Ottawa Guild of Potters Exhibition

This year the potter's guild spring exhibition was juried by well respected, long time Ottawa area potter Leta Cormier.  I was pleased that two of my pieces were included in the grouping of about 25 pieces.  By the end of the week-end they were both sold!  It's always encouraging when trying new ideas, by stretching yourself artistically or technically, that eyes and hands other than your own can also appreciate the sentiment that went into the making.  It was lovely to meet one of the purchasers, apparently a long time collector.  Nice to know they've found new homes.

a somewhat dim view of the exhibition from one angle

my vase and urn on display

Ottawa Guild of Potters Spring Sale and Exhibition

Coming up in two short weeks....

ORIGINALS the Spring Show

After the fact....this is the show that was last week-end.  It's always nice to get new pots out there--very nice response to the new bowls, vases and urns.

Celebrating Spring

Fresh out of the kiln--some new vases, urns & bowls.  I'll have some of these with me at the Originals Show next week.

Originals Spring Craft Sale

Only 4 weeks til the Originals Spring Craft Sale!  I've got some new flower themed vases and serving bowls in process and some more ideas to work on in the next couple of weeks.  Looking forward to starting the spring show season with this show, now in its' 30th year!

Great Bowls of Fire

For many years I have donated soup bowls (along with many other Ottawa area potters) for this fundraiser event for the Ottawa Food Bank.  This year I'll be volunteering there too.  Am looking forward to welcoming guests to the venue and to sampling some of the soups that will be available. These types of events are held in many locations throughout Canada and the U.S. and maybe beyond--a great way to bring lots of different communities together to support a great cause and have a fun evening doing it.

This year I have donated this pitcher & bowl set to the silent auction part of the evening:

Pottery Influences

The beginning of a new year is a good time to reflect on life, why we do what we do, live where we live, act the way we do, and for potters, why we make the kinds of pots that we do.  What are the various influences in our lives that have helped us choose our paths?  I had an opportunity to ponder some of these questions out loud last night with a group of potters at their monthly guild meeting here in Ottawa. It's an interesting exercise to go through--to think about the influences in our lives (especially the positive ones) and take a moment to gratefully acknowledge them.  Or to consider new paths, I suppose.

I've been working in clay a long time--over 30 years--so it's a bit dangerous to start at the beginning, when the intervening years have been so rich with experiences that have informed the work I do.  But it's impossible not to acknowledge the beginning, and for me it was college pottery courses I took for the 4 years I attended in Indiana.  My prof there was encouraging in quite a laid back way.  The studio was always open (in my mind I remember working late into the evening/night with others who were bitten by the clay bug).  Recently the alumni magazine published a short tribute to the now emeritus prof, Marvin Bartel.  Also featured were the 30 or so graduates of the classes (it wasn't even a "program" just fell within the art curriculum) who are now making their living with clay. That's a pretty impressive legacy!

Marvin Bartel sitting in the clay swivel chair he made.

This chicken roaster can be pulled along the table for service.

As you can see from Marvin's work, there was a sense of play and experimentation (probably still is....).  This "try it and see what happens" attitude is great in a learning environment and I'm sure many who took his courses learned to adapt that philosophy to other areas of life.

Someone at the presentation last night commented that my work was so different than his--she didn't immediately see the influence.  Which is as it should be.  A Kenyan artist we once worked with used to repeat "copying puts God to sleep"--he even had it painted on the wall outside his gallery.

It would be interesting to get together with some of the others who started their journey working with clay through Marvin's enthusiasm--which we students witnessed on trips to his home where he demonstrated the smooth swivel of his chair (almost to a state of dizziness, as I recall!) and cooked up some eggs in his flameware pots.  He taught us not to limit our horizons when it came to working with clay. Oh yeah, did I say I'm grateful?