Mel Bolen, Northstar Pottery, Humboldt Saskatchewan

"high fired and decorated - became my obsession... "In 1974, coming across an abandoned brick church near Humboldt, Saskatchewan,..."  Pots sit in the work area outside the kiln following the unloading of a salt-glaze firing at Mel Bolen's studio "The 40 cubic-foot, downdraft salt kiln is of my own design:.." First Contact 35 x 25 cm "Salt glazing provides a journey of thought and self-discovery, beset by fears and relief." Midnight 23 x 15 cm "It is always a surprise to open the kiln; the information and future permutations gained deem each firing astounding, presenting possibilities for a lifetime of work ahead."  Caribe 52 x 25 cm "The next piece is always the best..." Smokey 35 x 27 cm

My infatuation with clay began thirty years ago when, by chance, I took pottery as my fine arts elective in a bachelor of arts program. Jack Sures was my mentor in the ceramics department at the University of Regina during my four-and-a-half years in the B.F.A. program. After art school I traveled. Then I worked at a steel plant, taught pottery classes and eventually became head of the U of R extension ceramics department. Wheel-thrown vessels - high fired and decorated - became my obsession. At the very start I found the act of forming a vessel on a turning wheelhead to be magical. What a simple device to make such complicated, versatile pieces! In 1974, coming across an abandoned brick church near Humboldt, Saskatchewan, my romantic nature went into overdrive, and I saw all the possibilities and none of the problems when I bought it. I envisioned a well-equipped, spacious studio/home surrounded by a huge garden, and worked on it for two summers doing minor construction and planning. When I was offered a position teaching off-campus credit classes in 1976 for the University of Saskatchewan near Humboldt, this seemed the perfect opportunity to make the break to the country. I established a communal studio in June of that year with friends Charley Farrero, Anita Rocamora and Robert Oeuvrard. After that last teaching stint I have been able to live solely from my work. By spring of 1977 we had a 45-cubic-foot, downdraft propane kiln built and our first firing. Our group of potters lasted until 1981, when members moved on to studios of their own. My wife Karen and I remained, continuing renovations and landscaping. We now share the studio between Karen's drawing and papier mache and my clay work.. However, having a well equipped, spacious studio/home satisfies only part of our needs. Over the years there have been a huge garden to tend, trees to grow and transplant, flowers of all varieties - and visitors, just to look. Living on a terrain that is a mixture of prairie and parkland gives us day/night sky observation opportunities and the privilege of seeing the daily and weekly change of the seasons. Out in the country,it seems easier for creativity to become linked to the twelve-month growing-changing cycle. We live in a harsh environment that may alternate some years between a sweltering 40 C above and a bitter -40 C. In 1978 (a year after completing the kiln) while attending a World Craft Council conference in Japan, I spent a day and evening with Yu Fujiwara at his home andstudio, looking at and handling many of his Bizen pieces. It was a revelation! Someday, I told myself, I would explore wood fire in detail. That opportunity finally arose sixteen years later, in 1994, when I was one of ten participants in a three-month residency on contemporary issues in wood-fired ceramics at the Banff Centre, Alberta. During this time I also got my first taste of salt glazing: at the end of one of the firings, the second chamber of the wood kiln was lightly salted to add slight surface enrichment. Being attracted to those results, and wanting to learn more about salt, I extended my stay, making more pots and firing the propane salt kiln three times. Now it feels as if the salt is in my veins; I have my own kiln. The 40 cubic-foot, downdraft salt kiln is of my own design: 4 1/2-inch-thick sprun arch covered with a Fibrefrax blanket, 9-inch-thick hardbrick walls covered with 2 inches of block insulation and sheathed in metal. The bag wall is 4 1/2 bricks high, with the top two rows spaced to allow some passage of flame. Four venturi-type propane burners develop 750,000 Btu's. After an overnight warm up, firing continues from Cone 022 to Cone 06 with a clear flame, followed by light reduction to Cone 9 - all in about fourteen hours. Salting is with damp water softener pellets-along with sticks of wood to lengthen the flame and thus help distribute the salt. Draw rings are checked periodically and the firing continues until Cone 10 is down flat. The kiln is then cleared, without flame, for at least 20 to 30 minutes. Salt is such a peculiar process. Rather than blanketing ware with a glaze coat, salt glazing reveals the surface and decorates the form. One of the juiciest phases for me in wheel-thrown pottery is that freshly thrown stage, followed closely by the leather hard "just-to-be-tooled" phase. With salt glazing, those inherent spontaneous markings - throwing/tooling marks, finger marks from lifting the piece from hump or bat - are preserved. It is possible to finish objects right on the wheel, and with sparse glazing (liners mostly), a little oxide in slips sprayed or dipped, the salt vapor provides the decorating/surface embellishment. (Adding coarse sand and grog to some of my clay bodies has yielded amore textured, mottled surface.) Initially, it was necessary to use about 15 kg (33 pounds) of salt per firing in order get some salt onto the pots. Now that the kiln is "seasoned," the built-up coating of salt glaze on the interior revolatilizes throughout every firing, resulting in more evenly glazed pots with a lower amount of salt. I now only use 8 kg (17.6 pounds) per firing. I've been able to afford the time to indulge in salt because of respectable sales from functional, reduction-glazed stoneware, still a pleasure to make. To me, each of these works has an intimate and personal purpose that might range from baptizing babies to burying the dead; mugs and goblets rest against lips and touch tongue, plates hold food and bowls are cupped in hands. This work is bartered, commissioned, wholesaled to shops, retailed at craft fairs and sold through our in-studio shop and downstairs gallery.

