July 20th, 2014

                                                               OPEN  HOUSE

      I was invited to an open house a few days ago at a local potter's studio.
      Her “SpOiled” series was part of the “Eclectica Exhibition” we shared last fall at the Metchosin Art Gallery. It had created quite a buzz with the environmental crowd at the time and I wanted to see the “digs” where this series began.
      With some hesitation I drove up the long steep, curving driveway to her studio and parked in the small space at the edge of the cliff . Clinging to the house were shelves of her latest work. The french doors to the studio opened to a work space crammed with materials used in her pottery process. My eye wandered over to charger glazed with a freighter and oil streaks, then over to a striking blue green pot topped with yellow green salt glaze, a shelf covered in blue bowls ,blue cups ,blue vases,
      The sight of these very different styles hammered home the indispensable value of working in series. Oh the glory of the series: room to explore different ideas, cultivate new processes, fodder of success or failure.
      As I whizzed down that steep driveway with a lovely salt glazed pot cradled in a box on the front seat of the car, I started to think about the new beginnings calling out for series in my studio.
Sharon's studio online:
www.sharonbussardgrove.ca