High Fire

On 15 October 2021 - Uncategorized

An exhibition and sale of studio ceramics by West County potters Bibi Clement and Lane Borstad.

My work in the exhibition is drawn from my recent works

The work in this exhibition is the product of a partnership between the artist, materials and process.

Bibi works with the natural elements of earth, fire and atmosphere to produce unique works that are redolent of the natural world from which they evolve. The pots are fired over the course of many days in a traditional Japanese wood fired Anagama kiln. The extreme high temperature achieved melts the wood ash which is deposited on the pots and produces a natural glaze. The flow of heat through the kiln is like water in a stream. The swirling flames lick and caress the pots and leaves a record of the flames passage.

Bibi often introduces salt into a second wood fired kiln when the temperature reaches about 2375 F/1300 C. This adds a brilliant texture to the surface of the pots. The salt vaporizes instantly and forms a liquid glass that runs down the pots and creates a distinctive and unique surface.

The work in this exhibition demonstrates Bibi’s skill as a potter honed over a life time of working. The wood ash glazes resulting from her method of firing create works that reflect her love of the Eastern Japanese traditional ceramics (she studied and taught in Japan)

This exhibition showcases some of Bibi’s earlier work as well as more recent work and affords us the opportunity to see why Bibi’s work is represented in public and private collections across Western Canada.

I come more recently to Pottery. It was only after retiring from teaching Art History that I returned to the studio to make pots. I began my career as a visual art studio major at University many years ago after a brief flirt with professional photography. Completing a degree in Education I returned to Queen’s University with family in tow to do a Masters degree in Canadian Art and eventually spent several decades teaching at Grande Prairie Regional College.

At the time of my retirement I and my wife Jeannette were fortunate to develop a friendship with Bibi Clement who introduced them to her laborious process of firing her Anagama kiln. The magic and alchemy of earth, fire and air led them to build our own cross draft, gas fired kiln. The kiln room is in a repurposed grain bin that was formally owned by Euphemia McNaught. To achieve the beautiful wood fired and salt effects seen in Bibi’s work requires a large Anagama kiln and was a daunting prospect. A gas high fire reduction kiln was within reach however and while the effects are not as dramatic it shares some of the beauty and mystery of the flame and atmospheric firing. We makes all of our own glazes like those of the British and Japanese tradition and are made primarily from natural ash reclaimed from the fireplace and slips made from locally dug clay.

As an Art Historian, I was fascinated with traditional forms in pottery – Classical Greek, Medieval French, the British Arts and Crafts movement of the 19th Century and in particular the studio ceramics renaissance led by Bernard Leach and Shoji Hamada in England in the 20th Century. Both Hamada and Leach were steeped in the traditional crafts of Korea and Japan and initiated an East/West exchange of ideas which has shaped much of artistic pottery of the world today. This interest in the East/West influences is shared with Bibi. From her home and studio in the Peace River country she has become one of the leading exponents of the Japanese ceramic tradition in Western Canada.

I am honoured to have this opportunity to exhibit with Bibi.