Fired Up! Ceramic Artists Show May 27-29 2016 in Metchosin

Fired Up! 2016 was a great success. The participating artists give a warm round of applause to all the friends, sponsors, and collectors who supported this annual event. We couldn’t do it without you!

Fired Up! ceramics artists and guests on May 28, 2016

Below: Photos & video clip of opening on May 27, 2016 (Press replay to refresh video)

​  Experience and expertise are two key ingredients of the Fired Up! ceramics collective.

This talented group of professional clay artists mark 32 years of annual exhibitions in 2016.
May 27, 28, 29, 2016. Hours: May 28 & 29, 10am - 5pm. Opening is Friday evening May 27, 6:30–9pm. Metchosin Community Hall, 4401 William Head Road, Metchosin.

Participating members are: Alan Burgess, Samantha Dickie, Sandra Dolph, Mary Fox, Gordon Hutchens, Cathi Jefferson, Meira Mathison, Beth McMillan, Kinichi Shigeno, Pat Webber. (Gary Merkel on sabbatical)
​Talented guests are: Robin Dupont, Kasumi Lampitoc, Vincent Massey, Debra Sloan.

Wood Firing: The Art of Earth is this year's theme.The idea springs from an inspiration book about ceramics, compiled by Rona Murray and Walter Dexter, called The Art of Earth. The wood firing happened on the Denman Island property of Gordon and Sandy Hutchens, April 21-24. The voracious Tozan Anagama (or cave kiln) was stoked every 15 minutes for three days, using up five cords of wood to achieve firing temperature. The flame and ash create chemical reactions that alter glazes and colouration. The cool down period is several days, the unloading happened April 30. Photos below tell the before and after tale. 

​Wood firing event at Gordon and Sandy Hutchens Denman Island property in April 2016.

Before and After: Loading the kiln and stoking the fire produces many beautiful ceramic objects. Above: large basket form from Meira Mathison.

​Wood firing event at Gordon and Sandy Hutchens Denman Island property in 2015 & 2016

Gordon Hutchens unloading the Anagama Kiln, April 2016

Fire Dance at Anagama Kiln, 2015

The Tozan Anagama kiln on Hutchens’ property is one of only four in existence. Gordon Hutchens and Yukio Yamamoto (then in his 70’s) built the kiln in 1998. Hutchens wood fires twice a year, but it’s only his second session with Fired Up! “Its a team effort and lots of fun,” he says. About 12 feet deep and 4-5 feet wide, the kiln has over 250 cubic feet of space. Hutchens describes loading the kiln as three-dimensional jigsaw puzzle. LIned with shelves and sloping upwards the flames move across the pots towards the rear of the kiln. “I try to imagine the river of fire,” he says "the way it weaves around the rocklike pots, caressing each clay vessel in its path.”

Recreated colour on Terracotta Warriors

Terracotta horse and two warriors

The Anagama kiln comes with a fascinating history. China’s first emperor, Qin Shi Huang used this type of kiln to make his life-size Terracotta Army of warriors and horses in 200 BCE. Excavation of the mausoleum in Shaanxi province is ongoing with estimates of 8,000 soldiers, 130 chariots and 600 horses, still buried in three pits. The army was designed to protect the emperor in his afterlife. Wanting to keep the location secret, the emperor decreed a death sentence for all workers. Those who escaped to Japan and Korea took the technology with them. 
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                      Denman Island artist Gordon Hutchens thrives on variety and experimentation. ​

Hutchens Earthenware Vase. Cone 02 Lustre Glazes. Reduction fired.

Hutchens Porcelain Teapot, Reduction fired Crystalline Glazes.

Hutchens Ocean Waves, Porcelain, Wood Fired, Natural Fly Ash over Slips.

At age 14 Gordon Hutchens visited a wood-fired kiln in Japan and was intrigued by the process and product. He noticed the sophisticated results from the traditional design. Since that time, Hutchens has delved into the alchemical science of glazing. He marvels at the complex reactions of heat, clay and mineral pigments. Hutchens’ exquisite palette of iridescent surfaces and rugged wood-fired finishes delight collectors. He is an original founding member of Fired Up!

"The form of the pot is the main part of its spiritual substance. Its outline,
​its proportions and balance, the fingermarks impressed on its wall, are the simple statement of its creator, spontaneous and as personal as his handwriting." 
Otto Natzler, The Art of Earth

Hutchens has taught ceramics at North Island College’s Fine Arts program since 1999. He tells his students that ceramics is a complex art: combining drawing, painting, sculpture, three-dimensional design, and colour theory. Chemistry and mineralogy are also key elements. “And to tie it all together we get to play with fire,” he adds. Instructing about positive and negative space, he describes how his left hand, on the inside, creates the inner volume, while his right hand, on the outside, gently folds the clay around empty space. “In this way I envelope the spirit of the piece by defining the form,” he says. The balance between control and spontaneity, technique and creativity is very important. Each day is an ongoing experiment, full of inventive ideas and endless surprises. When Hutchens greets guests at Fired Up! in Metchosin, they may see the results of five years of working on a technical challenge. “One thing is for certain,” he says “they will see the best work of the past year.” ​

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                                       Creativity flows at Meira Mathison’s Dancerwood Studio

Meira demonstrates slip technique.

