Lessons learned!

I haven't learned all my lessons but the ones I did you can bet I learned the hard way! Last week at The Patrons Dinner at the Art Gallery of Burlington I relearned a few things. Things I know and things I had forgotten. #1 Money doesn't assume good taste. #2 Colour sells #3 The less functional an object the more money ya get. I have been a big fan of the work of Bruce Cochrane for well over 40 years. I truly think Bruce is a clay genius and one of the best makers Canada has ever produced. He has been nominated for the Saidye Bronfman Award over 10 times and never came home with the prize. That Award is the brass ring of Canadian Fine Craft. It bewilders me! A piece of Bruce's in the live auction went for half the suggested market value. It was in my opinion The Best in Show. It was brown and it was wood fired but if you look at form his piece was so architectonic, beautifully and carefully made. It was the work of one of the best. So I came home to glaze for a gas firing. I had made the work hoping to wood fire but with so much of my beautiful country on fire and the wood kiln in the middle of 55 acres of pine in 100 year old tinder box buildings I thought it would be irresponsible so I gas fired. I thought colour! Here are some of the pieces. The shino pieces are really more me and what I surround myself with. I like that they are amybe leaning, some finger wipes, so loosely applied handles. Excellence does not require perfection. It requires love of process. I think when I am on that's what I do.

Ok now lesson learned -colour