Posted on July 03, 2016 by Nigel Hayes
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Our fabulous WOODEN SALAD BOWLS are all hand crafted in BC. Each piece is made using skills that have taken years to perfect.
All of our WOODEN SALAD BOWLS are locally handcrafted and makes a superb original Gift for birthdays, weddings, anniversaries, housewarmings, retirement, corporate gifts, and romantic events or just for you.
See our Guide to Caring for Your Wooden Salad Bowl here...
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Posted on April 15, 2016 by Nigel Hayes
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A 9 Point Guide to Essential Wood Care
1. Oil your wooden bowl or utensil on a regular basis. We recommend doing it on a monthly basis.
2. Ideally, we recommend mineral oil. Food grade mineral oil is tasteless and odourless. It does not get sticky and does not become rancid with time. This is available from most local supermarkets & hardware stores. However, many of our artists recommend using Walnut oil or Olive oil as an alternative – both of these are excellent.
3. Rub on generous amounts of the oil (warmed just to room temperature) and allow to soak in. Repeat the process about 6-8 hours later, and repeatedly if necessary, until the oil is no longer being absorbed. Then wipe off any excess that remains on the surface.
4. Wash your wooden utensils without worry after oiling. But...
5. Do not let wood utensils soak, and never wash them in a dishwasher!
6. Dry wooden boards and utensils thoroughly after washing. Wood dries faster than plastic and is less likely to harbour bacteria on its surface.
7. Bowls that you regularly use for salads can just be wiped clean with a paper towel or J cloth. It will soak up any excess oils and be ready for your next salad.
8. Cutting boards should never be used interchangeably with meat (including poultry and fish) and other foods (like bread, salads, etc.), to avoid possible cross contamination from bacteria in uncooked meat products.
9. The USDA recommends that you wash wooden utensils (especially cutting boards and utensils used with uncooked meat products (including fish and poultry) with hot, soapy water, then rinse and dry. If you follow their instructions, first make sure the wood is well oiled before using it, and that the utensils have been at room temperature, not out in the cold. Follow with a generous oiling, since soap will remove much of the surface oil.
You can see many superb wooden bowls, platters & vases – all hand crafted in British Columbia at Side Street Studio’s web site https://www.sidestreetstudio.com/collections/wood
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Posted on September 30, 2015 by Sue Hayes
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A Young Talent to Watch Kayden Dorma is just 17 years old and lives in Cobble Hill on Vancouver Island BC. He has been wood-turning for about three years and has fallen in love with it.
Continue Reading →
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Posted on July 29, 2015 by Sue Hayes
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John Topham writes;
“There is a lot of experience that goes into the crafting of my wooden bowls for fruit and salads . During my 34 years in the explosives industry with CIL/Orica, I have travelled extensively throughout Canada, Africa, the U.S., the Caribbean and South America. Since my retirement in 2002, I have been consulting for Austin Powder Co. of Cleveland. My other interests are photography and guitar”.
“My passion for wood turning evolved from my formal training in Fine Arts. I have been turning for a dozen years and am a founding member of the Summerland Wood turners Group. We meet monthly at a member’s shop; a social time devoted to turning, discussing safe work practices, products, tools, design and finishing”.
“I am a Member of Summerland Community Art Gallery”.
Side Street Studio in Victoria, B.C. has two types of my Salad & Fruit bowls.
“The Silver Maple bowls originated from Nanaimo Street in Penticton. They are from a tree that was planted more than 80 years ago, salvaged and given a new life as a beautiful bowls”.
“The Western Birch bowls originated from a tree from the ‘Carlson property’ on Washington Street in Summerland. This tree was planted more than 80 years ago, salvaged and given a new lease of life as a beautiful bowls”.
“All of my bowls are finished with pharmaceutical grade mineral oil. These historic bowls are food safe and ready for use with fruit, salad and vegetables. An occasional application of oil will ensure generations of service”.
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Posted on July 29, 2015 by Sue Hayes
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Phil Cottell – A Suggestion for Politicians!
A short time ago Phil was asked to carve, a ‘Talking Stick’ from locally grown Yellow Cedar. This was designed by the excellent & hugely talented Coast Salish artist, Chris Paul, a member of the Tsartlip nation. Once finished the design will show the head of an Owl – expounding wisdom one can hope….