Jug with serving set and tray.

Double Walled Sculpture

Meira Mathison’s ceramics radiate vitality and gestural energy. Each piece is unique.  After throwing a pot, she often manipulates the form, adding liquid slips and several layers of glazes. Many of her pieces fit together in sets and suggest family relationships and bonding. Fond of the roguish intellect of crows and ravens, the artist sculpts black clay heads that harbour human expressions. Mathison is currently working on sculptural forms that are technically challenging. Resembling sea-washed stone, these fecund flowing sculptures are both enigmatic and graceful.  

​A member of Fired Up! since 1984, Mathison applauds the professional development of the group. “The members support, inspire and motivate each other,” she says. They’ve exhibited 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. 

For the April firing, Mathison plans to put in forms that encourage the collection of ash on their surfaces. She hopes for “yummy, luscious surfaces with depth and brilliance.” Regarding the all night shifts, she mentions that some members enjoy them. Others are early-birds or after-nooners, so it all works out. In charge of food for the event, she plans to make sure everyone is well fed and happy. ​

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​Mary Fox eyes the future from Ladysmith Pottery

 Mary Fox is an accomplished ceramic artist living in Ladysmith with an international following. Now 56, she discovered her predilection for clay as a teenager and forged her career as a self-taught professional potter. Remembering her own challenges, Fox aims to help emerging potters by creating a Legacy Project. She plans to bequeath her studio location as an artist-in-residence space. Ladysmith Pottery is currently receiving status as an Economusée site and will become an artisan destination point.  

Fox’s glazing techniques, honed from years of experimentation, add a unique crackled patina to the exterior of her chalices. This gives her elegant vessels the look of newly unearthed antiquities. Before going to the wheel, Fox attains a calm centered state. The still point must be inside the potter in order for the form to be successful. “How I am feeling is in the work,” she says, “my loving intention guides the creative process.” In Victoria, view Fox’s stylish creations at Winchester Galleries in Oak Bay and The Gallery at Mattick’s Farm.

At the centre of every vessel thrown on the wheel is a point of stillness, which remains still, whatever form the clay assumes. The form of the vessel measures movement in relation to this point. The variety of possible forms is endless. 
by Alan Caiger-Smith from Tin Glaze Pottery, cited in The Art of Earth ​

Mary Fox has a long history with Fired Up! When she was a shy novice, Fox attended the Metchosin weekends
​“to admire the pots and quiz the potters.” Now a professional, she likes to chat with emerging potters and guests to share her knowledge of the artform. Mary looks forward to the wood firing on Denman in April. She plans to consult with her colleagues about which shapes and glazing techniques offer best outcomes. Guests at Fired Up! will be the first to see her signature successes. “I use the dark months as a creative hot zone,” she says, “and spring offers a rebirth.”

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                                                Pat Webber’s animal tales are most a-Muse-ing

The colours and textures produced by Anagama kiln enhance Webber’s functional ware and animal forms. Her mythical creatures evolve from her love of the natural world. The Pacific Tree Frog seen in the banner photo, is honoured as a Muse and special guest. Her whimsical sculptural pieces, featuring animal stories, draw the viewer into the narrative. At the Metchosin sale, former customers treat her like an old friend. “We chat and laugh,” she says, “when someone resonates with your work it’s very rewarding.“

Candleholder with Boating Frogs, wood fired in Anagama kiln.

Detail: Hare and Dog traveling on Tortoise, reduction fired, copper matte glaze.

Each summer for the past 23 years, Webber has wood fired at an Anagama kiln in Oregon. She believes the process of wood firing is a metaphor for living well. “The effort requires teamwork, planning ahead, strength and perseverance,” she says. Every firing has its surprises, delights and disappointments. Webber enjoys wood firing with the Fired Up! crew. She describes night-shift stoking as a bonding experience, with sounds of nocturnal animals alongside the roar of the kiln. Singing in harmony or telling stories passes the time. Each year friendships evolve and deepen, with work being the common thread that binds them together. She has been with Fired Up! since 1984. 

Above: Webber at the unloading of an Anagama kiln in Oregon. At right: wood fired jug with unusual markings. Like most of her pieces, the jug combines both thrown and hand-built techniques.

                                               For more info and bio's of Fired Up! members see firedup.ca  
​                                             For an recent profile of Samantha Dickie see Sam&Ceramics
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Fired Up! is thankful for the support of our 2015 sponsors
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​Design, Content & Selected Photos: 
Kate Cino previewed arts events for 18 years at Boulevard magazine. 
She has a History in Art degree and
Public Relations certificate from ​University of Victoria. 
 Kate was nominated for a ​Women in Business
​“Above and Beyond” award hosted by Black Press.

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