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volume 30 No 4 DeCemBeR 2010 NeW ZeAlAND PoTTeRS’ NeWSleTTeR

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CERAMICSQUARTERLY

The Arts Foundation 2010 lAuReATe

JoHN PARKeR Ceramic Artist and Theatre Designer

“I subscribe to the well rounded aesthetic ideal, I guess. All the things I do relate, they are all visual. They all concern the drama of reactions to shape and colour and arrangement.” John Parker works as a potter, set and costume designer and film critic. He draws no distinction between his interests. “The same themes flow through your work and the same processes of stylisation, fine-tuning and attention to detail apply.” John Parker began his career in pottery aged 19. He learnt his skills through evening classes with margaret milne, helping build a kiln and joining potters’ cooperatives. He joined the World Crafts Council in 1969, studied at elam School of Fine Arts, Auckland university, and then travelled to england to study at the Royal College of Art in london. The College offered training in pottery based more on the european or Bauhaus philosophy of “form follows function”. Here, John gained a master of Fine Arts. He taught in the united Kingdom for a year before returning to New Zealand to take up the post as Director of the Auckland Studio Potters Centre. John has been involved as a juror on major ceramic exhibitions throughout New Zealand. Through this work, and his international connections, John has helped form the direction ceramics have taken within the country.John’s work has been exhibited around the world and is held in many collections. He now exhibits in close to three solo exhibitions within New Zealand annually, and

in many local and international group shows. He has received numerous commissions and won a number of awards for his ceramics, including: the Fletcher Brownbuilt Pottery merit Award (1979, 1980 and 1985). Merit Award - Royal Easter Show Pottery Awards and Merit Award - Hume Gas Award (1995). Birkehead licensing Trust Award and the Royal easter Show Western Potters Award (1998), Winner of Portage Awards John Green Waitakere Artist Award (2007 and 2009).At the same time as John was developing his interest in ceramics, he also became interested in theatre design, undertaking design briefs for theatre and musicals. Plays range from Hooters, Trumpets and Raspberries at Theatre Corporate, Auckland (1985) to Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Downstage Theatre Wellington (2000) to The Wife Who Spoke Japanese in her Sleep, Auckland Theatre Company (2009).“I have been toying with the idea of embarking on a PhD, probably through the Australian National university in Canberra,” he said.”I’m going to put it in the bank and only spend it on my education.”John Parker is an artist of formidable skill, a master designer of exquisite objects of great beauty and as such, he occupies a singular place of distinction in the world of craft/object art. From the outset, his extraordinary commitment to modern expressionism marked him out as the maverick that he is, his stance seeming like heresy as it flew in the face of New Zealanders’ then adherence to the more accepted anglo-oriental principles of that time. His continued dedication to the exploration of the possibilities of pure form (form as a means of engaging with function) is a position that has seen him both lead and influence developments in NZ ceramics throughout his career. His work is the very best of contemporary informed by classicism, presenting an elegant refinement of geometric form, combining precise technique with intellectual discipline and reinforced with a play on the treatment of surface.

Excerpt from the website: www.thearts.co.nzPhotos (and also the one of Barry’s “Kauri” on page 10) by Yuki Sato from the upcoming book “Playing With Fire (The ASP turns 50)”

Part of John’s Collection of Heroic Ceramic Pieces

Clark’s lane Bridge ProjectMatt McLean

Portage Ceramics Award 2010

WPA in JapanMargery Smith, Jeavons Baillie

Tracing early Brick-makersMike Rose

European Wood-firers ConferenceElena Renker

my erecturesBarry Brickell

The Big Smoke

NZSP News

The Safety Page

obituaryFrances Fredric

Around the Clubs

A Trip to ChinaDuncan Shearer

Schools Coming up

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Newsletter editor

PETER LANGE

16 Carrick Place, mt eden 1024

09 6306942

lange52@clear.net.nz

Copy and photosalways very welcome.

The opinions expressed by contributors and advertisers in this newsletter do not

necessarily reflect the views of the

New Zealand Society of Potters.

The NZSP offers members a chance to have their own web page on the web-site

for free!Info on the site:

www.nzpotters.com

CLARK’S LANE BRIDGE PROJECTMatt McLeanlast July, my wife Kate and I laid tiles we had made onto the deck of the new Clark’s lane foot/cycle bridge, over the new SH18 at Hobsonville. The bright yellow suspension bridge spanning 60m and linking North to South Hobsonville near Whenuapai Airforce Base was opened in october. A ceramic art work was considered a fitting acknowledgement of the early clay industries of the area from the 1860s (refer Dick Scott’s fascinating book: ‘Fire on the Clay’).I was invited by the design team to imbibe that history, then use it as a starting point, rather than slavishly portray that history.Their brief was quite eloquent:“The bridge also metaphorically holds the space between past and present by acknowledging the stories of the ‘clay’ landscape and industries. Passage across the bridge will be underpinned by the poetics of memory which is held within the land”.I began the project by visiting the site, scraped back to the bare clay at that stage. For a brief few weeks, the raw material of the old clay industry became a vast canvas, recording visually and through imprinted texture, evidence of the roadbuilding process itself. I photographed the clay surface over several visits, accumulating images and ideas. Surfaces that were a network of cracks one visit were pools of rain the next. The plastic clay recorded in perfect detail imprints from the wheels and tracks of earthmoving machines, their movements extending for miles in either direction.I thought too about the lines of communication being layered over each other. underground were drains and cables, then a vast motorway, over that a narrow footbridge, over that in turn the flight paths of aircraft. maps entered my thoughts and, again, layering - topographic, future subdivisions, weather maps, imagining the future shape of the area.I was confined to a 250mm wide strip along each edge of the deck for the full 60m span. It would be impossible to see more that a few metres at once, so I had to think in terms of sequences, fleeting images flashing by under bicycle handlebars, alongside sections suiting quiet contemplation

and close scrutiny. Contrasting tile lengths and varying the angles of the joins enabled us to play with the rhythm a little, and avoid monotonous right angled chopping. Similarities to film occured to me often. During my student years I had done a lot of experimental film and choreography and I frequently found myself transported back there in my mind. I thought in terms of movement and timing, sequences, editing and duration. Ideas that any potter would instinctively expand into 3 dimensions, were here constrained within a framed, 2 dimensional format. I later found these strict boundaries paradoxically enhanced the textured surfaces in some ways, giving them a sense of bubbling out of the flat surrounding concrete.From the start I had planned to involve Kate in the project, and her silkscreened printing skills enabled me to intersperse the diverse imagery of photography with the rich textures of embossed clay. She threw herself into the process, and before long we had too many photographic options, and our problem became how to limit them in order to keep the sequences coherent. Silk screened tiles were quicker to produce than many of the textured ones and, at one stage, threatened to overwhelm them in number, until a conscious thrust redressed the balance. Because we didn’t have a large enough workspace, we were never able to lay out the project in full, so the final sequencing had to happen at the time of laying. Being midwinter, this made the whole job pretty slow and arduous, although, in the long run, beneficial, as it enabled us to reconnect in our minds with the physical environment that inspired the project.For Kate and me, the project has been a chance to draw together various threads of our past – our various crafts, themes and imagery, cycling, even collaborating on one artwork, which we’d hardly done in 30 years, since our early big projects. The support and goodwill from Waitakere City staff and the way we were integrated into the bridge building was very impressive. The help we received from many in our local pottery community also was much appreciated. Another stage is to follow this one, with a more free-standing section on the approach at one end of the bridge. That happens early next year.

matt is an Auckland potter, well known for his wonderful

“stacked” sculptures. Kate (on bike below) is an art

teacher, silkscreen specialist and potter.

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NZ SOCIETY of POTTERS INC

MISSIONSTATEMENT

“To promote excellence in

ceramics in New Zealand”

NZSP operates in three key strategic

areas:

membership AimTo provide an

umbrella organisation for potters, pottery

clubs and associations in New Zealand

Promotion Aim

To encourage and promote awareness and appreciation of New Zealand

ceramics nationally and internationally.

History Aim

To keep historical records of New Zealand Potters,

National exhibitions, National and Regional publications and other nationally significant

events

Definition Potters are all people

involved in the production of fired works

produced from clay.

