Salt Soda and Wood - A Success - Part III

For my part I had to scramble to get pots that I really liked for the show. My last two wood firings at  the beginning of June and July were real disasters. (See the train wreck posts.) so I did not have the pots that I had hoped. However I did manage to put together 6 new pieces apart from the pots that I had saved from last year.
"A Bouquet for the 21st Century" - is similar to a piece that I had done for fun last year. It was one of the few carbon trapped shino glazes that worked out OK. The oil barrels got nicely burnt and aged with carbon trapping.

A Bouquet for the 21st Century

Another piece consisting of 4 egg cups also ended up OK, though I could not use the wood fired egg as it had cracked - so had to use an earthenware one that I had made for a similar piece two years ago. I called it "Homage to Rachel Carson and Silent Spring". Her 1962 book was really the start of the environmental movement and detailed how DDT found its way into the food chain. The DDT would result in eggs having very thin shells so that when nesting, the large birds especially, would end up cracking the eggs - resulting in a decline of many bird species- hence a silent spring.

"Homage to Rachel Carson and Silent Spring" - shino woodpecker
cups with wood block and pileated woodpecker chippings and earthenware egg

Vase with Rocks - woodfired. Shino with slips and glazes

On our farm there are huge stone fences that the first settlers in the late 1800's started building when they were clearing the land. Today they are slowly being overtaken by the forest and I have been trying to incorporate something about these fences in my pots. This is the second version of Vase with Rocks that I have made. I don't think that either of them were very successful - what I wanted was a seamless transition form vase to rocks - sort of vase turning into a rock fence. However it was fun to try and it was fun arranging the rocks as well every time I had to move the vase. I intend to work on that theme some more.

I also had several of my appliqued tree pots  - a couple which made it through the last two firings - so over all I think I ended up with a decent display and hope that I upheld to the quality that my co-exhibitors are noted for, though I think I will have to work some more on my seams and bottoms..

We also had a few large photographs of us firing our kilns with an explanation of each process, so it was not only an artistic experience but an educational one as well for the gallery visitors.
Many thanks to Anya Blake of South of 60  - who set up our exhibit and who does a superlative job of curating shows there. In just a few years she has turned the old railway station in Barry's Bay into a great resource and arts center for the area.

Woodland vase - MD Shino - woodfired