New works by Les Manning – Common/Opposites

by | May 2, 2011 | Uncategorized


Common/Opposites Apr 30-Jun 19 2011 Les Manning
RECEPTION WITH THE ARTIST
THURSDAY, MAY 5, 7 PM
FREE ADMISSION

Common/Opposites presents the most recent works in clay by Les Manning, the internationally recognized ceramist based in Medicine Hat, Alberta. For the past several decades, Manning has elegantly rendered the topographical forms of the Rockies in laminated and shaped clay vessels. In these new sculptures, Manning uses his firm grounding in the land and landscape around us to create ceramic works that vault beyond, into a realm where our recognition of everyday things jostles and collides with metaphor, revealing the rich and contradictory poetry of our ordinary world.

Les Manning is the Senior Artist in Residence at the Shaw International Centre for Contemporary Ceramics in Medicine Hat, Alberta. His work has been shown around the world, most recently in Scotland, the Netherlands, Latvia, the United States, Greece and China, and is held in private, corporate and public collections, including the Canadian Museum of Civilization and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Seoul, Korea.

Les Manning was the Director of the Ceramic Studio at the Banff Centre for the Arts for 20 years, and has contributed to ceramics world-wide as a teacher, lecturer, conference and symposium participant and organizer, as well as Vice President of the International Academy of Ceramics, founding member and Vice-President of the Alberta Craft Council and first President of Canadian Craft Council.

ESPLANADE ART GALLERY
www.esplanade.ca
403.502.8580
401 FIRST STREET SE
MEDICINE HAT, AB
T1A 8W2

Art of the Pot

by | May 1, 2011 | Uncategorized


Art of the Pot: 8th Annual Studio Tour
2 Days • 5 Locations • 16 Artists
May 7th and 8th, 10am-5pm Mother’s Day Weekend, Art of the Pot will be hosting their 8th Annual Ceramics Studio Tour. Art of the Pot is a collective of Austin potters committed to expanding the reach of contemporary studio pottery. This event is FREE, so bring your family and friends May 7th or 8th between 10am and 5pm to any of the designated locations.Five local artists, Chris Campbell, Ryan McKerley, Lisa Orr, Claudia Reese and Keith Kreeger, will be hosting this fabulous event! These artists, plus 11 more nationally recognized guest artists, will be displaying their latest art at their assigned location. For those who complete the tour and make it to all 5 stops during the weekend, there will be a “Passport” drawing with 5 winners. Prizes will come from the artists’ studios. The 11 Nationally recognized invited artists are:
Margaret Bohls (Mn), Jon and Jan Brieger (Tx), Michael Connelly (Pa), Diana Fayt (Ca), Julia Galloway (Mt), Chris Gray (Tx), Maria Dondero (Ga), Molly Hatch (Ma), Michael McCarthy (Ma), Holly Walker (Vt). The Artstream Nomadic Gallery from Colorado will as be in attendance. For more information about this event, please visit www.artofthepot.com

Clint Neufeld: Grandpa Used To Wash My Hands With Gasoline

by | Apr 27, 2011 | Uncategorized


Neufeld, from Osler Saskatchewan, is ex military and a former firefighter. He works with concepts of masculine identity, currently in the form of ceramic transformations of engines and transmissions.


Taking a typically male pre-occupation with muscle cars, he replicates these components in ceramic. Finished like fine china, these sculptures take a grease monkey’s love of car parts and transform them into something precious. Placed on teacarts or chaises longue, these are made the object of attention the equivalent of a prized tea service or reclining nude.


Show runs: April 15, 2011 – July 3 2011 at Two Rivers Gallery in Prince George.725 Civic Plaza
Prince George, BC, V2L 5T1
Canada

Old and practical.

by | Apr 27, 2011 | Uncategorized


I remember earlier on in my relationship with my mother in law, she would shake her head at me and tell my husband not to believe me when I asked for practical gifts for birthdays and holidays. Anyone claiming to really want that ceramic weight scale for Christmas must surely be nuts. But it has always been the case that some of my favorite gifts to date have been incredibly useful. One of the first Christmases that my husband and I were dating he bought me a banding wheel (oh it must be love!). Since then some of the more notable ones have included a sewing machine and gorgeous old used serger. My inlaws have even accepted my practicality and this year gifted me with some flooring for the studio and extra gloves. And earlier this week, oh to my excitement my lovely husband brought home a ware cart for me for my birthday. I can barely wait to get that sucker filled up with pots. Perfect timing too right as spring sale season kicks into high gear.

Speaking of sales I’ve got an upcoming one this weekend here in Saskatoon. A collective, flock & gather, that I’m a member of is hosting a lovely little sale and if you’re in our neck of the woods please do stop by.

You can find out more here or here.

I’ll be debuting a new line of mini figurine sculptures.

Hope to see you there!

(p.s. to my friends and family – i do really love all the gifts i get, some are just particularly awesome and i’m a workaholic so work related ones always fall into that category of particularly awesome, but i appreciate and love them all as i do each of you! )