RAUCOUS RAVEN POTTERY

Featuring the works of John and Barb Mills, Raucous Raven Pottery is situated on lovely Morrison Marsh. John has recently returned to the potter's wheel to throw canisters, casseroles and small lanterns, but his primary focus is on producing beautiful bowls of various sizes. 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 nite sky.

Both Mills are avid naturalists, and Barb enjoys celebrating her appreciation for wildlife as a sculptor. 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. An iron oxide wash highlights detail on the natural clay surface of many of these delightful creations. Inspired by her Buddhist orientation, Barb also makes masks, like the playful Venetian Carnival bird mask below (harkening back to the 16th century), and portraits of the Sun and Moon.