting to be a potter
for awhile to escape the deadly ratine
of being a duck?

At nine oclock, | slipped a hand in the
door and turned off the lights. In the
moming he was gone, leaving behind
a couple of modest droppings which I
have decided not to take as a critical
appraisal. They will be perceived as
non-malignant acts of nature, and he
will be welcome back anytime he's In

the neighbourhood

centrigrade, The pieces in the first part
of the kiln had a lot of ash deposited on
them. There are only about six of these
kilns still in existence in all Japan, so we
felt wery fortunate to have witnessed
such a unique firing.

The symposium culminated with an
exhibition at the annual ceramic festival
and a gallery exhibit at the lecal train
station. The [WCAT program is
sponsored by the local chamber of

commerce and involves an amazing
amount of volunteer effort by local
citizens. This year 18 people from all
over the world (Hong Kong. Australia,
NZ, England, USA, larael, and Malaysia
lived with a local family. This volunteer
home stay program provided 2 meals a
day and wonderful Japanese hospitality.
Tokoname and the TWCAT program waa
truly a wonderfial experience,

Cathi Jefferson