Kirsty Gardiner2010 Premier Award Winner

The Portage Ceramics Award 2010Stephen Bowers - Portage Award Judge

Depending on whom you talk to, the world is either getting smaller or is being enlarged by global communication, international information exchange and faster access. As guest judge, visiting from Adelaide South Australia, I came from ‘away’. It was not, however, a surprise for me to see entries dealing with familiar themes, like concern for the environment, homage to nature, respect for vessel tradition and personal expression in sculptural and figurative works. Perhaps New Zealand, like Australia, might see itself, in a moment of cultural cringe, as ‘isolated,’ but local content in ceramics has long reflected, or connected to, broader collective dialogue, and certain conceptual interests – in the environment, in the forms of organic nature or with the culture of man-made objects – are routinely encountered, as if shared by some form of conscious osmosis, amongst artists in locations as diverse as Toronto and Titirangi, Sydney and Shanghai. The Portage Awards has the advantage of assembling an open gathering of the current field, acting as a sort of attractor, a powerful magnifying lens and a focal point at which a field of entrants voluntarily identify themselves. The call for entries attracts a diverse self-described group of practitioners, ranging from the enthusiastic amateur and the semi-pro, to the life-long and polished professional. A significant New Zealand initiative, the Portage Ceramic Awards at Lopdell House Gallery also enjoys an international reputation. The Award is substantial, offering a premier prize supported by other levels of commendation, recognition and encouragement. This in itself is a generous and good thing, while the associated exhibition catalogue and event at Lopdell House Gallery gives the public a wonderful opportunity to experience a rich cross-section of current work and a chance to enter into the process of enjoyment and evaluation by adding their own ‘people’s choice’ selection to the awards. Judging is always challenging and can be a somewhat

ostracising and lonely process, yet I am enormously grateful to the sponsors, the participating artists and to the staff and organisers at Lopdell House Gallery for the opportunity. The experience has been a wonderful insight into key aspects of currency and thinking within New Zealand contemporary ceramics. As philosopher Richard Sennett says in his recent book The Craftsman, ‘making is thinking’ and in an exhibition so strongly positioned by the actions of making, there is plenty of thinking in evidence. I want to thank every one of the entrants, including those, who, though not represented in the final show, participated in the entry process. In making selections for this year’s Portage Ceramic Awards I brought to the task the hands and eyes of a maker and I found merit and dimensions of interest in every one of the entries. However I had to finally choose and in doing this I was left refreshingly free from the confines of narrow criteria and prescriptive categories. I spent time with the works to get an understanding and feel for each maker’s idea and intent and to evaluate their success and ability in handling of their chosen approach. It was a demanding yet rewarding process, where, for many hours, over a couple of days, I entered into a kind of interrogatory ‘conversation’ or deliberative, evaluative ‘interview’ with each of the works. As judge, and like the participating artists themselves, I had to weigh my materials carefully and make an essentially personal choice. my job has been done and my work is over, I can now join with the public (and the artists) in the appreciation and broader reading of the diverse techniques, materials, ideas and processes showcased within this year’s exhibition.

Stephen Bowers has been working in ceramics for over thirty years. For many years he was Head of the Ceramics Studio at the Jam Factory in Adelaide, South Australia, but now concentrates on his own studio work. Winner’s photograph by Chris Hoult

Kirsty Gardiner, who won the Premier Award of $15,000 has been making clay works for 25 years, but has never won anything in her life before. “my work is highly personal, so when my mother died suddenly two years ago, I knew her decorative jewellery would find its way into my work; I’m glad it did!” Judge, Stephen Bowers, says Kirsty Gardiner’s work won because it was distinctly imaginative and well realised. “It takes a classic vase-shaped urn and then, literally, opens it up, to reveal a strange and delicate inner world. It shows the narrative, illustrative side of clay. It is like a 3D illustration, a miniature model of a scene from surreal, perhaps slightly gothic and unsettling fantasy story. It references dreams, science, museums, laboratories, mummy jars, collections, nature and metamorphosis (amongst other things). It is quite an intriguing piece, like something straight out of an adult fairy tale.”

merit Awards went to:Greg Barron, Fertility Vessel

Georgina Caulton, Meet the FamilyKate Fitzharris, Some Things for the making

melissa Ford, Re(collection)Rhonda Jameson, Kai TimeDuncan Shearer, Albarelli

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WPA IN JAPANMargery Smith and Jeavons Baillie Photos by Jeavons Baillie

In May, five Wellington potters took an exhibition of twenty pots made by members to Sakai City in Japan for a combined exhibition with Sakai Potters Association to celebrate the tenth anniversary of their Association.We were grateful to Air New Zealand for their sponsoring the cost of freight transport and wish to thank them for their generosity.Arriving at osaka Kansai Airport, we were met by a group of Sakai potters and not having brought any pots for sale we were whisked off to the studio of Kazuyo Hiruma where we were put to work to make some. Feeling rather tired after our journey from New Zealand we did the best that we could.We took the first two weeks travelling through Japan with Shige ohashi as our guide, setting out the following morning taking the bullet train to Yamaguchi and a bus to Hagi where we stayed at Tomoe, a very upmarket modern but traditional Ryokan for two nights. The breakfasts and dinner consisted of twelve courses and were taken sitting on cushions at low tables. The mattresses we slept on were laid out on the tatami mats on the floor and rolled up and put away in a cupboard for the day.In Hagi we hired bicycles and rode around the old quarter and visited Hagi museum and also visited many pottery shops. At lunchtime we met the owner of the restaurant, Sam, who spoke excellent english and offered to take us to a pottery run by a friend the next day.on monday cycling through the rain we found that most of the museums were closed but after lunch we were taken by our new friend to the misty valley, very reminiscent of a Vincent Ward film, where uekusa and his wife operate his huge noborigama climbing kiln in which pots are glaze-fired for about thirty hours, unlike anagama which takes days. We drank excellent coffee with them and also bought their pottery. The next day we took the bus back to Yamaguchi, a bullet train to the western island, Kyushu and hired a rental car to Karatsu. That evening we had a meal of raw fish taken straight from a huge tank in the restaurant. The whole squid was alive gazing up and wriggling when it was cut up on the plate!For breakfast the following day we had a complete tofu meal, which was marvellous and I never realized how enjoyable tofu is if you know how to prepare it.Afterwards we visited the very modern Kyushu Ceramic museum containing wonderful pots, and a decidedly weird huge ceramic clock. The Shibata collection given by the family was spectacular. We then went on to the Kakiamen showrooms and then on to the very scenic okawachiyama, home of Imari ware. We passed over the river bridge totally decorated with shards of Imari ware and topped with huge vases. This was the entranceway to a valley of galleries selling both perfect pots and seconds and we had a wonderful time finding bargains.The following day we went to the gallery of Nukazata Taroemon and watched a video of his method of making paddle pots for which he is famous and then on to his almost industrial pottery with several noborigama kilns. After which we set out for the hot springs area of Yufuin by way of onta, which was a very pretty village with many

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further clay bodies to follow

Water driven clay stamper working on local clay, Onta. A dozen or so in this

small village produced a delightful back ground

sound in the valley

Imperial Palace, Kyoto

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NZ PoTTeRS IncCoNTACT DeTAIlS

individual family potteries, most having their own kilns but some shared stamper-type batteries for their clay preparation. These were huge wooden beams counterbalanced with water, crashing down on mounds of hard clay to pulverise it. The area was noted for a chattered or jumping tool design on its slipware. We spent so long there that it was after dark when we arrived at the quaint Ryokan Higashiya in unohira, too late to explore the vicinity before dinner.We had a huge twelve course dinner and walked down the waterfall and rock strewn ravine to walk the meal off. Dressed suitably in the hakata supplied we proceeded to the naturally heated hot spa bath, too hot to sit in for long, before retiring. The next day we retraced the walk of the previous evening down a very narrow winding lane bordered by little houses and more spa hotels.We left the car at Hakata and leaving Kyushu caught the fast train to okayama and barely having time to leave our bags at the hotel rushed off to Kurashiki, a lovely old picturesque town with beautiful buildings.on the following day we caught a train to Bizen, a very touristy small town with kilns, pottery shops and galleries. There was a good museum showing old Bizen pots and another more commercial museum shop above the railway station. Next day we visited Nagoya castle, which had been rebuilt in 1959 after being bombed in 1945 and afterwards visited several museums.We spent several hours in the Seto museum the following very hot day, and then walked for what seemed like miles up to a museum showing how old Seto potters worked and lived. There was a noborigama kiln built with forty chambers but now with only four. The area is still noted for its pottery but is much more commercialised without the individual potters. We saw a video in the museum on how things used to be. Walking up to the museum the pathways were bordered with piles of old kiln shelves props and saggars used to make

very attractive walls.Kyoto was our destination later that day and our hotel was in the Gion, Geisha area. Whilst in Kyoto we visited the Imperial Palace in the morning and Ryoanji Temple for a tofu lunch and contemplated in its Zen raked gravel garden which was established in the sixteenth century. later in the afternoon we went to Nanzen-ji and the associated sub-temples and gardens.We then caught an early train the next day to Kanazawa and spent most of a rather rainy day in the wonderful 21st Century Contemporary Art museum. In the evening we all enjoyed a huge crab dinner.Whilst staying in Kanazawa we visited Kutani pottery centre and museum and spent the afternoon in the vast garden called Kenrokuen which is famous for its beauty and then walked to the Ishikawa Prefectural museum of Art where we saw wonderful incense burners by Nonomura Ninsei in the shape of pheasants gloriously decorated in enamel. We were disappointed that several of the rooms were not in use so we repaired to their very smart restaurant for a lavish and lengthy afternoon tea with cakes to dispel our sorrows.on our last day before our return to Sakai we visited the charming Nishida Family garden, Gyokusen-en, an 1,800 sq m moss garden centred around a pond and tea house and a textile centre where we spent quite a lot of time and cash and just managed to catch the train to Sakai with 2 minutes to spare. Japanese trains are so punctual.This journey took us five hours altogether and when we arrived we were whisked away by the Sakai Potters to a reception at a hotel, all feeling a bit grubby from our travels. There were a great many speeches by officials and Jeavons replied on our behalf. We were introduced to our host families and also met up with Julie who had come for the Sakai part of our trip. Before we left we were given presents of pots made by the Sakai potters.on Sunday we helped set up the exhibition

