monday morning eye candy: Sandra G. Storey and Margriet Aasman

by | Oct 23, 2017 | monday morning eye candy

 

From the Arts Underground website:

“Sandra’s statement: My practice usually keeps me solitary. Conversations go on internally and choices are made without external input. The Doll Show as we began to call it was a completely different adventure. Taking on the role of mentor, choosing to work towards a joint exhibition and making dolls? Stepping out of my comfort zone has never been so rewarding. The technical challenges of using a variety of materials and how to connect them has both informed and delighted me. Sharing my love of clay with a talented and dedicated emerging artist has deepened my understanding of the medium as well as instilling the confidence to explore pushing the boundaries of my own creativity in ways I would not have thought of before. As for dolls? Well, playing with dolls is just plain fun.

Margriet’s statement: By way of my wonderful career with Aasman Brand Communications, I know how much better I can be as a creative individual through teamwork. Missing colleagues, and needing help to master a brand new medium, I looked for a mentor. I have been so blessed to find one here in the Yukon, in the person of Sandra Storey. This show is about our special relationship, breaking down barriers to learning the technical skills, problem solving creative solutions, and stepping out of our comfort zone to push creative concepts. Developing our show based on dolls, from our personal experiences and perceptions to creative projections, has been so much fun! Although I love what was created, it is really about the process and a daily focus on living a purposely creative life.

Bios:
Sandra is a clay sculptor who was born and raised in Whitehorse Yukon. She graduated with distinction from Emily Carr School of Art in Vancouver. Sandra spent many years traveling by sailboat and lived for twelve years in New Zealand where she became a teacher of art and opened Burning Issues glass and ceramic gallery in Whangarei. In 2006 she returned to the Yukon and settled at Tagish Lake. Sandra is a full time sculptor who draws her inspiration from the boreal forest, it’s animals and the mythology that surrounds them.

Margriet has been a Yukoner for almost 40 years. She has worked for much of that time as graphic designer, creative director and brand strategist in the agency she founded with her husband Al. Three years ago she chose to invest her creative energies in non-commercial work. This freed her to follow her passion for sketching, painting and three-dimensional artwork. Ultimately, she focused her attention on the discipline that has always been near to her heart, clay sculpture. Even so, her family, including eight beautiful grandkids, all living in the Yukon, remains the most important focus in her life.”

Exhibition on until October 28, 2017

www.artsunderground.ca/galleries/features

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monday morning eye candy: The Crafted Dish

by | Oct 9, 2017 | monday morning eye candy, Uncategorized

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Okay so this isn’t a typical Monday Morning Eye Candy for musing about mud, but hopefully you can forgive me this week. I’ve been working with National Clay Week over the last year on this amazing publication that showcases a range of ceramic eye candy and talent from across Canada. We’ve paired up gorgeous pots with mouth watering recipes to entice you to pull those beautiful pots in your collection out of the cupboard and use on a daily basis.

Sixty one artists are showcased in the publication, and we’ve included an essay by Julia and Yolande Krueger. Proceeds from the sale of the book will be donated to The Stop, our community partner in Toronto, ON. From their site:

“The Stop strives to increase access to healthy food in a manner that maintains dignity, builds health and community, and challenges inequality. For over 30 years, The Stop Community Food Centre has been at the forefront of dignified, innovative programs that provide access to healthy food; build skills, health, hope, and community; and confront the underlying issues that lead to poverty and hunger. Our wide range of programs include drop-in meals, a food bank, community kitchens and gardens, perinatal and family support, civic engagement, and children and youth engagement.”

Below are some of the gorgeous spreads from the publication. I’m really proud of what we’ve accomplished on a zero budget, with the support of some seriously amazing folks in our creative community. Please consider adding this publication to your book collection. Support exposure for #canadianceramics and financially support The Stop and their programming.

Find out more about this project and links to the 61 artists: www.thecrafteddish.com

Buy the book here: www.blurb.ca/b/8196010-the-crafted-dish

 

technical tuesday: Mimi L. Belleau’s “Technology of Ceramic Materials”

by | Oct 3, 2017 | technical tuesday

Mimi L. Belleau’s “Technology of Ceramic Materials” book is nearing completion. This exceptional work presents a multitude of techniques and materials used in the field of ceramics with a particular emphasis on the physical and chemical characteristics of the materials. About fifty drawings, nearly two hundred color photographs and a hundred synthetic paintings illustrate the 360 ​​pages of the book, and make it a unique and unavoidable reference book!

A few years ago, Mimi Belleau, a ceramist and pedagogue passionate about her craft, began writing a book on the technology of ceramic materials. Mimi has carried out a colossal research on a multitude of techniques and materials specific to the field of ceramics with a particular emphasis on the physical and chemical characteristics of the materials used in the composition of the glazes. Unfortunately, the illness took Mimi away before she was able to finalize her dream. In order to make this valuable work come into existence, several people have agreed to complete its project.

The preparation of the edition of the book Technology of ceramic materials is almost complete. We need your help so that the publication of this book meets the wishes of Mimi. This socio-financing campaign will allow us to cover the costs of printing and publishing. This important pedagogical work presents different techniques and methodologies specific to the exploration of ceramic materials as well as the development and the development of glazes. Many of these techniques are illustrated by works of some fifty Canadian ceramists who generously agreed to contribute to the publication of this book. A particular emphasis is placed on the diversity and know-how of contemporary Canadian ceramists. The book, written in French, presents the North American ceramic materials and will be the only book published in French in Canada and America. In all, about fifty drawings, nearly two hundred color photographs, a hundred synthetic paintings and five lab exercises illustrate the twenty-two chapters of the book, and make it a ceramic learning manual for beginners and amateurs in addition to being a reference work essential for professional ceramists.

This socio-financing campaign will allow us to reduce the cost of printing the book by taking a maximum of pre-orders. As a result of this socio-financing campaign, the book will be printed and published in December 2017. By contributing to this campaign, you will benefit from a pre-sale rate of $ 50 for the book that will be available thereafter at a cost of $ 60 plus taxes and handling fees. So you save $ 20! In addition, all additional donations will help cover the costs of editing and publishing. Contribute to our socio-financing campaign now and participate, in your own way, in the realization of Mimi’s dream.

Do not hesitate to share this socio-financing campaign in your networks in order to make this exceptional work accessible to a wide audience.

Thank you!

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/publication-technologie-des-materiaux-ceramiques#/