From the crest of the hill, the bonfire’s flames and the swirl of bagpipes filled the evening air, creating perfect counterpoint to the blazing sunset that saturated kilt and drum with brilliant hue and cast long shadows onto the endless Saskatchewan parkland below. For most of the spectators, this demonstration of Pit-fired pottery at Pat Grayston’s Riverview Arts Studio near Shellbrook was the opening event of the Parklands Artisan’s Tour, held this year on June 24 and 25. For us, however, this event was an extension of an Art Holiday that began in August of 2006 when we camped at Riverview Arts Studio and studied handbuilt pottery.
I first heard about the idea of Art Holidays from my daughter who was studying Design at Langara College in Vancouver. At the time, one of her Art instructors was offering a group holiday package where participants would stay at a country villa in France and study painting. I was intrigued. It seems that most of our holiday plans are so passive – we go and look at things, we listen to music , we hike and boat a lot but we seldom do anything really creative. When my wife met Pat Grayston at one of her pottery exhibits and came home with the idea of learning pottery as an Art Holiday – I was in!
The PDF brochure from www.riverviewarts.com describes the Art Holidays this way: “Take a unique and fulfilling holiday at Riverview Arts for an hour, a day or a week. Here you can relax, enjoy, learn and create in a scenic, rural getaway. Riverview Arts features a fully equipped painting, pottery and printmaking studio. You can unwind on wooded, secluded trails with animal sightings, bird watching, wild flowers, and wild berries. You can work individually or take lessons. Groups are welcome and group pricing on lessons is available. You can take lessons in Pottery, Papermaking, Etched Copper Bowls, Printmaking, Painting and Drawing.”
Our group of three elected to study handbuilt pottery. We camped on site for three days and learned the basics of several different styles of handbuilt pottery construction. We then returned home for a few days, allowing time for our pottery projects to dry slowly as well as giving us some time to catch up on our gardens and yard work. Back at Riverview Arts the following week, we learned about glazing and firing and participated in the firing of Raku Pottery. Our days were full and our evenings around the campfire were tranquil. Quite frankly, I can’t remember a more enjoyable holiday. There are plans in the works for a pottery studio in our own backyard, but meanwhile, Riverview Arts offers incredibly reasonable rates for lessons and the use of studio space and kilns as well as Raku and Pit firing. There’s no need to go all the way to France when you can take an exciting Art Holiday right here at home in beautiful rural Saskatchewan.
Photos: top: PA Highlanders perform in front of Pit Firing at Riverview Arts left: studying handbuilt pottery right: Pat Grayston removing Pit-fired Pottery. Below: Video of the PA Highlanders
