Artist of the Day: Paula Cooley

by Carole Epp | Apr 30, 2009 | Uncategorized

Well it’s sad to say, but today is the last day of April and thus artist of the day month is over…sigh. It was fun while it lasted right?

I really want to take a minute to thank each and every artist that participated and shared their amazing talents and work with us. I feel like it’s been a month full of insight into so many unique approaches to subject matter, process and perspectives on contemporary craft theory and production. I think this is definitely something I’m going to have to bring back in the future…

So last but not least I leave you will today’s artist of the day: Paula Cooley, who is a fantastic artist I’ve had the pleasure of collaborating with recently for our Subverted Utility exhibition in Red Deer. I think i’m often drawn to her work because it incorporates so much aesthetically and formally that my work doesn’t. Not that one aesthetic is better than the other, i’m just really compelled by a visual language or vocabulary that is distant from my own. It sparks my curiousity and wonder. There is alot of play and personality in Paula’s work, I do hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

In Paula’s words: “Initially I was interested in functional pottery but over time I have become increasingly intrigued by sculptural vessels. For me, the way a vessel shapes space now takes precedence over its function. The suggestion of movement and growth is key to my current ceramic work: I want my pieces to look as if they might dance or grow.

Some of my vessels are built as mated or interdependent pieces, and placed to create negative spaces as evocative as their positive forms. Like the space inside a vessel, the surrounding “empty”space can be manipulated to become a dynamic, and necessary part of the work, a means of transforming two or more separate objects into a single work of art.

I work with many types of clay (earthenware, porcelain, stoneware), matching the clay to the surface I wish to achieve. Through their long history the ceramic arts have evolved a tremendous range of decoration and firing techniques, each geared to achieve a specific result. Some pieces I choose to fire in a low temperature raku kiln while others are fired in high temperature atmospheric kilns (salt and/or wood.)Some of my pieces have no glaze: their surface decoration is a result of smoke and burning combustibles. Other works have both glaze and paint on their surfaces.My vessels are wheel thrown or hand built, and many are altered by removing or adding clay. These alterations help me to capture the fluidity of life–a sprouting plant, a moving body. My pieces are organic in appearance, reflecting the natural world that is the ultimate maker of vessels: seeds, bulbs, shells, bodies. “

Thanks again everyone for making April so beautiful to look at here at musing!

Artist of the Day: Avi Amesbury

by Carole Epp | Apr 29, 2009 | Uncategorized

I’m sure by now you’ve all had a wander over to the Avicam website, and if you haven’t you’re missing out on some great articles on ceramics, beautiful artwork in the gallery pages and lots of opportunity and events information. And today’s artist of the day is the lovely Avi Amesbury herself!

I’ve known Avi’s work for a few years now and even have a couple beautiful little pieces in my collection. Avi is one of those amazing artists who works in arts administration, behind the scenes, doing lots of advocacy work for craft, all the while maintaining an ever evolving, thought provoking and downright beautiful object based studio practice.

This image is of the work that will be in the White Heat exhibition, which is part of the Australian National conference in Sydney this July. Will definitely be a show not to be missed, the line up is fantastic!

Here’s a bit from Avi about the project:

“/Collections /2009

For more than 69 years expeditions to collect and record Australian insects have been in place. In 1926, as a result of the federal government’s /The Science and Industry Research Act, /the Commonwealth Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) was formed. As a result the number of specimens collected by entomologists and those donated from private collections grew by the thousands. Insect collecting trips continued well into the 1990s and the number of specimens being housed in the Australian National Insect Collection (ANIC) grew by the millions.

This current body of work, /Collections /2009, is drawn from photographs taken from visits to the insect collection at the CSIRO, in Canberra and those generously supplied by Dr Steve Shattuck. The series responds to the notion of collections for research.”

Artist of the Day: Robin Lambert

by Carole Epp | Apr 28, 2009 | Uncategorized

With today’s artist I’m going to start right away with his statement about the project because…well.. I couldn’t explain it any better:

“Service: Dinner for Strangers is my latest research into the crossing of contemporary visual art, craft culture, the handmade object, and art as a type of service. At the heart of the exhibition I am exploring the sharing of community, ideas and space through the sharing of meals.