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Sandra Ledingham - Prince Albert, Saskatchewan

"Maelstrom" 1984 smoke fired porcelain, acrylic 23.5" x 7" "Fitting a Square Hole into a Round Peg " from Dualities 1990 low fire clay, raku, gold lustre, 10" x 9" x 9" "It Don't Mean a Thing If It Ain't Got That Swing" 1997 Unglazed porcelain & black flocking 9" x 7" "Melancholy" cup 1996 low fire clay & glazes 12"h x 14"w  "Winter Blues, Caribbean Greens" 1998 low fire clay & glazes detail "Winter Blues, Caribbean Greens" "Kiva" 1998 low fire clay, glazes, flocking & iron rods approx. 6 ft h.  detail "Kiva"

Sandra Ledingham is a ceramic artist living and working in Prince Albert Saskatchewan. She currently teaches at the Saskatchewan Institute of Applied Science and Technology in the Applied Arts Dept - Ceramic Program which she helped establish in 1987. Sandra has exhibited her work Nationally and Internationally, working predominantly in clay. She has lived in Europe and in Canada. Her best creative endeavor to date is her 6 year old daughter named Zoey. Following are excerpts from artist statements and writings spanning approximately a 25 year period. PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE "Since my introduction to clay was as a pot maker, my affinity to the vessel is second nature to me. While studying at the University of Regina there were strongholds of abstract expressionism, thus my work was influenced by the 'modernist' discourse of the day…Around the same period I lived in Europe and traveled in North Africa, Mexico , S.W. USA, Japan. The architecture of these places in particular, and their objects continue to have a profound affect on me. My Sociology/Fine Arts studies combined with "the times" of late 60/70s positioned me within a feminist discourse. Synthesizing these ideologies in my work has always been central to my practice…. Functional pots are not excluded from my aesthetic. I believe the 'accessibility', the historical, environmental and spiritual importance locates them firmly within the discussion of contemporary issues in clay." TEACHING PHILOSOPHY "Contemporary times are challenging times for artists/craftspeople. Not only is the economic turbulence ominous, but also information overload has induced a structured compartmentalization of styles and 'isms' for the sake of order. As one 'ism' completes its decade or two, another begins and the student and maker of art/craft is a spider in the web….. Our task as educators I believe is to help students develop the ability and knowledge to participate in contemporary critical discourse as well as develop the necessary technical and practical skills. I believe as 'facilitators of learning' our goal should be as provocateurs, mentors, and motivators. "  BIENNALE NATIONAL DE CERAMIQUE 1984 'Smoked Vessels' "…….much of evolution is - because TIME does that. There's almost a magic in how the senses absorb and quite unexpectedly give us back small bits of gathered information for our periodic disposal. My most fascinating observation of recent has been to notice old immature ideas coming back to me years later in a much more resolved way, not from force or intellectual fabrication but all by themselves, sneaking up unfolding as a transformed old notion… Despite the once purist in me, my work now uses the media that says it best". There's always a joy however in "making with clay" versus other media because clay and I have become best friends, we know and accept each others