To Teach, To Learn, To Share

Holiday Profile – Dan Hill

My current focus as an artist/craftsperson in the 21 st century is to act as a counterbalance to the sterile, poorly designed machine made products that surround us in our daily lives.

With my functional pottery I combine contemporary design and decoration within a historical context in an attempt to bring a sense of ceremony and humanity into the
user’s everyday life. My One-of-a-Kind vessels push the boundaries of form and function but as with the functional work retain the marks of the maker, the process and the fire.

Soda Firing highlights all of the handcraft processes and leaves a visual imprint of flame and soda vapour movement within the kiln. When all goes right in this potters
world the imprint of the fire animates the ceramic surfaces and breathes life into my
work.”

We love Dan’s soda fired pottery! You can find his works and those of other potters at our upcoming Holiday Pottery Show & Sale starting Nov 30th!

 
Rectangular tray with colourful glaze painting - Dan HillDan Hill painting a teapotCanoe shaped boat in light green - Dan Hill
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Holiday Sale Profile – Diane Hancock

Rack Card promo for Diane Hancock
Diane Hancock lives in a small rural community north of Bowmanville, and just south of the Oak Ridges Moraine border.  This quiet, peaceful country setting is the perfect environment for exploring the never-ending possibilities of what can be made from a lump of clay.  Working with clay offers a unique way to channel the need to be creative. With an attention to detail and form, Diane focuses on wheel thrown functional stoneware pottery, but also enjoys forming one of a kind hand-built vessels.  Inspired by the beauty and timeless quality of handmade goods, Diane hopes you will enjoy using her pottery pieces as much as she has enjoyed creating them.
 
Pottery leaf plate - Diane HancockPicture of Diane Hancock and some of her work
 
Rust & Green brie baker - Diane Hancock
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Wayne Cardinalli Workshop

We had a really fantastic workshop with Wayne Cardinalli on October 20th.  Wayne brought tools, tricks, tips and pots for us to discuss, and admire.  He is a very effective speaker leaving many of us with much to think about with regards to where our pottery goes from here.  There were experienced and fairly new potters in attendance and everyone enjoyed themselves and got something from the day.  Wayne talked about wheel throwing, hand building, surface decoration, tools, the ergonomics of throwing and wedging and the passion needed to make great pots.  You can see more of Wayne’s work here

Wayne Cardinalli discussing calipers
Wayne Cardinalli discussing tools of the trade
Wayne Cardinalli demonstrating throwing
Wayne demonstrating throwing and decorating a bowl
Wayne Cardinalli demonstrating hand building
Wayne demonstrated several types of hand built plates
Wayne Cardinalli's thrown teapot
Wayne demonstrated throwing this teapot in 7 minutes!
Wayne Cardinalli discussing finished pots
Wayne took time to discuss the finished pieces he’d brought, including form and glazes.

Holiday Sale Profile – Karina Bates

Holiday Profile - Karina Bates

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.

Slipped and carved large bowl - Karina BatesTeapot in bisque - Karina BatesPainted plate - Karina Bates

Holiday Sale Profile – Sara Purves

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!

White bowl with texturePottery flower stakes for your gardenBlue textured bear xmas ornament

October Meeting Notes – Emily Dore

Altered vase by Emily Dore

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.  Mushroom examples - Emily DoreEmily Dore talking about her process

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After discussing her history and process, she gave us a fun demonstration of how she puts together her whimsical creations.

Emily Dore throwing demoEmily Dore - finished throwing demo piece

Holiday Sale Profile – Brenda Sullivan

Rack Card promo for Brenda Sullivan

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.

 

East Coast Dory by Brenda SullivanBlue dragon teapot by Brenda SullivanFish painted on a platter by Brenda Sullivan

October Meeting – Emily Dore presenter

Colourful sculptural mushrooms

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.

ribboned clay looking like under sea creature

mushrooms in bisque stage
A variety of Emily’s mushrooms in bisque

a copper ribbon sculpture evoking bronzed bark or undersea home

 

 

Awards for Deserving Guild Members!

Margrit's reaction upon receiving the Lifetime Membership award.

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!

June receiving a tree in thanks at the AGM

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.

Margrit's reaction upon receiving the Lifetime Membership award.

 

Wayne Cardinalli Demo Workshop!

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.

A picture of Wayne Cardinelli in his studio

Kawartha Potters' Guild