GALLERY OF BC CERAMICS

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQ’S):

GENERAL QUESTIONS:

What is your exchange policy?
The gallery will gladly exchange items, but no refunds will be given. Proof of purchase is required for exchange, but we’ll accommodate within reason in the absence of a receipt. If you’re purchasing an item as a gift for someone else, please ask for a gift receipt, this will make the exchange process far easier. If you wish to return an item and don’t want to pick another piece right away, we’ll gladly issue a credit note, which is valid for one year.

Do you sell gift certificates?
Yes, absolutely – these make the ideal birthday, Christmas or wedding gift. The recipient has a full year in which to spend the voucher.

Does the gallery ship items if required?
Yes, the gallery staff will gladly ship your purchase. The cost of shipping is based on the weight and dimension of the parcel and the destination address. In order to make our shipping service as convenient and affordable as possible, we do not make a profit on shipping. We’re able to ship anywhere within Canada, the U.S.A., the U.K. and Europe.

If I have a piece shipped, and it’s damaged in transit, what happens?
We ship with Canada Post, as this is very reliable and the most affordable of the options available. Canada Post insures for loss, so, if your parcel fails to reach its destination, you would be fully compensated – both the cost of your piece and your shipping fee would be reimbursed. If the piece breaks during shipping, the gallery would replace the piece for you, entirely at our own expense.

How often are shipped pieces damaged in transit?
Hardly ever. We have the most effective packaging materials and techniques, and are highly experienced in packing even the most fragile of pieces. Great care and much time is taken in packing ceramic pieces for shipping, a parcel can take up to two hours to prepare – no corners are cut, no chances are taken! We’ve had reports of damage in less than 1% of cases.

Are ceramic dishes food safe?
All functional pieces (mugs, bowls, plates etc.) are dishwasher, oven and microwave safe; also food safe. There are rare exceptions, in which case there will be a notice to that effect. People are frequently concerned about the use of lead-based glazes – these are not even available in Canada any longer, so there’s no danger of lead being present in any ceramic piece purchased from the gallery.

Is there more work in the back? I’d like to put together a set of matching pieces.
Yes, we always carry extra work from each artist. Remember, though we have multiples of an item, they may not be absolutely identical, as everything in the gallery is handmade and will vary slightly. If you would like to have a set of a particular item, we would have to contact the artist and see if they would be available to produce multiples. The usual wait time for a special order is anywhere from one to three months.

Can I commission something from one of your artists?
Our gallery artists are exactly that – artists. That being the case, their work is representative of their own aesthetic sense and their own creative vision. Many artists are reluctant to take on projects that are not compatible with their line of work. If the commission is something creatively challenging and somewhat substantial, an artist may consider a request. Our artists will not replicate the work of others nor undertake to repair the work of others.

Why is it so hard to find handmade plates?
Plates are difficult to make. Also, they tend to take up more room in a kiln than bowls and mugs, as they have a greater surface area. This means that they’re not very cost-effective to produce.

Will the glaze chip off one of my functional pieces?
No. Glazes are not like paint, they are fired onto pieces at extremely high temperatures, making them very durable.

Does the gallery have contact information for each of the artists represented?
The gallery is not able to give out direct contact information for the artists, however, we are able to take your information and pass it along to the artists. We also routinely provide an artist’s statement with any purchase, and this provides some information about each artist.

Does the gallery offer pottery lessons?
We do not offer pottery lessons. The best places to take classes are at your local community centres – see http://vancouver.ca/parks/cc/ for a list. Emily Carr University also offers classes through continuing studies.

SOME TECHNICAL ISSUES:

What is the difference between stoneware, porcelain, and earthenware?
Stoneware is fired at higher temperatures than earthenware. Porcelain is made of fine textured clay and is considered a type of stoneware. Earthenware is a more porous clay body, and tends to be not as strong as stoneware. Also, because it is a more porous clay body, earthenware tends to be glazed to strengthen it against liquids. It’s very difficult to tell the clay types apart visually.

What is the difference between “pottery” and “ceramics”?
Ceramics is a term that covers everything to do with clay and glazes. In the 50s and 60s 'ceramics' became synonymous in North America with shops where one could purchase greenware or bisqueware and paint the glazes on to the surface of the bisque. Pottery usually refers to functional ware of any firing temperature but was used to differentiate 'ceramics' from hand built or thrown pieces from an individual studio or factory. These days, for the most part, the terms are used interchangeably.

What is the difference between something that is thrown and something that is handbuilt?
When something is thrown, it means that it has been shaped with the aid of a wheel. The wheel spins a piece of unformed clay, and the artist manipulates the clay into a shape. If something is handbuilt, it means that it has not been made with a wheel, but rather the shape of the piece was formed with the artist’s hands. This includes techniques such as slab work, press molding, coiling and pinch pots.

What does “slipcast” mean?
Slipcast refers to the process of making and firing ceramics from a mold. Typically, porcelain slip is poured into a mold, made of at least 2 parts, and then allowed to harden slightly. The plaster absorbs the moisture from the clay and allows it to hold its shape when fired.

What is meant by “paper clay”, and why is it used?
Paper mulch is incorporated into the clay, which increases the strength of the clay. When fired, the paper burns off, leaving the vessel lighter, stronger and less dense than it would have been without paper. Clay can be rolled very thin when strengthened in this way. Paper clay can also be used to repair minor cracks or flaws on an item prior to its first firing.