idiosyncrasies, we are well past all the "how do you do"s………… WOMEN AND RITUAL OBJECTS 1989 CHILDHOOD REVISITED (Mixed Media Installation) SYMBOL: The hair. RITUAL: On periodic occasions as a child, I was allowed to remove mothers braids from the plastic bag in the corner cupboard and to wear them braided into my own blonde braids which then gave me hair past my waist. There was a certain MAGIC inherent in this act. SYMBOL: The dirt. The dirt has been taken from the spots where I used to dream and play on our long time abandoned farm. RITUAL: The rediscovery of these play places on the farm along with the digging of the soil from these locations has been a ceremony and ritual, forming a concrete link between the past and the present. SYMBOL: The photos. RITUAL: The photos are a time capsule transporting me from present into the past. They describe some of the events which happened every year at the same time and same place, providing a sense of 'time and action' within a framework.  DUALITIES 1990 "As my intrigue and obsession for surface and form have increased, my interest in the traditional vessel i.e one that must contain, has decreased…… However, the 'idea' of vessel remains as a familiar and ever inviting form. Always appealing to me have been old surfaces, those eroded or weathered by the elements and by time. How this translates both with the inanimate object as well as the human condition and how time and its effects, can deepen and enhance, giving a richness, a history ………. That for all the rough eroded factions, by contrast there is all that shines. The presence of this "duality" for each QUALITY each characteristic, there is the antitheses of that same virtue. Dependent on circumstance and context, that same duality can mutate in meaning, impact and rightness……"  THE ECCENTRIC VESSEL 1992/93 "My work has always referenced quite strongly the notion of receptacle - objects with conscious interiors/exteriors, voluminous spaces inside their forms, sometimes providing only glimpses into their cavities. Pots have been my tradition, for that they are comfortable, but more inherently genetic, their familiarity stems from my own gender affiliation" CONTAINED SPACE 1998/99 "Recent works have been dealing with boats and ladders both as metaphors, and as forms. Metaphors and symbols representing intimacy, sanctuary, privacy, sensuality, escape. Boat as form is ancient and varied. The simplest of lines can make reference to boat as icon. Its simplest reference is what interests me most. Perhaps because its form is that of 'container' which for potters is a comfortable form. Perhaps because as simple as this form can be, its connotation and significance is complex. For those who live from the sea it symbolizes their entire lives: abundance, survival, prosperity, death. For others of us it exudes romantic notions, adventure, exotic, leisure, escape. These forms in their various manifestations can transport us to pre-history. They embody folklore and civilization. Boats are a physical sensation of rocking motions and an auditory experience of lapping sounds. Boats are womb like primal spaces."

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If You Build it They Will Stoke It.... Prairie Fire 1999
 

The second week of September 1999, 21 Saskatchewan and Alberta potters arrived in Ruddell, Saskatchewan to load and fire a two-chamber, wood fired kiln. The kiln had been built and fired by Randy Woolsey but had been neglected for the past 15 years.

