​Fired Up! Ceramic Artists: Contemporary Works in Clay
 Smoke and Fire
Saturday May 27 & Sunday May 28, 2023  Hours: 10:00-5:00.

Vase forms with circular motifs and two globe vases by Vin Arora at the kiln unloading.

​The 39th annual show and sale happened at Metchosin Community Hall, 4401 William Head Rd, Victoria, BC. V9C 3Z3
Participating 2023 core members include Vin Arora, Alan Burgess, Samantha Dickie, Sandra Dolph, Sandy Harquail, Gordon Hutchens, Cathi Jefferson, Meira Mathison and Kinichi Shigeno. Guests are Ayal Heinrichs, Sarah Leckie and Ellen Statz.

Sandy Harquail, Gordon Hutchens and Vin Arora unloading the kiln.

Gordon Hutchens opening the door of the anagama kiln.

Fire is a powerful force with unique transformative properties. This makes a wood-firing in an anagama kiln close to alchemical wizardry. The wizard in charge is Gordon Hutchens, an award-winning potter from Denman Island. Like a scientist, he is fascinated by the chemistry of glazing and organic compounds found in clay - and never tires of experimenting.
​“I get excited by the power of heat,” he says, “the way fire brings about the metamorphosis of elements I’ve combined into something new.” Hutchens is a college instructor who gives workshops and hosts lecture series.

Firing in process with flames visible in kiln.

Firing completed, kiln cooled, revealing front layer of fired pots.

​Hutchens celebrates 25 years of wood-firings in his Tozan anagama kiln. The kiln is built into a hillside on his Denman Island property. This traditional Japanese-style kiln dates back to the 1700s, and is the third Tozan style anagama outside of Japan. Wood-firing is a laborious 4-day event, requiring planning and teamwork. On Easter weekend, 16 members and guests of Fired Up! gathered on Hutchens’ property on Denman. It took one full day to load the kiln with 100s of ceramic pieces. After lighting the kiln, the fire was stoked with wood every 15-20 minutes. Teams of four worked day and night on 24-hour shifts for three days. Temperatures inside the kiln can reach 2400 degrees Fahrenheit.

Gordon Hutchens describes the recent wood-firing as one of the best he has experienced.
Ideal temperates inside the kiln produced exceptional results. Visitors to the Metchosin show can view this excellence in the quality and variety of ceramics on display: vases, tea pots and bowls, sculptures, dinnerware, containers and other intriguing treasures. Each one is unique and original, hand-crafted by professional artisans for clients and collectors.

Firing completed, kiln cooled, revealing inner layer of fired pots.

16 members and guests of Fired Up! gathered for wood-firing.

On the following weekend the firing crew re-assembled to open the kiln and disperse the contents. These two meetings merged into a meaningful community event, explains Hutchens. “As artists we work in isolation,” he says, “so gathering together to create beauty with like-minded colleagues is incredibly rewarding.” This community-minded spirit launched Fired Up! in 1984 - almost 40 years ago. The original members envisioned an important goal: to connect the public with the diverse world of ceramics. Over the years, they have bridged the gap with several exhibitions: at the Canadian Clay and Glass Museum in Waterloo, Jonathon Bancroft-Snell Gallery in London, and two US conferences hosted by the National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts. Their much-anticipated annual pottery show brings stellar work to a discerning public. 

Ceramic forms with smoke-firing markings by Samantha Dickie.

Vessel sculpture by Sandy Harquail showing flame and ash markings.

A concurrent smoke-firing was carried out during the weekend event. In smoke-firing, pottery is placed in metal containers with combustable material. Various substances are adhered to the surfaces which produce distressed markings and patterns. These unusual lines, colours and patterns are noticeable on Samantha Dickie’s ceramic forms.

When Sandy Harquail steps into her ceramic studio, the demands of her busy life fall away. “This is my reflective time,” she says, “when I challenge myself to push the clay medium to new limits.” Harquail uses slabs of clay to hand build three-dimensional forms and shapes. She bends and fuses the clay using curves and darts, in much the same way that a tailor alters cloth. Her ongoing mission is to assemble stable structures from a pliable medium. “It excites me to play with clay and explore the possibilities,” she says. Moving past the limits of functionality, she enters a world of creative possibilities. The sculptural forms she made for the firing were unglazed and celebrate how the flame and ash alter the exterior. On the vessel sculpture, the light and dark areas along the base reveal the lick of flames.

Harquail is a newer member of Fired Up! and has admired the work of her mentors and role-models for many years. This is her second wood-firing with the group and she was impressed by the level of knowledge and expertise shown by Gordon Hutchens. She was moved by the level of ceremony that went into the event. “Gordon acknowledged all the contributing elements, including earth, air, fire and water," she says. When unloading the kiln, Gordon patiently examined each pot, noting how the firing had altered their surfaces and glazes.

Twenty years ago, Vin Arora studied ceramic arts at Emily Carr University in Vancouver.
​At that time, Fired Up! potters were well-respected professionals in the field who inspired students as “visiting artists”. “Now they are my colleagues!” says Arora. “Being invited to join Fired Up! was definitely a career highlight.” While a student, Arora experienced his first anagama kiln wood-firing. The community spirit of the event solidified his resolve to become an artist. Arora notes that in recent years, the public has embraced pottery in many forms and styles. Currently, the ceramic arts are well supported by education institutions and commercial galleries. Arora credits this emergence, in part, to the innovative talents of his colleagues who continue to expand the boundaries of claywork.

For the firing, Arora created a series of ten vase forms with a circular motif. These unglazed pots show the dramatic lights and darks created by flame and ash in the kiln. At Metchosin, Vin presents his distinctive tableware in earth tones. Also included are some dramatic free-form sculptures from his recent solo exhibition at Place des Arts in Coquitlam called Meltdown: The Second Wave.

Contemporary wall plaque by Vin Arora, from his series “Meltdown: The Second Wave” exhibited at Place des Arts.

Cups by Sarah Leckie

Pot with Bone Handle by Ellen Statz

Vase by Gordon Hutchens

Lidded Jar by Alan Burgess

Vessel with handles by Cathi Jefferson

Shaped Tray by Meira Mathison.

Mugs by Ayal Heinrichs

Bowl by Sandra Dolph

Square-shaped vase by Kinichi Shigeno

Smoke and Fire at Metchosin Hall on May 27 & 28  was a great success. See photos of the event below

Fired Up! Ceramic Artists thank their generous sponsors in 2023!

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History in Art degree and Public Relations certificate from 
​the University of Victoria
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