A special exhibit on both Saturday and Sunday in the Arts Centre Gallery will showcase examples of work from each of the ten studios participating in this year's tour. Pick up your free map here! (Also available at the ferry booth in Buckley Bay, or on Denman at the General Store or Abraxas Books)
- Denman Pottery Studio
Tour - May 17th
& 18th -
Spring on the island will be even more
colourful over the coming long weekend thanks to the 27th
annual Pottery Studio Tour! On May 17th and 18th,
eleven venues will throw open their doors between 10 am and 5 pm
daily to reveal the latest creations from our local clay artisans.
Ranging from robin's egg blue to the
verdant green of spring leaves, Shirley Phillips colourful
experiments with fused beach glass on dishes, wall tiles and more are
guaranteed to catch your eye in Lilac Sun Pottery. Deeply influenced
by the organic shapes, textures and colours of the natural world,
this artist will also have a selection of wood-fired porcelain bowls
available on the tour weekend, uniquely decorated with highly tactile
swirls of clay slip. In addition, brand new pit-fired clay rattles
shaped like pods will be found alongside little houses and baskets,
and near life-size wall torsos. Other affordable gift ideas include
candle holders, tiny vases and Phillips' beautiful turquoise bowls
and mugs.
Splendid red, pink and purple
rhododendrons dot the forested lane-way up to Gordon Hutchens
Pottery. 2014 marks the 40th anniversary for this
internationally acclaimed potter, well known in part for his
innovative use of decorative colours. Studio visitors are sure to be
enthralled by a series of stunning new pieces incorporating
crystalline glazes actually inspired by the shimmering turquoise,
watery blue tones, and rich purples found in Monet's famous water
lily paintings. On another recent series - including small to
medium-sized vases - Hutchens has combined crystalline glazes with
his iridescent 'Denman Island lustre' (made from materials unearthed
on the artist's own land), along with textured glazes that crawl
to reveal contrasting colours underneath. Both multiple
techniques and multiple firings are required to achieve the results
mastered in these exquisite works.
Bev Severn also has an affinity for
lily ponds - her slab-constructed shallow vessel forms include
sculpted leaves and other flora, making perfect indoor or outdoor
centrepieces for displaying floating spring blossoms. Stately blue
herons adorn some of Severn's functional wares, and lovely
hand-sculpted goddesses may be found in the potter's studio heralding
the season with arms raised to the moon and sun. Be sure to inquire
about dragon eggs, custom-designed wedding goblets, other ritual
items and individualized goddess sculptures - specialty items this
lover of the prima matera enjoys creating.
Tawny dragons and jet black ravens
watch over visitors to Le Baron Studio from lofty perches on-site.
For Bentley LeBaron, the flaming pearl guarded by the Chinese dragon
is creativity itself! A bevy of sculpted gods and goddesses peer out
from behind tall ferns, and playful Pan beckons with his flute from
atop an old stump, surrounded by masked tree spirits. An entire
menagerie of magical animals frolics in the labyrinth of
indoor/outdoor galleries - cats, horses, bulls, bears and mythical
creatures. Most of these forms are fired unglazed, but with a wash of
iron oxide to accent detailed impressions on the clay surface. Other
sculptures, more suitable for indoor display, include those that have
been 'smoke-fired' to generate subtle, yet distinctive random
markings. LeBaron also has functional wheel-thrown work available
once again in an appealing range of decorative styles.
Another island artisan who finds
throwing pots on the wheel a wonderfully meditative practise, Hanne
Christensen is delighted to be back on the tour this year after a
brief absence. She uses a traditional kick wheel (completely
human-powered) and will be demonstrating this ancient, silent
technology for visitors on Sunday morning between 10 am and 12 noon!
Until then, she will be busy making more of her popular mushroom
containers, simple spa rocks, European-style teapots, flower hangers
and other delightful creations for both returning and first time
buyers. Repeat customers enjoy adding items to their collections of
Christensen table and kitchen ware sets over time. An extensive
selection is available in the potter's trademark pussy willow
pattern, along with her deep blue, forest green, or popular grey to
mauve toned multi-colored glaze.
