June fire

Kyusu. Ash deposit on raw clay

In June, I participated in my first wood-firing. André Lacroix is an experienced potter who has a phoenix-style updraft wood kiln. Four potters, including me rented his kiln for a firing. It was a wonderful experience to spend two days with a bunch of great potters on the beautifully located kiln site.

The sun was shining, the food was great and the firing went very well. What more to expect?

Daniel loading the kiln

Daniel stoking the firebox

Marie-Josée, me and Daniel 

Lunchtime, a feast at every meal
André(bottom right) Julie, another potter(next to him)

Portrait of the team infront of the kiln
left to right: myself, André, Marie-Josée, Daniel (sitting), Julie and Nicholas

Opening the kiln after the firing

cups from the firing
Kaki and ash glaze

Urn. Ash glaze, a bit of blue glaze and natural ash deposit

Urn. brushed kaki on raw clay and ash deposit

Kyusu and two cups
Kaki and ash glaze

Busy May

So the month of May has been extra busy. All potters that I know are preparing for the 1001POTS exhibit in mid-July. After the move and setting-up my studio, I was finally able to concentrate on making pots for this event. We've had so much rain for the last 2 months that whenever it's sunny everyone tries to re-charge on some sun. Being quite deprived myself, I set up my glazing tables outside and did just that for two full sunny days. I sure got my dose of sun and was glad it became gray and rainy again for the rest of the week. It was awsome to glaze outside, listening to birds mixed with my radio and smelling pine and sweet wild strawberries while the sun's heat loosened up my back muscles.
Cleaning-up was much simpler as well and the pots were nice and dry ready to jump in the kiln.
Can't wait to do it again...except now it's black fly season starting! Yikes..

My shed that was transformed into my studio.

Glazing and enjoying the beautiful sunny day

 In May, I also had the privilege to visit a fellow potter Matthieu Huck and give him a hand with his wood-firing. He has a lot of experience and even though that was only his third firing in his own
up-draft kiln, he was very laid back and confident. I think he was quite satisfied with the results. He designed and built his own kiln. Quite impressive.

His kiln has an unusual feature of having two small fire-boxes.

Matthieu checking the cones at the end of firing

A new season

Nice freezing spring weather in time for renovations

The shed as we took posession of it

Spring is barely here where I live.  And april seemed never ending for me.I've just moved into a new home and a new studio. Moving things from one home to another is not my favorite activity but it's straight forward. Moving a work place is way harder. It's for the best of course, that was the whole point of the big move. It was for me to finally have a workshop that I would plan, organize and settle in properly. Next to our house, there's a decent size shed (12X16 feet) that has become my studio.
Before the move, we had to empty it from loads of stuff that the previous owner left us.
(Including dead mice) Then take down all the plywood heavily nailed all over the unfinished walls with crowbars.

 After that clean-up we were able to start insulating the walls, then nail a polyurethane plastic over it.
Then drill in wood supports before putting the plaster walls.

Shed starting to look like a workable place and a bit warmer

 I had NEVER done any of these tasks and eventhough they seemed simple...when it's the first time there is a huge amount of wasted time while trying to figure out the best approach to this and that or to patch up errors etc. I had great help from my husband, my father in law and a few friends.
We even insulated the floor with a special 2 inch thick foam, then added plywood and vinyl flooring.
We finally finished moving everything we've got in this world yesterday! The challenge now is where to put it all. My workshop is still unfinished, but it's good enough for me to start working in it as I have less than 2 months for the 1001 POTS event left plus 2 other events in the summer. I am almost panicking but I've been getting up very early and that helps me feel better and do more.
I've learned so much about tools and materials this past month that I feel ready to start thinking about working on another construction project...like a small wood kiln...Just thinking about it.
If anyone out there has websites, books or ideas they want to share with me about building a very small  and simple woodkiln, please let me know.
It's good to have a good place to work in! A HUGE Thank You to all my helpers, teachers, tool lenders, advisors, babysitters, cooks, massage therapists and great friends.
What comes around goes around.
Back to work!
Will post a photo of the finished studio soon!

Ode to Japan

To all the inspiration that it brought into my life

Installation exhibit

On March 3rd was the vernissage of this great exhibit uniting 18 ceramic artists.
It took place at the Musée de la Céramique du Haut-Richelieu, Québec,Canada.
A mature ceramic artist had to invite and introduce a younger one.
I was presented by Alain-Marie Tremblay a great ceramic artist from my town.



The exhibit is ongoing until April 24th.
For me it was a great experience to be pushed in with the big leagues. This exhibit along with

Carmen Abdallah and Alain-Marie Tremblay
background: one of his pieces

To see more about Alain-Marie's work and life, check out his site: www.betonique.com

Alain-Marie's encouragement inspired me to make an installation piece. Something I last did at University
more than 10 years ago. I usually only make functional ware. I could have presented some of my functional work, but I wanted to do something new for this exhibit. I let myself be inspired by some of Alain-Marie's work and the egyptian style mashrabeya (intricate carved patterns wooden windows). A hint of Egypt and a touch of local winter influence gave the result below.
The piece is consisted of a recycled wooden window frame on which I attached my crystal shapes with vine from my family's garden. The crystal shapes are made of stoneware coils and glazed at cone 6-9.

from the side

I had a lot of fun trying out different patterns with coils. My aim was to make a symmetrical shape without it being too straight. Again inspired by islamic patterns found all over the middle east that I find fascinating.  The light going through the piece and the creation of the shadow is the effect i was looking for.
VOILA.

Warm winter day

People always rave about Maple trees in the fall. True they are magnificent in the fall. But have you taken a closer look in the winter...They're no Evergreens, they're more subtle. Here is an incognito maple grove in the winter, who manages to catch a nice amount of snow without having leaves and letting a light breeze and much light through it's branches. Perfect for a cross-country skiing stroll on a warm winter day.

Got a last minute order of mugs. Not a shape I ordinarily make, but I finally gave in to people's requests lately. They're not so bad to make, I just don't tend to drink out of things with handles. They are in the kiln as I'm writing this. The person who ordered them cancelled her order and two days later one of the stores I supply in Montréal called me up to see if I had more mugs. Things always work out, sometimes it takes longer than that, but in the end I guess it always does.

Follow the light

I think I must start every winter post with an inspiring winter scenery, sorry..

I always like to make lanterns for the end of fall, just after the time-change and when everything gets dark early. Light is so uplifting during that time and all through winter, I find. It's been a bit delayed this year and I made them for early winter. I always find it fascinating to stare at light in the dark.

I feel like a fairy with my lanterns, able to alternate whichever environment one may be in just by turning the light switch on. The lanterns can reflect the light and motifs on the walls and all the way to the ceiling making us forget where we are and who we are (for a brief moment if you're an adult). 

It's very relaxing.  In early december, I made an installation with a few other potters of  about 20 lanterns in a dark room. When one enters the space, it's like stepping into a fantasy world. It's magical.

Here are some examples of my work, even though it's hard to compare it with the real experience..

Square lantern, 60cm high, 25cm wide

Square Lantern, detail

Drop lantern, 35cm high