A world-class partnership

It was the fastest sell out in 27 years at Metchosin International Summer School of the Arts (MISSA) for any of their courses.

MISSA provides high calibre specialized workshops with world renowned teachers in the field of choice.

Who was this teacher and how did he get such an international reputation?

Visionary potter Peter Flanagan’s journey was not a solo one nor one that started last year. Peter with Daphne, his artistic partner, and wife, have created beauty and pushed the artistic boundaries of porcelain ceramics to new heights and size.

Daphne, daughter of Peg and Des Loan, grew up in her parent’s gallery, Okanagan Pottery, which they started in 1968. Most Okanagan people knew this blue-grey building on the right going out of Peachland on the way to Penticton. The iconic building was only recently torn down.

She loved her family and the world of clay and wanted to go to school to learn more, so she enrolled at the Kootenay School of Art in Nelson.

Peter grew up in Victoria and always drew and painted as a kid. His mom studied design and his dad was a lover of architecture and a draftsman who also taught Peter carpentry and manual skills.

Peter loved going to art galleries as a kid, decided to pursue art and enrolled at the Courtenay School of Arts.

He knew nothing about pottery, but he had to take an introductory pottery class, and met Daphne.

“Her nose was into a pot when we first met,” he said.

It was early December, 1979, everyone had left the studio, but they stayed to make sure the heat of the wood-fired kiln was kept constant.

It was so cold that the mortar on the brick door froze when they were bricking it up, a far cry from today’s
gas-fired kilns.

The pottery was fired and so was their lifelong teamwork.

“It takes dedication, love, and understanding of the long hours and not always great results with constant fortitude to work together.”

They both attended the University of Victoria, where Peter received a degree in art history.

Soon they moved to the Okanagan and after just five years, they had a 2 1/2 year waiting list for their dinnerware. It didn’t take long for people to realize how good they were.

Peter’s career got a real boost in 1989 when he was one of five winners from around the world in the Second International Cara Ceramics Competition in Mino, Japan.

Each judge was allowed to pick one favourite competitor. The Japanese judge picked his bowl, lightly coloured deep with subtle flora inside and his -to become-signature — triangles on the rim.

Their family grew and for a time, Peter left pottery and entered the corporate world.

This time away from his art created an itch to get back and to stretch to see what limitations he could squash. He knew with Daphne they would be the perfect duo for innovation.

The synergy between Peter and Daphne is palpable; you can feel it when you are in the room with them. Together, one idea grows out of another, their teamwork feeds their creativity. The idea of the huge charger was born.

I met them when they invited me into their home.

I grew up in the Pacific Northwest surrounded by wood, so when I sat at their long wooden table, warmed by a real wood fire, it was like being home with great friends, such is their hospitality.

I drank dandelion tea from a mug they designed and made, which felt like it was made for me. It was pretty, fit well into my hand and kept the tea warm.

It was hard to look directly at them because I was surrounded by their phenomenal works of art. I felt like a kid in the world’s best candy store, so much to see and experience.

The huge porcelain ceramic chargers – huge plates on steroids — facing me were the result of an idea hatched from his hiatus in the corporate world.

The size was difficult to master — some are in excess of 30 inches in diameter. The size, weight, large surface, often not flat, can easily collapse.

“Part of the process is fascinating and elusive – you have to have a huge leap of faith.”

“Bases of material share their common character, but get their uniqueness from the trace elements from the environment,” Peter said.

Ah, clay from the Okanagan will be different from clay from somewhere else. He uses locally sourced materials.

They also began to experiment with wood ash for their glazes. They love ash from pine, fir, and cherry wood. Peter explained that it becomes fluid when fired and pools to create surface texture and colour.

It takes both of them to move these chargers into the kiln — very carefully — and they are fired at
1,300 Centigrade for 24 hours, and then cooled for 48 hours.

These chargers have intricate centres that are three dimensional, some with a crackle type of glaze. They lamented about how tricky these centres are and how many collapsed in the creation process.

Their size, designed for large wall spaces, take up almost all the space in the kiln. Miscalculations can be costly in time and money.

Their innovation of glazes and construction and locally sourced materials when possible make their chargers unique pieces of art.

It is no wonder potters around the world are anxious to learn from him and he is in demand as a teacher for his understanding of the different processes needed.

Words are inadequate to describe the majesty of these creations. You need to see them up close and personal.

You will be able to do this Oct. 9 to Nov. 14, at the Wood, Clay and Canvas exhibition, Peachland Art Gallery and at the Circle Craft Gallery, Granville Island, Vancouver for September.

Alas, my time with them came to an end much too quickly. I felt a sense of loss that happens when you leave a place of peace, creativity, and greatness.

Sigh.

This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.