A Celebration of Artists From Western Canada

A Celebration
of Artists
From Western
Canada
by Connie Pike
Pike Studios
Bob & Connie Pike
A Celebration of Artists
from Western Canada
by Connie Pike
Clay Artists
Pike Studios
High River, Alberta
Connie Pike
High River, Alberta
Stan Perrott Bragg Creek, Alberta 1917-2003
Elizabeth Mould-Calgary, Alberta1941-2003
Les Manning
Medicine Hat, Alberta
Pierre Guy, Duncan, British Columbia
Andrew Tarrant
Calgary, Alberta
Diane Sullivan
Calgary, Alberta
Ron Benstead Calgary, Alberta 1938-1997
Garry Williams Calgary, Alberta 1956- 2005
Evelyn Grant
Calgary, Alberta
Debra Cherniski
Calgary, Alberta
Katrina Chaytor
Calgary, Alberta
Greg Payce
Calgary, Alberta
Bradley Keys
Calgary, Alberta
Carol Voyt
Calgary, Alberta
Elke Blodgett
St Albert, Alberta
Jim Marshall, Medicine Hat, Alberta
Stephen Evans
High River, Alberta
Don Wells
High River, Alberta
Noboru Kobo
Edmonton, Alberta
Peggy Heer, Edmonton, Alberta 1941-2000
Jim Speers
Edmonton, Alberta
Rita McGie
Sherwood Park, Alberta
John McGie
Sherwood Park, Alberta
Sam Uhlick
Ardrossan, Alberta
Julia R. Schumacher
Red Deer, Alberta
Isabel Landry
Red Deer, Alberta
Shirley Rimer
Red Deer, Alberta
Pamela Rodgers
Bragg Creek, Alberta
Christian Barr
Wildwood, Alberta
Enzien Kufeld
Wildwood, Alberta
Judith Green
Pincher Creek, Alberta
Ed Bamiling
Banff, Alberta
Pierre Guy, Duncan, British Columbia
Ed Drahanchuk
Quadra Island, British Columbia
Harriet Hiemstra
Cobble Hill, British Columbia
Meira Matheson
Victoria, British Columbia
Cathi Jefferson
Vancouver, British Columbia
Glenys Marshall-Inman, Sooke Harbour, British Columbia
Robin Hopper Metchosin, British Columbia
Judi Dyelle
Metchosin, British Columbia
Dulcie Draper
New Zealand
Denys James,Salt Spring Island, British Columbia
Leslie Bergeron
Castlegar, British Columbia
Jan Lovewell & Ron Robb Lund, British Columbia
Other Than Clay Artists
Blown Glass
Stained Glass
Wood
Jewelry
Installations
Metal & Mixed
Painters-2D Artist
Photography
Mixed Media, Collage & Textile
Carl Belyea
Calgary, Alberta
Marty Kaufman
Calgary, Alberta
Henry Schlosser Calgary, Alberta
John Morel
DeWinton, Alberta
Doug Haslam Calgary, Alberta
Susan White
Calgary, Alberta
K.C, Jones High River, Alberta
Martha Henry
Calgary, Alberta
Arlene Westen-Evans
High River, Alberta
Don Hamm
High River, Alberta
Brian Clute
High River, Alberta
Amy Dryer
Calgary, Alberta
Flemming Jorgensen Victoria, British,Columbia
Bev Tosh
Calgary, Alberta
RCM McInnis
Winnipeg, Manitoba
Julie Jenkins
High River, Alberta
Jeff de Boer
Calgary, Alberta
Bob Pike
High River, Alberta
The Banff Centre Residency
The Medalta International Artists Residence
Historical Shots of Medalta Potteries
Connie Pike, High River, Alberta
Connie Pike-High River, Alberta
Since 1971, I have been working in clay and since then I have been making my full-time living as a
potter, teaching and selling my work. Over the years my ideas and concepts continually develop and
change - as one goal is reached another lies ahead. Good design and function are important to me and I
constantly challenge myself to achieve this. I am essentially a utilitarian potter. I want my work to have a
strong contemporary feel. This contemporary feeling comes from extensive glaze development and
commitment to clay, exploring many aspects of its technical challenges. I love the rich colors that cone 10
glazes (high fire 2380˚F) give to my white porcelain clay body. And I love opening the kiln to discover a
new glaze test--- will it show texture on a piece, will it run on a vertical piece if combined with another
glaze? What kind of a piece can I put it on? All the choices and the answers for me come only from
exploration and more testing.
I am constantly craving more knowledge, aware of other media which can enhance my endeavors, for new
ways to express my creative abilities. My wish is that the beauty and passion of what I do will shine
through the pieces I create and will enrich peopleʼs everyday lives
www//pikestudios.com
Stan Perrott, Bragg Creek, Alberta 1917-2003
One of the hallmarks of the true teacher lies in the ability to make the complex, intelligible.
He did this.
“I recognize that design is of primary importance. It is a process by which anyone interested
in art can form an image compatible with his or her concepts and sensitivities. It permits
creation of an object in whatever medium is familiar to the artist-to-be. By preceding
drawing by design, the student will understand that originality and individuality are the basis
of ultimate success.”
Ed Drahanchuk has written that Stan Perrott was the only teacher he ever had who
could criticize a project and make you feel good about it. Almost universally, his former
students remember him for the way e fortified their beliefs about themselves, and how his
critiques invariably worked for their betterment.
Les Graff paraphrases Perrott’s approach: “What he taught you was not literally the
way it happened, but he did teach you how to get there and that should be the final
statement.”
He became a confidante and counsellor.
Elizabeth Mould, Calgary, Alberta 1941-2003
Liz was one of my instructors at the Banff Centre in 1977. Glaze technology was her main
interest. She showed us slides of volcanic eruptions and was so enthusiastic about the
richness and the colors that we could reproduce in our glazes. And she made these
wonderful carved platters-at least 2 feet across.
Liz taught at the University of Calgary and initiated the Calgary Ceramics Seminars inviting
national and international ceramists as guest lecturers, and were the focus of ceramic
activity in the Alberta for nine years.
!
“Three Loves:
CLAY-The way you respond to it and it responds to you.
FIRE-The way it transforms something fleeting into something permanent.
PUSSY CATS-The way they tramp over it all in total irreverence.”
Les Manning, Medicine Hat, Alberta
“A SENSE OF PLACE”
The ceramic works by Les Manning find inspiration from ceramic history but are more directly about
the dynamic landscape of the Canadian Rocky Mountains. By combining a number of different clay
bodies in a specific arrangement based on knowledge of the landscape, then throwing and altering
these forms, the techniques applied in this manner create a very personal artistic result. The
combining of these disparate materials causes stress in the ceramic process similar to the natural
forces that created the landscape from which these pieces were inspired. The objects break with
ceramic tradition in that they are responding more to the influence of nature than to the formal
histories of the ceramic process. This aesthetic context gives the work a strong “sense of place”.
Using the post firing techniques of sandblasting and the application of silver amalgam, the surfaces
are reduced to the cooler colours of a winter landscape with the silver inlays highlighting the stress
fractures. These methods allow each piece to be treated as elegantly, subtly or informally as is
deemed suitable. Although the vessels, bowls and plates are loosely based on an historical context,
the interpretation of these forms gives them a new and more contemporary identity. The artist works
from inner feelings and intuitive choices to explore new growth in forms not unrelated to the past,
but very much about his present.
http://www.carlakoch.nl/engels/kunstenaars/lmanning.html
Les is the artistic director of Medalta International Artists in Residence Program and has taught all
over the world.
Ron Benstead, Bragg Creek, Alberta 1938-1997
I started producing ceramics full time in 1969. My driving force initially was a need for survival. Greater
efficiency of production gradually allowed time for research, reading and experimentation. The science of
ceramics and the relationship between design and form are my main interests and I am developing bas-relief
panels and murals. This is complimentary to executing functional forms rich in aesthetic quality.
Rons interest in the dinosaur fossils found in Alberta are evident in many of the pieces he makes including
this chess set.
Andrew Tarrant-Calgary, Alberta
Born - Southampton, England
Moved to Canada when I was 7
Attended ACAD - diploma Ceramics
Run my own studio called Trespasser Ceramics (Tarrant means
Trespasser in Old English)
Teach learning disabled adults for the In-Definite Arts Society
Will sell my soul to do a teaching/demo trip to Australia
Pagan
Bad sense of humor
Apparently a pervert (According to Jen Mizuik)
Semi-gourmet amateur chef
Likes single malt scotch and expensive beer
Trouble (according to his students)
I do my art for the huge wads of cash and the throngs of beautiful
women that it brings . . .
oh, thats just my fantasy life. :-)
I actually make art because I believe its what I am supposed to
do, it also re-connects me with my personal history of growing up
in England and also my family history throughout Europe and my
history as a human being, back to when the first cave dweller
made something, just to create an object of beauty. Ceramics
particularly uses all the elements to create an object - Earth - Air
- Fire - Water. Primal to its core.
http://www.trespasser.ca/
Diane Sullivan-Calgary, Alberta
Diane Sullivan's work is a fusion of the traditions and craftmanship of the past with today's sensibilites. Using a
combination of building techniques, each form created is then hand-carved with decorative motifs. The source of
these motifs, which suggest the continuity and beauty of life, are found in European and Asian ceramic history, as
well as the wildflowers and wildlife of our Canadian Landscape.
Sullivan embodied the anxiety most ceramics students face. Trained primarily as artists, graduates often feel guilty
about producing utilitarian pottery. “When I started I was kind of embarrassed about what I was doing,” she says.
“But I had to make this complete departure because I wanted to have a life, this life.”
Sullivan works at
home, making a huge range or pots.
About the glazes: The soft green glaze is known as "celadon", a glaze created by the Chinese to emulate the
characteristics of jade, a material believed to be imbued with protective and healing qualities. Jade, and therefore,
celadon, was held in high esteem as the embodiment of the vitality of the celestial dragon. Combined with this is
the dark metallic glaze suggesting strength and magical protective properties of iron. Iron in medieval times was
thought to protect one against the evil eye. Thus you have the protection of heaven and earth coming together on
the surface of this work.