President: Wally Hirsh09 521 5714027 23 05028wandahirsh@orcon.net.nz

vice President Anneke Borren04 233 2047annekeborren@gmail.com

Secretary/Treasurer:Anita BarlassPO Box 12-1182Henderson 0560, Auckland027 2430486anitaj.barlass@xtra.co.nz

Immediate Past President:Janet Smith07-827 1888oakford@xtra.co.nz

REGIONAL COUNCILmemBeRS

Auckland:Jo-Anne Raill021 1271833mraill@ihug.co.nz

Central:Duncan Shearer07 843 3706duncan@duncanshearer.co.nz

Northland:Joyce Fischer09 439 5469dojofish@ww.co.nz

Wellington:mal Sole04 479 4145jan.mal@xtra.co.nz

Nelson/marlborough:Paul laird03 548 5162laird@xtra.co.nz

Canterbury/WestlandAnu Pratap03 3543514harsh@xtra.co.nz

otago/SouthlandJosephine Waring03 482 1316dj.paintpot@xtra.co.nz

Steering Committee members:

Peter Scottpeter.scott3@gmail.co.nzlinda Holloway1.holloway@xtra.co.nz

Old shogun house, Kotoji Museum near Karatsu

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comprised of our twenty pots and a larger body of outstanding work by the Sakai group. It was opened at 1pm with more speeches. This time we were prepared and wore our, though crumpled, best! This was followed by a lecture given by mr morino Taimei, a prominent ceramist, in Japanese. Although we had an interpreter it was difficult to follow. Shige then gave a lecture with slides showing his experiments with crystalline glazes and also oil spot and immaculate painting and glazing.During the following week we were taken by the council to Nanshui Temple, mizuno knife foundry, a huge new sports training centre for amateurs and the 15 year old garbage (including furniture) incinerator which consumes 400 odd tonnes a day producing 12 mW of electricity and heat for a sports complex, all very efficient. We were also taken to the Archive museum showing that Sakai originally was a huge centre for pottery and there had been a great many kilns until the area ran out of wood after which pottery making ceased and Arita and Imari took over. We met the mayor and exchanged gifts. We each received a glass paper weight encasing a laser made image of a lighthouse, the oldest wooden one in Japan.The Sakai Potters were very generous and took us for a 15-hour trip for a 2-hour visit to Chichu Art museum, on Naoshima Island near okayama. The part of the trip by boat was not unlike travelling through the marlborough Sounds. The museum was under a mound and designed by Tadao Ando, a very famous architect. I found it depressing with its concrete walls and bunker style and the exhibits were few: five Claude Monet paintings of his water lily pond at Giverny, and four installations by Walter demaria and James Turrell. Signage was at a minimum. There were only four signs with text and Jeavons was delighted to find that even the sanitary porcelain was devoid of brand labelling, very unusual in Japan. However the walk up to the gallery was very attractive and based on monet’s garden with all the early summer flowers. The outlook from the café and terrace was delightful, overlooking a luxury boat marina and out to the inland sea.on another day we were taken to Kyoto and visited two dealer galleries, the Raku tea bowl museum and Kawai Kanjiro’s house (1890-1966) where he lived and worked. We were given a lavish lunch sponsored by a wealthy SPA member, at a small traditional restaurant frequented by artists,

surrounded by wonderful pottery in Gion. Our meal was served in lacquer boxes, a new experience.The sale day was at Dotoan, in a lovely old house set in a very pretty Japanese garden. There the Sakai Potters set out their work for sale and we saw the end product of the pots that we had made three weeks earlier. They had been glazed and fired and we were encouraged to sell them. lesley’s probably turned out the best and achieved quite a high price but mal, Shige and I also sold some work. Jeavons made a present of his single work.on the last Sunday afternoon we went back to Kitanoda Hall, the exhibition building and spoke about the process of making our exhibition pieces and then they were given either to our host families or Sakai Potters members. A farewell party with buffet meal and drinks followed this, and we can’t thank the Sakai Potters Association enough for everything that they did for us.All these activities were interspersed with trips and meals with our host families, which I can’t go into as I only have experience of the lovely couple who hosted me. mal and Julie stayed with potters and Jeavons, lesley and I with members of the Sakai Association. our hosts took time to ferry us to the various functions and other interesting sites and spent a great deal of time to make our visit enjoyable. We can’t thank them enough.lastly I would like to thank Shige for the organisation of the first two weeks of our trip. If it had not been for him we would never have found the interesting places that he took us to and the wonderful enjoyable meals. We were probably difficult to please sometimes and he was very patient and we thank him so much.

Pots by Sue Newitt, Nelson

SOUTH STREET GALLERY10 Nile Street

Nelson

www.nelsonpottery.co.nz

WeBmASTeRLAWRENCE EWING

1015 ellis RdFive Rivers

R.D.3, lumsdenNorth Southland

Ph 03-248-6068e-mail lewing@

woosh.co.nz

TRACING EARLY BRICK MAKERS (with help from our neighbours and customers) Mike Rose

Soon after I joined morris and James Pottery, 25 years ago, Anthony morris pointed out a pile of broken bricks on the northern boundary, and explained that someone at some time must have manufactured bricks on this site, but he had no idea who or when. I have always had strong interest in the history of technology, so I resolved to find out as much information as I could about the circumstances under which the bricks were made.matakana’s local historian, mavis Roke, was able to provide a starting point. One George Manners

made the bricks in the early 1860s, but his enterprise did not prosper and soon closed down. George was the eldest son of the better-known local brick maker, John manners, whose activities had given the name “Brick Bay” to a small inlet near the mouth of the matakana River. John had used a beehive shaped kiln of Cornish design; his brickworks had begun in the 1840s and continued for 20 years.I was able to find out how bricks were made at that time from Ian Crum - the grandson of a nineteenth century brick maker. From 1988 to 1991 he was a technical consultant to morris and James. He had been present at the excavation of the site of Dr Daniel Pollen’s 1852 brick works in Avondale, and was particularly interested in the foundations of a pug

7

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WRITE FOR MORE DETAILS TO: FURNACE ENGINEERING (1986) Ltd435 RAZORBACK ROAD RD2POKENO 1872PHONE: (09) 233 6690FAX: (09) 233 6693EMAIL: fekiln@ihug.co.nzwww.furnace-eng.co.nz

mill powered by a horse gin. These machines were used to temper the clay and extrude it through a rectangular die. A suitable sized piece known as a “clot” was then wire-cut and pushed into a wooden mould to form the brick. Pollen is known to have imported pug mills from england.I contacted historian Jack Diamond, who had been studying brick-making sites in the Auckland area for over thirty years. I just wanted some indication of which features of the brick works could still be visible, but the following day, out of the blue, he turned up at the pottery, and we visited the site together. It was bisected by a fence separating morris and James’s land from that of our neighbour to the north, Don Tucker. The fence was electric, as Jack discovered to his cost in his eagerness to reach the bricks. Don explained that the bricks were embedded in the river bank and were only revealed when a previous owner of the property, Joseph Anderson, made a cutting into the bank to form a slipway for his boat. The fact that the bricks were in the bank rather than dumped in the river, I initially found curious. However a comparison of the present shape of the river bank with a survey carried out in 1852 showed that the river is now considerably lower than it was then, and the bricks would indeed have originally been in the water. Pieces of coking coal, obviously intended for the kiln, were mixed up with the bricks. Jack pointed out a circular depression in the ground that may have been the site of a pug mill. There was no clue to the location of the kiln. The bricks have a distinctive mottled appearance, with colours ranging from deep pink to white. This indicates that the makers obtained their clay from near the surface of the deposit. Here the clay has dried and cracked by weathering, allowing air to oxidize the iron compounds which have leached out and migrated downwards, leaving paler clay behind. The regular pattern of the mottle suggests a mechanical means of comminution, such as a pug mill. lucy Phillips was an early settler who had seen John manners brick works in 1855. In old age she wrote: “Johnson’s Point separated Snell’s Beach from a bay north of it, but outside the river mouth. People were occupied at a brick works in a small bay known as Brickyard Bay or manners Bay. mr. manners, a member of an eminent english family, had a brick works there. There was a hotel, a store, a boarding house run by mr. and mrs. Kecket. mrs. Kecket also kept a Post Office at her home in Brickyard Bay.” (one of the brick makers was a James Smith, who later drowned). It seems possible that Brickyard Bay (now known as Brick Bay) was a mainland service center for the Kawau Island copper mines that were operating at this time. many Cornish miners were employed there, and manners’ kiln may have followed a “Cornish design” because one of the miners had built it for him. Dr. Daniel Pollen was medical officer for the mining company in 1847, and it is intriguing to speculate whether he and manners swapped information about brick making. Brick Bay today is a council reserve adjoining a

