Posted on November 01, 2017 by Nigel Hayes
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FUNKY FUNGUS CERAMIC MUGS
Carmen Callison is Funky Fungus and has been making Funky Fungus Pottery in Parksville, B.C. since 2005.
She is very passionate about our island forests and the precious treasures found within.
Each of her whimsical creations is skillfully hand-carved and hand painted by Carmen before their final firing.
Food-safe, Dishwasher & Microwave safe. Size:
STAY WILD! :)
Posted in
Canadian Gifts,
CHRISTMAS,
coffee mugs,
gift,
local crafts,
local pottery,
mugs,
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side street studio,
wedding gifts
Posted on March 13, 2017 by Nigel Hayes
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Our newsletter - March 2017.
Vancouver Island, like much of B.C., has seen some unusually cold and snowy weather this winter. Nothing as compared to our Mid West but for us less hardy folk on the West Coast this has been a cold winter.
Just before the first of the big winter storms hit with its full force, Sue & I together with Finn, our mischievous Kerry BlueTerrier, made a trip up island to replenish some much-needed work from our artists.
First stop was to Bob Held’s glass studio in Parksville. The warmth of the glass kilns was welcome as the snow was already quite deep. The day previously the delivery of raw glass had to be cancelled as the truck could not get near Bob’s studio. However, we collected some beautiful new work examples of which you can see below.
The new Mocha Swirl Cone vase is superb as are the new glass Hearts
Next, we moved onto Charles Van Sandwick’s studio in Qualicum Beach. Charles being sensible was away enjoying the sunshine of Fiji but his partner was there with our order ready and waiting. For the first time on the trip, we needed to use 4 Wheel drive in our 4-Runner as the ice and snow were so deep. A first for Qualicum Beach?
The visit was well worth the effort as we managed to collect some new prints by Charles as well as lots more greetings cards and copies of his magnificent books. The Print of the Grizzly Bear from Charles’ Canadian Content Book - is particularly noteworthy. |
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| Then it was on to Whiskey Creek (what a great name) to visit Darrel Hancock’s studio. A mug of tea was greatly welcome as was the warmth of the kiln. Darrel had a large amount of work ready and packed for us to replace that from sales at Christmas. New teapots, mugs by the case load, terracotta butter dishes and bowls and more. |
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| It was with reluctance we left the warmth of Darrel’s studio and moved onto our final visit. This was back into Parksville to collect new work from Sharon Beatch of Beach Pebble Studios. Sharon’s Shadow Boxes have been a great asset to our studio with creations for all occasions. It is always a pleasure to see what new ideas she comes up with. Two of her new creations were particularly interesting: |
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At this point, we needed to move quite quickly as a storm cloud, as dark as night, was rapidly approaching with a new and even heavier fall of snow.
We made it back just ahead of the storm….something out of a Hollywood movie (“Twister” comes to mind!). Fortunately, we had pre-paid tickets for the Mill Bay Ferry and so just escaped the dubious journey over the Malahat.
| We hope that you enjoy the images of some of our artist’s new work and as a thank you please find below a small sample of our appreciation. A 10% discount off any item from our studio. Valid until 31st March 2017. Online sales only.
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10% DISCOUNT WHEN YOU USE CODE BN2D2TOOVIYU AT CHECKOUT
VALID UNTIL 5 PM (PST)
31st MARCH 2017
One order per customer. One use only.
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Warm regards,
Nigel, Sue & Finn |
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| PS: Did you know that you can Buy on Line and Pick Up in the Studio. Excellent for saving on shipping and a good way buy for friends and relatives who live near the studio. |
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Posted in
art,
charles van sandwyk,
darrel hancock,
gifts,
glass art,
mugs,
new home,
paperweights,
pottery,
robert held,
shoplocal,
vancouver island,
vases,
victoria b c,
wedding
Posted on August 06, 2016 by Nigel Hayes
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Darrel Hancock was born in Port Alberni and lived there for four years before moving to the mainland.
