Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Grayer Pottery




We came together after a chance meeting in the late 1970s and moved to Saltspring Island in 1981 with our two year old daughter. Over the next few years I pursued my love of clay and Maureen weaved cloth, made clothes and worked in many different mediums including paper mache, oil cloths and clay.Along came two more children and bad economic times. Pottery fell by the wayside as we struggled to make ends meet. I worked in the construction industry building houses and Maureen pursued her love of children working as an Early Childhood Educator in various daycare settings. Time when by and the children grew up. In 2000 we all moved to Victoria. Maureen continued her career in childcare and I went back to my first love, working with clay.Working at first with Joyce Mumsan of Potters Corner, I eventually established a small studio and Maureen entered into the world of underglaze decoration. The end result was a blending of my love of shape and form and Maureens uncanny sense of color and whimsy, working out of our Grant Street studio in Fernwood.I throw bowls, mugs, teapots and platters and Maureen hand builds graceful platters and playful forms. These creations are bisque fired in one of our many kilns. Maureen then paints them with a palette of colors derived from commercial stains and underglaze colors. Another bisque firing or a re- bisque prepares the pieces for the final two coats of clear glaze which creates a hard, bright, food-safe finish. The finished pieces are then packed up and carried off to a variety of venues hoping to bring a smile to your face.