If you walk up the stairs at the end of the Boardwalk in Lund and follow the signs up the hill, you will soon arrive at Rare Earth Pottery. You’ll pass by an open kiln shed and enter a studio/gallery hosted by Jan Lovewell and Ron Robb. They have been making pottery in Lund for 32 years. Their raku pottery is unglazed but burnished smooth and put through a process that features white surfaces with black crackle patterns contrasted with black or terra cotta areas. In 2006, they and their partners began construction of a large wood-fired kiln at Earl’s Cove. Since 2009 they have produced a variety of functional and sculptural ceramic works using wood as the only fuel. With about 48 hours of continuous stoking, ash accumulates on the clay surfaces and melts, producing unique and varied organic, multi-coloured patterns, sometimes opalescent or crystalline. You can see a video of firing the wood kiln “Into the Fire” via their website. Their work has been exhibited, published and collected internationally.
*The studio is located up a steep, paved driveway that allows a few cars to turn around easily. The studio is level with no stairs to enter; outside is sloping.