The Ceramicist

Mica, the Pearl Cockatiel, comments while Lyn-Rae and Jim Ashley tell me about their three children: the architect, the pilot and the graphic designer. Lyn-Rae had been explaining that painting had become difficult with little ones at home. These early circumstances of her artistic pursuits were initially what led her to ceramics.

Through a series of classes and meetings with other artists in Torrance and Palos Verdes Lyn-Rae started throwing clay on the potter’s wheel. She sampled different clays and even made her own coloured porcelain by kneading oxide powders into it. Ever trying new things she found she liked the results of burnishing pieces with a smooth stone or stick (or even a ‘Sharpie’, in a pinch!) This is done when the piece is not quite – but almost – dry; a state potter’s have nick-named “black hard”.

All clay must be fired if it is to last but there are many ways to ‘cook’ it. Through experimentation Lyn-Rae has come up with an ingenious method of achieving colored tones on top of the muted shine using… seaweed!

After the piece is dried, rubbed and wrapped in seaweed it is placed in a clay box called a “sagger” and that, in turn, goes into the kiln. Before the clay gets to full “vitrification” (the hardest the clay will get without melting) Lyn-Rae turns off the heat - somewhere between 1600 & 1800º F and lets it ‘simmer’ for most of a day in her home kiln. The final step is to wax the outside of the piece, giving the delicate firing effects more contrast and completing the smoothing process. “One never knows what beauty will be revealed when the kiln is opened.”

The Ashley’s home is generously decorated with these useful and elegant artifacts, some looking a bit like Wedgwood, some reminiscent of Japanese Raku, all of them with a touch of mystery. They blend well with Javanese keepsakes from their travels in Indonesia. Jim, a flight test engineer, was sent there for extended visits to help with aircraft certification flight testing standardization and Lyn-Rae went with him. They both fell in love with the culture, the art and the food. “Even the little things are aesthetically beautiful there, from the extra care given to them.” Even the spiritual ideas of Java are intriguing; apparently, people in that part of the world believe that evil spirits only travel in straight lines so they place a narrow blockage in doorways that can be stepped around but will keep out these offending entities.

Lyn-Rae and her husband also enjoy sailing and make it out twice a week with friends, weather permitting. For thirty-seven years, the Ashley’s have lived on Navajo Place, a single lane road where homes look out over Los Angeles… orange textures by day, twinkling lights through the eucalyptus trees at night – an enviable lifestyle, indeed. Mica, the cockatiel, agrees… from his perch he thinks he can almost see the airport.

BuzzNet Tags: Valmonte Living Magazine ~ June 2010 Issue,Palos Verdes Art Center,Niki Chanel