What does burnished mean? Can I use a burnished piece for food?
Burnishing refers to the polishing of a vessel with the back of a spoon or a smooth rock. This is a very labour intensive process, as the artist has to press very firmly. Because the clay is just polished (wax paste may be added to produce a sheen) and not filled with a glaze, it is not intended for burnished pieces to hold liquid. They will not be food safe or watertight.

FIRING METHODS:

What is a bisque firing?
Newly formed pottery pieces contain a lot of moisture. They’re left to air dry until “leather hard”, at which point the first firing takes place. This is the bisque firing.

What is a glaze firing?
After the bisque firing, the piece will be glazed, and then undergo the second or glaze firing.

What is raku?
The ceramic pieces are glaze fired at low temperatures and then removed from the kiln (with tongs) while still glowing hot. They are then placed in vats or drums containing combustible materials (eg. newspaper / straw / sawdust) which have been ignited. The sudden and drastic changes in temperature result in thermal shock, which causes the glaze to crack. Smoke from the ignited combustibles seeps into these cracks, creating the characteristic crackle effect.

What is the difference between a gas/electric kiln firing and a wood firing?
If something is fired in a gas or electric kiln, it usually takes only a few hours for the pieces to fire and the heat is evenly distributed throughout the kiln. With wood firings, the kiln is heated with burning wood, and the process takes a lot longer. Wood firings can take up to three days, and require a constant level of heat. This means there needs to be someone there to tend to the fire at all times, and vast quantities of wood are required. Heat distribution also affects the overall look of a wood fired piece - pieces situated closer to the fire have a different appearance to pieces further away from the heat source (“Fire box”). Flame flashings and ash deposits on each piece add colour and visual interest, and make for a very distinctive, rustic look. Ash will “melt” and adhere to the molten pot, which gives the appearance of glaze – it takes on a sheen as it melts. Firing can take up to 50 hours, flames can be 40 feet long! Because the process is so time consuming and labour intensive, wood fired items tend to be at a higher price point.

What is a saggar firing?
This will occur after the bisque firing. A saggar is an enclosed container (made of ceramic material) which sits within the kiln. Ceramic pieces are frequently fired within the saggar with organic materials packed around them. Chemical components within the organic materials interact with the composition of the clay and these “exchanges” give rise to unpredictable and impressive visual effects. Artists become very creative in terms of the materials they use – leaves, seaweed, horse hair, bird seed – anything! Saggars can also be used to nestle pots down into beds of salts and metal oxides, again producing a particular aesthetic and adding colour to pieces that will not be glazed.

What does “smoke fired” or “pit fired” mean?
Pit firings involve placing the vessels in the ground covered with various combustible materials, such as sawdust, wood or leaves. The combustibles are ignited and the pit is then covered until all the materials inside burn off. Because the flames are deprived of oxygen, the fire will seek to draw oxygen particles out of the clay in order to attempt to fuel itself. This interaction sets up chemical reactions which cause the characteristic “charred” appearance. Once cooled, the pots are burnished, which reveals the colour patterns left by the materials that burnt off during the firing. None of this work is watertight or functional.

What is the difference between smoke fired and wood fired?
Smoke firing refers to items that are stained with colour through the submersion of these items in a container with combustible materials. Smoke firing can occur in a pit as described above, or in an enclosed container such as a large metal garbage can with a lid. As the combustible materials burn off, carbon from the smoke produced stains the vessels with their characteristic charcoal colour. Conversely, wood firing refers to the process of firing pieces in a kiln where the heat source is fuelled by wood rather than gas or electricity.

What does “sawdust fired” mean?
This is a “sub-category” of smoke firing, and merely refers to the fact that the combustion agent in the smoke firing process is sawdust as opposed to straw.

What does “reduction fired” mean? The “reduction” refers to the diminishment of the oxygen source – the process is as for smoke/pit firing, but the term only applies to work fired in a gas or wood kiln, where there’s exposure to live flame. Glaze surfaces are altered as a result of the process.

What is “salt fired” or “soda fired”?
Soda/Salt firings refer to pieces that are doused with sodium based products during the firing process. This tends to give works a spotty-looking appearance; the characteristic “orange peel” effect.

GLAZING METHODS:

What is crystalline and how does the process operate?
Crystalline is a type of glaze. It is composed of different chemical components that, when fired, create spontaneous “explosions” that look like clovers or starbursts. The firing process takes approximately 12-14 hours, with the kiln kept at extremely high temperatures. Because the process is difficult to control, no two pieces will ever be alike, and even the artist cannot predict the results.

What is raku?
The ceramic pieces are glaze fired at low temperatures and then removed from the kiln (with tongs) while still glowing hot. They are then placed in vats or drums containing combustible materials (eg.newspaper / straw / sawdust) which have been ignited. The sudden and drastic changes in temperature result in thermal shock, which causes the glaze to crack. Smoke from the ignited combustibles seeps into these cracks, creating the characteristic crackle effect.

DECORATING METHODS:

What are decals and how are they applied?
Decals are pre-printed pictures or words that are transferred onto clay, somewhat like the “temporary tattoos” that children will play with. Decals are applied to a glaze fired piece of pottery. The piece is fired again to affix the decal. This means that decal work undergoes three firings.

What is silkscreening?
Silkscreening is a print making technique, where a picture or design is copied onto a sheet of a mesh fabric. The blank portions of the fabric are then coated with a substance that prevents ink from seeping through. Once the ink is applied, the image is then transferred, or screened, onto the surface of the object.

What is “slip”?
Slip is a more liquid form of clay. It can be used in slip casting, for decoration, or to join two or more solid pieces of clay together. Slip can also be a different colour than the clay being decorated.