Artist Info

For over 30 years, Gordon has exhibited across Canada, from Halifax, Montreal and Toronto to Vancouver and Victoria. He has had over 25 one-man shows and over 85 group exhibitions across Canada and the US, with major exhibitions in Japan and Korea. Gordon has also taught courses and workshops for many colleges and potter’s guilds. His works and articles have been published in various ceramics magazines and books. His video ldquo;Variations on Raku” is sold in the US and Canada. Permanent collections include the Bronfman Family’s “Claridge Collection” and the Canadian Museum of Civilization.

Gordon received an honors degree in Fine Arts from the University of Illinois majoring in Ceramics (Clay and Glass Blowing). Three semesters of glaze and clay chemistry combined with having to work through school as the ceramics laboratory assistant gave him an unusually strong technical background.

Gordon’s work is well known for the depth and diversity of his glazes and the strength and refinement of his forms. All of his pieces are one-of-a-kind works of art. He formulates and blends all his own clay bodies using many different clays from across North America, and bases his porcelain body on a high quality kaolin from England. Local materials are also utilized. Clay from his own property is high in iron and is used in earthenware bodies and in oil spot glazes and metallic luster glazes. Seaweed from the beach is used in salt/sagger firings. Local wood ash is another major glaze ingredient.

“I’m attracted to variable glazes where subtle differences in the action of the flame can make a dramatic difference in the character of the glaze, where the fire tells a story. I get excited by the power of heat, the way fire brings about the transformation, the metamorphosis of elements I’ve combined into something new.”

Raku

A technique originating in Japan in the 16th Century, closely associated with Zen Buddhism and the tea ceremony. In its North American variation, the pieces are removed from the kiln at the peak of the firing while the glazes are still molten, and then placed in a seated container with straw and sawdust to cool. This smoky atmosphere, combined with copper and silver in Gordon’s glazes, create lustrous and iridescent surfaces. Since the clay is very porous to help withstand the tremendous heat shock, it is not suitable for holding water.