Barb Mills

Barb is an avid naturalist and has hiked mountain ranges with her family all over North America. Whether she’s meticulously crafting birds perched on scavenged driftwood, or throwing clay against the trunk of a tree to obtain a natural bark texture, her love of nature finds its way into all her work.

With a home (and studio) facing the beauty of Morrison Marsh, she doesn’t have to look far for inspiration. Nearly all of Barb’s work features animals, a lot of which she observes sitting in her kitchen. Her love of nature is not limited to the world of pottery as Barb is a passionate advocate for marine life and the environment.

Among other animals, her mixed media creatures include tree-climbing bears, different species of woodpecker, and colourful salmon. Barb also models little free-standing songbirds like wrens, chickadees and towhees, as well as her beloved corvids, though nuthatches hold a special place in her heart.

“They are very cheeky at the feeder and don’t get off when I add seeds, they just go for the ride.”

An iron oxide wash highlights detail on the natural clay surface of many of these delightful creations. Barb has a fondness for natural tones and uses a smooth clay to allow for more detail.

“I love sculptures but figured I should make something practical so I started with the tiles and lamps.” This year you’ll find sculptures featuring her current obsession with owls among other forest creatures, and masks inspired by her Buddhist orientation, like the Thai Buddha and playful Ganesh.

John Mills

When first on the tour back in 2017, John had only recently returned to the potter’s wheel to throw canisters, casseroles and small lanterns, but his primary focus was on producing beautiful bowls of various sizes. This year, two of John’s favourite hobbies are combining and he will be creating unique sourdough bread pots (along with more bowls of course!).

“Sitting in front of the wheel and throwing is very contemplative, you get into a zen state. You lose yourself in it, just like sourdough.”

Depending on the clay body used for these functional wares, John’s gorgeous blue colour palette ranges from dusky turquoise to a grey flecked cerulean, and the dark blue of a starry night sky. All of his work is trademarked using a stamp purchased from a store years ago on Granville Island, a symbol which means “potter” in Chinese.

One of his best-sellers is the berry bowl but canisters and casseroles are a favourite of his to make.

“I like the structural aspect of making the lids fit. It’s fun to see it evolve.”

When asked what he was excited about in returning to the tour, John said, “It’s fun when other potters show up because we can talk technical, like about glazes.”