Diane Sullivan, a Master of Fine Art graduate from the University of Washington in Seattle, Washington. Her early
works were meta-pots (pots about pots but that couldn’t or wouldn't be used as pots). Taller than the artist, these
outrageous sculptural vessels were, she explains, “were about proving myself to the ceramics world as a macho
potter chick.” But over the past two years she has turned from the conceptual world of art and academia to making
production-ware ceramics full time. Unlike the usual anonymous-looking production ware,
Sullivan credits to six years at art school. “A lot of production potters make really banal stuff. They have skill but
don’t have a great vocabulary. Academic training has given me an edge. What I learned there is present in the
work. ”So, despite the smaller scale and an increase in production, Sullivan’s academic work is not entirely
abandoned; it is been pressed into service for a good cause.
http://www.vandopgallery.com/artists/dsp_artist.php?ArtistID=43
Garry Williams, Calgary, Alberta 1956-2005
Garry Williams attended the Alberta College of Art and Design and the Banff Centre and received an
MFA from the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design in 1990. He achieved numerous distinctions throughout
his career including several Canada Council grants and selection as Canadian representative at the
international sculpture symposium in Quebec in 1984.
He also received the highest award at the national ceramics competition in 1986. Known for his
innovative approach to his work he developed new bronze, aluminium and resin casting techniques.
Williams was generous with his knowledge and experience teaching at ACAD, Red Deer College and
conducting numerous lectures and workshops at institutions across Canada. Williams work was exhibited
nationally and internationally and he received a number of commissions including eight detailed wall reliefs
for installation in the Banff Centre's conference facilities.
Through the format of sculptural vessels and installation work, Williams created situations
that question ideological, cultural, philosophical and physical relationships to objects, materials and
environments.
Williams sought a special function in his art: one that addresses the state of living in an age of
instability and crisis. By focusing on this theme of disorder in the world, he wished to emphasize the
need for awareness, challenge, involvement, empowerment and change. Garry Williams passed
away in 2005.
Evelyn Grant-Calgary, Alberta
from the "Monkies of Mass Destruction Series"
This series was based upon a Minton Monkey teapot from the
1800's. It was comprised of a monkey holding a persimmon,
in light of the fascination for exotica, and fascination for the
natural world, at that time. In my "monkies of mass
destruction series, I have chosen to utilize the same monkey
format, in a contemporary, more violent posture, as a reaction
to articles in the news. My monkey holds a cartoon "bomb"
and burnt matches are strewn about the base, and in his hand,
as he attempts to Play with fire.
Playing with Fire #2
Monkeys of Mass Destruction Series
again, a functioning teapot and base. Cast and
assembled, glaze and underglaze decoration. China
paint. Was thinking about a news article where "gun
registration" was an issue....needless to say, I am for it.
He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not
Cast and assembled with
underglaze and china paint
decoration
A cathartic Divorce piece,
utilizing the game of snakes and
ladders to represent the ups and
downs of ones life.
Making Do
Cast and assembled earthenware
with underglaze, glaze, decal, china
paint, and lustre decoration
This series is based upon
my father's penchant for badly
repairing broken objects.
Craftsmanship never entered the
picture, but the piece was always
rendered "good enough" to use
again.
Found objects are cast to create
moulds which are then slip cast.
Pieces are then combined in
collage like fashion to tell the story.
My pieces are functionally based narrative work. I use the form and images on the piece to tell the story. Often the
pieces are autobiographical in nature, either stories from my life, or current issues in society that I am affected by. I
use moldmaking and slipcasting processes in a collage like fashion to produce the work. I have an extensive
collection of moulds taken from objects which interest me, or which have a shape which I think will be useful at some
point. These are cast, cut apart and reassembled into the forms I desire and then fired multiple times until I have the
color, surfaces and pattern I desire.
Debra Cherniawsky-Durrer, Vegreville, Alberta
Now and Zen is a new line of pottery that combines the written word with black and white slip trailed decoration.
Images of fruit and floral in the black and white line drawings are highlighted with gold and platinum accents.
Influenced by the Northern Song Dynasty of historical China, specifically the graphic styling of the Cizhou district,
these jewel-like pieces celebrates the revival of Buddhist thinking and spirituality through annotated quotes by both
contemporary and historical peace activists. Mother Theresa, BKS Iyenger, Jimi Hendrix, Marcel Proust are a few of
the selected authors of the writings placed on the pieces.
Designed for everyday use this utilitarian pottery collection is a daily affirmation for living in the present and mindfully
participating in our ever growing conscientiousness of global change.
Katrina Chaytor-Calgary, Alberta
My pottery engages ‘active use’, a craft concept that defines an intimate connection to daily life. The concept of utility is
one of accommodation. In my work, I explore connections of containment (working volume), form (domestic role), and
surface (decoration). I make pots that serve and signify; to heighten a common activity, to make a meal or cup of tea a
richer experience.
Decoration is integral to my practice in its capacity to actively perform and inform.
I embrace the tradition and plurality of decoration, which delights the eye and gives meaning through visual signs. I am
interested in how decoration has served multiple purposes in cultures and histories. Its premise supports complex and
diverse visual languages that reveal each society’s values, traditions and cultural structures. My previous decorative
surfaces were derived from the natural world, e.g.; stylized, vermiculated imagery referenced burrowing worms, cross
hatch patterns hinted at the timber fence construction in the rural communities of my Newfoundland home. More
recently, compelled by a desire to challenge the use of familial ‘nature’ motifs, I am looking to the digital culture.
Computer symbols are proving to be a rich and suggestive source to rework, reinterpret and subvert as decoration,
synthesizing the digital with a decorative intent. I choose digital iconography, (i.e. the Mac™ command key icon,
circuitry and desktop symbols), as it gives my work a currency that addresses decoration’s basic principles. These are
common signs of the technological environment of our 21st century society, symbols that permeate both the ‘domestic’
and ‘public’ domains. These icons become colourful compositions of repeating patterns and decorative motifs on the
surfaces of my pottery.
Greg Payce-Calgary, Alberta
Buildings about Song and Food Porcelain 2005
Video
http://www.virtualmuseum.ca/Exhibitions/Fire_Earth/Artists/Payce/PayceStmtEn.html
Greg has been making ceramics for over 35 years. He has exhibited and given numerous
lectures, workshops, and presentations on his practice, both in Canada and internationally. In
my pottery, relationships between forms and images make connections between objects and
ideas. Inspired by late eighteenth century French Sevres vase garnitures and Renaissance
Mediterranean apothecary jars (albarelli), these works utilize the negative spaces between
pottery forms as apertures or images. The viewer's gaze vacillates back and forth between the
positive and negative components inviting them to determine possible relationships between
the vessel forms and the images formed by the negative space between these forms. This
oscillation between image and object creates an illusion of movement which references timebased art forms such as animation and music. Metaphorically this movement speaks to changes
during growth, sexual differentiation and aging which are also incorporated into the pieces. I see these
works as three-dimensional manifestations of pottery decoration, not as sculpture. Images generated by
the garnitures often inspire two-dimensional vase decoration and vice versa.
His exhibition record highlights twenty solo exhibitions and he has been involved in over one hundred
and twenty group exhibitions. Greg’s work is included in numerous public and private collections. He
recently completed a large-scale bronze commission, which is installed in the Calgary International
Airport. He was featured in Trans- Ceramics, the keynote exhibition at the 3rd World Biennial of Ceramics
in Icheon, Korea. Wane, a major installation work was recently installed in the new Canadian embassy in
Seoul, Korea.
He has currently collaborated with composers and photographers to produce videos, which animate the
negative spaces between his ceramic forms. He currently working with a metal fabrication firm in Calgary
to produce a sculptural work to be entitled Alumina (commissioned by the Burlington Cultural Centre).
The spaces between the seven solid aluminium turned vases will describe a female figure as she ages. He
has also worked with lenticular photographic technology. He has recently completed a large-scale (6 ft. X
20 ft.) lenticular wall mural of a garniture work entitled Pantheon (2005). The domestic sized ceramics
works will be the same height as people and allow viewers to have a simulation of seeing threedimensional images. Payce’s practice has been reviewed in over forty publications.
Greg is the Head of Ceramics at the Alberta College of Art and Design.
Bradley Keys-Calgary, Alberta
Bradley Keys
studio potter
Who has seen the wind? On the prairies, we stand in a sea of wind. The wind touches every aspect of your
life. From a cool summer evening breeze that gently rustles the leaves of trembling aspens to a thundering Chinook
wind that can change the temperature from minus 20 to plus 20 in an hour, everything on the prairies is connected by
the wind. Wind creates some of the most startlingly beautiful skies in the world and dances atop the amber waves of
grain. The wind masterfully mixes the blue, grey, greens, and purples of our endless horizons with the tans, amber,
rusty reds, and winter wheat of our rolling plains. The wind is the brush on the canvas that is the prairies.
It is through making pots that I strive to connect myself to this place and time. My pots are a constant
exploration of form, surface, and glaze. I try to balance these elements to create something that begins to tell a story;
a story that is revealed over time through use and mutable observation. Using prairie icons such as the old grain
elevators and the buffalo, which are both all but gone, I hope to immediately draw in the viewer so that more subtle
elements can reveal themselves. A slightly rippled edge of a bowl that suggests a gentle breeze, the drip of a slip line
that looks like a furrowed field and fits your finger just right, or the transition of a glossy to a matte glaze surface that
alludes to the shoreline of a slough. These are the narrative elements that I am seeking to expose in my work.
Pottery’s unique place in our cultural milieu captured my interest right away. It has the enviable ability to be
imbued with meaning and then place itself in the closest possible relationship to the viewer, in their homes and as a
functioning part of their lives. Through use it dispenses meaning over time, often becoming more meaningful the
longer the pot is used and appreciated. It adds warmth, comfort, and meaning to our daily rituals and our most
important traditional festivities. In doing so, the circle is complete. The hand and mind of the maker are linked to the
hands and minds of the user.
Carol Voyt, Calgary, Alberta
I am deeply attracted to the sensuality of clay and to the archetypal symbolism of working directly with the
four elements of earth, air, fire and water. My passion for working with clay parallels the joy I find in West
African drumming and dance. Each of these art forms enable me to express the dualities of feeling grounded
but free, centred but unconstrained, and to celebrate the sensuality of form and color, with visual, tactile and/
or acoustic rhythm. Artistic fulfillment results when my work incorporates the fifth element or essence-the
museʼs inspiration- “Quintessence”.
http://www.calyxart.com/home.html
Carol is one of the founding members of Calyx Distinctive Arts, they host art exhibitions and
sales twice annually. The Calyx directors, and up to twenty-five guest artists each day, display
and sell high quality art from a diverse spectrum of disciplines.
Calyx organizers believe that artists are the best qualified people to exhibit and sell artwork as
they have an intimate understanding of artists, their media, and their specific artwork. Calyx’
semi-annual exhibition and sale events offer numerous advantages for both the art-buying
public and the artist.
