From Lund to Bali

By Jan Lovewell

Last March, my husband Ron and I took a five-week trip to Bali. We
were based near Ubud, a cultural centre for the island. We stayed next
door to our daughter and her husband, who were on sabbatical, and their
three daughters, who were enrolled at the Green School. They had left
their home in Yellowknife (-30°C) and a few days later found themselves
in 80 plus percent humidity and 30°C heat. The contrast for Ronand me
was less dramatic travelling from Lund on the Upper Sunshine Coast,
then atabout 0°C.

We did not expect to find much pottery being made on Bali. The
traditional pottery we had heard about is made on the neighboring
islands of Lombok or Java. We found reference to a few potteries in
Bali, but they had been started by Australian or other international
potters. So we were surprised to find that our inn was just a five-minute
walk from Gaya Ceramics, which houses the only functioning high-
fired wood kiln in Indonesia. And not only that: Art Studio Director
Hillary Kane and potter-in-residence Brian Kakas were preparing to
fire during our visit.

In addition to the art studio, Gaya Ceramics produces custom work
for hotels and wholesale, employing about 40 people. They produce
raku and gas-fired pottery, including some beautiful blood-red copper-
glazed pieces.

We stopped by one Thursday morning, and ended up staying for the
weekly drop-in pottery lessons followed by open studio in the afternoon.
‘The art studio is the upper floor of a beautiful bamboo building, open
on all sides with a pleasant breeze keeping us comfortable. Brian Kakas
demonstrated assembling his enormous thrown-and-coiled vessels.
Afterward, Ron, who has been hand-building for 20 years, had his
first throwing lesson from Hillary while I threw a few cups to add to
the firing. The familiar company of potters and working with clay were
very relaxing and enjoyable.

‘The following Sunday, Hillary and Brian began loading the kiln,
and firing began at 6 p.m. on Monday. The small anagama has a main

Brian Kakas'
sculpture.

Hillary feeds the fire.

chamber in front and a smaller salt/soda chamber behind. Behind the
firing chambers there is a small oven, which baked some of the best
sourdough bread I’ve ever tasted (wood-firers take note!)

Firing at 30°C and 80 percent humidity is like exercising in a
sauna, fully dressed, with soot. Small pieces of coffee, jackfruic,
mango, coconut, mahogany, and lychee woods were the fuel. The
emergence of a scorpion from the woodpile added to the excitement.
Ron and I passed a few pieces of wood, but mainly offered snacks and
encouragement over the next few days. We were delighted to enjoy the
conversations, stories and congenial atmosphere of wood-firing half-
way around the world.

Hillary and Brian each took 12-hour shifts. They fed the kiln
continuously through an open hearth at the front, and added larger
wood periodically through a higher door. Side stoking was done
mid-way into the first and second chambers. The firing was finally
completed three days later, on Thursday. After the weekend, the kiln
was opened. Outside the kiln stood a large drum full of ash, something
I’m not used to seeing with our train kiln. Some of the pieces, including
mine, turned out rather dry, but Kakas’ sculptures were beautiful. In
fact, he said this might have been the best result he'd ever had for his
sculptures.

Ron and I also visited our granddaughter’s Grade 3 art class at the
Green School, an international school for environmental education,
with a strong component of Balinese culture. Ava’s art teacher, Pak
Susiawan, promptly invited us to teach a two-hour pottery class. I was
so enthralled with the mans humourous, kindly demeanor and the
quality of his teaching that I immediately agreed on behalf of both
of us, even though the idea of teaching terrifies me. Fortunately Ron
enjoys it. We came up with a plan, which was to have each child pinch
a little bowl and then make something from it. When the day arrived,
I calmed myself by making a bowl while Ron talked. The children
listened! They were fascinated by what I was doing! They worked away
on their projects, which occupied the whole period. We had a ski hill,

Continued on Page 5, Just a small pottery

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COLUMBIA
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Potters Guild of BC Newsletter - September 2011 4