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.
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.