WELCOME TO THE INDALO POTTERY, PORT EDWARD, B.C. CANADA

WELCOME TO THE INDALO POTTERY, PORT EDWARD, B.C., CANADA


 

 

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This is the 'Indalo', a prehistoric cave-painting found in the province of Almería, Spain and adopted as its good-luck symbol.

My name is Françoise Melville and I was born in Paris, France. However, I spent most of my adult life in Spain where I studied sculpture for a year at the Escuela de Bellas Artes in Madrid before moving south to Andalucía. In the province of Almería I learned the potter's craft, having being inspired and encouraged by the local folk potters of the village of Níjar. In 1989 I relocated to British Columbia, Canada, and now work as an independent studio potter in the garage adjoining our home. In my 'spare time', I write novellas and short stories. For many years I made strictly functional pots, but I sometimes work on ceramic sculpture, more for relaxation than with an eye to selling it. Most of these human figures now adorn our backyard, some surrounding my kilnshed like kilngods. In summer I enjoy making small perforated porcelain bowls which I fire in a home-made raku kiln.Click here for more about my Raku kiln These are almost non-functional pieces - being full of holes - but very decorative.

 

Our house in Port Edward, B.C. on a December morning

Here are some samples of my recent work:

Some of my plates and pots on sale at the Rain Store, Prince Rupert B.C.

Not much room to move, but this is where I work

Glazed stoneware vase, 9 inches high

Glazed stoneware vase, 9½" high

Stoneware bowls with gold metallic glazed fish

Stoneware plate, 11" diameter with sgraffito fish design

The following are some examples of my written work:


THE END OF AN ERA, an illustrated article about folk potters in Southern Spain first published in Ceramics Monthly, January 1998


CASTLES IN SPAIN, full unedited version of an illustrated article first published in Ceramics Monthly, June 1999


ANGELITA LA TONTA, a comedy set in Southern Spain


BLIND DAWN, a short story set in Southern Spain


THE CHESS GAME, a short story set in St. Ives, Cornwall, UK in the 1950s


IN SEARCH OF A KEY or WHY POTTERS SHOULD THROW URNS, a true story from Spain


MAKING HISTORY, an illustrated article about reproducing prehistoric pottery on the excavation site


HOW TO MAKE HOLEY BOWLS, illustrated instructions for making perforated porcelain raku bowls


PICTURES OF MOSTLY FUNCTIONAL POTS

SEE MY RAKU KILN


"LIFECYCLE" a Quicktime movie made using clay (size 220kb)

(You must have Quicktime 3 or better to view this movie)

"CLAYWOMAN" another clay movie (size 479kb) which can be viewed with either Quicktime or Windows Media Player 6

 


 Raku kaleidoscopes   

 For comments or enquiries, you may email me at: fmelvill@rapidnet.net

Links to some other sites:

Willow Tree Pottery, Manitoba, Canada

Michelle Lowe in the Arizona desert

The Wiltjer Pottery, Maine, USA

Shaffer Pottery in West Virginia,USA

Visit the potting village of Buño in Galicia,Spain

Anne McFadden in Ontario, Canada

The Ceramics Web

Clayzee.com - An excellent database for potters everywhere

A wonderful selection of regional and national flags for your homepage

See what the weather is like here in Prince Rupert or almost anywhere else in the world.

Background music "Recuerdos de la Alhambra" by Francisco Tárrega, arranged for midi by  Carlos do Rosario Tchiang

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