6 February 2011

The “silver lining” of these freezing winter months is keeping warm and busy indoors. I currently have half a dozen figurative pieces in progress at various stages of production… above are some pics of me and my “studio friends” hard at work/play…

27 January 2011

I was happy to participate in this open exhibition organized by the Manitoba Craft Council (with three of my figurative sculptural pieces). Thanks to all those of you who showed up for the well-attended opening at the Cre8ery Gallery.

4 December 2010

A selection of my work (including the figurative sculpture ‘(no fixed address)’ is available at the Fishfly Gallery in Winnipeg Beach (where I also work on occasion)… open Saturdays and Sundays before Christmas. I’m also open to studio visits (by prior appointment) and I have a considerable inventory of ware suitable for gift-giving… hugs!

22 November 2010

Please consider coming out to the Manitoba Crafts Council’s Handmade Holiday Craft Sale at the West End Cultural Centre on Ellice, this Friday 26 November from 17:00-22:00, and Saturday 27 November from 10:00-16:00. The event promises to be even “bigger & better” than last year…

One of my recent sculptural pieces entitled ‘Nice ‘n Naughty’ was selected to appear on the event poster. Along with lots of Readers, match-bowls, pendants and other wares suitable for impulse-buying and gift-giving, I’ll be showing a few sculptural pieces.

5 November 2010

Several folks I’ve met recently (including an old high school girlfriend I crossed paths with in a coffee-shop this week and whom I haven’t seen since some time in the last century) have inquired about studio visits. Please know that I am very enthusiastic about small groups (and interested individuals) dropping by to see what I’m doing—heck, I’ll gladly even give you a real-time demo of how I work, if you’re interested.

Just make sure that you let me know when you plan to show up, OK? (I’d prefer to be dressed and to have at least some of the inevitable studio clutter under control…). Just give me a call in advance, or connect with me via my coordinates here (full map directions on how to get to my studio provided as well).

Image: My boyfriend felt I could use some extra “welcoming power” when good folks show up at my studio (sort of like—but not-at-all like—Walmart greeters), so the first thing you’ll now encounter when you walk through the ivy-covered arbor is this “outsider-art-inspired” assemblage sculpture he created earlier this year (from pieces of cedar telephone pole, along with assorted bits of rusted iron farm implements, whiskey barrel rings, etc.)… which he titled Interlake Gothic.

1 November 2010

The energy was palpable—absolutely electrifying! Imagine ten high-profile presenters, and another ten amazingly-talented artists invited by the presenters, in an incredible exhibition of figurative clay sculpture. Add into that mix, 125 talented-in-their-own-right participants eager to learn More, then pack in lectures, slide presentations, demonstrations, and panel discussions on the state of art today in the world of ceramics and sculpture in particular, and then you have a picture of the fantastic symposium that I just returned from—the Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts’ figurative association: The Human Form in Clay.

24 October, 2010

In case you’re looking for a unique gift for that “special someone” during the holiday season this year, please consider coming out to the Manitoba Crafts Council’s Handmade Holiday Craft Sale at the West End Cultural Centre on Ellice, Friday 26 November from 17:00-22:00, and Saturday 27 November from 10:00-16:00. The event promises to be “bigger & better” than last year…

Among the handmade gift offerings I’ll have for sale will be a selection of fine jewelery and of course the little ceramic Readers that have become very popular over the past year. Shown above is a selection of another favorite among women: Piercings (black fired stoneware orbs with metal beads or Swarovski crystals on reclaimed sterling silver chains, ($35 to $65).

7 October 2010

I’ve just returned from a whirlwind 10-day trip to Asia, accompanying my boyfriend Rob (who was serving on an international design jury and giving a lecture in Taipei). After landing at the new Hong Kong International Airport we took a jetfoil across a stretch of the South China Sea to Macau for a quick 24-hour visit before continuing on to a few days in Hong Kong… and then on to Taiwan.

Of the cultural attractions I had the pleasure of experiencing, the amazing National Palace Museum in Taipei (which houses an enormous treasure trove of cultural artifacts from the Sung, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties) and the half-day I was able to spend in Yingge, a township south of Taipei famous for its ceramic production (and home to the renowned Taipei County Yingge Ceramics Museum) were the highlights. (Thanks to Enrica, Alice, Joanna, and William for your helpful guidance and translation support).

Photos: the speedy jetfoil heading off to Macau; the view from our Macau hotel room (statistically, Macau is the most densely populated country on the planet); me in Hong Kong, waiting for the ferry to Kowloon; enjoying the incredible Yingge museum; the rain-soaked work of a local ceramic sculptor in Yingge. (You can read more about our trip and see more photos here).

20 September 2010

I was happy to contribute a work of art once again this year to the Make Cancer History Gala Ball, to be held at the Winnipeg Convention Centre on 16 October. See the complete gallery of artist-donated works here.

Mother Vessel is the largest piece of the “tentacled” body of work I’ve produced over the years (see more of this ilk by scrolling down a bit after clicking here), a stoneware piece combining thrown and hand-built techniques finished in burnished steel and sea anemone glazes and fired to Cone 04.

31 August 2010

I’m very much looking forward to the studio visits that this coming weekend will bring. I thoroughly enjoy chats with old friends and getting to know new acquaintances… for which The Wave Artists Studio Tour provides the perfect opportunity. Please drop by my studio in Winnipeg Beach on Saturday or Sunday (4 or 5 September)—I’m number 13 on the tour map… look for the blue and white sign posted on Highway 9 to catch the turnoff (at the Lady of the Lake Church on Lake Avenue)… follow signs to the flag (and the unmistakable white picket fence) at 275 Eaton Street.

“Readers” have proven to be particularly popular since I introduced them late last fall. Dozens of new ones have emerged from the kiln and are now buried in their books, awaiting empathetic bibliophiles and bookworms.