Over the course of the exhibition, I will host 3 potlucks for 7 strangers from Red Deer and will serve each on a different set of dishes I have had especially commissioned for Service. On display in this gallery are the 3 complete sets of ceramic dishes made by 3 different artists:

Robin Dupont
Maggie Finlayson
Candice Ring

The potlucks happen each Thursday night over the duration of the show – January 15, 22 and 29. Following each dinner, images of the participates will be added to the gallery display.

Eating together and sharing food can be an intimate experience through which people learn about each other, new ideas, and, in this case, about art, craft and the community in which we live.

This exhibition focuses on the direct interaction between the audience and artist, the gallery and it’s community and attempts to transform the space into a place for exploration, sharing and meeting your neighbours.”
I’ve been really interested in Robin’s approach to craft production and theory in the last few years since meeting him over some great chinese food in Canberra. His focus on relational aesthetics, how we interact with handmade objects, how objects impact us in return, the role of art in the service of community building and interpersonal relationships, all infuse his work and ideas with a contemporary relevance that is both poetic and beautiful. I particularly love this last image, it sums up the relevance and the impact of his project perfectly. Strangers really are just people/friends you haven’t had the pleasure of meeting yet.

Please take a bit of time to check out some of his other projects on his website which also includes more about Dinner for Strangers

Artist of the Day: Cathy Terepocki

by Carole Epp | Apr 27, 2009 | Uncategorized

I can’t help but notice that we’ve had our fair share of busy parent artists on the blog this month, parents who find the time to still make amazing work amidst the chaos of the everyday. And Cathy is no exception. She recently relocated to Saskatchewan and has brought her beautiful work, amazing business sense and passion for the arts with her, invigorating our community. She has a particular sense of design we don’t see too much of on the prairies, which is another bonus.

Here’s her bio:
“For the last several years the focus of my ceramics practice has been the research of print onto the surface of clay. I have a BFA from the Alberta College of Art and Design. Since graduating in 2004 I have been working primarily as a studio artist (hornofplenty.ca) I have also been teaching workshops and operating a gallery featuring Canadian craft and design. (veryhushhushgallery.com)”
You can find her beautiful pieces here and there at shops, galleries and markets, feel free to contact her through her website to find out if there’s a location near you. Or check out one of Canada’s newest online art and design shops, Box Social for more of her work. (trust me, it’s worth it…I have one of her bird mugs and it quickly became one of my faves!)

Artist of the Day: Reed Weir

by Carole Epp | Apr 26, 2009 | Uncategorized

A few months back the Sask Craft Council presented a touring exhibition from the Craft Council of Newfoundland and Labrador. In the show was a piece by Reed Weir that completely captivated me each and every time I was at work. There is a certain manner in which Reed captured the essence of humanity in the figure that sat high up top the sculpture that was both beautiful yet which made me feel a bit uneasy. It was a very poetic piece. The sort of work you should really see in person, but that’s so often hard to do. Reed has sent me a great artist statement to go with these images, so I’ll let Reed’s words and images speak for themselves.

“One of my main motivations is the desire to understand and document rural society and its position in present-day culture. I draw extensively upon images from my own garden and the rural area in which I live (southwestern Newfoundland). My intention is to create contemporary works of art that speak to our common human experience, but via stories that are informed by a rural perspective.

“Blind Love” is from a series of stoneware sculptures which can be viewed simply for what they are – a girl and a bear – or as metaphors, with the girl representing humankind and the bear the natural environment. The complicated relationship between the two species is reflected in our reverence, love and fear of the bear, and in the rich cultural imagery provoked by our relationship with it. In “Blind love” the human is arrested in a pose of innocence at the precise moment before awareness of her beloved’s pending demise.

Grass Widow: Pale Blue Resignation is from a series based on the woman in my community who maintain their homes and family while the men are away working. Each widow sculpture (of 10 created) has a different attitude or is in a different stage of the wait. An integral part of the sculpture is the pedestal on which the figure sits, denoting the woman’s important role as pillars of their society. The open space in the pillar suggests the presence the absence of their partners has in their lives.

The actual process of sculpting is another source of inspiration for me as my method from concept to completion is done with clay. The material and process often direct the development of subsequent pieces.”

Check out more of Reed’s work at the Craft Council of NL website, the Christina Parker Gallery, and at Jonathon Bancroft-Snell Gallery. Reed will also be one of the artists in residence at Medalta this summer.