Elke Blodgett- St Albert, Alberta
Raku is at once a technique of making pottery and a process of being a person. As a technique,
it is relatively modern and belongs to a late stage of Buddhism. As a process of life, it derives its
significance from the meaning of the ideogram (quiet, happiness, serenity, enjoyment, peace,
etc.) which stands in sharp contradiction to the often hectic manner in which the Raku pots
comes into being, from firing to reduction. The result is the peculiar quality of Raku:
"As (it) grew out of the Zen religion we must keep in mind that the freedom, the liveliness, the
surprise, the quality of freshness and vitality in Zen almost always grew out of a very strong
discipline." (Paul Soldner)
James Marshall-Medicine Hat, Alberta
Making a brick mural...Readers Digest Version:
Like most art projects...we start with client meetings to discuss bugets, timelines and imagery...then work on DESIGN...shape or
configuration and drawings to-scale up to a final drawing when everyone is happy. SPECIAL BRICKS ARE ORDERED...the bricks
are set up on the easle, numbered and coded, according to the scale drawing and CARVING begins. When the images are
completely carved, decisions are made about the glaze colouring and the mural is COLOURED.
The mural is PHOTOGRAPHED and if the client can there will be a VIEWING. Then the wall comes down, brick by brick, keeping
them in order... into DRYING racks, there they stay for 3 weeks to a month. Next...the bricks are loaded on to the kiln car for a
FIRING, then 4 days later the bricks are loaded in to special BOXES with dividers to keep the bricks separate, put on PALLETS
BAGGED AND SHRINK WRAPPED.
When the timing is right...the pallets are LOADED ON THE TRAILER, along with scaffold, planks, mortar, sand and tools and my
BRICKLAYER and I are off to the project site to INSTALL THE MURAL and this could be across town
or across the country, even across the ocean. These murals are pretty unique in that they can be built free standing or against an
existing wall, indoors or outside and they require no maintenance and will last as long as man wants to keep them...thousand years
and more.
James Marshall
I have been doing some kind of art all of my life. In 1977 I had a very successful exhibition of pen and ink drawings at the
Glenbow Museum in Calgary and that started me off on the road to self employment as a full time artist and the start of Grassroots
Studio. I began by doing some commercial art, making pottery, small sculptures and pen and ink drawings, In 1983 I had the
chance to do a major commission in a medium I had tried in the 1970's..." SCULPTURED BRICK MURALS " and this grew into a
very busy twenty-five years period.The murals are all across Canada and over seas.
" It's not like going to work when you are doing something you love ". Jim Marshall
[email protected]
Stephen Evans-High River, Alberta
Last summer, 2007, I was one of twelve participants in a residency at Medalta in Medicine Hat, Alberta.
While I was there, I began experimenting with creating mountain landscapes on clay. This is the first design
that seems to work.
The forms I make are thrown on a wheel (as is this plate) or drape-molded using Styrofoam to cast plaster
molds. In this design, the plate (after a bisque fire) is dipped in a licorice glaze. A taped mask of the
mountains is cut and placed over the glaze, then the area above the tape is waxed. After the tape is removed,
the unglazed portion is dipped in a tin-chromium glaze. Where the glazes overlap is a plum colour revealing
the mountain range. The plate is then fired to cone 6 in an electric kiln.
I find that I can use this design on most functional pieces I make and an assortment of molded forms which
are “one of a kind.”
I am now experimenting with using colored clay slips, again using masks to delineate the line between sky
and mountains. A third method of experimentation will involve airbrushing coloured stains over a majolica
(cone 6) glaze. Again, masks will be involved.
I again would like to thank Penny and John Smith for their inspirational teaching and support. I hope you are
well.
Stephen Evans
Don Wells-High River, Alberta
Wells’s ceramic sculpture has concentrated on the human figure with metamorphosis a major theme.
His carved porcelain was the work which attracted Culinary Team Alberta to ask him to make porcelain plates, carved
with western Canadian themes, to display their creations at the 1996 World Culinary Olympics in Berlin,Germany.
Strong form is the basis his functional work, offering a canvas for colourful glaze-on-glaze decoration.Clay is such a
facile medium, Its potentialities are so numerous that I cannot resist trying new techniques, investigating different forms,
textures, glazes. I find it the perfect
medium for my creative expression
Has been involved with clay for over 35 years-full-time since 1977. After a BA
degree in drama (U. of A. Edmonton, 1964) and 10 years at CBC television, he discovered clay.
- He trained at the Banff Centre, taking a variety of summer sessions.
- Studied Art History at the University of Calgary.
- He was a resident artist in the Ceramics Department at the Banff Centre in 1992.
- Participant in the Greek/Canadian Intercultural Ceramics Symposium in 1996-97. Ten
Greek and ten Canadian artists worked with each other in Canada and then in Greece,
exchanging artistic and cultural ideas.
Wells ceramic sculpture has concentrated on the human figure with metamorphosis a major
theme.
He enjoys the trompe-loeil possibilities of carved porcelain. It was this kind of work which
attracted Culinary Team Alberta to ask him to make porcelain plates, carved with western
Canadian themes, to display their creations at the 1996 World Culinary Olympics in Berlin,
Germany.
Strong form is the basis his functional work, offering a canvas for colourful glaze-on-glaze
decoration. Due to arthritis in his thumbs he has stopped throwing.
-Clay is such a facile medium,- says Wells. -Its potentialities are so numerous that I cannot
resist trying new techniques, investigating different forms, textures, glazes. I find it the perfect
medium for my creative expression.
don wells - ceramist
Noboru Kubo-Edmonton, Alberta
Noboru Kubo is Japanese born and educated. He studied with his father and is a 1964
graduate of the Kyoto Industrial Arts School. A fourth generation potter, he first came
to North America in 1969. Noboru has taken part in many one man, group, invitational
and juried shows, as well as teaching and conducting workshops. He is represented in
private, corporate and government collections in Japan, the U. S., Great Britain and
Canada.
He now works from his own studio at:
9707 – 75A Street
Edmonton, Alberta T6C 2J2
Phone: (780) 469-0706
Peggy Heer,Edmonton, Alberta 1941 to 2000
As Always in Clay by Peggy Heer-an article in Ceramics Monthly December, 1999.
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For 30 years, I have thrived on the world of clay art. Through clay, I have expressed my ability to
create art, striving to make each pot one that appealed to all of my senses. Every completed piece, whether
high-fired stoneware or porcelain, or primitive-fired clay, has been a step toward my next experiment. My
guideposts have always been form, surface texture and the potential of containment and volume.
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I have been so lucky to have received the gifts of being a student and teacher of clay, and throughout
my journey, I have always remembered: “Respect this living clay you claim and reshape, for one day it will
claim and reshape you.”
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I feeI will remain in good shape.
Jim Speers-Edmonton, Alberta
Puzzle Stein
Storage Jar 2
Storage Jar
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Majored in Ceramic Design at "Alberta College of Art and Design" Calgary Alberta (1971 - 74).
1975 started full-time (self employed) at "Pottery West " (Edmonton, Alta.) where lines of functional and
decorative items were developed. This was the start of marketing my pottery through galleries and craft
shops.
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2000 one of the founding members of "High Level Potters and Friends". The name originally comes
from Edmonton's landmark High Level Bridge and as a small group we show and sell quality clay work
directly to the public twice a year.
one-off artware: most pieces are either thrown on the wheel or hand built. Some of the individual hand
carved pieces can take several days just to complete the carving process on each piece.
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My claywork reflects the long historical tradition of a fine craft while striving for honest and
original individual expression in my work. My influences are eclectic, ranging from the seven
centuries of Chinese Tzu' Chou decorative pottery to European Art Nouveau. The making of each
individual piece is an exercise in balancing the functionality of the craftsman with the creative
expression of the artist.
http://www.jimspeers.com/
Jim has an amazing web site linking 100ʼs of potters, suppliers and lots of information. He also does
some virtual 3D pottery.
Rita McGie-Sher wood Park, Alberta
I have been a professional potter since 1976 and currently live and work in Sherwood Park,
Alberta, Canada, just outside of Edmonton.
I received my formal ceramics education at the Alberta College of Art in Calgary, Alberta,
graduating in 1976 and receiving a diploma in Pottery and Ceramics. The four year program
at the Art College was a time of intense study and practical experience working in a medium
that requires not only skill, but also a vast technical knowledge of a complex process.
After
graduating I began my professional career as a studio potter at a co-op studio, Pottery West,
in Edmonton. Since then I have worked in a variety of studio situations as well as being a
ceramics instructor at the Clay Hut in Sherwood Park, the Students Union Ceramics
Department, University of Alberta and have given numerous workshops for various potter's
organizations.
I am continually impressed by the range and scope of work that has been done within
this medium from prehistoric time to the present. Clay is a medium with endless possibilities,
whether it is used to create functional or decorative work. It is for these reasons that I
became interested in pottery and continue to be fascinated by it.
I believe that pottery made by people dedicated to their work is more than merely another
commodity, but is a valid form of creative expression, no less than any other. A fine piece of
pottery is an object that can be enjoyed for years, generations or even millennia. When I see
an exquisite piece of pottery I see in it a work of sculpture with a surface every bit as rich as
a painter's canvas, with the added bonus that it often has a function which brings it into a
tactile relationship with it's owner.
Handmade pottery enhances my experience of living and it is my hope that it will be similarly
enjoyed and appreciated by others.
http://www.ualberta.ca/~jmcgie/Ritas_Links.html
John McGie-Edmonton, Alberta
Sam Uhlick-Ardrossan, Alberta
"I love the way functional pottery can enhance food and drink … I have made about 50,000
pots: cups, bowls, plates, teapots … I don't attempt to create perfection … but I do try to
achieve beauty in function …"
Sam Uhlick, born in Edmonton, has studied at the Banff Centre and the Nova Scotia College
of Art and Design. Early in his career, Sam apprenticed with Michael Cardew at Wenford
Bridge Pottery in Cornwall, England and participated in several study tours that included
Japan, Korea and China. Sam was a committed and intense student of pottery history in
those years and his experiences in Japan have been very important to his personal career.
http://www.uhlick.com/
Julia R. Schumacher, Red Deer, Alberta
Julia is a ceramics assistant and instructor at Red Deer Colledg. She went to Burning Man in Arizona in 2007.
Our ANU class helped make some of the flowers in her installation.
“Anamorphosis is a distorted projection or perspective requiring
The viewer to use special devices or occupy a specific vantage point
to reconstitute the image.” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anamorphosis)
My Burning Man 2007 installation project is an anamorphic nine-pointed star, made of welded u-channel steel &
(in)layed on the open playa. Its dimentions activate 10x15 feet of floor space and it reaches approximately 15
inches in height (flames = 1 ½ feet tall). The star will stretch out in front of the reaching arms of ‘The Body
Temple.’
