Inspirations

Its strange how one finds inspiration in the strangest of places :)

This final piece turned out to be two feet in dimension

Ottawa in the fall

This fall we made a trip to Ottawa, taking the scenic lake route. It was wonderful to be able to enjoy some landscape and empty roads!

During our time in Ottawa, on our way to Byward market, we would pass by a young artist working on this chalk painting. We watched it grow visually and emotionally. Every night he would cover it with a plastic sheet to save it from the elements, seal it with duct tape, and leave a note in the hope that it wouldn't be vandalised.

I found that the plastic sheet added to her melancholy and the boundary using found objects created a preciousness that contradicted her worth.

Oscar and I.

If only I had the chance to watch this magician work his fingers...

This wonderful bronze by Ruth Abernethy is probably the closest I'll ever get to a physical Oscar Peterson. Live on!

Notre Dame Cathedral Basilica. I enjoy old church ceiling constructions. I find them so inspiring and maybe soon I'll use some of those lines in my sculptural work!

Nuit Blanche 2010

Kim H. Adams: Autolamp.
This installation was set on a rotating pedestal and I especially enjoyed how the buildings around the installation were bathed in these little dots of light.

Max Streicher: Endgame. In the alleyway between 67 & 69 Yonge Street. Fantastic!

Nuit Blanche is one night in the year when the city of Toronto is taken over by artists. I was excited to be a part of the exhibition 'Text as Drawing' this year at Dish gallery and studio, in the Distillery District.

Mystic clay pad, an idea conceived by Susan Card, Dallas Card and Derek Chung, was a fascinating way to involve people that came to the Distillery through the night. The evenings digital communications, via text, tweets and other media about Nuit Blanche were captured in clay, archiving the nights events sculpturally.

Toronto Potters 15th biennial

Exuvia.
I had two pieces selected for the Juried exhibition, this won the Fusion Design award...!

After many hours spent sorting through 30 years of archival material, many sleepless nights putting it all together, we were thrilled to have the didactic panel up. All 30 years in 177 inches of wall space. Congratulations to Toronto Potters and all the members past and present that volunteer their time to keep this alive!

Toronto Potters 15th biennial

As Director of Exhibitions with the Toronto Potters I have been working on the Toronto Potters 15th beinnial exhibition for the past 2 years. It has been a great experiece, especially with the team of ladies that I have had the pleasure of working with. Lesley McInally and Chiho Tokita, Susan Card and Brenda Ellenwood and the one person that has been by my side through everything, Angela Surdi. Its been a little crazy, but mostly enjoyable.

The workwas selected by our juror team of Ann Roberts and Bruce Cochrane who spent a tough day picking out works for the exhibition.

Once again, the Ontario Arts Council' support of this event is much appreciated!

We have a retrospective and a survey show as well this year to commemorate 30 years of the groups existence.

September 16-26 at the Gardiner Museum gift shop. The retrospective runs for an entire month in the lobby of the Museum. Come join us for the opening evening on Sept 16 at 7pm!

Goodbye Harbourfront

I finished my residency at Harbourfront this August. It was a fantastic community to be a part of. I will miss the camaraderie and afternoon walks by the lake and knowing that I wasnt alone working away until the wee hours of the morning.
My favourite time of day in that studio was the early mornings, when the sun came in through the large garage doors and it was still. This, a beautiful contradiction to when the bustling crowds came in a few hours later and brought the place to life.
As much as I'm going to miss Harbourfront, Im excited for what lies ahead!!

TOAE 2010

This year at the Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibition even though the set up was a bit stressful with the rain, I was excited, mostly because I was showing new work, all sculptural with the addition of a few design products. I was thrilled by the end of it with the response I got. Buyers from across the city and continent. It was lovely to see the artists booths, this is one great show to be a part of!

Its so exciting to see your own work installed! After all the templates, tape, rope, nails, tools and fingerprints have been removed, ...when you step back and look at it quietly...that first moment of taking it in, thats my favourite part.

Thanks to the lovely people that installed it with so much precision and care!

NCECA

I went to the Eastern State Penitentiary, it was for a performance art piece by Rocky Lewycky. http://www.rocksart.com/It was a great experience and left me wanting more, however there was no time to explore the Penitentiary as I had a flight to catch. I would like to revisit this place. It exuded this strange energy that intrigued me somehow...

I took this picture while I waited in a queue to get in, I like how the bright yellow daffodils add this stark contrast of colour, life and vitality against the dark, still walls of the penitentiary.

NCECA organizes a cup sale, where potters donate cups that are sold and the funds raised go towards the support of NCECA. There were hundreds of beautiful cups! I clicked a picture of my cup, going out into the world... to enhance someones drinking experience :) see if you can spot it!

The National Conference for Education in the Ceramic Arts took place in Philadelphia, PA this year. They alternate between the east and west coasts every year.

It was overwhelming, in a good way. The city was filled with clay lovers as they jogged between lectures, demonstrations, workshops, debates, slide shows, and exhibitions that were located all over the city.

We were lucky to get good weather and it was blossom season! Which made walking around just perfect! We crossed some really quaint streets with pretty old buildings.

Publishings

I got published twice last year :)

Once in the Ontario Crafts Council publication 'Studio Magazine'. This is a great resource for craft artists. It's a fine way to familiarize oneself with other artists works.

The other one was the Lark books publication '500 Ceramic Sculpture' This is a wonderful series of books, for those of you who enjoy picture books! Its a fantastic way to gain inspiration when your mind doesnt need words.