Jeff Taylor and Sue Robertson cutting wood

Participants display their works

Under the auspices of Sask Terra (with financial help from the Canada Council), it took one year of preparation and few weeks of intense reparations to the kiln and kiln shed for the Prairie Fire Committee (Charley Farrero, Teresa Gagne, Ken Wilkinson, Robert Jackson and Jeff Stewart to bring the project to its onset. Bisqued pots were glazed, others were left unglazed and all were loaded into the two chambers; the doors were bricked up and at midnight, Wednesday, the fire was started. Three teams of stokers were struck (two shifts of 6 hours each) and for 40 hours they fed a total of 5 cords of wood into the firebox. It reached cone 10 in most parts of the kiln and a solution of soda ash was also sprayed into the second chamber at the end of the firing. Then cooling time... Other activities also took place at the same time: salt firing, primitive firing and raku firings. Participants viewed slides and pottery videos, read books and exchanged ideas and opinions on all aspects of the ceramic field. Sunday, unloading the kilns and displaying hundreds of pots to the critical eyes of the participants and the public was the culmination of the whole week. Everyone was elated with most of the results and there was already talk of how to improve the flashing or the deposit of ashes or the placement of pots in the kiln or when the next Prairie Fire should be. Wood firing is a process where the potter is an intimate accomplice to the transformation of clay and to the effects of the fire on clay. It is different from turning on a switch on an electric kiln. If possible, the pots which came out of Prairie Fire 1999 will be shown in an exhibition and an educational display will be presented with photographs and relevant documentation of the experience. Sask Terra would like to continue this activity if the interest of the members is still present in the future. At our Sunday board meeting in Ruddell we agreed to run Prairie Fire on a biannual basis and are presently pondering an educational event to fill in the alternate years. We'd like to hear from our membership..

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Charley Farrero - Meacham, Saskatchewan

Originally from France, Charley Farrero has worked as a ceramic artist since 1972  (with studies in REGINA, Saskatchewan and BANFF Schools of Fine Arts, Alberta). His one-of -a-kind sculptural pieces incorporate slip cast objects, handbuilt additions, grout, ceramic frames and shards, commercial tiles and found objects. He has had many solo and group exhibitions in Canada . He has been President of the Canadian Craft Council and Chairperson of the Saskatchewan Craft Council. He has served on the Saskatchewan Arts Board. He lives in MEACHAM , Saskatchewan where he has his studio and was a techer in the ceramics program at SIAST (Woodland Campus) in Prince Albert , SK.  .  "The Harder They Fall" (1997) 44 x 39 x 9 cm  "Cocorico" (1997) 38 x 48 x 12 cm  "La Cle des Champs" (1997) 43 x 43 x 9 cm "Du Monde au Balcon…" (1999) 53 x 48 x 15cm .  "Green Glaze Lid" (2000) 40 x 27 x 12 cm

Artist statement:  "My work is my statement….." "I am attracted by all the ceramic processes and I meander from one to another frequently with dedicated enthusiasm. I use all kinds of clays and all kinds of firing methods. The creation of my sculptural ceramic work has been free of any one strong principal influence. I have absorbed the "funk movement" of California ceramics, as much as Bahaus traditions or surrealism and dadaist approach, all that mixed with some personal ideas and concerns. I am influenced by everything ………. "French Bred Too" (1999)  62 x 22 x 12 cm  In Saskatchewan, due to our somewhat isolated situation and short history of ceramics traditions, I do not have to follow a school of thought or a trend I have to invent one : "my own voice". In the past eight years my trend has been to move some of my ceramic work from the pedestal to the wall. And it is already framed….. " "Jungle Birds" (1999) 49 x 28 x 12 cm  "Rencontre" (1998) 41 x 28 x 14 cm

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Mel Malkin- Saskatoon, Saskatchewan