Darrel went on to graduate from the Vancouver School of Art, majoring in ceramics, and has been making functional pottery ever since.
He says “ All my pottery is Handmade Functional Stoneware thrown on a potter's wheel and fired in an electric kiln. It is dishwasher, microwave and oven safe. Art and Function come together to make pottery that is designed to be used every day”
“My mugs come in a variety of sizes and shapes and also a variety of colour combinations. I make all of my pottery in a number of glazes and I will continue to do so, this way my customers can add to their collection now and in the future.
Darrel said everyday he wakes up happy knowing he’s going to be throwing clay, and the act itself is very therapeutic. "If I'm feeling anxious or frustrated or whatever, I just sit down and throw 100 mugs and just that meditative repetitiveness of the action is a calming experience.”
He hopes people who purchase his pottery get from it what he puts into it. "I speak to a number of people who say they start off their morning with a cup of coffee in one of my mugs and they look forward to that every morning, and I think that's great, that's why I'm doing it,” he said.
You can see more of Darrel’s beautiful functional pottery at https://www.sidestreetstudio.com/collections/pottery/darrel-hancock
Posted in
bowls,
butter dishes,
Canadian Gifts,
french butter dishes,
gifts,
goblets,
hand made pottery,
honey pots,
local crafts,
mugs,
oak bay,
pate dishes,
pottery,
tea pots
Posted on July 29, 2015 by Sue Hayes
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Jack Olive grew up in Thunder Bay, Ontario. After obtaining a degree in Chemistry and Mathematics from Mooorhead State College in Minnesota he spent 3 years working as a biochemist at the University Of Oregan Medical School. But a strong creative gene began to override a love of pure science and so Jack returned to Moorhead to work on a degree in ceramics and graphics.
In 1971 Jack moved to Vancouver to become a founding member and director of the Vancouver Clayworks Society; a 12 member cooperative ceramics studio.
In this hugely creative atmosphere Jack worked with other members of the group to develop methods of applying graphic images i.e. photography, drawing and painting to clay. His style of work ranges from abstract geometric to wildlife painting and drawing. Currently Jacks pottery images include Pears, Salmon, Orcas, Ravens, Apples and Crows. These images are incorporated into a large range of functional pottery items from Jugs to Mugs , Casseroles , Bowls, Plates, Tea Pots, Pitchers and more...
Jack has recently explored the techniques and possibilities of Raku. This example uses “naked Raku” techniques, which result in a pot that is white with a black line image. A dry pot is covered with terra sigliata (liquid clay), fired once to bisque temperature, and then covered with a high-fire clay slip and a low fire glaze, through which he etches the design.
The Raku firing process requires a special Raku kiln that is fueled by propane and reaches temperatures of about 1800°F (about 982°C).
The piece is then fired to Raku temperatures, and placed into the smoking chamber. When the piece is cooled, he peels off the slip and glaze to reveal the black line on the white background. The resulting pots have a lighter, more textured quality than his traditional stoneware.
In order to complete the firing process, the Raku pottery must remain in the kiln for approximately 30 minutes. The Raku pottery is removed from the kiln using specially designed Raku tongs.
While the Raku pottery piece is still hot and glowing, it is placed inside a metal can full of combustible materials. The heat emitted from the Raku pottery causes these materials to catch on fire. After the materials inside the metal can catch on fire, a lid is placed over the can and the Raku pottery is sealed inside.
The Raku pottery is capable of withstanding these high temperatures and the fire within the can because it is made from a special type of clay that is capable of withstanding thermal shock.
Jack now lives and works in Gibsons on the beautiful B.C. Sunshine Coast but you can see lots of Jack’s magnificent creative work – both Raku and Stoneware at http://www.sidestreetstudio.com/collections/pottery/jack-olive-pottery
Posted in
bowls,
Canadian Gifts,
casseroles,
cream & sugar set,
dishes,
jack olive pottery,
jugs,
local crafts,
mugs,
oak bay,
plates,
pottery,
raku,
salad bowls,
shaving skuttle,
shop local,
tea pots,
wedding gifts
