Iced-bergy bowl from Seattle Soda firing.

 Gail Nichols , the famous innovator from Australia was our wonderful soda firing workshop leader. The objective was to get soda ice built up on the work. Some how it is fitting (and a bit strange at the same time,) that someone living in Newfoundland would in the 100th anniversary year of the sinking of the Titanic (just off our coast) be making iceberg bowls (carved from solid lumps of white clay) and want them glazed with soda ice crystals by a potter from down under. Well as you can see...it definitely worked. The clay for this piece is a white (raku) sculpture clay cone 10 with 25% 30-80 mesh grog by Tuckers Pottery Supply from Ontario, Canada. The workshop was held during NCECA 2012 at the amazing facility called Pottery Northwest in Seattle, Washington, USA.
(Image credit: Itaro Hayashida)

Off on a LARK....books that is...er, hopefully...

I was right there, in Asheville NC, USA, a few years back, the home of Lark Books who are known around the world for their 500 series on craft books. While it was not a big memorable space, was a place I'll never forget in terms of craft literature! Anyways... they just had a call for submissions for a new "500 teapots" that just closed. Unfortunately, we won't know for months if none, one.. or any of our four submissions will be included in their newest book. But having been in their 2008 book "500 plates and chargers"...we have our fingers and toes crossed for continued success in this next 500 series!

(Oh and the yellow teapot shown above...not ours..but I'd hit "like" for sure!)
(Photo credit: Lark Books)

NLAC Grant Final Report going in...

We likely do not mention this organization as much as we really should. The Newfoundland and Labrador Arts Council  gave us a major grant back on 15 May 2011 to hire a world class writer, curator...a.k.a.Gloria Hickey to assist in getting our first Saidye Bronfman Award Nomination package together and a million other things surrounding that huge effort overseen by the nominating group, The Craft Council of Newfoundland and Labrador. The NLAC covers grants and awards for everything from dance, film, multidiscipline, music, theatre, visual art, to writing. We wish to say a really wonderful grand thank you to the NLAC (and the province of NL who strongly support the NLAC's efforts) for all their valuable hard work....and to say the final report will be in the mail tomorrow!
Best arts wishes
L. Yates & D. Hayashida

A solitary Philosophers Stone vase!

Sorry...I realized after I posted the last group image...you don't really get a good feel for the fine craftspersonship from the previous candid shot. So although this is yet another amateur image by me...I hope it better portrays the timeless beauty of their work. (But I have added it to my to do list of a pro shot for the stone vases.)

best

David Hayashida and Linda Yates

(PS: Locally collected arctic cotton grass in the vase.)

Back from NCECA Seattle, USA

You're unbelievable...It's pure GOLD for a ceramic artist building up their business. Imagine 5,000 +delegates, 190+ ceramic exhibitions, 173 resource booths,..well over 5,000 images taken.

The top 5...

1.) We have now identified 6 USA exhibitions we will be applying to this year.

2.) Learned a innovative approach to firing... hands on at Pottery Northwest...as one of just 12 students... from the world's most famous soda artist, Gail Nichols of Australia.

(Thanks to go out to Fedex and their other shippers for getting our pots for the soda firing, to the workshop on time, right across the continent (town by town by town as shown in the previous post) , across the border and yes all in one piece!...we are now patiently awaiting the pots to return from Seattle to King's Point Pottery by...Fedex and friends!)

3.) Learned first hand in a small preconference workshop, a new way of making tea pots from one of our most favourite British potter's, Walter Keeler.

4.) Learned about a brand new (space age) ceramic canvas material from Canada's first Bronfman Award Winner, Robin Hopper.

5.) Made a lot of new friends and caught up with old friends...learning all we could about the international world of ceramics and telling them about NL.

To say we are very fortunate does not come even close to the mark. We are hugely grateful to our Craft Industry Development Program, CIDP run by the provincial craft division of IBRD, ACOA and the Craft Council of Newfoundland and Labrador, CCNL; our family; our friends; colleagues and customers. They all in varying degrees make it possible for us to continue to put our best foot forward here at King's Point Pottery.

Many thanks to all of the above!

Sincerely

David Hayashida & Linda Yates

King's Point Pottery

... and more exciting news to follow very shortly!