New work by Joe Stefiuk at the Potter’s Place Shop and Gallery is a continuation of his interest in exploring the forms of indigenous species — the raven and the salmon.
Reality in depicting these creatures is not as important as the suggestion of their movement and form.
Joe’s functional work is highly influenced by the Japanese esthetic. Variations of the Japanese tea bowl which is now less traditional and restrictive in its use and have become containers for fluids and solids only limited by your imagination.
His vases are, again, variations on an altered form, altered by distortions but still fully functional. The glazes used on the work are traditional high-fired Japanese glazes — celadon and tenmoku and shino.
Interestingly, the shino glazed pieces are fired in Gordon Hutchen’s anagama kiln on Denman Island. It is fired continuously over a three-day period using wood as fuel.
The long firing allows for an accumulation of wood ash, which melts with the glazes and leaves unexpected markings on the surfaces. The beauty of this firing is in the unexpected results.
The Potters Place is open Monday to Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, call 250-334-4613 or visit www.thepottersplace.ca.
— Potters Place
