She will then gather up her pieces and take them outside, to her Oscar The Grouch-style can. She'll lay the pieces on a bed of sawdust, sprinkle in some copper and iron powder and a little bit of salt, then pile kindling until it nearly reaches the mouth of the can. And then she'll light a match, close the lid and cross her fingers. After about an hour, the fire will have burnt itself out, but it's still too hot to reach in and dust off her creations. Finally, with a thin layer of smoke still billowing from the can, Munro dons some heavy-duty gloves and fishes about in the ashes. What she finds are her jars, her vases and lamps - except they've changed. After having been fired, they're turned black, and thanks to the iron and copper and salt, they've turned pink and red and orange in spots. This new primitive style creates artwork rather than plates and bowls for dinner parties.

The fun, she said, is in the suspense, the random nature of the method. "You can plan on something, but it depends on how much salt and copper . . . you just don't know what you're going to get." While Munro's been working diligently at perfecting the craft for more than a month, it has been in the past week that she's really started to see reds and pinks and oranges show up on the blackened objects. The smoke firing, she said, "is more exciting, it's more fun. That's what we need right now, is more fun."

I was introduced to clay at a night school class  in Smithers in the 1960’s. In 1987 I created a studio storefront to market my own pottery and the work of other craftspeople. After 5 successful years I returned to my home studio to spend more time exploring the many directions clay could take me.

 

In 2001, I moved to Kamloops where I have a studio with a fantastic view in sunny Barnhartvale. I am a member of the Thompson Valley Potters Guild and the Potters Guild of British Columbia.  I attend as many workshops as I can, always striving to increase my knowledge of this exciting craft we are involved in.

 

I have worked in electric fired cone 6 stoneware, wheel thrown and slab construction. At present I am experimenting with low fired wood and sawdust firings, a very fun side road to travel. My goal is to make pots that feel comfortable and that you will use often.

 

Exhibitions:

1995 Prince George Invitational – Celebrating Winter

1994 Images and Objects – Campbell River

1994 Northwest Regional Juried Art Show Award of Excellence – Kitimat