The interactive and conceptually provoking aspect of my project is the anamorphic distortion of the star. The star is
widened and stretched as the perspective recedes. Therefore, the viewer has to discover the specific vantage point
in order to view the star in its equal proportions.
DAYLIGHT: Durring the day the star will be lined with 500 colourful hand-crafted ceramic flowers. These flowers
will be created by the communal efforts of friends, family and members of the Red Deer art community.
DUSK: At dusk the ceramic flowers will be removed and the star will be the center of a lighting ceremony. The star
will be set aflame at 9 pm every night among costumed participants, fire-dancers, drummers and performers.
TIL SUNRISE: For the remainder of the night the star will be lit from within by glowing green lights and small
solar powered garden lights will be placed at each of the nine points.
TECHNICAL/ INSTALLATION INFO: The 10x15’ star requires 104 feet of 12 guage U-channel steel custom
made by Alberta Industrial Metals Ltd. The channel is 2” wide at the base and has 1” walls. I will be welding it in
sections for transporting and it will be assembled onsite.
The channeling will either lay on top of the playa or be inserted into the playa by digging a 1” deep trench to make
the framework flush with the ground’s surface.
The channelling will hold fuel soaked refractory ceramic fibre (Cer-Wool ™). The Cer-Wool absorbs the fuel, like a
wick, and keeps the flame burning for approximately 15 minutes. The heat transfer to the playa through the steel is
minimal because of the short durration of the burn. Therefore there is no risk of burnscars.
For many reasons I will be using ethanol to fuel the fire. Pure ethanol burns into water vapour, it contains NO
hydrocarbons and therefore leaves no black carbon staining where the flame licks the playa and releases no
atmospherical pollution.
SYMBOLISM:
Mother Nature, Humanity & Unity
Earth, Fire, Flora, Man, Woman & Child
The most common known symbolism of the Nine Pointed Star is of Unity and the Bahai Faith. Nine, as the highest
single digit, symbolizes fulfillment and completeness.
The nine major manifestations of God are represented by each of the nine points of the star: Noah, Abraham,
Moses, Chrishna, Zoroaster, Budha, Jesus Christ, Mohammad, (The Bab) & Baha’u’llah. Each triangle is to be
made equal to designate equal significance to all world beleifs.
The star and the activating elements within and surrounding the framework of the star pay homage to Nature and to
the Cosmos. The three triangles that form the star represent man, woman and child. The use of logic is applied in
the viewing of the star, to introduce an additional human trait to the piece.
The collaboration of these elements speaks of unity in diversity and of the mutually supportive relationship that is
necessary to balance both Humanity and Mother Nature.
Isabel Landry, Red Deer,Alberta
I met Isabel when she was studying in Red Deer. She continued on to Alberta College of Art and Design in
Calgary. She was working on many different organic forms.
I enjoy the process of creating clay sculptures. I approached clay as a material full of possibilities, a base
for experimentation and reflection. Clay is a very versatile material rich in history, full of symbolism and
with a long tradition in Latino American Culture. I am the third generation of my family to work in clay. I
want to continue with the tradition of making clay objects.
Clay is a large part of the material that I use in my work, but I also like to combine clay with others
materials. THE SEED OF LIFE is a mix media installation of raw clay, grass, pot soil , glass,wood and
plants. I am interested in the poetry of the materials and their multiple meaning. In this particular
installation THE SEED OF LIFE I made use of raw clay to bring the meaning of the cration of man kind,
that not other material will be able to create the same direct relation of believes and traditions, in an
almost universal form that raw clay can. This installation is inspire by a storytelling from th Iroquoian First
Nation of Canada "Why Plants Have Human Characteristies" this particular storytelling is very similar as
the one that my grandmother and her friends used to teld when I was a little girl. This stories use to fill my
mind with images that later on in the night I was be able to dream them. What is the intentions behind
the use of the storietelling as a base for my work? I want to reach images that are deep in my imagination
that sometime can bring subconscious meaning to my work.
[email protected]
Shirley Rimer-Red Deer, Alberta
"Greek
Show 2008
Shirley Rimer has been working in the arts community in Red Deer for the past 25 years. Her
ceramic sculpture and pottery is well-known throughout the province. Shirley has received a
variety of awards and has been involved in several exchanges, exhibiting and sharing her
knowledge with an international community.
"Since discovering my affinity for clay, I have been enamored with the aesthetics of art and the
manipulative and sensual qualities of clay," said Rimer. "My most recent work is focused on
women and the various roles they play. I wander through the material and process in a Alice-inWonderland fashion, losing myself and finding myself in the creative process. I have drawn from
personal experiences and have tried to maintain the same spontaneity and subtle humor for which
I always strive."
Contact information: by appointment
E-mail: [email protected]
Web site: www.shirleyrimer.com
Pamela Rodger- Bragg Creek, Alberta
Pamela Rodger has been a ceramic artist for thirty years. She attended the Fine
Arts Department and Department of Education, University of Saskatchewan,
Canada for 5 years. Pamela has been in five residencies at the Banff Center of the
Arts in Alberta, Canada.
She was head of the university transfer ceramics program at the College of New
Caledonia in Prince George, B.C. and an Out-Reach teacher for Emily Carr College of
Arts in Vancouver, British Columbia for seven years. In Alberta Canada, Pamela
owned and operated a craft store and then craft gallery for nineteen years where
she represented twenty-six artists.
Pamela continues to maintain a busy studio with several lines of production
ware, sculpture and painting. Focus and hard work have rewarded Pamela and her
husband of thirty-five years with a mountain Sanctuary and daily bliss.
Pamela Rodger
Box 245, Bragg Creek, Alberta Canada T0L-0K0
(403) 949-3769 fax: (403) 949-2415 cell: (403) 978-3769
HYPERLINK "mailto:[email protected]"
[email protected]
www.creatingsanctuary.com
Enzien Kufeld-Wildwood, Alberta
1-trunk cups
3-fire-born
4-blossom ball
5-WHO houses
I am an artist-potter…it is not a choice.
I work intuitively, making my work an intimate reflection of my state of mind. I enjoy instinctive forms and
organic surfaces created by vapours & flame.
Wood-fire is my passion. I respect its intensity and its harshness, and delight in
the presence of mind required while firing; It is simultaneously exhilarating and exhausting.
I love the flame’s unpredictability and the allusion of controlling it. I delight in the raw honesty captured by
the work’s surface, reflecting what took place during the firing. My forms, clays & firings I indulge in
constant experimentation, always searching, hoping never to become stagnant.
Urban Forest Design Studio
Box 636 - Wildwood, AB T0E 2M0 - Canada
Ph: (780) 325-2360
Email: [email protected]
Christian Barr, Wildwood, Alberta
3 window vases
Distorted woods
Cracked plates
Window Vase
I am a potter, clay artist, designer and teacher. I make pots, architectural and clay sculptures.
My pots and sculptures are an expression of what is what was and what might be. Firing with wood only
enhances this expression. I often think that art is just a glimpse of a beauty that we are not meant to
truly understand. Working with clay and firing a wood kiln gives me that glimpse.
The works that emerge from the kiln are like portals allowing us an opportunity to see what might lie beyond
the veil of this perceived reality. There is an extraordinarily strong connection between thought, art and
process, from beginning to end, when I fire my work with wood. There is a sense of continuity to the work. It
allows me to put as much of myself into the work as is possible. I have also come to realize that one must
first understand the firing process before a successful pot can be made. Firing with wood continuously
challenges this understanding and how I make my work.
My signature is three vertical rectangles (windows) which represent the three challenges (Physical, mental
and an emotional) that I perceive in my work. I use my signature as a decoration. I believe in putting as
much of myself in the work as possible. The end product is not the only reason for doing what I do. I enjoy
the process and try to respect that process by making the best pots that I can. For me the process is the
reason why, the pot is just the record of that process.
Urban Forest Design Studio
Box 636 - Wildwood, AB T0E 2M0 - Canada
Ph: (780) 325-2360
Email: [email protected]
Judith Green, Pincher Creek, Alberta
I have been a potter for over thirty years, and have worked exclusively with a slipped red Earthenware for
the last 12 years. I feel the warmth of the red clay body and the lightness of the slipped surface for
patterning and color affords the bearing I want my ware to have. I believe I make an honset attempt
to produce ware that reflects where I live and the culture I live in. Rural southwest Alberta is rich with
inspirational sources and while I am delighted if this work reaches out to those beyond my borders, it is most
important to me that it sparks a connection with the immediate local and regional customer. I have always been mindful of doing thing efficiently, but my concern for sustainability is considered in all
aspects of production and consumption as a craftsman and a citizen with responsibilites. I do my best to
adhere to the "100 Mile Diet" and see this philosophy as equally valid for "100 Mile Gifts". Today, shipping
pots across the continent can cost as much as the ware itself!
Pincher Creek Pottery has recently signed on with Bullfrog Power, and thus the electricity to fire the kiln(and
operate the studio) is sourced from renewable energy in the form of windpower.
My focus has always been the local/regional customer. In a rural community many of your customers will be
around for the duration of your career. They provide direct feedback, share the pride in your efforts, and
their requests for a specific item are often most inspirational. By developing a relationship I enjoy being able
to educate the customer, and connect to the community.
[email protected]
Ed Bamiling, Banff, Alberta
0845
'In the Beginning' series
clay, glaze, oxides
25 cm diam. x 7.5 cm.
0849
'In the Beginning' series
clay, glaze, oxides
26 cm diam. x 7.5 cm.
1622
Sentinel
clay, glaze, oxides
42 cm x 26 cm x 15 cm
2427
Cloud Tablets - with Scroll
with Wand
with
Spheres
clay, metal, smoke
100 cm x 43 cm x 9 cm
2813
Scrolls
Clay, metal, smoke
35 cm x 20 cm x 12 cm
Ed is the Ceramics Facilitator with the Visual Arts Department at The Banff
Centre. He is responsible for all aspects of the ceramic studio operation as well
as consulting with and assisting resident artists on the successful resolution of
their projects. These artists are accomplished professionals with a broad range
of cultural and artistic practice, who come from many countries around the world.
