Hidden in an unlikely corner of Portland, ceramicist Mike Doxey continues his lifelong exploration of new pottery techniques. When he bought his house, it wasn’t because of the nearby water access; it was because the garage provided a perfect venue for the massive wood-firing kiln he had designed and was eager to build. The investment paid off. Today Mike’s unique wood fired ceramics are available in several popular Ottawa Valley shops, and he is slated to lead a workshop on wood firing for potters this fall at Stone Manor Studios in Newboro.
Doxey’s ceramics are fascinating. Every piece is unique — both by design, and by accident. The original designs are Mike’s; the accidents are the byproduct of unpredictable effects caused by wood firing. The combination is dynamic and the results are intriguing.
Actually, the same can be said of Mike Doxey, who is a wonderful example of a Renaissance Man. Mike possesses knowledge across various domains, encompassing both the arts and sciences. He demonstrates a strong desire to learn and explore new ideas. His ceramics are a testament to his artistic creativity, and his critical thinking is evidenced in the way he uses his analytical and technical skills to solve problems and develop new techniques.
He plays with shapes. He plays with textures. He especially plays with designs. On his website at mdoxey.ca he writes: “My clay is mixed at our studio using materials that represent the makeup of local rocks and till that are unique to our geographic area of Eastern Ontario. A pottery wheel is used for most of the initial production and then hand carved to finish. The work is kiln fired with wood waste from a cedar sawmill and salt is added at 1200°C to lightly glaze the ware. The kiln is of my own design, and I built it in 2008.”
Then it gets more complicated. He writes: “My aesthetic is a result of combining craft discipline with influences from Brutalist Architecture and concepts related to Parametric Design.” Research informs me that Brutalist Architecture is characterized by a raw, rugged appearance, often featuring textured concrete to emphasize the buildings’ structure and reveal its construction methods. Mike’s ceramics embody that aesthetic.
Parametric design is a more challenging concept. Again, it comes from the field of architecture and design. An online search shows that it “involves utilizing algorithmic thinking to manipulate and manage design parameters, allowing for the creation of complex forms and structures. In this approach, relationships between design elements are defined by parameters, enabling designers to change one or more variables dynamically, which in turn affects the entire design.” By altering parameters like dimensions, angles and other attributes, designers can explore different outcomes.
This explains Mike’s cryptic response to my request for his Why statement for the back of his Artist Trading Card at the top of this page. His answer to Why he is a potter was one word — “Iteration.” Mike enjoys generating multiple iterations of a design — usually with small changes each time — in order to move closer to a desired result. For him, iteration is synonymous with experimentation; repeating a process until it does something unexpected. As a result of his techniques, his expertise and his love of experimentation, his ceramics are distinctive and unmistakably his.
Doxey’s creativity is stimulated and enhanced by his expertise in all the technical aspects of his craft. His parents were both academics. His dad taught at York University and his mom was typing her PhD dissertation in early childhood education when he was three years old. When he was a teenager they enrolled him in the Alternative Independent Study Program (AISP), a pioneering alternative high school that allowed for greater student input in the curriculum design. That was where he was introduced to ceramics. He loved the tactile nature of the medium and developed a strong interest in the broad range of technical skills potentially involved. When he was enrolled at the Ontario College of Art, he built his own gas kiln, mastered welding and other skills, and went on to build his own pottery studio in Kearney, about 300 km north of Toronto. There he began selling huge pots wholesale to commercial landscaping and gardening centres.
When the pots became too much of the same old same old, he sold his gallery and moved to Kingston with his wife and two daughters. As he says on his website, he’s “More than just a Potter.” Along the way he became a licensed gas, wood and solar technician and worked for four years as an HVAC (Heating, Ventilating and Air Conditioning) contractor. He branched out to start a solar installation company and segued into installing off-grid heating systems. He is the guy to call if you are looking for a way to heat your off-grid home or cottage. He continued to pursue his ceramics calling by working with the Kingston Pottery Guild, always experimenting and expanding his knowledge of new techniques. As an example, he built the “glory hole” (the main burner) for the Glass Blowing Cooperative in Ottawa.
Another example of his technical range of expertise is his recent invitation by Kim Lulashnyk, owner and Creative Director of Stone Manor Studios in Newboro, to offer an off-site workshop this fall (date to be announced). Titled “On Fire! Wood Firing for Cone 6 Potters with Mike Doxey”, the workshop is designed for potters who already work in clay. A former potter herself, Kim has selected Mike to offer a hands-on introduction to a wood-fired kiln “from planning and loading to sustained flame and, finally, the later return for kiln opening and transformation”.
It’s that transformation that motivated Mike Doxey to build his kiln at his Portland pottery studio that can fire to 1300°C fueled by wood. Wood firing at that extreme temperature results in unpredictable surface marks, glaze imperfections, and variations in colour that are prized as evidence of the fiery process. His unique and ruggedly beautiful ceramics can be enjoyed at the fine shops listed on his Artist Trading Card, and at his website gallery at mdoxey.ca.