vineyard and sculpture garden. A creek at one end has a small deposit of fairly plastic chocolate brown clay. This clay would appear to have been formed by surface weathering since the last ice age and is quite different in character from matakana clay, which the NZ Geological Survey describes as dating from the Haweran period (10000 – 340000 years ago). I made up a wall display of the information I had gleaned, and put it up in our showroom. one day, I noticed a customer reading it with unusual interest. She introduced herself as Joy manning, great great grand daughter of John manners, and later she filled in some details of his life. He was born in 1806, in lincolnshire near the Humber estuary. By profession he was a railway contractor (in which a knowledge of brick making would have been very useful) and had business interests in the Far east. He spent his later years as a prominent member of the methodist movement, both in Auckland and the Thames goldfields, and died in 1883.During the 1850s John manners must have returned to england, because he arrived back in Auckland aboard the “Tornado” in 1859, accompanied by his wife Elizabeth, sons George, Timothy and Hedley, and a daughter also named elizabeth. Another passenger on the ship was Alexander Campbell, who formed a close friendship with George. It is thanks to the survival of a letter dated June 1864, from Campbell to his family back in Scotland that we know the exact date when George went into the brick-making business on the future site of morris and James. Campbell wrote: “last week, my neighbour, mr. manners, came and asked me to look after his cattle and place. He and his family have gone down the river and started a brick works as this is a most paying business at present. He is a Yorkshire man, a Wesleyan preacher and a very decent family altogether.”more information about early brick makers was gained from another of our customers, who introduced herself as margaret Roberts – a descendant of Henry Cowan (1817 – 1873). Cowan was a contemporary of John manners who made

continued p13

8

ELena is a graduate of the Diploma in Ceramic Arts

programme who hasdeveloped an interest inwood-fired shino glazes.

She recently built her owndutch-oven wood kiln which

fires like a dream.

EUROPEAN WOOD-FIRE CONFERENCE 2010

Elena Renker

In September this year was the first ever European wood-fire conference which took place in the eastern part of Germany. Being German myself, I thought it was a wonderful opportunity to combine a visit home with the chance to learn more about wood firing as I have only recently build my own kiln. The first question that comes to mind, my mind anyway, is why have a wood fire conference in the very east of Germany right by the Polish border? Growing up in what used to be known as the West I had never been to east Germany. In fact, I did not really know anything about the place. Still suffering from jet lag I started out from Cologne via Dortmund, Hamburg and then headed east. The first thing I noticed was the absence of cars. West German motorways are so congested that the traffic barely moves at times. Yet here there was hardly a car to be seen. What a treat! A good road, no traffic, no speed limit .... enough of that!East Germany is in many ways not very different to New Zealand. Both places were very isolated and had to rely on their own initiative. While the isolation in New Zealand was of a geographical nature, in East Germany it was political. I have been told that it was almost impossible to buy anything under the GDR. One lady told me that she had to wait 9 years for the delivery of an electric kiln that she had ordered! So people had to come up with very creative solutions to their problems. Apart from untold very strange looking, home-made electric kilns and wheels, a wood-fired kiln was the obvious answer. Bricks were easy to get and wood was cheap. So there are probably more wood-fired kilns in this area than anywhere else in Germany! Also, because of the closed borders and the lack of imports potters could sell their work very easily with customers waiting for kilns to be opened. Being a potter was a profitable profession until the wall came down! Now the area has an almost deserted feel. The cities are empty and a lot of people have moved to the West in search of jobs. And potters struggle in the same way as anywhere else in the world!The conference started with a series of workshops. I chose to do a firing workshop with Paul Davis, an Australian potter who spend many years studying in Japan. The workshop was wonderful. We stayed at the house of the German potter Markus Boehm. He lives in a very large

traditional farm house in the middle of nowhere near one of the many lakes. like so many other potters in the area he produces fairly traditional salt glazed wares while his wife, Ute, makes crystalline glazed pots. Markus fires in a bourri box kiln that Steve Harrison build for him. We spend 4 days glazing pots, loading and firing the kiln, watching Paul demonstrate his Japanese throwing techniques and listening to Paul’s stories until late at night. We had a great time and learned a lot!The conference proper started straight after the workshops. It took place in what is called Castle Broellin, but it is really more like an old, fairly run-down, farming estate near the small town of Pasewalk, 20 km from the Polish border. Apart from a large dormitory for the participants there was a kitchen, a dining hall, a couple of lecture theatres, a movie theatre and plenty of large barns for throwing demonstrations, a couple of exhibitions, kiln building workshop etc. And there was a large bonfire every night, thank goodness! It seemed to be the only chance to get warm. This was supposed to be summer but it was colder and wetter then an Auckland winter!There was a large representation of Australian potters present at the conference. owen Rye, Robert Barron, Steve Harrison, Paul Davis and Janet Mansfield who officially opened the conference as well as the delegates’ exhibition. It was great to see wood-fired pots from all over the world. The main topic of the conference was wood-firing and the environment. How does it affect our carbon footprint? Can wood-firing be justified? I was surprised to learn that wood firing actually releases far less carbon then other forms of firing. A tree absorbs a certain amount of carbon during its lifetime which is released back into the atmosphere as the tree breaks down. Burning it just speeds up the process but does not release any more carbon. And as most potters use only waste wood for their firings rather than cutting down living trees, wood-firings do not actually leave a carbon footprint. Electric or gas fired kilns on the other hand do far more damage to the environment. But the thing that wood-firers do have to worry about is the public perception of wood-firing. Seeing thick black smoke billowing out of a chimney will create an illusion of pollution which will upset many people and might lead to council restrictions. Paul Davis calls this viagra firings, the need to have the biggest kiln, the blackest smoke and the longest flame out of the chimney! But it is possible to fire a wood kiln with good reduction and hardly any smoke or flame through good kiln design and careful stoking. This is something we should all aim for. But I must admit that while I try to avoid big plumes of black smoke if possible when I fire my kiln, I do find a good flame coming out of the chimney immensely satisfying. You just know that all is well when there is a nice orange flame reaching into the night sky! There were also talks about the state of wood-fired ceramics in many places of the world, presentations by owen Rye, Steve Harrison, lowell Baker, masakasu Kusakabe, marc lancet, Frederic olson, Robert Barron and many others. And there were constant movie screenings, several wood-firings and raku firings, throwing demonstrations and a kiln building competition happening.But the thing that impressed me the most was an experiment by a group of students. The plan was to build 10 small identical anagama type kilns, load them with identical pots and fire them with different types of european wood to see the effect the different ash had on the pots. The wood for each kiln was split into same sized pieces and weight to ensure that each kiln would be fired with the same amount of wood. There was oak, beech, birch, elm, chestnut, elder, pine, maple, lime and fir. The kiln were all fired for 24 hours, each linked to an oxyprobe and pyrometer with a strict firing schedule

Far right:

Ten identical mini-anagama kilns

Ten different results

Near right:

One of the Big Smokes

Below:

Markus Boehm’s house

9

to ensure that all firings were as similar as possible. Of course there were some differences as some woods were hardwood and others very soft, some burned faster and some hotter. The pots all looked quite different. The chestnut had the most spectacular result, a light grey with streaks of yellow on white clay, an ochre color on the darker clay. The elm, the maple ash was also quite grey while the elder bush produced an almost blue finish. Very beautiful but most impractical to think about firing a whole anagama on just elder! But it was really the good old pine that produced the nicest and richest brown tones. I was surprised to see that - it seems so ordinary. I mean, it is only pine! What I also found very interesting was to see the different colors of the ash. They ranged from red, blue, green and yellow to white, grey and black. It was really interesting to see what a difference the type of wood used in a firing can make. The opening of the kilns was one of the highlights of the conference and there was such a crowd of people that it was hard to get a look. Finally, in good German orderly fashion we all moved around the kilns in one direction on the command: “everyone, one step to the right now, please!” Well, it worked and we all got the chance to see each kiln result and take pictures.Attending this conference has been an amazing experience for me. So much listening, talking, meeting, looking and learning, so many interesting people, so many beautiful pots, so many ideas! So much to digest! It may take a while!

Potluck at ASP

Put out by the ASP Committee in response to demands for some of the amazing recipes that turn up each day at the Centre, this fund-raising cookbook contains 75 recipes sent in by ASP members, from morning-tea fare to main courses. It contains the easiest, truly yummy fudge recipe around. At $15 it’s perfect for Christmas.

Available from the ASP Centreor by post ($16.50 includes p&p).

Send cheques to:ASP, Box 13195 onehunga

or email asp@ceramics.co.nz we have internet banking.