As a practising artist for more than twenty-five years, Ed has exhibited
widely in solo and group exhibitions, both nationally and internationally. He has
also travelled extensively and done personal artistic and cultural research in
numerous countries in Europe and Central America as well as in frequent trips to
the Four Corners area of the American Southwest. His sculptural ceramic work
is represented in public collections in Canada and Mexico, as well as in private
collections in Canada, the United States, Mexico, Japan, France, England,
Ireland, Germany, Greece, Taiwan and Korea. He has also lectured and
conducted workshops extensively in Canada, the U.S. and Mexico.
His work takes inspiration from numerous sources, including natural land
forms, historical sites in Europe and elsewhere, the legacies of “lost” or ancient
cultures, to name a few. He is also keenly interested in the influence of the
natural environment on human culture – and conversely, the impact of human
activity on that environment.
Pierre Guy- Duncan, British Columbia
1971 Diploma from the Alberta College of Art
Ceramics Consultant , Alberta Culture, Visual Arts Branch
And this is where I met Pierre, he came to Peace River a northern community to teach a pottery course. I
went on to take many courses from him. At that time Alberta Culture were providing courses for artists
who would go back to their communities and teach. I went on to take courses at the Banff Centre after
taking Pierreʼs courses.
" Over time my concerns in making ceramic art have shifted from producing decorative but essentially
formal functional pottery to developing work that reflects broader geographic and personal cultural
influences in my life. My focus has shifted from primarily using the potters wheel, to developing
sculptural slab forms using various hand building techniques. This has allowed for more extreme variety
in form, while retaining formal vertical and flat pottery ideas and perhaps even the element of function. I
strive to achieve that synthesis in all my work." Ed Drahanchuk, Quadra Island, British Columbia
Ed is a recipient of many prestigious Art and Design Awards, with participation in over ninety government and
gallery exhibitions in fifteen countries.
He is represented in Canadian Embassies, Government Buildings and Private, Corporate and Museum
Collections.
ALBERTA COMES OF AGE acknowledges: "Drahanchuk sets up the most successful production studio in
Canada."
ALBERTA CULTURE AND VISUAL ARTS comments, "the one person shining nationally was Ed, setting a
standard for other potters."
Numerous mural commissions for Banks, Universities, Hospitals, Libraries and Government Buildings.
Drahanchuk Studios & Gallery
157 Quadra Loop, Quadra Island.
Mailing: Box 74 Quathiaski Cove,
Quadra Island, British Columbia,
Canada V0P 1N0
Phone/Fax (250) 285-3160
E-mail: [email protected]
He is also a painter.
http://oberon.ark.com/~drahan/index.html
Harriet Hiemstra, Cobble Hill, British Columbia
[email protected]
A self supporting professional potter since graduating from art school in 1975; I have enjoyed
working in a variety of temperatures, clays and firing methods. For the last seven years I have been
focusing on developing a new method of working with low firing under glazes and colorants, and am
still attempting to perfect a way of drawing and patterning wet clay slabs without distorting or
disturbing the freshly applied colors; while still attempting to form the pliable clay into the desired
shapes. This has been very challenging and is an ongoing uphill struggle with a lot of disappointing
kiln openings filled with exciting looking shards!
I have started using my `drawing on clay` technique for making totally unique jewelry……it is so
much fun! I am able to incorporate my enormous bead collection gleaned from years of trawling
through junk stores and rummage sales. The brooches utilize my drawing on clay technique with
unique additions of vintage plastic, glass, amber and silver beads, the necklaces have clay pieces
surrounded by brightly colored beads and objects d`art. Each piece uses high quality findings and
wire, this particular earthenware clay; when fired to temperature is incredibly strong; repeated stress
tests performed on jewelry have satisfied me that the purchaser will have years of enjoyment and
wear from each unique piece.
My jewelry is currently being carried in galleries on Granville Island, Victoria and Chemainus.
Meira Mathison, Victoria, British Columbia
[email protected]
Meira has maintained a studio, Dancerwood Pottery in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada for over 30 years. For the
past 28 years she has conducted workshops throughout British Columbia, Alberta, Canada, U.S.A., England and
Mexico. Meira sells her work though art shows, Dancerwood Pottery and galleries in Canada and United States. She
is noted for her unique high-fire altered porcelain. Her work has been featured in many publications including “Clay
and Glazes” – Daniel Rhodes; “500 Bowls”, “500 Cups”, “500 T-Pots”, “500 Pitchers” – Lark Publications; “Pots
in the Kitchen” – Josie Walter, England, “Making Marks” Robin Hopper, “Ceramic Spectrum” Robin Hopper and
“The T-Pot Book”, A & C Black – Steve Woodhead, England.
Cathi Jefferson,Vancouver,British Columbia
I have always known that I was meant to work with clay. I started to pursue my dream to be a studio potter in
1974 taking clay courses with Herman Venema. Under his guidance and support I continued to work in his
studio for 16 years. During that time I took fine arts courses at local colleges. Practical workshops with potters
whose work I admire have always been an integral part of furthering my education and growth with clay. Trying
to retain that initial thrown freshness and interacting with the kiln during the firing process has always drawn
me to salt and wood-firing, It never ceases to amaze me how each fired piece is directly affected by its location
in the kiln, producing unique variations with rich colour tones and textural surfaces.
In 1990 I moved to Deep Cove, North Vancouver, and began to build my own studio the following year. There
are 40 stairs leading up to my studio after a steep driveway, adding a challenge when carrying heavy loads.
However, once in my studio, the granite rock protruding through a wall and lots of windows in a natural west
coast setting provide a wonderful tranquil working space. The natural environment contains endless inspiration
in my life and work. I aspire to capture the sun reflecting through a rain drop on a leaf, the rich red tones and
texture of rock cliffs in the American Southwest, the serenity of an old growth forest, or the impact of a standing
stone in my work. I feel a deep connection to the fathomless energy and beauty in nature and attempt to
maintain this sense with clay.
My overwhelming desire to make functional dishes is grounded in the belief that its important to have handmade
items in our lives to help us remain connected to the natural world and to each other. Most of my work is wheelthrown and altered into square or triangular shapes. Pieces are decorated with impressions from nature or
geometric shapes that attempt to enhance the form. My hope is that the design depicts where I am from and
engages you to look around the piece through each framed window, noticing the different rich earthy tones and
varying textures. I strive to make the form of each piece interesting and strong, capable of functioning so well
that it will be enjoyed and used often because it elevates the ordinary into something special.
I feel truly blessed to have come to a place where I have my own studio, salt kiln, and to be a part of the clay
community. I'm excited about the direction of my work with wood and salt-firing and look forward with
anticipation to the many possibilities of tomorrow. I am where I want to be.
Glenys Marshall-Innman, Sooke Harbour, British Columbia
http://www.marshallinman.com/PotteryClayArt.html
Glenys and Dulcie are sisters. Glennys studied design with Stan Perrott. We were his girls......
Robin Hopper-Metchosin, British Columbia
'Chosin Pottery Inc.-Metchosin, B.C.
http://www.chosinpottery.ca
Robin Hopper is an internationally known potter, teacher, author, garden designer and arts activist. He has
taught throughout Canada, and in England, U.S.A., Australia, New Zealand, China, Korea, Japan and Israel. His
ceramic work is in public, corporate and private collections throughout the world. He was born in England. He
has written several books and videos.
Robin 1 Thrown and assembled porcelain lidded jar with slip trail decoration. “Classical Series”. Metallic
glaze fired to cone 9 in a propane gas kiln. Reduction atmosphere.
Robin 2 Thrown and assembled porcelain parabolic bottle from the “Clematis Series”. Fired to cone 10 in
a propane gas kiln. Reduction atmosphere.
Robin 3 Phoenix bowl. Thrown parts, sculpted and assembled porcelain. “Mediterranean Series”. Slip
trailed decoration with glaze rubbed off. Fired to cone 10 in a reducing atmosphere. Propane gas kiln.
Robin 4 “Southwest Series” classical vase form. Wheel thrown porcelain. Terra Sigilatta with black
pigment brush work. Fired to cone 8 in oxidation and then low fired for the Chrome Red overglaze
brushwork.
Judi Dyelle-Metchosin, British Columbia
'Chosin Pottery Inc.-Metchosin, B.C.
http://www.chosinpottery.ca
In 1967 Judi Dyelle graduated with honours and became an Associate of the Ontario College of Art. She was
awarded the Lieutenant Governor’s Medal of Excellence. A Canada Council Grant allowed her to spend a year
and a half travelling in Japan and studying with Tatsuzo Shimaoka. Upon her return to Canada, she began
teaching pottery in Toronto and has continued in Vancouver, Montreal and Victoria.
Judi 1 Tall bottle, wheel thrown porcelain. Micro Crystalline glaze. High fired to cone 10 in a reducing
propane gas kiln.
Judi 2 Tall vase, wheel thrown, pierced porcelain. “Crystal Pink Series”. Micro Crystalline glaze. High fired to
cone 10 in a reducing propane gas kiln.
Judi 3 Oval basket. “Kamloops Series”. Wheel thrown and altered . High fired to cone 10 in a reducing
propane gas kiln.
Judi 4 Pierced porcelain bowl. Wheel thrown. “Crystal Pink Series”. Micro Crystalline glaze. High fired to
cone 10 in a reducing propane gas kiln.
Dulcie Draper- New Zealand
Dulcie Draper imbues her artwork with a sense of elegance and humour. She started potting in
1964 at night classes in her local high school in New Zealand. Later she became a member of the
Auckland Studio Potters, where a mentor encouraged her to hand-build in stoneware clay. Her
expertise at her craft has won her many commissions including work for Expo 86 in Vancouver,
Petro Canada, the Calgary Exhibition and Stampede and Ducks Unlimited.
Dulcie and I became very good friends, first representing my work in her gallery the Alicat in Bragg
Creek and then taking a design class from Stan Perrott together. Dulcie and Glennys MarshallInman are sisters.
Denys James, Salt Spring Island, British Columbia
My ceramic works have moved from primarily organic, vessel-related, handbuilt forms to more
architectural / figurative / narrative pieces. There have been many influences throughout this
development, particularly the manner in which natural and man-made forces have affected both
surface and form.
In recent and current work I am beginning to explore the figure within a
context. For example, I am establishing a relationship between the arch shaped portal and the
physical orientation of the figure. In many works the human is looking out through an arch shaped
window or door. Perhaps, a story is suggested by this connection and it is this story that helps give
power and meaning to the work.
http://www.denysjames.com/index.html
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Discovery Art Newsletter: Art/Cultural Experience-Upcoming Tours
Turkey, September 2008, Morocco, November 2008, Myanmar (Burma) January 2009, Laos & Angkor Wat ,
February 2009, Oaxaca, Mexico, October/November 2009 and Lombok & Bali, March 2010
Leslie Bergeron, Castlegar, British Columbia
“The human Vessel, one of beauty which transforms all
vessels to that of an Exquisite Nature”
RAKU. Through many years of exploration with this technique, I’ve been fascinated by the
challenge of attempting to control this vital essence of nature- The Fire!