A ‘Talking Stick’ has traditionally been used by First Nations to pass around from member to member allowing only the person who is holding the stick to speak. This enables all those present at a council meeting to be heard; consensus can force the stick to move along to assure that the “long winded” don’t dominate the discussion; and the person holding the stick may allow others to interject.
And so we come to our two main suggestions: Firstly, that a ‘Talking Stick’ be part of all Provincial and Federal Government meetings and limited to a speaking time of 10 minutes. Some hope! Perhaps we could produce a list of societies, organizations, clubs, mainstream media (or specific individuals) that could benefit from the introduction of a ‘Talking Stick’….Some chance!
Secondly, that a revised form of ‘Talking Stick’ be introduced which discourages speakers from proposing the usual inane nonsense, well beloved by politicians of all parties. This could be called the B….. Stick – no; good manners prevents further discussion.
So on to Philip Cottell; Phil was born at Ladysmith, Vancouver Island. After completing a doctorate at Yale (Phil denies being a member of the Skull & Bones fraternity and so was denied the pleasure of meeting the former President of the US, Mr. George H. W. Bush) he returned to his native B.C. to take up a professorship at UBC. With time spent working in forestry and wood products research, retirement beckoned. Phil returned to the Island in 1997 and with great enthusiasm and skill began devoting his time to woodturning.
From the following images you can see shelves of various woods ‘seasoning or drying prior to being turned. Phil particularly enjoys creating beautiful as well as useful objects, utilizing salvaged wood from local trees — maple, arbutus, dogwood, cedar and others.
Many of these pieces are allowed to dry for up to 3 years before being turned.
“EAGLE DANCE” WALL PLAQUE
Phil’s subjects range from organic burl bowls, salad bowls and sculptural vessels to coloured, wall-hung plaques that take their cues from the wood grain and figure.
As with many local artists, Phil strongly believes in conservation of our resources.
MOTHER LODE
You can find lots of Phil’s magnificent work at Side Street Studio in Oak Bay Village or on line at www.sidestreetstudio.com
NATURAL EDGE MAPLE BURL BOWL
A World Made By Hand
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Posted on July 29, 2015 by Sue Hayes
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Jack Olive grew up in Thunder Bay, Ontario. After obtaining a degree in Chemistry and Mathematics from Mooorhead State College in Minnesota he spent 3 years working as a biochemist at the University Of Oregan Medical School. But a strong creative gene began to override a love of pure science and so Jack returned to Moorhead to work on a degree in ceramics and graphics.
In 1971 Jack moved to Vancouver to become a founding member and director of the Vancouver Clayworks Society; a 12 member cooperative ceramics studio.
In this hugely creative atmosphere Jack worked with other members of the group to develop methods of applying graphic images i.e. photography, drawing and painting to clay. His style of work ranges from abstract geometric to wildlife painting and drawing. Currently Jacks pottery images include Pears, Salmon, Orcas, Ravens, Apples and Crows. These images are incorporated into a large range of functional pottery items from Jugs to Mugs , Casseroles , Bowls, Plates, Tea Pots, Pitchers and more...
Jack has recently explored the techniques and possibilities of Raku. This example uses “naked Raku” techniques, which result in a pot that is white with a black line image. A dry pot is covered with terra sigliata (liquid clay), fired once to bisque temperature, and then covered with a high-fire clay slip and a low fire glaze, through which he etches the design.
The Raku firing process requires a special Raku kiln that is fueled by propane and reaches temperatures of about 1800°F (about 982°C).
The piece is then fired to Raku temperatures, and placed into the smoking chamber. When the piece is cooled, he peels off the slip and glaze to reveal the black line on the white background. The resulting pots have a lighter, more textured quality than his traditional stoneware.
In order to complete the firing process, the Raku pottery must remain in the kiln for approximately 30 minutes. The Raku pottery is removed from the kiln using specially designed Raku tongs.
While the Raku pottery piece is still hot and glowing, it is placed inside a metal can full of combustible materials. The heat emitted from the Raku pottery causes these materials to catch on fire. After the materials inside the metal can catch on fire, a lid is placed over the can and the Raku pottery is sealed inside.
The Raku pottery is capable of withstanding these high temperatures and the fire within the can because it is made from a special type of clay that is capable of withstanding thermal shock.
Jack now lives and works in Gibsons on the beautiful B.C. Sunshine Coast but you can see lots of Jack’s magnificent creative work – both Raku and Stoneware at http://www.sidestreetstudio.com/collections/pottery/jack-olive-pottery
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