Our 2026 Members' Exhibition

Our members presented an excellent exhibition of recent work juried by Debra Sloan. The exhibition was held at the Deer Lake Gallery in Burnaby, and attracted many viewers, especially with the Canadian Clay Symposium held at the Shadbolt Centre on March 21. Here are a few pictures from the exhibition.

Duncan Ryan’s colourful plate installation Petri Dish.

Works by Fredi Rahn, Cheryl Stapleton, and John Young.

Works by Gloria Han, Pat Schendel, Bruna Sbranchella, Sherrin Kovach, and others

Works by Eloisa Mae Uy, Fredi Rahn, Willa Downing, Cheryl Stapleton, Jean Paull and others.

Frances de Grace’s award winning vessels in foreground.

FVPG Annual Exhibition at Deer Lake Gallery

Everyone is invited to enjoy work created by our members on view in our annual members exhibition at the Deer Lake Gallery March 15 until April 9. The juror is well-known ceramic artist Debra Sloan. Work includes functional and sculptural work in a variety of technologies and approaches. We hope to see you there!

Poster for annual exhibition created by members Sherrin Kovach and Linda Ward.

Wood Fire 2025

From December 10 until December 17, 2025, the Fraser Valley Potters Guild participated in a wood-fire and sawdust fire at the Shadbolt Centre for the Arts. On December 10, members glazed and wadded their pots, which were loaded on December 11. All member took shifts splitting and preparing wood, and stoking the kiln December 12 and 13th. The firing was a wonderful time to learn about the process, and the results were quite impressive. On December 17, the kiln was unloaded, shelves were ground and re-kiln washed, and the assembled pots were admired by all. At the same time, a sawdust fire was organized with those members interested in participating. Once all of the aluminum foil wrappings were removed, a rich variety of surfaces and colours were revealed.

These firings are great opportunities to come together as a guild, to learn about ceramic processes, and to see each others work. We are very much indebted to the work put in by our president, Cheryl Stapleton, who organized the complicated schedules, and by Linda Ward and Giovanna Cameron, who organized the sawdust firing. As ever, we were ably assisted by ace technicians Jay Maclennan and Tony Wilson. Thank you everyone, and have a great holiday season!

Top left: kiln in action. Bottom left: John Young and Patty Szeto on stoking duty; Right: sawdust kiln in action

Grinding the shelves and admiring the results

Soda Fire 2025

Between June 18 and June 24, the Fraser Valley Potters Guild members held a soda fire at the Shadbolt Centre. On June 18, everyone delivered or glazed their pots, which were loaded by volunteers on June 19. Soda was added on June 20th, and the spectacular results were viewed on June 24, when the kiln was opened and the shelves all ground and re-kiln-washed. After viewing the results, members held a potluck to celebrate, all under beautiful June skies.

Opening the kiln to see the results

Examining the pots out in the sun—beautiful!

Opening Night at the Italian Cultural Centre

Opening at the Italian Cultural Centre May 8, 2025

The Fraser Valley Potters Guild celebrated the opening of their 50th Anniversary Juried Show at the Italian Cultural Centre, 3075 Slocan St, Vancouver, with a well-attended evening of wine, treats, and lots of pots. One hundred and twenty-nine people came out to see the show! The Guild wishes to thank the Italian Cultural Centre for hosting them in their beautiful space. We are especially grateful for the assistance of curator Angela Clarke, for all of her help, and juror Dr. Carol E. Mayer for her well-trained eye and insightful comments. And, finally, we would like to thank all of the artists—members of the Guild—who submitted their work and who helped to make the event a success. The show really shines in the gallery space, especially during the daytime, when the large windows let in such wonderful light.

Eleven members were recognized with awards. In the student category, Claudia Zilin Shen won the Award of Merit for her Pain of Becoming--Embrace. Honorary Mentions were awarded to Eloisa May Uy for Come Feast (interactive); Duncan Ryans for his Wood and Soda Trio, and Eva Ediger for her Still Life. In the Members category, John Young won the Award of Merit for his Soda-fired Blue Vase, and Willa Downing for her Rearranged Landscape. Honorary Mentions went to Lisa Warren for Protoform; Jean Paull for Yours affectionately; Kennedy Snider for Sweet-Scented Bedstraw; Gloria Han for Sisters in Celadon, and Ying-Yueh Chuang for Plant Arrangement in Hybrid Plate.

The People’s Choice Award went to Eloisa Mae Uy for her interactive installation Come Feast.

Congratulations to all for your outstanding work!

The exhibition continues until June 8—Tues-Fri 10-6, Saturday and Sunday 10-4.

Wood Fire December, 2024

From December 4 to December 11, FVPG members conducted a wood fire at the Shadbolt Centre for the Arts. On December 4, members glazed their pots; on the 5th, the kiln was loaded, and, on December 6 and 7, everyone participating took a four-hour shift stoking the kiln. The kiln was opened on December 11, when treasures were revealed. A crocodile line of rapt potters conveyed the work from the kiln to waiting tables amidst many oohs and ahs. Later, the kiln shelves were carefully ground and re-covered with kiln wash, and the completed work was admired. The firing was followed by a Holiday potluck, which gave members a great opportunity to socialize and share results. On another positive note, the FVPG was able to contribute $210 to a local foodbank from members’ donations.

In addition to the wood fire, a sawdust firing was conducted, which produced many beautiful results. The opportunity to engage with these fascinating alternative firing methods is one of the most valuable aspects of FVPG membership. Thank you to Cheryl Stapleton for organizing the complex glazing and firing schedules, to Linda Ward for organizing the sawdust firing, and to all the members who helped make this event a great success!

We wish you all a very happy holiday season and look forward to seeing you all in 2025!

Top row: unloading the kiln in a crocodile line—lots of oohs and ahs! Bottom left: grinding those gnarly kiln shelves; right: admiring the wonderful results.

Two beautiful results from the sawdust fire by Linda Ward

FVPG Celebration of Art in Clay

The Fraser Valley Potters Guild is pleased to present Celebration of Art in Clay featuring the work of eighteen members including Giovanna Cameron, Susan Johnston, Linda Ward and 15 others.

The exhibition will take place from November 3 to 24, 2024, and will be open Thursday to Sunday, 10am to 4pm at 12160 Beecher Street South Surrey (Crescent Beach), BC.

We hope to see you there!