Although the fire itself is uncontrollable, my challenge is to use its full potential
meanwhile NOT RELYING on its magnificent effects to create FOR ME. As an artist it is my
position as the “creator,” to work with and understand my partner.This challenge alone has
driven me for almost two decades in the search for our balance
together. My “Vessels” are not only a result of the process. My forms are built on an initial
foundation of Contrast- sharp against soft, smooth against texture, light against dark, wide
against narrow, fun against serious. I challenge myself with the form itself before allowing the
fire to make its indelible imprint upon my highly designed surfaces.
It is this never ending challenge that holds my purpose, my struggle to create a piece of
“Exquisite Nature.” My influence is my mind, my drive is the flame.
http://www.lesliebergeron.com/introduction.htmShe has a wonderful site with a section on
the process of Raku.
Jan Lovewell, Lund, British Columbia
I am a partner with Ron Robb in Rare Earth Pottery, formed in 1991. We live and work on the rural
west coast of BC, Canada, north of Vancouver, near the village of Lund. We create one-of-a-kind,
hand formed pieces that reflect the natural west-coast environment and our explorations of
symbol, form and beauty.
My work includes figurative jars, masks and shakers (rattles) and is made by hand (pinched or
slab built). The forms are smoothed and paddled into shape and then impressed using a variety of
tools, stamps and found objects. As they dry, the pieces are smoothed again, burnished, coated
with terra sigilata and polished. The pottery is raku fired in small loads allowing for individual
treatment of each piece.
Why do I do what I do? When I’m away from clay for more than a day or two, (unless distracted by
something really great like a trip to Europe!) I miss it. I like to sit in the studio, settle into my
quiet space, and work with clay.
Jan Lovewell
Rare Earth Pottery
Box 91, Lund, B.C. Canada V0N 2G0
[email protected]
604-483-4806
Ron Robb, Lund, British Columbia
Rare Earth Pottery is located on the rural west coast of BC, north of Powell River, near the village of Lund.
My wife, Jan Lovewell, and I create one-of-a-kind, hand formed works in clay, including musical instruments
– ocarinas and shakers - and masks, sculptural bowls, vessels, and figurative jars.
Clay has its own unique sound, a resonance with nature. My first ocarina, given to me by a friend, was
small, high-pitched and beautifully tuned. I learned to play by imitating birds and listening to their
response echo around the clearing where we lived.
Armed with a three-page Ceramics Monthly article by Delia Robinson and a desire to add some new voices
to my collection of wind and percussion instruments, I set off on a seven-year journey - often frustrating
but ultimately rewarding. Each hard-won advance in understanding and refining the craft of making
ocarinas has opened up new areas of musical expression for me. Over time, I began also making ocarinas
that, like the whale, are larger, deeper toned and have a more meditative resonance.
In addition to ocarinas, I make sculptural bowls and vessels. Most of these are burnished, coated with terra
sigillatta, and once-fired in a small gas kiln with post-fire reduction in a mixture of sawdust and
vermiculite. Recently we have participated in wood firings and are building a kiln with two other potters.
Ron Robb
Rare Earth Pottery
Box 91, Lund, B.C. Canada V0N 2G0
[email protected]
604-483-4806
Other Than
Clay Artists
•Blown Glass
•Stained Glass
•Jewelry
•Installations
•Metal
•2D Artists-Painters
•Photography
•Mixed Media, Collage, & Textile
Carl Belyea, Calgary, Alberta
http://www.belyeaartglass.com/index.html
Through the various phases of my life I have participated in the creative process.
From elementary school through to high school my notebooks became sketchbooks. I
went on to graduate from the Graphic Arts program at the Alberta College of Art in
1972, my sketchbooks then became illustration-board and layout-pads. I spent 25
successful years creating advertising, graphic design and illustration with agencies,
and later as an independent consultant.
These experiences helped me see the world of patterns, shapes and colors in
everything around me. In the late 1990’s I moved into fine arts and began to explore
stained glass and sculpture. Now, through the medium of glass, I am inspired to
interpret these elements into a one-dimensional surface that represents the color,
shape, texture and perspective of an original object, scene or feeling. With multiple
individual pieces of glass a new image is created of these interpretations.
Each piece is an original creation reflecting what I see as my daily world changes
around me, ever providing new and exciting challenges and opportunities.
Marty Kaufman-Calgary, Alberta
In 1974 Marty Kaufman traveled from Canada to Europe. There he enrolled in a Parisian stone-carving
atelier. This pivotal experience drove him to pursue a broader arts education. He came back to Canada to
attend classes at the Alberta College of Art & Design as a sculpture major. Just down the hall from the
sculpture studios was the compelling roar of the glass hot shop.
When Marty Kaufman first saw the blowing process, his imagination was captured. The magical relationship
between the artist and the material was fascinating; conjuring objects out of a constantly moving dance with
the glass. This fascination prompted Marty to change his college major to Glass and the adaptability of
glass has kept him involved since then.
Artistʼs Statement
Creative evolution is a spiraling progression for me and the plastic nature of glass is well suited to
this spiral. When I first started to blow glass, the idea of shaping a form with a colour field that
transmitted light was intriguing. Later, the cutting and carving of the off-hand or mold-blown forms was a
step back to my sculptural roots in Paris. With cast glass I found a progression that continued to take
experiences from my past and apply them to the present. The common thread that connects all my artwork
is the influence of the Canadian landscape - its natural elements and their effect on the psyche. My artwork
explores this idea by presenting forms that have recognizable elements with abstracted images. I wish to
attract the viewer by the perception of something familiar within the art piece. Ultimately, I want the viewing
experience to be open to various personal interpretations of the workʼs meaning.
Marty Kaufman has been living and working in Calgary for the past 30 years. He has been an instructor at
the Alberta College of Art & Design for more than 20 years. His work can be found in many private and
public collections across Canada. To view more of Marty Kaufmanʼs work visit WEBSITE:
www.members.shaw.ca/marty.kaufman or EMAIL: [email protected]
Martha Henry, Calgary, Alberta
Pinwheels-turq. & lime glass,
crystals
Bead inside a bead
Frog necklace, Ivory & glass
LINKS-transp. red glass, silver
Purple glass necklace
Martha Henry is an artist and glassmaker who has contributed much to Alberta’s vibrant glass scene. In
1976 she moved to Calgary, Alberta after graduating with Honors from Sheridan College School of Design
(Ontario), where she studied glass blowing from 1971-74. She went on to further study glass blowing and
sculpture at the Alberta College of Art and Design 1976-78.
Martha is an accomplished artist, glass maker, instructor and juror. She has exhibited her work extensively and
has been written about in numerous publications. Her works have been commissioned for use by the Culinary
Olympic Team Canada, The Princess of Wales, Her Royal Highness Queen Elizabeth II, ETS/Concert Caravans for
The Rolling Stones and Garth Brooks world tours and Imperial Oil. Her work is also found in the collections of
the Winnipeg Art Gallery, The Massey Foundation, Seagram’s Collection, The Alberta Foundation for the Arts and
many international private collections.
In 2004, Martha branched out into jewelry design and creates her own unique glass beads using many of the
same techniques she mastered over the years .She has studied with several internationally known glass
masters, and recently trained in Murano, Italy.
Martha’s work is a culmination of extensive experimentation and experience.
In 2005, Martha received from the Alberta Craft Council the Award of Excellence.
Susan White, Calgary, Alberta
I use Italian glass for my beads, and they are carefully kiln annealed for durability.
I consider myself extremely lucky to be able to work full time at doing something I love. I have been a
jewellery designer for 10 years, working with sterling silver mostly. Four years ago, I became frustrated
because I couldn't find the beads I wanted for my sterling silver jewellery (I hadn't discovered Ebay at
that point).
I had always been intrigued by glass beadmaking, so decided to take a one-day class at our local glass
studio. Well, one week later I had my torch and my studio all set up and had begun my obsession with
glass. The silver work has definitely taken a back seat to beadmaking, but it is handy to showcase my
beads.
So, my life now consists of making beads, which I sell or make into jewellery to sell.
I have been selling online at Etsy for a few months, and really like it.
http://www.susanwhitestudio.com/
K.C. Jones, High River, Alberta
For me, fiber is all about color, texture and rhythm. Each thread provides a different sensation, very like the feelings we
experience over the course of a day, year or lifetime. There are the smooth and sensuous moments reflected in bamboo, silk
and chenille threads and the itchy irritating moments of wool, bouclé and alpaca. There are the cotton and hemp moments of
tough beginnings that get smooth and comfortable as time goes on. Also like life, fiber has the ability to achieve brilliance with
reds, yellows, and magentas or the more subdued shades of grays, browns and blues. And what relationships can be created
by placing different colors and fibers next to each other? Combine these textures with the rhythm established while working on
a loom, passing the shuttle back and forth, back and forth and the result is a product that is reflective of life's various
experiences. Weaving well, for me, is a reflection of living well. It offers the same surprises and rewards.
[email protected]
Henry Schlosser, Calgary, Alberta
John Morel, DeWinton, Alberta
Doug Haslam, Calgary, Alberta
Arlene Westen-Evans- High River, Alberta
Once I participated with my own imagination, I became unwilling to turn back. I am curious about the nature
and form of many things and it is that intense curiosity married with a personal narrative and willingness to
explore technique and process that has helped me to understand the world and communicate my ideas to
others. Whether I am working in fine craft or fine art, I want every piece I lend my hand to , to impart intimate
and individual characteristics and an exceptional level of competence.
My work is often enmeshed with symbolism that conveys a complex array of concepts to a viewer. The
symbolic nature of the elements are weighted with associations and references. In one sense, the entire
message is quite simple; the link between human beings and art making has as much to do with the spiritual
and psychological as well as the physical. My purpose in doing the work is to open the viewers eyes to the
profound depth and essential simplicity of that relationship.
Don Hamm, High River, Alberta
The theme for much of my figurative work is “Evidence of Lives Lived”. The paintings are
based on B&W photos of ordinary people who lived in Canada during the first half of the 20th
century. By looking at literally thousands of images, I find some ‘speak’ to me symbolically,
poetically or visually.
Colour, line, value and shapes presented in these earlier eras suit my eye. They provide a
sense of the rich and exotic. They allude to political and social circumstance.
