Below you'll find a list of all posts that have been tagged as “Harlan”
Par goes to work… I was one of the many fools that thought the whole Trump election was just a bad joke. We knew it was bad. It turned into 18 holes a day with a bunch of salesmen. More lies than holes. My worry is it could happen again… There is almost nothing that a potter in a tiny village in …
I have been working for over a year on a project called “The Find”. The job is now done and is parked on my website home page. Free. Enjoy. Share. As you read this, Maureen and I are recalling that some of the work in “The Find” was being packed 50 years ago to this day. We bought our rural Ontario home in the …
Almost 40 years ago I started to use junk food as subject matter for oil paintings. Even the enlightened in the ‘art community’ raised their eyebrows and generally took a pass. I was, and still am, amazed at what people will eat: industrial food-like substances that our grandmothers would never recognize, let alone feed to friends. I have noticed that …
I had a high summer. 17 years ago, I shingled the south side of Paddy Doyle’s Hotel and added to the windowsills and trim. They got a couple coats of paint, and I moved back into the studio to work on exhibitions. 17 years later, the windows needed a lot of love. They are just over 180 years old. This …
People have been asking me if I am retired. Nope. Never. This is what my friend Shelagh Rogers had to say about my retirement… So retire. No. Making Art yes, and writing yes. Playing pool yes. For the past two and a half years, I have been working on a book. It is a history of 50 years as a …
I seem to need surprises. I planted a spindle tree many years ago because I liked the bark. Then I fell in love with the color of the leaves. Now I find a new admiration for the berries that come later in the year. I picked some of them for our show here last November…put them in a toaster. The …
Maureen and I would like to thank all of you that came out to our Lonsdale Studio Exhibition. It was like old home week! Lovely to see all of you in such fine health. There were certainly some raised eyebrows. Why would anyone want to put a flower in a shoe…and why shoes? When I was a kid, our mother …
I love the phrase Juvenile Senior. A friend told me that is what he is, because he hired people to put a new roof on his house, even though he could maybe have done it himself. A few years ago he would have for sure. Now is now. I mention Juvenile Senior, because I just read my own history written …
Thank you one and all for your support. The opening earlier this month at David Kaye Gallery was packed. We were able to visit with friends that we have not seen in years and met new friends as well. So, thanks again for taking the time to visit, and to view Table Talk with Maureen and me…we loved seeing all …
This is an invitation to you. I am having an exhibition of porcelain at the David Kaye Gallery in Toronto. The exhibition is called Table Talk. I have always cared about what kind of porcelain people put on their tables, over their tables and on the walls near the table. The show is about what happens to my celadon glaze …
I started to work on bas relief or low relief carving before I knew what it was called. A neighbour in Lethbridge taught me the basics of leather carving when I was in Jr. High School. I earned my way through high school and some of art school making ladies purses and wallets. Sixty years later I am still trying …
For some unknown reason, I continue to be a lucky man. On a very hot day this week, this sign was added to the election signs on the roadside right in front of our house. It brought such a breath of fresh air to our village!
Lonsdale is almost perfect. We have mosquitoes, black flies, and the odd deer fly – other than that, it is perfect. This little imperfection is why I built a summer room with windows and screens. I found the table in a tombstone yard, and built the oven a year later in 2004. Maureen and I almost live in this little …
I love it when the stars align. I have some good friends that love good food. They made very good pork sausages with kimchi, which they fermented themselves, and added into the meat mix. Generous people that they are, they shared some with us. Tasty! These friends have most everything they need to survive, including good sausages, so how to …
Hello! We are having our 41st Lonsdale Exhibition of porcelain on May 2nd & 3rd and May 9th & 10th, from 11 to 4pm each day. This year, part of the exhibition is in my new pool hall! As you can see, I don’t have a billiards table yet, but I do have the lights made. They are condo lamps. …
If you live in Ontario, and endured February, you also had to endure a lot of winter complaining. You will not get that from me. Winter for me is a time to get some work done. For the past few weeks, I have been hauling small canvasses over to the house, working up a drawing and then going back to …
In these videos, my technique of sprigging is shown here for the first time. Before watching, let me share what I have learned about sprigging. Chinese potters have used a technique for hundreds of years, but my own European background made me look there for the secrets of sprigging technique. You have to be careful when looking at “factory” ceramics …
I’ve placed two more videos on the site that add to a series of technical videos intended for both students and those interested in learning how I make and decorate bowls. In the video of me trimming a thrown bowl, I mention that if you do not like to trim pots, you should avoid throwing with porcelain. I used to …
Why would someone who has been making pots for nearly 50 years still be making bowls? They are so basic, so simple, and so… well, useful. If you take those three reasons and add that they are truly fun to make, you have my answer. If you were to assume that the first three reasons are easy, you would be …
I work seven days a week in my studio from sometime in September right through to May. That is usually enough. Leaving the studio is a very good idea, because after a long stint I get a bit comfortable; a bit lazy and a bit …well, dull. If you value your career, and your dignity, leave. Just walk out and …