Mary Daniel Blog

Such a rich few months since the completed installation of the kiln – looks beautiful, doesn’t it?  Deb and I have fired it a couple of times but know we need to know so much more about it to make it really work.

In the interim since the summer, I’ve cleaned up a  wasp ground nest and released the queen (not me exactly doing this) canned with my friend Gladys (seems she and some of our friends have been doing this for years) made multitudes of Christmas cakes for the season with my friend Daphne (almost all gone) as well as spent many hours working in the studio throwing on the wheel, perfecting my inlay techniques (still having a challenge with over glazes) and casting my tiles.  I’m pleased with some of my work but still have a way to go.  I need to get some of my work photographed and update the website as well, but for the most part, the work has been steady and learning “what I forgot” is constant.

Debra and I were fortunate to take a workshop with Paul Scott at Emily Carr in the fall – lots of wonderful information but like anything, even though we went to work on the techniques right away, doing it is much harder than it looks.  However, it is good to be back in the studio – now, if I can just do the blog more consistently!

Well, installing the venting is taking longer than I thought it might – seems we like taking holidays in the summer and it’s difficult to synchronize us all.  That however changed today as the venting gentlemen are here working as I write.

I spent a few days on Hornby Island visiting some of the local artisans there and generally being inspired by their work and their ability to work in a relatively isolated environment through the year.  I have been spending time “learning what I forgot” – a little frustrating but after so many years of not being in my studio on a regular basis.  I have found it a challenge to establish a routine and get down to work – partly because I am not having a huge amount of success.

However, there are glimmers of light and that of course comes with regular work in the studio and diligence in recording what I have done.  A few examples of my recent low-fired work…. Hopefully, I’ll soon have some medium and high fired work to show.

It is about a year ago that Debra and I talked about purchasing a gas kiln and it finally arrived  this past week – it took six men to clear the way and pivot it around a tight spot but it “the beauty” as Debs calls it, is finally safely tucked away in my studio. We need to hire a sheet metal specialist to cut a hole in the roof for the venting and then Deb’s talented hubby T-Bone will do the pipe-fitting and we’ll be ready to fire. Fortunately, the gas line was in when I installed a gas furnace for heating when I built the studio, so the structure is there. Read the rest of this entry »

I landed in Rome and took the Eurostar to Firenze – so impressed with the timeliness, cost and effeciency of the train system.  Arrived at my hotel at 2 for checking in – it is open 24 hours a day with the exception of between 1-4 pm – no doubt for siesta which I grew to love. I passed the time in the square across from the Duomo and campanile with other tourists sitting comfortably on the stone benches in the hot sun, and drinking in the local sidewalk cafes. At 4, I was taken around a nearby corner to San Lorenzo Square to a bed and breakfast, more of a pension with an open window facing the square – it was heaven to have relative quiet after Istanbul and to indulge myself in galleries, good wines and naps – and much the same in Venice a week later – what lovely transition time before I returned to Vancouver.  No jet lag…. Read the rest of this entry »

Interlude…

Leaving ICS with Debra and her husband T-Bones to spend a rainy, windy weekend in Budapest at the wonderful Gellert luxuriating in the baths, walking the streets of this lovely city so rich in visuals and history, while enjoying the unique food and the warmth of the people.

On Tuesday, up early – Deb and T to make one last trip to the Great Market Hall and I wanted one last dip in the pool (never made it). We made our way by taxi to the airport – about a half hour away – quick, inexpensive with the added benefit of a courteous driver. I do wish I spoke some Hungarian though … such a challenging language and so few of the people speak any English here it makes real communication challenging. That said, I did enjoy the people and look forward to the next time I am fortunate enough to visit.

Istanbul.. Read the rest of this entry »

The last few days have been ones of musings and reflections about our explorations during the last few months while we do the inevitable cleaning, sorting and packing up of our studios and rooms.

We unloaded the large gas kiln on the weekend and were greeted with a few surprises…. lots was packed in, and gas kilns have a life of their own once they are bricked up.  Jakab’s brick support for my tall form worked in part but a real sculptural element was added when one of Debra’s backdrop walls toppled on  it during firing and caused what Jakab laughingly calls the domino effect – I think he and Klari have seen pretty much everything in terms of clays and firing in their many years here with visiting artists and students. Read the rest of this entry »

A memorable day.  Debra and I took on the task of loading the medium-sized gas kiln, having been encouraged to use it by Klari  who felt we had enough work to fill it and it is more cost effective.  It is literally putting all of  your eggs in one basket though as it does hold the majority of our work completed the last two months.  We woke up to a few hours of finishing our glaze work – of course it took more time than we thought it would and I wasn’t happy with some of my technique but there was no time to re-do so I’ll just have to live with the results or recycle. Read the rest of this entry »

A weekend of of industry – continuing to form molds, dry them in the drying cupboard (a fabulous invention I had not heard of before here) and seeing the magic of our forms after casting them – seemingly perfect (or more perfect than before)! My photographs are somewhat limited and don’t give the whole picture as I had to take my camera in for repairs – perhaps using it too much!

The workshop was a wonderful learning experience for me – it is one of those areas where I realize more “what” I need to know and also what a fine skill (and art) mold-making is and that it takes years to master that alone. Read the rest of this entry »

This week has been a busy productive blur from the first morning when five of us arrived to be introduced to mold making by  master mold maker, Ed Bentley (www.Bentleystoll.com).  Immediately, hands on demonstrations made the process accessible,  non-intimidating while engaging us all.  Read the rest of this entry »

I have many pictures of this place I have become fond of – it is hard to select those I feel best represent the “feel” of the place.  Even the work areas, or perhaps especially the work areas, hold special interest for me.  Walking from kilns to plaster room to studio to work or visit others, or to ask questions of Klari or Jakob, have endeared the place to me – it is a very special environment to be here and work in. Read the rest of this entry »