I’m after a narrative that is easily entered through the doorway of realism but is manipulated
with visual strategies such as brush work, layering, flows, distractions, attractions and colour
choices to break down the verisimilitude of what appeared at first look. I like an edge to my recreated realities that subdues the nostalgia we’re often bathed in upon encountering narrative
art.
http://web.mac.com/hammart/Site_7/Home.html
Brian Clute-High River, Alberta
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In my paintings I always try to get an effect. An effect which pleases as well as raises question. It is
similar to improvisational jazz where there is an element of surprise.
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I do not try to copy nature but rather to construct something natural using a repetitive process.
I use a disciplined approach which is similar to music in its limitations and also in its abstractness.
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It would not be wrong to call my work “baroque” in that counterpoint is my fundamental building
block. That is motifs and patterns are composed of a few limited basic elements which continually rearrange
themselves.
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My two inspirations are geometrical structures and randomness.
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Finally, from brush stroke to brush stroke. I try very hard to maintain the energy level of the paintings.
Amy Dryer, Calgary, Alberta
My grandaughter Quinn Twirling
www.fragmentsofsoul.com
A distinctive style ties Amy Dryer’s paintings together and brings the viewer into a place of dramatic
contrasts and lyrical subject matter.
Dryer’s paintings echo the emotionality and aggressive brushwork of German Expressionism,
a movement dedicated to the unapologetic act of painting. Dryer is also compelled by the drawing
line of the Viennese artist, Egon Scheile. Scheile possessed a sensitivity of line and draftsmanship
that Dryer deems essential for her own work.
Approaching painting through the dichotomy of aggressive brush strokes and intricate
drawing lines, Dryer turns her attention towards her passion for music. Out of music, Dryer pulls
lyrics, images, emotions and moody subjects. In the same way that music refers to fragments of the
real world, through words and poetry, so too does Amy Dryer’s art refer to fragments of this world.
Dryer is particularly influenced by the poetry and stories of the Counting Crows and Tracey
Chapman. More recently, wordless symphonies such as Tchaikovsky and Beethoven have made their
way into Dryer’s consciousness.
Influenced by the constant movement of music, Dryer’s paintings become gestural references
to the subject. A bouquet of red flowers reaches or drops in a moment and Dryer attempts to
capture the gesture of that moment.
Finally, Dryer is essentially interested in the empowerment of women through her paintings.
For centuries, women have been painted and sculpted by the hands of men. Through her own
hands, Dryer wishes to portray the strength, vulnerability, openness and closeness of the woman.
The lyrics and sounds of the woman become heard through Dryer’s work.
Flemming Jorgensen, Victoria, British Columbia
Born and educated in Denmark, Jorgensen has lived in Victoria on and off since 1967
and is among the most respected artists in the city—which is likely a modest
description of his notoriety. Most recently he spent five years in Brazil where many
works, such as those in LEGO in Art, were created and exhibited with favourable
reception by all ages.
With a Dadaist-like propensity for both collage and found objects, Jorgensen is an
artist who is open to using a variety of materials. Aside from LEGO, he uses materials
such as cracked or torn Formica and founds bits of wood in many of his works
Both Bob and I have taken a watercolor course from Flemming at the Metchosin
Summer School for the Arts.
http://www.mondaymag.com/portals-code/list.cgi?
paper=117&cat=47&id=1172876&more=0
Bev Tosh, Calgary, Alberta
http://www.warbrides.com/
My artwork is rooted figurative expression, as is my teaching. In both instances I seek non-verbal cues (aka body
langauage). My current war brides series explores the subtle variations of posture and gesture on that pivotal occasion
- the wedding day, now distanced by time and geography, and carefully layered in the tissue of memory.
One-Way Passage began on my mother’s 80th birthday in January 2001 but really started with the social upheaval of
World War Two and her subsequent voyage from Canada to New Zealand as a young war bride.
This audio-visual exhibition explores the rite of passage of leaving home physically, emotionally and psychologically.
It is about the passage of time and lifetimes and speaks “to all women making life-altering passages.”
Bev Tosh, RCA
RFM McINNIS, Winnipeg, Manitoba
Robert painted this Free Spirit Bowl that I made.
My art has continually teetered between a personal need for realism and a desire to be more
abstract, but subject matter has always overwhelmed the design elements, much to my dismay.
It is this aspect of my art that I’ve always tried to change, but now, especially in my new work,
the paintings done since late 2003. Tighter compositions, stronger designs, more formal impact,
bolder, brushier paint, richer colour - this is what I’m after.
If my paintings are “read” this way, then their true nature can be understood. This is the
nature of my personal vision: my “expression”, my creativity. Art is about inner expression. It is
not about making a picture; or worse, a good copy of a bad photograph, from the so called
“photo references”.
My quest, as I enter my 63rd year, and 42nd as a painter, is to push for that expressive/
creative level of art that I admire so much in those others I’ve mentioned, but which has eluded
me up to now. To do paintings that have no other reason to exist other than that we feel like
doing them is the only basis upon which a true art can exist. More often than not, this is not the
case. Outside forces come to bear, especially “market forces”. That is not Art.
http://www.rfmmcinnis.ca/McInnis/HOME.html
Julie Jenkins, High River, Alberta
Julie took photographs of local High River people..me being one.
I have always enjoyed watching people; especially when people are being people. Those rare moments when
they believe no one is watching. There is something so candid and pure about people being themselves.
Taking pictures, and capturing those rare moments has always inspired me. My challenge and reward is
capturing those moments when a persons true character shines through.
My current website address is http://juliejenkins.otherpeoplespixels.com
This said, it has none of my portraits but rather my travel stuff. but it's a way for people to get in contact with
me.
[email protected]
Jeff de Boer, Calgary, Alberta
Jeff de Boer is a Calgary-based multi-media artist with an international reputation for producing
some of the world's most original and well-crafted works of art. With an emphasis on metal, he is
best known for such bodies of work as suits of armour for cats and mice, armour ties and swordhandled briefcases, rocket lamps and pop culture ray guns, and exquisite high art, abstract works
called exoforms.
On his website are instructions on How to make a Samurai Cat and How to make a Giant Tin Toy
http://jeffdeboer.com/Home/tabid/36/Default.aspx
Bob Pike, High River, Alberta
Bob Pike, High River, Alberta
I started drawing as long ago as I can remember and as a kid, was always building models. I took them to the point
where I was designing the models and just buying raw materials. At age twenty two, I made the decision to go to The
Alberta College of Art and become an artist. I had no idea what that even meant at the time. After attending art school
majoring in sculpture, I had some new skills to better design some of the things I wanted to make. At 26, my
obsession with making things got me into business by accident when I designed and made some candles for myself
that everyone else also seemed to like. So I had invented a job for myself and I sold candles to shops across Canada. It
taught me the basics of being in a crafts business.
After a couple of years making candles, I wanted to try something new, so I took a pottery course from Les
Manning for my own interest. I found that I enjoyed the process of clay and firing along with the challenge of the vast
amount of knowledge required to be a competent potter making a living from your work. I started out my clay career
by teaching adult educational pottery classes for a year while honing my skills, and then in 1972 had my own pottery
studio with a 40 cu. ft. gas kiln. in 1978 Connie joined the team of what is now called Pike Studios. Over the time I
worked professionally as a potter, I designed and built 4 kilns. One 25 cu. ft., one 40 cu. ft., one 60 cu. ft. and one
150 cu. ft. All were down draft natural gas fired kilns. I invented tools and designed and built machinery for extruding
clay. I taught courses on how to make a living working with clay at Red Deer College Series program.
My philosophy of life is to keep challenging myself to find new directions and new things to discover. I think of
myself as a maker and inventor and creative individual. I’m always looking for new places to go and new challenges
to build rather than holding on to the places I’ve been.
Medicine Hat Clay Industries National Historic District
Some of the fascinating things to you will see:
•
•
•
•
The world's largest exhibition of Medalta Pottery, Hycroft China, and Sunburst Ceramics.
The collection at present contains more than 20,000 pieces!
Daily tours run during our summer season, from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm, you will go on an
informative tour of the Medalta buildings and equipment. Our trained interpretive staff will
answer your questions regarding our history, people and processes.
After your tour take the time to visit our Gift Shop and purchase Medalta reproductions
including our world famous crocks. As well we have a limited supply of original Hycroft
pottery for sale.
Watch world famous artists working in our Medalta International Artists in Residence
Program. Each year Medalta hosts ceramic artists from all over the world. This years
residency is scheduled to run from May 30th through June 24th.
Slip Casting
Liquid clay is poured into a plaster mould. The plaster absorbs water and within a few minutes a
layer of firm clay builds up against the plaster face. The remaining clay is poured back out and
an hour later the piece is removed from the mould.
The Jigger Process
A slab of soft clay is put in a spinning plaster mould. As it turns a template on a moving arm
compresses the clay to conform to the shape of the mould and the contour of the template
The Medalta International Artists Residence Program
One of the aims of the Friends of Medalta Society is to provide educational programming at all
levels, relative to the production of clay products. In June 1998, the Medalta International
Artists in Residence Program was initiated to attract ceramic artists both established and
emerging, from all over the world.
Invited guest artists work side by side with participants in an environment that supports all
aspects of the creative process. This is an opportunity to share studio space, experience,
thoughts and ideas while working essentially independently. It may be a time to review past
work, establish new directions, enhance a portfolio or reinvest energy through uninterrupted
time. Each ceramic artist who attends takes away from the experience a better understanding
of the legacy of clay that the Medalta Potteries and Hycroft China have given us.
Since its inception, the residency has been held in a dedicated area in the Hycroft China site,
but a building at the Medalta Potteries site has been designated as the future permanent year
round home of the residency program. In the interim our program will be moved to the "glass
house" section of the Hycroft China site which provides a fully functioning, well lit, spacious
historic environment for creative studio work.
Fees:
•
Application Fee: $15.00 + 5% GST = $15.75 (must be included with application - Non
Refundable)
•
Program Fee: $500.00 + 5% GST = $525.00
•
Total Fees: $540.75
•
All fees to be paid in full before May 16th, 2008
Refund Policy:
•
The committee will consider any reasonable request for withdrawal on an individual basis.
$15.75 Application fee is Non-Refundable.
Application Information:
•
Please submit 8 - 10 slides of your current work. Include a stamped, self addressed envelope
for their return. These slides may provide the basis for individual slide programs.
•
Please submit a brief bio and artist’s statement, providing information about your particular
areas of interest.
Accommodations:
•
Town-House style accommodation with kitchen facilities is available at the Medicine Hat
College Residence. Please make your own arrangements through www.mhc.ab.ca (ask for
the Medalta Block).