This year Dante Ambriel's work uses
colours, metallics, lustres and pure silver and gold on carved forms.
As well as continuing her exploration of the bowl form, she has
expanded into carving sculpture, jewelry and one of a kind
self-illuminating vessels. Each piece is inspired by a specific dream
and is completely unique. Ambriel employs a special mix of porcelain,
carved while in a leather hard state and then fired. Multiple
additional firings are required to add glaze, gold and silver, German
metallics, china paints and the radiant lustres used to layer and
bejewel each creation. Aqua blue, turquoise, golds and silver with
ruby, shades of purple, rose, moss green and cobalt, are included in
this artist's lovely palette.
Tom Dennis' studio is situated on the
tranquil Lake Farm where dragonflies and hummingbirds abound on warm
spring days. His pottery showroom has a wide selection of hearty soup
bowls, mugs, serving platters, stately vases and more awash in a
variety of luscious colours ranging from golden brown to plum, mauve
and burgundy red. Dennis achieves beautiful variations on some plates
and bowls by double dipping this pottery in two or more glaze colours
allowed to partially overlap. Rectangular dishes, and slightly
rounded square plates, along with incised pots and casseroles
embellished with ornate handles are a few other examples of
innovative functional wares not to be missed.
Marjo Van Tooren combines different
colours of pliable clay to achieve the striking marbled patterns in
her platters, bowls and other slab-formed creations. Earthen tones of
choice range from red to orange/brown, pale blue and stoneware white.
Some finished pieces may be enhanced simply with a clear glaze
overlay, others are highly textured or decorated with the impressions
of spiral shells, leaves and other plant materials. Collectors will
be sure to find a brand new selection of wood-fired pieces in the
Down to Earth Pottery showroom, as Van Tooren will be participating
with Gordon Hutchens, Bev Severn and Shirley Phillips in the
week-long Anagama ('climbing-hill-dragon' kiln) wood-firing on
Hutchens' property prior to the May long weekend tour.
Sean Woods' new studio is located half
a kilometre off Denman Road at Coho Landing, the island's co-housing
collective. Featured solo on the tour for the very first time last
year (Woods has previously exhibited at Down to Earth Pottery
Studio), this artist's creative work space will be showcasing a
selection of both functional and artistic pieces. Firing his pottery
in an electric kiln using primarily cone 4 and cone 6 glazes, Woods
enjoys decorating with an earthy colour palette ranging from cobalt
blue to mocha brown. A number of bowls on display have been carefully
carved with ornate lattice patterns, revealing the architectural
quality inherent in their particular forms.
Exploring Denman's country roads is
definitely part of the tour adventure, and arrival at Scott and
Garnet Beardsley's studio is all about discovering yet another
fabulous island treasure trove at the end of a long winding driveway!
This talented couple's extensive repertoire ranges from the playful
to the sublime. Eccentric human characters occupy brightly painted
wall plaques and soap dishes, while delicately rendered chickadees
and forest landscapes grace lidded pots and mugs. Stunning bowls and
plates bathed in satiny shades of blue and green are also to be found
on display alongside other works decorated with a spotted
leopard-like glaze rich in tones of gold, chocolate and velvet black.
A charming new series of bowls and casseroles adorned with rolling
waves are further embellished with sea sprites in the form of tiny
faces delicately modeled with streaming locks of seaweed hair!
The sheer variety of clay creations and
affordable price range available have made Denman's May long weekend
pottery event a cultural highlight in our region. Once again, free maps will be available at the Buckley
Bay ferry booth, the General Store, Abraxas Books, or the Arts
Centre - one place to begin your self-guided adventure! For further inquiries, call 250-335-1209.
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Many thanks to
the following local businesses for their generous support of the
arts: Coastal Community Credit Union, Buckley Bay Beachcomber
Petro-Can, Weinberg's, Denman Island General Store, Sure Copy, Van
Isle Veterinary Hospital, H2O Environmental, Sylvie Schroeder/Coast
Realty Group, RE/MAX the Islands, Don Luckett/Coast Realty Group,
Baynes Sounds Insurance Brokers Ltd.
