Winnipeg, Canada

Two weeks from now (Friday, 27 November from 4 to 10pm & Saturday, 28 November from 10am to 3pm) I’ll be at the West End Cultural Centre in Winnipeg (586 Ellice at Sherbrook) along with 15 other local artisans: PJ Anderson, Joy Bamford, Jolanta Sokalska, tamara rae biebrich, Ursula Neufeld, Janet Carroll, Pat Findlay, Matt Jenkins, Elizabeth Joyce, Tesh Kosowan, Rachael Kroeker, Dawn Chaput, Fleur McLauchlan, and Gaetanne Sylvester.

Please do drop by to check out our unique “handmade wares”… Friday night will also feature live entertainment and a cash bar.

31 October 2009

I’ve been having a great time here in Beijing… though I came expecting to see ancient sights, I’ve been surprised at the overwhelming modernity. While Rob has spent time at his Icograda congress, I’ve done some exploring on my own (and with other foreign delegates I’ve met) of destinations including The Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square, the Pearl Market, and the Silk Market.

Outings with Rob have included the Ming Tombs north of Beijing, the Great Wall of China (at Badaling), a jade factory, the avant garde 798 Art Zone, and the incredible Panjiayuan flea market. Evenings have been filled with special events, fancy dinners, and a seemingly endless stream of receptions and show openings (all part of the Xin Icograda World Design Congress 2009 and the First Beijing Design Week)—lots of creative stimulation and a great way to “fill the well.”

Photos: my auto-portrait just inside The Forbidden City; mimicking Rodin’s The Thinker (one of the original bronze casts) at the China Central Academy of Fine Arts; at an outdoor evening opening with Rob; having a little rest on the Great Wall of China; moi, dwarfed by substantial sculptures in the 798 Art Zone; and rummaging for treasures in the world’s largest flea market. View more China photos on Rob’s blog here, here, here, and here.

18 September 2009

Last night I participated in my first juried show—Craft: Culture/Counterculture, the exhibition of a collection of 20 works by Manitoba Crafts Council members (the 2009 juried exhibition). The theme was intended to “reflect the dual role that craft objects, materials, and techniques can play: creating and affirming the every-day, expressing something of our identity; and/or challenging cultural assumptions, expressing more idiosyncratic visions of the world, and manifesting the creative shadow side of mainstream society.” My piece, Peer Pressure, acts as a social commentary on the failure of corporatism and the workaholics who drive themselves down along with sinking enterprise.

Photos: Moi, admittedly glowing a bit… my friend Kelli Rey’s beautifully expressive Poodle Herd and Friends #2 (I studied ceramics with Kelli Rey at University back in the day), and Tibor Bodi (a long-time designer friend of Rob’s who he also climbs with on occasion) with Voice of America 1956, (a compelling piece that recalls the propaganda wars Tibor experienced while living in Budapest as a child). View many more photos from the show on Adrian Shum’s Flickr site here.

6 September 2009

I’ve had a busy and enjoyable weekend. Thanks(!) to all 130 of you who visited my studio as part of the 8th WAVE Artists Studio Tour—your enthusiastic and positive response was encouraging and rewarding.

Photo: my lovely mom, Elfriede Richter (who once again served up platters of delectable dainties to one and all) with moi and The Vamp outside the studio on Saturday morning.

18 August 2009

My sculpture ‘Peer Pressure’ has been selected as one of 20 pieces of art to be shown in the Manitoba Crafts Council 2009 Juried Exhibition. The show opening is 17 September at 19:30 at the Outworks Gallery, 290 McDermot Avenue in Winnipeg—then continuing on display until 29 September. From 1-29 October, the exhibition travels to the Viscount Cultural Centre in Neepawa.

‘Peer Pressure’ is a slab-built stoneware piece with low-fire glaze and assemblage (an antique bottle capper) on a waxed wooden base, 395mm x 200mm x 520mm. This is my social commentary on the failure of corporatism and the workaholics who drive themselves down along with sinking enterprise.

My artist’s statement, that accompanied the submission:

“I love creating with clay, making “something” from “nothing.” I love clay because of its sensuous pliability. My favorite tools are my hands—I experience and learn so much through the sense of touch. Figurative sculptures are particularly satisfying—I enjoy meeting new characters as they emerge out of the clay. I begin by visualizing, then wait for the shape to materialize through my hands. I know my work is going well when I lose track of time. I know a work is completed when it matches the image in my head, and when I can think of nothing else to add.”

3 July 2009

Folks have been asking about recent sculptural work… Canada Day (a stat holiday up here in the great white north) provided the opportunity of catching up with some photography. See images of some recently completed works here.

15 June 2009

The 8th WAVE Artists Studio Tour the past two days was once again a big success—in no small part thanks to the 135 visitors who dropped by for a studio visit over the weekend. It’s great to get feedback on works (both finished and in-progress) and to be able to explain my process and eclectic oeuvre (which many think is just plain wierd… hence the studio name “What?”). The last few weeks have been a blur of activity finishing and mounting the collection of figurative sculptures I’ve worked on over the winter, as well as preparing various other ceramic and assemblage works.

Images: A tired ‘me’ posing with Wallflower after the tour ended last night; the outdoor display of Uncultured Enigmas which proved to be popular again with visitors; Darwin’s Creation (Enigmas offer clues to missing links, in honour of Charles Darwin’s 200th birthday this year); $10 Chokers (lots in stock right now); prototypes and one-offs from a new series of Wall Stuff (beach belles, shoes, gitch, etc.…); and Peer Pressure, social commentary re: failing corporatism and the workaholics who drive themselves down along with sinking enterprise.

Thanks again for your support! If you were unable to make it out this past weekend, I am available by prior appointment during the summer months—(please do e-mail me or call ahead if you plan to drop by to make sure I’m in: +1 204 782 3077).

And, please do plan to come by (again) on the September long weekend (5 & 6 September 2009) for the second self-guided round of the WAVE.

7 June 2009

My latest sculpture, Many more of us live next door…, went to the Fishfly Gallery today. Although I’ve collaborated with Rob on quite a bit of sculptural and assemblage work over the winter, this was the first sculpture we truly created jointly. Besides an enjoyable iterative process, I’m hoping this piece is also somewhat cathartic—I’ve had the Beatles’ Yellow Submarine song in my head ever since I first heard it 40 years ago (Yup, that’s the conceptual premise for this sculpture). Who knows? Perhaps the launch of this piece will also be a freeing experience…

30 May 2009

The 8th WAVE Artists Studio Tour begins two weeks from today… please do plan to come for a studio visit on 13 & 14 June. More information here.

22 April 2009

Spring is finally, definitively here—though it seems to have taken its sweet time this year. Local flooding fears are past, the ice on Lake Winnipeg is melting (and changing colours by the week), geese are airborne by the thousands, and along with hordes of junkos and robins, the enigmas are back! I’ve been busily finishing off a variety of sculptural pieces (some made collaboratively with boyfriend Rob), and we’ve also been hatching an eclectic assortment of creations in preparation for the 2009 Wave Artists Tour—clay figure studies, quirky tiles, clocks, one-of-a-kind jewelery, bird houses, and weathervanes.

Please do pencil the weekends of 13/14 June and 5/6 September into your calendar… and make your way up to the western beaches of Lake Winnipeg for the 8th WAVE Artists Studio Tour. Essentially on a self-guided tour (a detailed brochure and map guides you via the scenic route through hamlets and cottage country), you are invited into artist’s studios to speak with us and see us at work. Come with that special someone, come by carpool, or come by bus… but please do come. All participating artists will be flying the distinctive blue and white WAVE flag. See more information and a downloadable map here.