4031 Wren Road, Denman Island
GordonHutchens.com

This year, 2024, marks the 50th anniversary of Gordon Hutchens’ pottery studio, and what a 50 years it has been!
A key member of the west coast ceramics community and a passionate teacher at heart, Gordon is an encyclopaedia of information and teaches fellow artisans, new and old, welcoming them the use his Anagama wood-fired kiln, or teaching them directly at North Island College in the Fine Arts program.
From silk-screen printing on his pots, to crystalline glazes, his creativity is not limited to one style or technique and alchemy takes on a tangible feel when you’re in his presence. “I love the chemistry and mineralogy part of pottery.”
Gordon’s collections vary from museum-quality pieces to functional pots, vases, platters and mugs and he is constantly inspired and actively experimenting.
“I take a lot of my inspiration from the natural world around me. The ocean, the rocks along the shoreline, the changing weather, the forest, the moss growing on the trees, even the lichen growing on the rocks. Those micro and macro things influence the crystalline-glazed porcelain I make.” Some of Gordon’s work even features clay gathered from his own property on Denman Island.
In 2019, Gordon Hutchens was honoured with a Creative Achievement Award of Distinction, Carter Wosk Award in Applied Art + Design from the BC Achievement Foundation for his 46-year contribution to the British Columbia arts community. His work is displayed in permanent collections such as the Bronfman family’s Claridge Collection, the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria, the Burlington Art Centre, and the Canadian Museum of Civilization
Gordon is a regular on the Denman Island Pottery Studio Tour and while his studio is open year-round, his hours vary. Contact him directly for more information at gordonhutchenspottery@gmail.com.
















Gordon Hutchens uses a traditional hillside Tozan-style Anagama wood-fired kiln to produce unique finishes that are unattainable in an electric kiln. Each piece tells a story of where it was placed in the kiln.
Read All Fired Up in CV Collective magazine