I have wanted to do this forever. Anyone that has thrown a cup or bowl off the hump, on a potter’s wheel knows the lovely mark of a piece of twisted thread that appears on the bottom of the piece as you cut it off.…it is process and beauty all at once. I tried to get this “mark” on the …
Rose Houses
The main challenge still exists for a person who makes functional wares. That task is to make an object that not only functions well, that is, does its job, but is beautiful and meaningful when it is not being used. It is not easy. On many occasions I have had artists ask me if function ever got in the way …
Friday the 13th
I have been working for a few months towards a good firing, and now it is almost done. I finished loading the kiln and lit the burners on Friday the 13th. 13 is a good number for me. I was the 13th Saidye Bronfman Award winner, and that award meant a lot to me… peer award by peer jurors… that …
Making Art for Science
I’m working on a project that might make a difference to our kids and grandchildren. The lamp that I am building has a mirror in it, and when finished will support three iris shades. It, with four other iris pieces will make a collection that will be raffled off to raise money for science. We are trying to persuade the …
Restraint
When I turned 16, my parents gave me 16 silver dollars and a good party with cake and friends. Both of my parents said that I should save the 16 silver dollars. I tried. The real highlight of turning 16 was when my girlfriend, Joanne Brooks, gave me a surprise of 16 kisses. I remember wanting to be 70. Fifty …
Blue Celadon
If you want to find out more about Blue Celadon glazes…including how to produce a thick, unctuous, wonderful juicy Jun glaze, please investigate the Blue Celadon technical page on my website. Harlan House RCA Visit Harlan’s Facebook page.
Aylmer Workshop
I thought you might be interested in this event. It is being held November 2nd and 3rd at thePinecroft Centre for the Arts at the old family studio of Jimmie and Selma Clennell. Pinecroft is just south of London about 2 hours from Toronto or Windsor. It is called ‘Making Dishes for Ourselves’, a weekend workshop by Harlan House RCA. …
Glazing
I’ve added another technical page that discusses how I glaze my work. If you can believe it, I’ve been using an old Electrolux vacuum as long as I can remember. For those who are interested, check out the technical page on glazing. This Chinese sprayer is handmade on the streets of Jingdezhen and is commonly used for glazes that are …
Our Garden
We live on about half a hectare [a big acre], or half a city block, with about half of it in gardens. Lonsdale is a hamlet in Eastern Ontario on shallow soil and limestone. We have about the same number of dogs and cats as we have people…about thirty-five. Maureen loves flowers. She has a memory [that I envy] so …
HH Celadon
For those students, teachers and potters who have an interest in what I have been doing for the last 45 years, I have added another technical page that provides information regarding my HH Celadon Glaze. Please have a look at the HH Celadon glaze technical page if you are interested in the evolution and formulae for this signature glaze. Harlan …
Passing on Technique
Why focus on the technical side of a ceramics studio? For the longest time, I have known that in order to actually create the objects I can imagine, I will need the tools to get the job done. The tools lie asleep in thousands of years of making traditional objects. The move away from traditional ceramic knowledge has been gradual, …
Maureen
I met Maureen at a ‘get acquainted’ dance in high school over fifty years ago. I did not take her home from that dance, but her presence stayed. A couple of days later, a friend and I were talking in the hallway, when Maureen walked by. She flashed the most wonderful smile that announced to me, ‘I am on your …
The Garlic Standard
Sometimes all one has to do to become successful is to change the definition. This has worked wonders for most countries in the world that at one time had metal for money, and then chose the gold standard for issuing bills. These countries changed away from the gold standard and use the US dollar as their reserve currency. With no …
Welcome
Hello! We have good news…no Maureen is not having a baby…but a new baby is on the way. Our son Abraham has made us a new web site. We think it is the kind of thing that brings us in from the dark, and keeps us in touch with all of you. Kicking and scratching as you might imagine, I …
Frogs
Many years ago, I learned how to make sprigs for use in decorating porcelain. For fun, I added a very small frog sprig to the inside wall of a slip cast coffee mug. As the user drank, all of a sudden there was this creature on the coffee shoreline. The frog sprig became so popular that people would not buy …