Stocks are limited and they are selling very quickly

Below: Anneke Borren holding one of Elena Renker’s wood-fired shino platters at the ASP Annual Exhibition “Fire and Clay”

10

NZSP HOMEPAGE

www.nzpotters.com

e-mail addressinfo@nzpotters.com

My “Erectures”Barry Brickell

over the past 6 or 7 years, I have been involved with the creation of three very large terracotta “erectures”. I cannot use the old-fashioned word “sculpture” for something that has been built-up rather than carved-out.* Work started May 2004. The first of

these was “matua uku ora” (nature’s ceramic guardian) inspired by the kauri. Its terracotta trunk consists of five sections totalling 7.2m tall. Atop this is a hand-beaten copper “bough” containing a garden in which a native kamahi and rata are growing. Above this, corten steel branches form the crown topped by a glass “cone” made by our glass-blower. As the plants grow over the years, they will come to resemble a kauri crown. This work is permanently located in the adjacent Driving Creek Wildlife Sanctuary. It took over two years to make and erect, and is equipped with an internal water supply for the plants and electric cable for night-time LED colour light displays.my next project was started in 2006 after I received an invitation to exhibit an outdoor work at the 2008 “Sculpture-on-Shore” show at the former Fort Takapuna site with magnificent views across the gulf to Rangitoto, Auckland’s most recent

volcano. So I made a volcano in terracotta, its size dictated by the dimensions of my trolley kiln chamber. It was a hell of a job getting inside the increasingly higher coiled walls and squeezing my arms and legs between gaps, so I used a ladder and stools to work from as the damn thing got taller. The top was truly awkward with little light, small space and hot air wafting up from the glass furnace just below, threatening to crack it on one side. But it fired with wood satisfactorily in mid-2008, but basal cracks had to be repaired with coloured cement. I made a series of terracotta birds, suspended by chains from curved steel rods to “fly” above the three animated vents on top of the volcano that would move when eruptions take place. At

the exhibition it erupted from time to time, using an electrically operated fog machine inside, but although it attracted much attention, it failed to sell, so is installed back here in my courtyard.The third and latest project is “The Weed” (photo in the last CQ), a 4.1m tall terracotta erecture, the collaborative work of three of us. Taking another two years to realise, it is based on the form of a weed, or attractive botanical vandal that grows on my hills beside the railway. erik omundson and I made its three coiled sections and Paul maseyk painted his story line in coloured slips entwining it. I engaged a truck and hiab crane to install it at the

2010 Sculpture-on-Shore exhibition. Again it failed to sell so is now re-installed at my courtyard here. But everyone here is happy to have it back again. I might add that this is a lesson - works exhibiting “indigeneity” are less likely to appeal than those of a more sophisticated nature. But I will not be changing my style!All three of these works are made from our local clay, using the coiling process and fired in our wood-burning trolley kiln. No. 4 will be a hollow rimu trunk with internal stairway and caked in epiphytes, ferns and vines. You may need to wait until my fractured wrist heals and my right leg has got rid of its skin-peeling eczma, but the doctor says I should make it for the three figures, 25 years hence and that Letter from imperial Head Office.Cheers,BarryPS. congratulations, incidentally to Helen mason, still active and with only four more years to go, before she gets her letter.

Detail of “Matua Uku Ora”

“Volcano” with fog machine on full throttle

Barry with “Matua Uku Ora”

* I recall being told by an Art Teacher (who, strangely enough, was Irish) that the best way to make a sculpture of an elephant was to get a big block of stone, and chip off all the bits that don’t look like an elephant. Ed.

11

Win a book!

Send in the best photograph of a potter or a pot or pottery

activity you’ve ever taken. We’ll put the best of

them into this newsletter and by the time the 2011 Conference comes around we’ll have a prize for the

winner - a copy of the ASP publication “Playing With Fire” coming out in April.

Digital only,preferably 300dpi, full colour (we’ll keep a

space on a colour page); we’ll need information

about the subject and the photographer.

lange52@clear.net.nz

The Big SmokeAuckland

April 1st - 3rdStop press! Cancel that trip to Paris in the spring and come to Auckland instead.

There is so much happening: Workshops, exhibitions, Book launch … it’s worth coming for a week or more.

Registrations are now open for the conference - these can be downloaded from our website. Hard copies of the conference registration form and the NZP National exhibition entry form are available from your local pottery centre.

www.unitec.ac.nz/unitec/conferences/the-big-smoke

Recent updates

1. Bring, Buy, Sell or Swap table.on Sunday there will be an opportunity to recoup some of your conference expenses. Bring along some of your work to sell or swap with others.

2. The Saturday night dinner has been upgraded to a white table affair. This is still on-site and will be under canvas. There will be live music, the unveiling of a special kiln and a mouth-watering dinner menu.

3. Guest speakers are lined up, as well as many demonstrators from around the world. The content of the lectures will be on the website after February. Already these are looking very interesting, with a real international flavour.

Bus Tours

Friday’s Big Bus Tour 1st April Only $20All aboard ‘Doris’ the double decker bus for our Friday afternoon gallery tour. .leaving from the unitech campus after the Powhiri.The tour will stop at ‘Pah Homestead’ where you can have lunch (BYo or use their cafe) while perusing the Wallace Arts Trust collection.Then to Auckland city to visit Gus Fisher Gallery, Masterworks, Whitespace, Objectspace and Art Station. All galleries are working in conjunction with Big Smoke 2011 Pottery Conference.

Monday’s Big Bus Tour 4th April Only $30Heading up north to Warkworth and matakana. Highlights include morris and James, matakana galleries and Brick Bay Sculpture Walk. Food, beverages and park entry fees are not included but food can be bought at any of the gourmet cafes on the way. Please indicate your interest in the bus trips by emailing us at thebigsmoke2011@gmail.com before the 30th of January.

NZ Potters’ Exhibition Saturday 2nd – Saturday 23rd April

Mt Eden Village Centre in the heart of Mt EdenOpening Friday 1st April 7.30pm

opening 1st AprilIt’s no joke – this year’s National exhibition will be held in a church, not the church hall, but amongst the pews (actually we will move the pews). We are delighted to have one of the new Arts laureates, John Parker, as our selector and his vision and theatrical strengths should help to make this a really exciting show. We have heard from a few members worried about coming to Auckland; sure, there are dreadful stories about the motorway and Auckland traffic, but in many ways Auckland is a bunch of villages tucked around loads of volcanoes, we have the conference on the side of one, mt Albert, and the exhibition on the side of another, mt eden. You really can avoid the motorways (should you wish to) and the bus services to mt eden and mt Albert from the CBD are easy to use. Bus timetables and maps will be in the conference registration packs and you can ask any of the friendly ASP and unitec hosts about how to get around. Mt Eden is a great location for the exhibition; it’s an area with a reputation for being the home of many artists, and generous in its sponsorship of the arts. The mt eden village Centre is nicely tucked amongst some of Auckland’s best cafes and there are bookshops, pubs and restaurants too, so it’s a lively bustling location with good foot traffic for promoting ceramics to a wider audience.So get working on your entries for this exhibition - it will be in a unique venue with a big audience and because it will be the first major exhibition in this renovated church there will be a lot of media interest.

THE BIGSmoKeAuCKlAND 2011

12

Reasons for Belonging to the NZSPAnneke Borren NZSP has a history of nearly 50 years as the only national studio ceramics organisation, co-ordinating potters, ceramic artists, pottery clubs and interested public across the country. It has official “clout”, having developed a government-recognised brand and a valued international reputation. NZSP is the umbrella organisation with a unified voice to government agencies, arts organisations, galleries, auction houses, museums and collectors and to educational, tourism and cultural groups. Its networking enables around 42 local pottery clubs to have one unified voice to all of the above. NZSP is the logical channel for connection to clay-art people in other countries, with information, education, exhibition and product exchanges – through both importing and exporting.

NZSP through the main centres’ clubs, arranges New Zealand’s major clay conferences around its AGMs and concurrent annual national exhibitions. NZSP provides incremental benefits to everyone, the more it attracts direct society membership, or affiliated club memberships. NZSP publishes the nationwide newsletter Ceramics Quarterly to keep up-to-date social and technical contact with all those involved or interested in studio pottery and ceramic art. NZSP works in concert with the New Zealand Ceramic Heritage Trust to archive the unique history of our studio pottery movement through a national collection of pottery and its associated artefacts, plus books, magazines, photographs, films, videos, oral histories and newspaper items. The current and growing collection of these forms the basis of a future national ceramics museum.

like any incorporated society, the greater the subscribing membership,

the greater the benefits for all.

NZSP Committee/Delegates

From left, standing: Anu Pratap: Canterbury/Westland Peter Scott: Steering Committee,

Auckland.

