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and Arundel’s piece does not disappoint.
An image from the postcard promoting the
show (see photo at right, brown bottle with
black brushwork, third from left) that has
been repeatedly credited to Wayne Ngan by
viewers is a piece that was actually made by
a lesser-known potter named John Springer,
whose mastery of the calligraphic brushstroke
is poignantly elegant. The link is that Springer
studied under Ngan, and their development of
similar techniques is still clearly visible today.
Another notable pot from the postcard image
(far right) is a wonderful full-bellied squat pot
by Gary Crawford, whose use of sgrafhito is
akin to the painting technique of ‘scumbling’,
allowing for a very fluid movement to the
lines. The piece is so dynamic that I can barely
turn away. As an added bonus to this piece,
the identity of the potter is still subject to
question — it is signed “Crawford” but there is
no indication of which Crawford this would
be. According to Dave's extensive research the
piece can be attributed to Gary Crawford,
albeit with an asterisk.

‘The opening night may lead to a rousing
game of “whos that potter?” which is very
much encouraged! The guild and gallery staff
is looking forward to spending a fun opening
night with the B.C. clay community. We
invite you to spend an engaging evening with
us, with the promise of great conversation,
wine (yes, wine!) and wonderful pots. Many
of the potters featured in the show will be in
attendance, in addition to the collector. Hope
to see you there!

Cash _ bar.
Heaven? You be the judge.

Free Admission. Pottery...

Did you know...

..that all members are now welcome
to show and sell mugs and salt and
pepper shakers at the gallery? This is a
new offering, as the eligible items were
formerly mugs and tiles. We look forward
to seeing your new work.

Pieces from Dave Carlin's collection - Exposed!

October Featured Artist:
Melinda Straight

I work in my home studio in North
Vancouver and at a local high school where I
volunteer with the students. I prefer to build
with slabs, but have dabbled in throwing,
slip casting and press moulds. I have taken
many art courses over the years. Some were
demonstrations sponsored by the guild. The
latest ones were at Metchosin International
Summer School of the Arts. These included
kiln building, raku, brush techniques and
jewellery. It truly is an international school
with instructors from Great Britan and
students from as far away as Japan. My art
holiday was enhanced by being able to sail
there and live on my boat.

I developed a passion for kimonos while
visiting a friend in Japan in 1999. I was
honoured to try on the family’s formal
kimono. It was black with two family crests
on the front. I've always appreciated the
Japanese aesthetic and try to duplicate their
designs on my clay kimonos. I have done a
few different treatments with the latest being

naked raku. This technique differs from the

traditional raku because the glaze peels off
after the reduction stage.

First the piece is burnished. Then a slip is
poured over the piece. A final glaze is added
and patterns are scribed through these layers.
When the piece is pulled from the kiln the
glaze peels off the slip and any scratched area
or area where the glaze has resisted the slip
gets carbonized.

The other dark kimonos are fired in the
traditional raku style. This type of firing is
very unpredictable. This style was also taken
from a Japanese tradition. The pieces are taken
out of the kiln just when the glaze is molten.
‘They are placed in a reduction chamber where
they get starved of oxygen. This creates the
lustre of copper and various wave patterns
of colour depending on the temperature and
smoke patterns.

‘The underglazed kimonos are painted with
authentic Japanese designs. The kimonos are
created with slip from a mould that IJ buile.

I hope you enjoy viewing these pieces as
much as I did creating them.
melindajs@telus.net
www. AuspiciousAdornment.com @

Potters Guild of BC Newsletter : October 2013