1.20.7.02 38.5cm x 39cm The unique raku fired ceramic wall art of Melvyn Malkin reflects his experience in raku firing and long involvement in art and design. This distinctive work in clay integrates Mel's diverse experience in architecture, drawing, printmaking, and ceramics.     8.20.7.02  38cm x 38.5cm   10.21.7.02 37.5cm x 38cm 5.4.8.02 38cm x 38cm   1.22.6.02 38cm x 38cm   2.22.6.02 38cm x 38cm 2.22.7.02 38cm x 38cm Artist statement: My first formal training was in Architecture. Completing a degree at the University of Manitoba  I continued to practice architecture , with my own firm, for over 30 years. During this time, I also completed a degree in Fine Arts at the University of Saskatchewan in drawing and printmaking. I showed drawings and prints in commercial galleries for a number of years. My training is in the  'formalist' tradition. I work with the basic values of art. I expect the result to be attractive, emotional and touch at least my soul and hopefully yours. I had looked at clay for  some time, talked to  friends who were involved in it and thought  I would like to try it.  The earliest ventures were to draw designs I thought someone else could make. All of them were slab construction and that seemed to be my only interest. I did however buy a couple of pieces of equipment, a slab roller and a coil press even before I had any place  to put them. I guess this represents serious intent. The place to put them arrived when we built a place at Katepwa Lake in the Qu'Appelle Valley. This was 1989 and I set up a small studio in the basement and started to produce my first clay objects. Two raku workshops, one in Saskatoon and one in Calgary got me hooked. I liked the spontaneity and the immediacy of the technique, It was also something I could do  with the facilities I had. The Calgary workshop introduced me to electric kiln raku firing and  to reduction in a simple sand bed. These, and a few other workshops in Calgary and Edmonton are the total of my formal clay education. The rest of it is trial and error on my own. But the years of experience I have had in art and design ,both 2 and 3 dimensional, give me  the confidence to just do it. Whatever mistakes I make in the production or glazing techniques are just a part of the learning curve. The earliest pieces I made were fruit. Don Parker in Fort QuAppelle asked, 'where are the bowls', when he saw them. Bowls as such didn't interest me, but I did start to make a flat plate to hold one apple or one pear.  From there the plate became the center of my attention. Ceramic plates as a decorative and commemorative element have a long history. The variations are endless and I like the limitation that working in the same format and scale provides. I don't find it inhibits the expression at all. The imagery moves through a wide range of subject and artistic expression, as does the manipulation of the clay ground and surface. My years of working in the same area has allowed two things to occur which I feel are  significant to my work. The first is the development of glazes that could take the raku firing  and provide a full range of controlled color. The second  is to find techniques of applying  the glaze that allowed a more painterly application and result.  My work in clay is in many ways painterly. It is certainly part of the imagery and I find more and more ways to accomplish this  in the clay and glazes. The work recently is more 3 dimensional and the integration of my experience in different media is becoming more and more evident. I do it because I like it and I can. It gives me joy. I hope it will touch you.  goldsheep2

Wendy Parsons - Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan

Monster Tea Pot with cream and sugar    11"x 10"and 5"x 6     Two Dragon Jars      8"x 4" and 6"x 4"     Chicken       10"x  11"   "Poochy"  12"x 13"     "Come and Get Me"    6"x 6" Raku Jar     6"x 4" Raku Jar   6"x 5" Artist statement: I have a Master’s Degree in Museum Studies from the University of Leicester and a Fine Arts degree from the University of Regina with a major in painting.  But most of my clay experience happened outside of these two degrees.  The year that I finished my Fine Arts degree, David Gilhooly came to the University of Regina as a guest artist. So, I went back to take ceramics classes from him and then Joe Fafard. Then it was over to the University of Regina’s Extension Department where I took pottery classes for a couple of more years. But it was the funk movement, brought to Regina by David Gilhooly that always stayed with me.  The funk movement took the seriousness away from making ‘fine art’, I felt free. At last, I could make pieces that reflected my optimistic attitude. I don’t feel compelled to make earth-shattering pieces with deep meaning. My main compulsion is to express my joy in this wonderful world that we live in.  Humor is an important element in my work. I have always had a deep awe and love for our fellow creatures. Their attitudes and actions are endearing and hilarious to me.   I am always attempting to capture the feeling that animals give me in my pieces. Sometimes I make sculptures of my dog, a basset hound named Sam, as in my ‘Basset Chess Set’; but quite often I invent creatures.  Occasionally I will collaborate with my husband Zach Dietrich. He loves to throw and I love to sculpt. So I will alter and add to his thrown pieces to create ‘Monster Tea Pots’ and such. Zach and I have a studio in Moose Jaw were we make and sell our pieces.  We bought the ‘little church on the highway’ and have been there since 1980.  We feel fortunate to be able to make a living at something that we love.

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