Sitting: President Wally Hirsh: Auckland:Vice President Anneke Borren:

Wellington,Jo-Anne Raill: Auckland

Anita Barlass: Secretary/Treasurer Auckland,

Mal Sole: Wellington

Absent:Duncan Shearer: CentralJoyce Fischer: Northland

Paul Laird: Nelson/Marlborough Josephine Waring: Otago/Southland

From the PrezWally Hirsh O.B.E.

late in october we had a very productive meeting of the National executive here in Auckland. Sadly, Regional Council reps, Joyce Fischer from Northland and Josephine Waring from otago/Southland were unwell and could not attend and one of our vice Presidents, Duncan Shearer was on a potting mission in China. However 8 of us made it and we had a busy and productive 48 hours together. Two days after the meeting I took off to escort another trip overseas; this time Adele and I took18 folk to vietnam and Cambodia. We had a great time and have just returned. The beauty of it all has been somewhat shattered by the twin tragedies of the Pike River mine disaster where 29 good men lost their lives and the terrible events in Phnom Penh where we were two weeks, and where some 350 people lost their lives in a human stampede during the water festival celebrations. Hundreds more were injured. How sad these events have been. our thoughts go out to the bereaved families on the Coast and in Cambodia.And despite it all life must go on and it does. As I write this, many of you will be deeply involved in end of year activities, some indeed of the pottery kind as we are here in Auckland. Next weekend is the biggest event of the year for all those involved with ASP (Auckland Studio Potters) and we wish them well for their Big Clay Day out (BCDo). And even after that event the show still goes on. We will clear up from that and all of our energies will go into the lead up months to the next annual exhibition and conference for members of NZSP. That’s you! Yes you!This issue of Ceramics Quarterly carries news about this big event opening in Auckland at the end of march. You can find out more at our website www.nzpotters.com and at the conference website:www.unitec.ac.nz/unitec/conferences/the-big-smoke2011 will be a big year in Auckland. We want our exhibition to be big too, really big. We want to be able to boast about a record showing by members in the exhibition. Please make a commitment now. my appeal goes out to you all but has a special barb in it for our more senior members. Please let us see you entered in the 2011 members’ exhibition. like you haven’t been for several years now. We need you to be there.meanwhile I know that many of you will be looking to some summer holidays and extra time with family and friends. No matter how you celebrate at this time of the year, I wish you well. may your summer be relaxed, (after you have made your exhibition pots that is), and safe. The exec members join me in wishing you well over the festive season and all the best for 2011.

13

Visit www.nzpotters.comwhere the Wellington Potters Association an-

nual exhibition for 2010 ‘Ceramicus 10’ is now

on-line. Congratulations to Sue Scobie for winning the Premier Award for this

exhibition.

Plus ....The Auckland Studio

Potters Annual exhibition is also now available for viewing. Rick Rudd took away the Premier Award

for this show.

Not exactly our members, but those of you who

knew the CPA gallery in marshall St, london can now visit this website toview their new gallery:

Contemporary Ceramics Centre

63 Great Russell Street, london WC1B 3BF

020 7242 9644Mon-Sat, 10.30am-6pm

www.contemporaryceramics.

blogspot.com

Our Members Are Exhibiting

Potters Clay The Clay People

Potters Clay manufactures 30 specialist clays for both professional and hobby potter. We pride ourselves on prompt delivery to anywhere in NZ.

Earthenware: Rich red to pale buff pink. Seven varieties to choose from.

Stoneware: Pale grey to cream and light browns. Sixteen to choose from.

White clays: Pure whites. Seven varieties to choose from.

Dry powder clays and liquid casting slips.

Please contact us for a brochure or for information on our products:42 Quarantine Road, PO Box 2096, Stoke, Nelson

Phone: 03 547 3397 Fax: 03 547 5704 E-mail: pottersclay@xtra.co.nz

NZSP CONFERENCE OR WORKSHOP SCHOLARSHIP

INTRODUCTIONThis award is for the amount of $750 and is intended to be sufficient for a member to travel to Australia and take part in a ceramics conference or workshop there; or, alternatively, it could be used towards travel to a conference or workshop further afield.Applications for the award can be made on the official application form which is available on our Website (nzpotters.com)

OBLIGATIONS:The award is for $750 and this must be spent on attending a ceramics conference or workshop in Australia or other country.Applications must be submitted on the official form and should reach the Secretary by Jan 30th 2011 (by email to anitaj.barlass@xtra.co.nz)The successful applicant will be required to write an article about their experience for Ceramics Quarterly within 3 months of their return.Applicants must be a NZ citizen, a financial member of the NZSP and a practising potter.The selection made will be final and no correspondence will be entered into.The grant must be taken up within 12 months of its allocation.

bricks at Cowan Bay on the mahurangi River. Jack Diamond had explored the site of Cowan’s brick works in 1981 and came to the conclusion that the brick kiln was a round one built from rammed earth. He was interested to learn of the tradition that Manners had used a “beehive-shaped” kiln and drew my attention to the design for a round rammed earth kiln built by a brick maker from Kent in 1845. There is also an oral tradition that Daniel Pollen used a round kiln (the usual shape for brick kilns would be rectangular). The date of Cowan’s brick works can be inferred from the fact that he used his own bricks to build “The Wallace Hotel” on Lot 25 Wakefield Street Auckland. He applied for a publican’s license in respect of this building in 1853, but was refused.So why did George Manners’ anticipated “most paying business” come to a premature end? It would seem to have had several advantages: flat land, extensive deposits of accessible clay, and a

from p7 navigable river to bring in the coal and take out the finished bricks. Large numbers of British troops were in Auckland, about to be sent to the wars in the Waikato, so a building boom would be expected. Perhaps it was the timing that was wrong. After all, two years previously, in 1862, the laurie brothers in Karangahape Road were making bricks using steam powered machinery. The days of hand made bricks were over.

The ASP publication “Playing With Fire” to be launched at the Big Smoke Conference in April - the next newsletter will have details of a discounted pre-order price for NZSP members.

14

one page:$150 per issue

$500 per 4 issues

Half page: $100 per issue$350 per 4 issues

Third page: $80 per issue$275 per 4 issues

Classified$5 per column cm

ADVERTISING RATES

GAS SAFETYAimee McLeodI did a gas safety course at otaki the other week, and as a result I am now legal, with a certificate of “approved handler”. The guy, Kevin (details shown left) also came up to my place, and inspected my set-up, and now, as long as I follow procedures, I am covered legally, should there be an incident/ac-cident.I have never wanted to do this for fear of being “stung” year after year to “stay legal”. But it seems Kevin did the course for free for otaki, and I don’t think he is charging me for his visit.I believe this is something the NZSP should pursue, maybe have it up on the website: what our legal re-quirements/restrictions are when we have gas kilns and gas on the property. With most potters being die hard do-it-yourselfers, most set-ups are probably illegal.Kevin is not a stickler for rules without reason. He just pointed out some things I would need to change when it came time to replace them. Apparently some new laws are coming into effect on the first of march. NZSP should also keep up with and publish updates, so not every single potter needs to find out by themselves.Kevin checks equipment around the country and runs courses all over the place for industry. He is also the person my gas delivery man told me to con-tact when he told me I was not legally allowed to have more than 100kg of gas on the property with-out certificate. Kevin is just about to put together regulations and safety measures for the film indus-try, and has said he would be happy to do so specifi-cally for potters.I think it would be good if this could be followed up by the NZSP. This is a very useful “national” issue.

Kevin BaileyLPG & Safety Consultants LtdPo Box 13 585Johnsonville, WellingtonPh: (04) 478 7546Fax: (04) 478 7547mob: 021 684554email:Kevin.bailey@clear.net.nz

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PAPERCLAY WARNINGJohn Lawrenceover the last 10 years or so I have written (and received) countless letters to magazines here and overseas with regard to the dangers of paperclay. Now I see a new batch of people have started to use it. Paperclay was a wonderful discovery for me and I was using my self-prepared stuff on a big scale full time. Before long I was needing medical attention.I do not want to seem alarmist, but the black/grey mould in paperclay is dangerous. It is called Strachybotrys - the same mould can be found on wet cartons which are equally dangerous.If you breath in a lungful of this before long you will feel fairly ill. In my opinion young children should not use it and young people only with precautions.When a block of paperclay is cut open in the centre there could be a grey/black area - at this stage you should be wearing gloves and mask. The clay should be rolled out painted both sides with half bleach and water and put in the fresh air and turned over occasionally. like clay and glaze dust, if you inhale the mould into the lungs it just don’t come up again, and can give you a fearsome throat infection on the way down.Books on paperclay preparation usually say ‘put a few drops of bleach into the mix when you make it’. This does nothing because the mould does not grow until the clay has wrapped up for a while. Dry paperclay wets down very quickly so an alternative is to dry out sheets of clay and just wet it down between two cloths when and as you need.At all stages of paperclay one should wear thin plastic gloves and those with respiratory problems should take extra care.

THE SAFETY PAGE

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Photo below: This is how they crash-cool a kiln load of porcelain in Jingdezhen. Just open the door at 1300C - stand on the other side of the door when you do, then winch the carload of pots out. This photo was taken by Trien Steverlynck, in China recently with Peter Lange and Duncan Shearer (from a long way out using a zoom).

Frances Fredric 1923 – 2010

Marie WashbournWhen Frances Fredric died in early october, Southland lost one of its best known and most respected potters. Frances made pots for over 60 years and taught generations of others. During that time she was a motivating force in Southland, producing domestic pots of a high quality, teaching and leading the pottery community. She helped lead the Invercargill Ceramic Club until 1995 when it amalgamated with the Southern Potters to become Invercargill Potters Inc which Frances led as President until she became ill two years ago.As in all her activities she approached potting with a massive amount of enthusiasm, loads of energy and a determination to achieve excellence. Her pots have been in exhibitions all over New Zealand and are on permanent display in Anderson Park Art Gallery in Invercargill and at the Southland Museum.

