Nancy’s classes began at Cedar Hill Rec. Centre where she helped found a drop-in club for intermediate potters. In 1997 she purchased a wheel and then a kiln, allowing her more opportunities to create pottery at home. Soon afterwards she joined the Garden City Potters group and was a founding member of the South Vancouver Island Potters Guild (1999). She remains an active member of these 2 groups and treasures the friendships and energy that stimulate many unpredictable clay endeavors.
Nancy’s functional ware is mainly wheel-thrown using a white porcelainous clay, fired in an electric kiln to Cone 6 – 1230˚Celsius. She cherishes times of burnishing & carving decorative ware also, firing by methods of smoldering Pit-Fire or fast fired Horsehair – allowing flames & smoke to work their magic.
My intention is to make objects that bring delight and become an intimate part of ones daily rituals.
An interest in geology leads to Nancy’s fascination with how raw materials (basically rocks) meld and melt into luxurious glazes. She enjoys testing and tweaking glaze recipes – using her favorites developed over the past 10 years. Nancy sells her work at local artisan venues and to regular customers.
Workshops that teach skills and proficiency are a nourishing part of progress. Over the years, instruction from Meira Mathison, Randy Broadnax, Vincent Massey, and D’Arcy Margesson among others, have helped sustain a positive learning curve.
Nancy balances time ‘getting muddy’ with kayaking, hiking, gardening, cross-country skiing, travel and a variety of traditional handwork.