The End

I cannot believe how quickly this experience went... here I am back in the UK after 4 days of teaching little girls how to make jewellery and sadly Banff seems too far away already.....

I had the most fantastic time and discovered many colours and ideas for larger sculptural works, I have a great deal to be getting on with when I get back to my art space in Stroud including work for a solo show in Stroud and the ROSL Scholars exhibition at OXO gallery, London, in October. The ROSL (Royal Over-seas League) are the people who sent me on this wonderful residency and I am so grateful, thank you!

We didn't manage to go on the hike to Healy Pass, because believe it or not, the weather turned pretty terrible, cold and wet but this meant I could blitz my last few days in the studio without feeling the need for a hike. I had one eventful night at about 1.30 am where I went to shake a black glaze up, containing manganese and cobalt oxides (yum) and the top was not fully on, so got caked in the stuff!! This is why I do not make a good late worker, I am much better as an early bird. The weather was glorious and clear and bright for my last day though, a fantastic way to say goodbye and a wonderful final journey through the Rockies back to Calgary airport.

I had a very good feedback session, where I invited people to look at my work and record their responses. The main theme of this research was to record human response to colour in relation to the form I had created. The pitcher plant-like shape was created, then I made a mould of this and slip cast them so I could achieve many to test. I was so pleased to hear that Air Canada allows 2 bags at 23kgs, so I could fly this mould home with me. Everything else has been carefully packed into the tube in the photograph and should be with me in a few weeks....

A residency is a fantastic opportunity for an artist. Not only does it give you the chance to be elsewhere (away from my leaking house in Gloucestershire and terrible summer weather in the UK) but away from the distractions of everyday life. It was a chance to meet fantastic people, Claire, Brett, Meghann, Erik, Yosuke, Jeremy, Hoang, Ed – thank you for enriching my life with your artwork and laughs! Above all, to see the nature of Canada and Banff in particular was so special. It is such a fresh and epic landscape. I will never smell pines again without thinking of Banff.

Aquoise

We did a truly fantastic day hike around Lake Louise on Friday, which has fuelled a new focus, that is the search for an "Aquoise" glaze, this is inspired by the gorgeous turquoise water in and around Banff National Park. As you can see in the photo, the water is a bright turquoise at Lake Louise.

I have 3 main glazes to test and each one has 5 colour combinations. This will keep me busy along with all the other things I have to do in my last week here! It has gone far too fast!!!

Still hoping to go to Healy Pass for a final day hike, to look at the wild flowers on Wednesday this week.

The colours are coming on after a few little set backs to do with glaze materials and temperatures. I have a good spectrum to work with so far but still have plans for other as yet unreached colours... I would love to discover something really extraordinary. Then it's ways of using photoshop to explore combinations and finally on to getting peoples responses to those colours. I think I will hold an open studio next Friday afternoon. I have moved studios to a room with a view, it is fantastic to see a large chunk of mountain looming up above the opposite building.

During my time here all artists have the opportunity to see the many performances for the Banff summer festival. I have seen some fantastic Ballet whilst here and there are several music events I am going to. The place had been over-run with young dancers (ages as young as 14 I think). It is the 60th year anniversary of the dance centre. We were shown some old footage of young girls back in 1947, dancing in fields in the mountains, the commentary was wonderful and the styles of Ballet dance seems to have changed a great deal.

There has been 2 art show openings since being here and bot have ended in good parties. We are a fun bunch and enjoy each other company a lot! Unfortunately, my 2 American buddies and fellow Harry Potter readers (we have been reading it out load to each other) are leaving, Claire already and Brett tomorrow. Also Jeremy from Canada is leaving soon, it is a shame, we have had some great laughs.

I have plans to get out and see the wild flowers of Healy Pass very soon, as well as a visit to Lake Louise.