Frances twice organised the NZSP exhibitions in Invercargill.every weekend, until her last two years, she would leave Invercargill at 5 am and drive to the Queenstown market. Sometimes she would stay in her flat but she would always be back in Invercargill at 10 am on Sunday to play the organ at church. At the craft stalls she sold pottery, as well as beautiful reversible jackets and hats which demonstrated her sewing ability and attention to detail and precision.She was an accomplished pianist and often accompanied distinguished artists from overseas as well as teaching piano for many years. At the age of 65 Frances graduated with a Bachelor of Arts with honours in German language and literature.Frances is sorely missed by the Southland potting community and by her friends and family. She is survived by two adult children and 3 grandchildren.on behalf of all the potters she helped we thank Frances for her generosity in sharing her talent. She was an inspiration.

FRom THe eDIToRThis issue is carrying on in the manner of the first two issues: lots of copy, but much of it focusing on overseas expeditions (which are great) and Auckland events (which are great for Aucklanders). It would be so good to hear more from the rest of the country - Nelson are you there? - Dunedin, Christchurch, Hamilton .... I see you each night on the weather map (admittedly there is no sign of life with those still photos) but I am fairly sure pots are being made, kilns being fired, exhibitions being held, jokes being told, clay being bought (or perhaps even dug).I already have a couple of accounts of overseas potting adventures for the next newsletter in march, plus, with luck, some photographs of the huge porcelain sculpture, “Deeptime #26”, that Raewyn Atkinson built recently in Richard Shaw’s workshop in San Francisco - is there more NZ pottery being made off-shore than at home these days?

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Around The ClubsSCPG Gunn’s Bush Camp 2010

Michelle StowellTwo years ago, after much discussion between the different Pottery Groups in Christchurch area, Ashburton, Timaru, Waimate and Oamaru, it was decided that a get-together was needed to share our pots, ideas, knowledge and skills. Once this was established we had to find a location that suited everyone. Christchurch groups said that they were more than happy to travel which was great.Pam Buckingham (President of SCPG – Timaru) came up with the idea to use the Gunn’s Bush Christian Camp at Hook Bush near Waimate. It was the perfect spot to accommodate lots of potters whether they stayed in the bunkrooms or bought their own campervans.2009 saw our very first Gunn’s Bush camp and after its great success, word of mouth brought potters from all over the area, keen for another one.Friday afternoon, after work on the 29th october, 36 potters arrived at Gunn’s Bush. We all had a lovely meal together that night. We all had nametags, which made it easier to get to know one another.That evening we dunked our pots in glazes (large and small crackles) ready to go in the kilns early Saturday morning for a Naked Raku. Then after a nightcap or two, some pottery DvDs kindly bought for us by Averil Cave, and a yarn, it was time to hit the hay for the next big day ahead.Due to the safety aspect of using gas kilns and drum fires it was decided to do these firings at Pam Buckingham’s Farm that was not far from camp.Five kilns and seven drum fires were set up in two of the farm sheds, which was just as well as Saturday turned out to be a little bit damp and cold. We had newspaper, sawdust, dry wood, and pots everywhere and it was all go on Saturday getting our various pots ready to be fired.For the pit firings we had seaweed, dried banana skins, horsehair, copper wire, salt, sugar, and cobalt and several different chemicals that were sprayed on the pots. Then they were wrapped very tightly in tin foil and put on their sides in the bottom of the big tins in the sawdust.

Then different sizes of wood and materials were put on top and bigger wood and then they were lit. Once the fires were roaring good, a metal lid was put on with brick to seal in the heat. Then it was a waiting game until the next morning to see how they all turned out.

After lunch on Saturday we had two ladies do a display for us showing their pottery skills with handwork. Firstly there was Averil Cave, who came down for the weekend from Christchurch and demonstrated the making of cabana pots, which are very popular in different parts of NZ.Bevan Stowell from Ashburton, who has done many classes for potters in South Canterbury, made a special pot for us for the weekend for the raffle. This gorgeous pot was won by Bevan’s sister-in-law Elwyn, who was one of the wonderful ladies in the kitchen (it was the last ticket to be sold).Then Pat Currie from Timaru who is just as talented, showed us that pottery doesn’t just have to be a pot - that it can be made into art by cutting and sculpting the clay into different shapes. There were over 170 pots on display on Sunday afternoon and we all got the chance to talk about what we used on them and a little bit of history of how each of us got into pottery. There were some 200 firings during the weekend - some people put theirs through more than once.It was a fabulous weekend for all those who attended and we all can’t wait until next year.

Far right: Bevan Stowell in action at the Gunn’s Bush

Potters’ Camp(this photo is in the

competition for the best CQ photo of the year)

Lower right: Raku in the woolshed

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Creative Clay Hutt Art Society Potters’ Annual exhibition

Lesley RansonHutt Art Society Potters are a small group of mainly (but not exclusively) maturely-aged potters who gather either on monday nights or Wednesday mornings. What brings us together is the fun we have expressing ourselves in clay. The result is an exhibition of eclectic pieces that shows each per-son’s style and interests.We hold our exhibition at our own HAS gallery for two weeks and are responsible for the lot – adver-tising, receiving, setting up, opening, manning and closing down. All feel responsible for it - which is how it should be. This year we had Aimee mcleod select and com-ment on our works. Capital Clay had kindly given us some extra money for a Selector’s prize and this went to Jocelyn Hendry for “Hungarian Grave Post” in a stunning orange and bright green glaze.Instead of the usual “People’s Choice” we decided to create five HASP awards (a potter’s Oscar) to rec-ognise different aspects of our clay making. Those awards went to:Bosa Novakov for ShapeNicola Revers –Newton for NoveltyLesley Ranson for GlazingHamish Trolove for ImaginationJosef Rastorfer for RealismOpening night was fine, sunny and hot and this year we had the services of 3 violinists to entertain the guests. I believe the music could be heard right down the street. The gallery is small and we were bursting at the seams which created a wonderful vibrant atmosphere. This, with the good food and wine, led to some good sales – a personal boost for many.The whole event, as most of you know, required a lot of work and commitment but it was truly well worth it. It has left this year with a good positive feeling.

Jocelyn Hendry “Hungarian Grave Post”

One of the Pots I’m Most Proud OfHeather Anne AtkinsWell, I finally feel as though I’m truly back! Involved in the pottery scene in the early 1980s, then sidelined with a serious health issue in the mid 1990s, ceramic art has once again taken me by storm. Since returning to the Waikato 5 years ago, I’ve revisited my passion for potting. And, once again, unabashedly, I’m completely hooked, and now running my own gallery/studio, “Studio 73” here in Cambridge. While sculptural pieces still interest me, wheel work, particularly porcelain, has become my main focus. I find throwing this sticky plastic-like medium both challenging and relaxing. And, more often than not, the end result is very rewarding.The Koru bowl, as pictured, I let go, rather begrudingly to a keen purchaser, while the recent Karapiro Rowing World Cup was in full progress. Although I loved it, the end needs to justify the means, and I must pay for my indulgent potting exsistence. The soda wood-fired porcelain bowl is unglazed on the outside, and glazed on the inside with an Olive copper-based 1280 glaze - a recipe I rediscovered in a old 1980s note book which, happily, performed beautifully. Breaking to red on the upper rim was an added bonus.At present I’m enjoying my position as Club Secretary for the Waikato Society of Potters, and although I have my own kiln, managed to fire this particular pot during a joint soda wood-firing with other WSP members, earlier this year. It’s so nice when you are able to share the enjoyment of unpacking a jointly fired kiln. And my thanks have to go to our manager, Duncan Shearer, for getting us cracking. Good potting everyone!

The “Koru Bowl”

It would be good to get photos and short articles about your local events. Please make the photos a good size (1mb is good) and don’t send paper copies or printed photos, I don’t have a scanner and I’m a terrible typist. Ed.