For other accommodation information contact:
Tourism Medicine Hat (403) 527-6422.
2008 Invited Artists
Lily Bakoyannis is a Greek sculptural ceramic artist who incorporates mixed media into her work.
She will be traveling to Canada to take part in an exhibition at the Red Deer Museum & Art Gallery in
August. Her preparatory work will be done at Medalta during her stay as a featured guest artist
during June 2008. She will provide an innovative, international flavour to this year's residency
program.
Susanne Ashmore-"The physicality of clay attracts me. The seasonal cycles of studio practice suit
me. I like the challenges of surviving as an artist. It's the lifetime of learning and growing on my own
terms that keeps me alive and fresh. My work is about paring down, trying to get to the essence of a
line, curve, mark. My interest in wood firing is a continuum of this philosophy. I try to clear my mind to
be open for inspiration. Inspiration that happens only after periods of trial and error.".
Todd Leech is a Cleveland, Ohio born artist currently completing his Masters of Fine Arts degree in
Ceramics at Edinboro University of Pennsylvania.
Additionally, Todd exhibits his artwork regularly in regional and national juried exhibitions.
"My work has always addressed the themes of time, mortality and
disintegration. I am always seeking to push the limits of the material, to
innovate, experiment, and explore the possibilities of this exciting medium."
Stephanie Craig ,a native of Canada, is presently living and working in Cleveland Ohio where she is
actively pursuing her career in ceramics. While maintaining a rigorous studio practice and exhibition
schedule, she is also teaching at Cleveland State University and Cuyahoga Community College.
Presently, Stephanie's sculptural works are handbuilt and molded forms, with special attention to
textural surface details. Works are glazed and often multiple fired in cone 6 oxidation. Stephanie is
looking forward to a residency at MIAIR; her visual and conceptual interests involve natural history,
and she is eager for the potential inspirations of Southern
Alberta's rich archeological history
http://www.medalta.org/miair/artists.html
Joan Bruneau (Invited artist
AIR 2003) / - Angela (ACAD
Grad AIR participant)
Lou Xiaoping (Yixing potter
China) Invited artists - 2003 /
0602 Junya Shao (Yixing)
China
Basil teaching David
Basil teaching Penny (Australia)
David Miller, France
Studio shot
Hycroft 2007
Danny Choi - Out of
the wood kiln /
Wood fire Les & Angela
Out of the wood kiln
wood kiln
Residence round table wrap up
session 2007
Jigger man / Large crocks made on the Weeks Machine very rare to find these machines any more)* The weeks
machine were capable of making crocks up to 50 gallons in
size. crocks - 50 gallon crocks made for storage of
kerosene / battery acid, etc.
Mug moulds with handles on.
Loading the round
kilns
kilns - Unloading kilns
The Banff Centre
The Banff Centre
is a globally respected arts, cultural, and educational institution
and conference facility.
http://www.banffcentre.ca/va/
The Banff Centre is internationally recognized as:
a leader on the local, national and international stages in the development
and promotion of creative work in the arts, sciences, business, and the
environment
a catalyst for creative thought, lifelong learning, the development and
showcasing of new work, and the advancement of applied research
a resource for individual and group renewal and transformation, and an
enabler of innovation and creativity for participants and staff to question
assumptions, explore ideas, embrace change, and exemplify excellence
a destination of choice for conferences
Fo almost 75 years, the impact of the inspiring mountain location,
the creative atmosphere, the diverse group of participants from
many backgrounds and disciplines, and the strong support from
Centre staff have combined to make a powerful experience that is
intellectually, physically, and emotionally stimulating.
Arts at The Banff Centre have a long and distinguished history. For
over 70 years, The Banff Centre has provided professional career
development and lifelong learning for artists and cultural leaders
in performing, literary, new media, and visual arts. Work is
showcased throughout the year in public concerts, exhibitions,
and events, culminating in the Banff Summer Arts Festival.
Work Study Opportunities
Come live and learn in the inspiring Rocky Mountains, while exploring the diverse
world of new media. The work study program attracts talented and creative
individuals who are seeking opportunities to enhance their education and pursue a
career in new media/media arts. BNMI provides a multidisciplinary learning
environment and participants gain an outstanding learning experience.
Banff Centre
In terms of possible residencies for international artists, all of our residencies are open to
everyone. The Self-Directed ones are the most flexible in terms of the length of time and the
time of year that someone might come - from a couple of weeks to a couple of months or
more. As you've discovered, most of the relevant information is on our website, from basic
structure to costs and online application forms.
The Thematic residencies are also open to everyone. The biggest difference here is that they
are fixed length (usually 6-7 weeks) and that all the participating artists will be selected on the
basis of how their work addresses or engages the relevant theme. Usually, a group of 25-30
international artists would particpate, in ceramics, sculpture, painting, printmaking,
photography, installation, video, new media, performance, etc. These are very dynamic
residencies, in part because of the sheer diversity of responses to a given theme.
Often, Self-Directed and Thematic artists will overlap in their time frames, so there is also
interaction on that level. Both types are non-prescriptive in terms of the kind of work people
do, as it's up to them. But the Self-Directed ones are not tied to any thematic structure and
are therefore less restricted in when they apply and for what.
The other difference is financial - there is no monetary support from the Centre for SelfDirected artists, whereas the Thematic residencies do have a partial scholarship attached to
them. In actual $ costs, they may not be too far apart, but the funding structure is different. In
either case, people often apply for supplementary funding to whatever agency they have
available. We seem to have a few Australian artists each year and the Australian Arts Council
has a history of being quite supportive to people coming to the Centre.
Feel free to contact me
Ed Bamiling
Ceramics Facilitator, Visual Arts
The Banff Centre
Box 1020, 107 Tunnel Mountain Drive
Banff, Alberta, Canada T1L 1H5
Phone: 1.403.762 6211
Fax: 1.403.762 6659
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.banffcentre.ca
Visual Arts: www.banffcentre.ca/va/
The Banff Centre
Creative Residencies
Creative residencies in the Visual Arts department of The Banff Centre provide the luxury of time
and space for the artist to create new works, research innovative ideas and experiment with
different techniques and modes of production. For artists in residence at the Centre, located in
Banff National Park and surrounded by the awe-inspiring mountain vistas of the majestic Rocky
Mountains, facilities accommodate the printmaker, painter, ceramist, photographer, and sculptor.
Artists are encouraged to explore all our facilities, regardless of their primary discipline. This
exploration can open up new possibilities and directions for the contemporary artist.
Thematic Residencies
Thematic residencies offer a more structured program where artists are brought together under the
umbrella of a common theme that runs through their work. Through peer interaction, discussion
groups, studio work, and formal lectures and studio visits from world renowned visiting artists and
curators, the thematic resident gains new ideas and insights that can be applied to the continued
creation of contemporary art.
Self-Directed Residencies
Self-directed residencies are self-guided opportunities where the artist is free to experiment and
explore new directions in the production of their work. Interaction with other artist residents is
encouraged through presentations, studio visits, and informal discussion. This, combined with
intense periods of art creation in a private studio, creates a transformative atmosphere of art as
life, a stark and refreshing contrast to artmaking amid the distractions of every day living.
Set in the spectacular environ of Banff National Park, The Banff Centre offers artists a creative oasis
to inspire creativity and support artistic productivity. By providing the time and space for focused
work, these residencies provide an ideal opportunity to realize a self-directed project. With access
to accommodation and meals on campus, participants will have the freedom to focus completely on
their project.
During their residency in our inspiring mountain retreat, artists can interact with other international
artists in residence, and attend the world-class performances and events presented on our stages.
Acceptance into the residency program is conditional on a successful Banff Centre application and
adjudication, and as space and resources allow that are specific to your residency requirements.
Residencies normally take place in the September to May timeframe, based on studio availability.
Applications for 2008 residencies will be accepted on an ongoing basis.
Both the Self-Directed and Thematic Residency programs are for the professional artist, curator, art
writer, or new media creator in search of a community of peers in the exploration of innovative
contemporary art and ideas.
Visual Arts Self-Directed Creative Residency (Fall)
Program dates: September 15, 2008 - November 07, 2008
Application deadline: May 09, 2008
Residency length: Minimum of five days
Residency length can vary within the prescribed program dates. All residencies must begin on a Monday and last
for a minimum of five days.
The Self-Directed Creative Residency program in Visual Arts provides time and space for individuals and groups to
create new works, research innovative ideas, and experiment with different techniques and modes of production.
Note: Applications for residencies outside of the spring, summer, fall, and winter program dates may be accepted
at the discretion of the director of Visual Arts. Please note that on-campus accommodations are available on a first
come, first served basis. We cannot guarantee that we will be able to provide your exact accommodation request or
specific room type as on-campus accommodation availability can be limited at times.
Fees
Participants are responsible for all costs associated with their stay, including, tuition, general studio fees,
shipping costs, travel, room and board, personal living expenses, materials and supplies, the rental and use of
technical, audio, photographic materials, all printing costs, and any specific facilities fees.
Tuition: $14 / day
General Studio Fee*: $100 / month
Accommodation**: $54 / day (single room) or $29.20 / day (shared room)
Meals***: $14.62 / day (Lite flex meal plan) or $22.36 (Regular flex meal plan)
* Self-Directed Residency applicants shall be required to pay a General Studio Fee of $100/month (or part
thereof), subject to a minimum fee of $100/applicant.
** Single occupancy rooms have limited availability.
*** There is no refund available for unused portion of meal plans. Artists may purchase additional credits
towards their meal plan at any time.
Application Requirements
Processing fee: A non-refundable application processing fee of $59 CAD, (or
$59 USD) or $31 CAD ($31 USD) for artists of Aboriginal status, payable to The Banff Centre; within a collaborative
team, each individual must pay a non-refundable application fee of $31 CAD. (Please note: Each member must
submit a separate application form.)
A completed application form
A completed application requirements package
Detailed resource request form outlining studio and equipment/facility needs and staff support is essential.
Final resource allocation is at the discretion of the department.
Please Note: Candidates must complete all appropriate sections of the application form. The application, and all
required support materials, must be received by the Office of the Registrar by the appropriate deadline.
Please do not send original magazines, newspaper clippings, or books as they cannot be copied for adjudication
purposes. Applicants sending portfolios from outside Canada must attach (on the outside of the package) a
declaration of value for customs. Failure to do so may result in customs charges; any charges incurred will be
charged to the applicant’s account. Portfolios will be returned to applicants who do not attend The Banff
Centre. Those attending may claim their portfolio, during their residency, from the department.