Sara started taking pottery classes four years ago after retiring from her job as a teacher and administrator. Pottery has been a creative outlet for her, as well as providing lots of opportunities to keep learning. Sara finds it very inspiring to take something that you think is beautiful out of the kiln knowing that you created it! She enjoys hand-building and throwing; “both methods of working with clay are harder than they look but the possibilities are endless.”
It’s been so great to see Sara grow at our guild; we can’t wait to see what she brings to our sale this year!
For those who didn’t make it this past Monday, for the October meeting, you missed a great presenter. Emily Dore from the Ottawa Guild came by for a visit, a talk and a demo of her work. Born out of a need for relaxing and letting go, throwing became a passion for her over ten years ago. The mushrooms were part of her exercise for Fusion’s Creative Directions mentorship program in 2016 (which she participated in at KPG with our Cathy, June, Karina, Mary S. and Priya). Here are some snapshots of the evening.
After discussing her history and process, she gave us a fun demonstration of how she puts together her whimsical creations.
Brenda’s creations are based on natural elements that pre-date recorded history. Dragons, Mythology,
and a touch of Art Nouveau are found in a variety of pieces that Brenda creates. She has both feet firmly
planted in the ceramics world, one in funk-tional, the other in sculpture.
Brenda continues to expand her repertoire , testing new forms and ideas. She will continue to grow her
new series “Jelly Bean Row Pots” based on the colourful houses from her Newfoundland origins. Nature
inspired sculptures are always on the horizon of possibilities.
You will find Brenda’s and 27 other potters’ work at our Annual Holiday Sale, November 29 – December 1, 2019 at our Talwood location.
Please note October’s meeting is one week earlier (Oct 7) due to Thanksgiving.
Emily is an Ottawa-based ceramicist, instructor and technician. Her work is characterized by a delicate balance between the careful precision of her foundation in wheel-thrown functional ware and an emerging organic-abstract sculptural sensibility. She first studied ceramics at Westmount Visual Arts Centre’s School of Art in Montreal and is a graduate of FUSION’s Creative Directions program. Since moving to Ottawa in 2013, Emily has pursued both an education and a career in clay and is an active member of Ottawa’s vibrant ceramics community. She teaches wheel and handbuilding classes at LOAM Clay Studio and Hintonburg Pottery Shop, maintains her studio practice, and sits on the executive committee for the Ottawa Guild of Potters.
Emily Dore’s Hidden World series considers that which remains unseen, in both the physical world and the recesses of our collective unconscious. The mysterious, alien worlds of fungi provides a framework for exploring conflicting emotions of delight and discomfort, fascination and fear. Cultivating curiosity towards these powerful feelings, both positive and negative, is foundational to the creation of this body of work. In her talk Fruiting Bodies: Exploring “The Hidden World”, the origins, creative process, and technical concerns of this unique set of sculptural pieces will be discussed. Mushroom-making demo included.
Karina (Horus Eye Pottery) has been an active potter for about 15 years and just recently took the plunge into working full-time in her studio. Her work is strongly influenced by medieval, and especially middle eastern designs and ornamentation. She also very much enjoys making reproduction pottery for the re-enactment community. In 2016, Karina participated in the Fusion Mentorship program under Michelle Mendlowitz, and in 2018, she travelled to Icheon, Korea with 5 other members of the Guild, to learn techniques from Korean pottery masters. Also in 2018, Karina was accepted into the KPG Juried show at the Peterborough Art Gallery and was honoured to win the Design Award from Angelo di Petta. You can find Karina’s work in our Pottery Shop and she will also be participating in the 2019 Holiday Sale from Nov. 29 – Dec. 1. When she is not in her pottery studio, Karina is part of two musical groups; Hardwood Cat and Hurly Burly.
At our AGM on September 9th, the Guild recognized 2 members who have contributed greatly to our success today. June Goodwin, one of our favourite teachers, was presented with the Appreciation Award, in thanks for her years as Guild chair (before we became a not-for-profit), as treasurer, as well as her energy getting us to take the leap to move into our current Talwood location in the first place. We wouldn’t be in this spot now if it weren’t for you June – thank you!
Margit Beesley was given the Lifetime Membership Award. Margrit came to Peterborough from the Toronto Guild and she and George Stewart were two of the original members of the KPG. Margrit brought guild knowledge with her to assist in the formation of our guild (over 25 years ago now!) and actively participated in and supported the Guild through the years. When the proposal to move to Talwood was made, Margrit jumped on the band wagon with enthusiasm and support. Once we were open, she helped out often in the Shop as well as running workshops and presentations for our members. Margrit only just recently retired from teaching our regular hand building class for us, for which she will be missed. Thank you Margrit for all the support you have given the Guild over the years.
We are extremely excited to announce that Wayne Cardinalli, a Trent graduate, and a founding member of Artspace, will be coming back to Peterborough, to the KPG to give a day-long demonstration workshop. Wayne is well known in the Canadian world of ceramics, as he has been potting for over 40 years. He is much in demand as a teacher and demonstrator, and we are so lucky to have him visit!
He will be showing us his tips and tricks on Sunday, October 20th, from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. If you are a member, we ask that you register in the Pottery Shop. Non-members can register here.
Learn how to apply clean wax lines and to use glazing methods that will enhance your bisque pottery. Improve your understanding on how different types of cone 6 glazes appear on different types of cone 6 clay bodies.
This workshop will run over 2 days, on Saturday October 5 & Sunday October 6 from 1-4 p.m. each day. The cost for this workshop is $152.55 (inc. HST) for non-members and $135.60 (inc. HST) for members. Online registration is found here. Members please register for this workshop in the Gallery or contact Clara at for more details. Space is limited, so don’t delay. Please note that if you wish your work fired at the Guild, there may be a separate charge for this.
Darlene Malcolm-Moran is our teacher for this really informative workshop. We run this workshop periodically to assist potters with glaze application issues. Darlene is one of our popular teachers here at KPG and you will find her attention to detail very useful in this workshop.
The Kawartha Potters Guild is pleased to be participating in this event sponsored by Artisan Centre Peterborough (ACP) and funded by the New Horizons for Seniors Program. There will be demonstrations, hands on activities and beginner handbuilding classes offered each day, Sept.13-15, 10-4. Take a look at the site and register for a course in pottery, gourd making, woodworking, embroidery, stain glass and much more!
Even though the summer isn’t over yet, our artisans are busy at work designing and making beautiful pieces for you to peruse at our annual Holiday Sale. This year’s sale is on Friday, November 29, 2-8 p.m., Saturday, November 30, 10 a.m – 5 p.m. and Sunday, December 1 from 11 a.m. – 4 p.m. The sale will be at our Talwood location. Mark your calendars! Keep an eye on this space as we update you on what to expect at our sale this year.