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A Trip to China Duncan Shearer

I went to China recently to see for myself what all the fuss was about, and because a pottery friend I had met in Japan invited me to a ceramic forum there. I love to travel and had never been to China before; I was going with colleague and friend Peter lange, and Creative NZ had generously decided to support my travel grant so there was every incentive to spend a month exploring a slice of

Chinese ceramics.We departed on october 11th at midnight, a party made up of Peter lange (chief translator and knowledgeable about all things Sino-related), Trien Steverlynck (owner of a very useful Chinese telephone and keen explorer) and myself. First port of call was Shanghai, a city whose architects try to outdo each other with their impressive, if slightly surreal, creations. It was lucky that one of Peter’s contacts could meet us off the plane and navigate us to our hotel and along the way we picked up another potter from Australia, vipoo Srivilasa (who it turns out we had met in Gulgong a few years earlier). A day of banquets, galleries, wine, shopping and partying followed; we ended up in a bizarre downtown New York-inspired warehouse bar and a party laid on for our benefit. Next day and we were off to Yixing, home of the funky brown teapots. Again another of Peter’s contacts allowed us into the workshops to see some of the processes employed in making these exquisite pots. All that’s needed is a small table, a spinner, a handful of tools and that amazing clay, and before you know it a whole city has grown up making thousands of teapots every week to be sold in a thousand shops in Yixing.Back in Shanghai we finally get to see the Bund light up at night (you can almost hear the extra power stations being fired up just for all those extra lights) and sip cocktails in the 87th floor of the Hyatt whilst being

entertained at our table by a magician’s card tricks.Then it’s a short flight to Jingdezhen, the home of imperial porcelain. We are again met at the airport and whisked through city streets to the outskirts and a place called Sanbao. Run by charismatic potter Jackson lee and sister Wendy, Sanbao is a haven from the pollution and rush that characterises much of China. It is set up a beautiful wooded valley with a stream that runs though the complex. All the buildings are modest in scale, built of traditional materials and styles and even after staying there 10 days we still weren’t sure we’d found every room in the place. Sanbao hosts a range of guests throughout the year as a residential workshop. The payment covers your room (I was sharing with Peter) food (absolutely the best food in Jingdezhen was served in the restaurant we ate at every day) and studio. It took a little time to settle in and explore but soon we

were all busy in the studio becoming frustrated with this porcelain clay that we’d travelled so far to use. It made all our New Zealand clays seem so perfect in comparison - the Chinese porcelain cracked as soon as you looked at it, was floppy when wet, then intransigent when hard, flaked when turned and handles would misbehave overnight. The stoneware clay was a much easier proposition. During our stay we were all whisked off to downtown Jingdezhen courtesy of the local government as honoured guests for the International Ceramics Fair held every year to promote the art of Chinese porcelain to the world. This bunfight involved a fair amount of incomprehension on the part of the honoured guests, but excellent hospitality and firework displays that rattled your teeth. The huge exhibition hall was full of blue and white decorated porcelain and bone china ad nauseam, and had me wanting to import the famed running of the bulls in Pamplona to cull some of the excess.Back in the tranquillity of Sanbao, Peter came up with the slightly suspect idea of building a small gas fired brick salt kiln but using MSG (mono sodium glutamate, a flavour enhancer used extensively in Chinese cooking) instead of salt – all this in the hope that what’s printed on the label in China has some bearing on its contents. We cobbled this haphazard construction together in a couple of hours, to the amazement of the other potters, and loaded it with an odd collection of pots. Then we sourced the gas in huge tanks – unfortunately these big tanks only let out LPG as a liquid not the gas, which slowed us down until eventually finding the right tank. We had cones for 1280 degrees but after 8 hours were convinced that they were faulty and decided to start biffing in 2.4kg of MSG (which looks like a small rice grain) in a world first attempt at using a new material to salt a kiln. The vapour wasn’t much, just an occasional white vapour (that didn’t give you an instant MSG migraine) and the draw tiles showed a great deal of promise. The next day and we were into the kiln; the top shelf was OK, lightly salted and some nice pieces, but further down the lack of temperature did mean dryer surfaces and unmelted glazes.Then our time was over at Sanbao, so Peter and I flew to Beijing and from there caught a quick train to Zibo and the start of the International Ceramic Art Forum. This was held in the li Ziyuan Art Center on the outskirts of a city well known for its petro-chemical industries. We were in a concrete jungle and at times the air was turbid enough to suck with a straw. The 20 or so other international guests were a varied lot that over the next 3 weeks we would get to know quite well. They hailed from Peru, Argentina, Chile, India, Greece, Turkey, Australia, Russia, America, Korea and China.The point to this forum was for us to make work and exchange ideas through our work practice. We were confronted with 3 different clays and no idea how they would perform. But that didn’t hold us back and we got stuck into making stuff we knew, using a range of equipment scattered through a warmly heated shed. It was soon obvious that only one clay behaved well, all the others were of suspect colour and even worse shrinkage, producing cracks in the most unlikely places. The only interruptions were the delicious meals served in the hotel next door and occasional Baijiu sessions. This evil liquor and the boorish manner of drinking it were a slight on what was otherwise an amazing time.After 4 days of making in the studio we were into

World’s First MSG Firing?

Food at one lunch: first course: beetles

second course: locuststhird course: grasshoppers

(shown)plus rice

“Might have to buyanother suitcase .... “

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firing mode, so pots were bisqued and then loaded into a well-designed 60-cuft downdraft wood kiln. A roster was drawn up and after 41 hours of careful stoking (many big pots were raw) we had reached top temperature of 1260, which was the recommended top temperature that the clays could handle.We were taken on a field trip while the kiln cooled and got to see a bit of the countryside and the local ceramic museum. In that museum was the reason that Zibo has any kind of ceramic reputation; it transpires that potters here are extremely good at chipping glaze off pots. They utilise the tiniest of diamond chisels and patiently chip away a design that is then inked or stained with colour. It can look just like a brush stroke, or even a 3D photograph, all etched onto white porcelain or celadon ware (see photo on right).The firing was unloaded the next day at 7pm and the tide of brown pots flooding out of the kiln (which was still over 150 degrees and the unloaders required fans to keep them cool) was unnerving. The glazes seemed to make the pots worse in some cases, and the chocolate colour that permeated every object whether a pot or a sculpture caused the eye to leap onto any point of difference. I had managed to scrounge a little white slip from a smashed pot and that had helped out some of my pieces, but Peter’s work was a symphony of very brown clay accented by a very brown glaze. At least the exhibition that the best of the work was destined for in Qingdao would have a colour theme if nothing else.At this point another feature of the event took place – the presentation of the papers. Every participant had submitted an article and these had been published into a book - now we were to summarise these and add more images. This involved a lot of translation and the stoic fortitude of the audience to sit through 12 slide shows a day in 2 languages without a single snore was remarkable.Peter had been trying to organise a few bricks and some glue for a brick sculpture – no mean feat when working through a translator and miraculously on the day before we were to leave they turned up. So Peter and I set about gluing a brick “Zip” to the wall of the garage. It certainly drew the favourable attention of Li Ziyuan and was the first piece in his new sculpture garden.The selected work was packed, we packed and after a 6-hour bus trip ended up in Qingdao as honoured guests of the Qingdao Technical College. our hotel was close to the Art Gallery in the old German quarter and we got to explore this seaside city at our leisure. Our commitments were mainly to setting up and then the opening of the exhibition, leaving lots of time for foot massage and shopping for brushes. These events are curious beasts; the friendships and connections made are the most important outcome. Influences on your own work, or possible new directions, are to be applauded if they happen. The hospitality of our hosts was exemplary with a translator on hand to sort out all our incomprehension at what was happening and when. The Zibo event together with a previous 2008 precursor has spawned an international association called International Ceramic Artists Association. What happens now is up to the enthusiasm and relevance of this group of potters.

Above: Russian potter Yulia next to a huge glaze-chipped porcelain tile

Brick car - Beijing

Brick “Zip” Zibo, China

Duncan with his group of “Albarelli” made and fired in Zibo

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Ben Carter WorkshopWaikato Society of Potters, Ward Park, Hamilton

Saturday 19th February $35 shared lunch.For information, or to make a booking, phone 07 8381950 or email manager@waikatopotters.co.nz

Workshop DescriptionDesign for the Soft Surface

This workshop focuses on integrating surface design with altered wheel-thrown and hand built pottery. Demonstrations include soft throwing, altering, low relief printing, slip trailing, and various forms of slip decorating. During the workshop we will discuss aesthetic issues (i.e. proportions, color theory), defining a conceptual foundation for making functional pottery, and motivation/idea derivation.

Biography - Ben CarterI’ve travelled far and wide to see and make pottery. I started in virginia with an International Baccalaureate ceramics certificate in high school; then to Boone, NC,

for a BFA in painting and ceramics from Appalachian State; and then on to a MFA at the university of Florida. Along the way I have been a resident at the Canton Clay Works, Canton, CT, The odyssey Center for Ceramic Art, Asheville, NC, and Anderson Ranch Arts Center, Snowmass village, Co. my most recent move has been to Shanghai, China where I am the educational director of the Pottery Workshop. I’ve worked for numerous potteries, and I’ve spent countless hours in museums soaking in good pots. I

consider these experiences to be essential to my formation as a potter and as a person. I think of myself as being extremely fortunate to have found a direction in life that has put me into contact with so many wonderful people, environments, and good pots.

“Quarry Summer Do”is held in the beautiful and inspirational environment at the Quarry Arts Centre, Whangarei.

Clay sculpture and primitive firing techniquesHelen Hughes and Akke Tiemersma

Cost for full week $490.Course Content

This course will be a week of exploration and fun with the added bonus of two high-energy, knowledgeable tutors! Suitable for artists at all levels of experience. each day of this workshop will incorporate construction of clay hand built sculpture and investigation of the various ways that pottery was fired before gas and electricity. Throughout the week students will be constructing a pit firing, teepee kiln and an open firing, as well as experimenting with a multitude of decorative techniques.Camping on site is available for $60 for duration of ‘Do’ (includes cereals, milk and hot drinks for breakfast)

The Quarry Arts Centre21 Selwyn Ave. WhangareiPo Box 1452. Whangarei

Ph / Fax: 09) 438 1215email: admin@quarryarts.org

www. quarryarts.org

Ben Carter “Dogwood Platter”