HORNBY REVISITED

I decided to revisit this oilspot style temmoku covered box to fill in some of the back story as to how it came to us, this was a gift from a generous Cleveland couple who had recently visited Hornby Island while on a trip to Vancouver and Vancouver Island. The couple who were rather active patrons of the arts were very supportive while I was setting up my first studio had brought back a number of pots from the area but were fixated on one potter in particular, Wayne Ngan. Knowing our love of pots, this was a rather thoughtful gift, a gift of a pot by what I have long considered a potter's potter, a potter who held clay, the process and firing in the highest regard and tried to let the clay speak through him to arrive at its intended spirit. 

This spirited covered box form is no exception, finely thrown out of stoneware, the form and subsequent faceting bring dimension and movement to the piece and the use of this enigmatic glaze was a perfect match to bring the clay form to life. As for the oilspot temmoku surface, the top of the lid is flanked by a myriad of rusty iron spots imitating the night sky while the more vertical areas have spotting and streaking that add motion and a pleasing visual effect that keeps ones attention looking for what else can be seen on the exterior. The pot's bottom is surrounded by a roll of fat temmoku glaze and the flat plane is punctuated by Ngan's impressed square seal, the final mark of the potter making for a sturdy and perfect base. This pot has been around for a very long time now and with each visit, each quiet conversation it still has a lot to say about a potter and his vision.      

(Sorry for revisiting this pot but as I was looking at it the other morning I thought of our wonderful visits with Bob and Dee and wanted to recount their kindness and time sharing their collection with us from Warren Mackenzie to Betty Woodman not to mention their intimate knowledge of many of the best places to eat in and around Cleveland!)