by Carole Epp | Jan 18, 2013 | Uncategorized
“Spore Fictions of Biology”
Works by Kirsty Wilson
On view through Jan 9-Jan 20, 2013.
Exhibition closes this Sunday. Please make sure not to miss it if you’re in the Toronto area.
Gallery 1313 is located at
1313 Queen Street West
Toronto, ON. M6K 1L8
Hours of operation: Wednesday – Sunday, 1:00 pm – 6:00 pm
http://g1313.org/
www.facebook.com/pages/Kirsty-Wilson-Designs/389810207775005
www.kirsty-wilson.com
by Carole Epp | Jan 7, 2013 | Uncategorized
As anyone whose every attended a residency can attest to it’s beyond all else overwhelming. This is not a bad thing by any means, but it does result in the inability to verbalize adequately all of the amazing conversations, sights, sounds, and artworks that surrounds you. My intentions were to blog everyday and share all the details of my trip to Arrowmont, yet now that i’m finally siting at the computer i’m lost, not sure where to begin, and more than slightly aware of the magnitude of information that has been packed into my brain over the last few days.
As many of you might know this is my first real venture away from my littlest babe so it’s been a time for re-awakening the dormant parts of my creative brain after a long sleep. This alone has made the transition back into a communal studio where academic and creative language abounds a bit stressful for me. The theoretical mind is a muscle that if not stretched dies off and not much short of shock therapy is needed to get it working again.
So i began my travels with a day of flights from the cold north of
Saskatchewan down into the Southern United States and the great state of
Tennessee. I’ve never been this far south in the USA and quite honestly
had no idea what to expect. There is as always with Americans a
generosity and kindness, humor and sincerity that always brings me back
to the USA happily. Tennessee has a wealth of beautiful scenery to
behold and the drive from Knoxville to Gatlinburg (where Arrowmont is
located) was a road trip to burn into memory. The Smoky Mountain
National Park was lovely this time of year and I predict would be even
more breathtaking in the summer or fall months.




A little on why I’m here: Early last year I received one of those emails that makes you giddy and uncontrollably dance happily around your kitchen (hopefully only for you to see). Jason Burnett, one of my current favorite contemporary potters contacted me regarding The Ceramic Surface Forum, which is a week long forum in it’s second year. Its an initiative that Jason pitched to Arrowmont and which Arrowmont eagerly supported, and somehow, just somehow I got on the ceramic gods good side and was invited to participate this year. I’ll be posting images of the other artists work over the next few days and will get around to posting links to all of their websites right away as well. For me this was the perfect way to start off my year. Last year was a blur, a baby, some sales, a move, who knows what else. And at the end of it all i was shocked to realize that a year had gone by without me having made even one new figurative sculpture. What?! I know. Embarrassing. That part of my brain had given itself up to the survival mode of parenting and craft sales. But in the fall I had applied for a grant with the Saskatchewan Arts Board which I recently found out I had received. This grant would financially support this residency as well as a research based trip to Los Angeles later this spring (more on that another time) and the production of a new body of figurative work.
So i looked that this week away at Arrowmont as the perfect way to start sketching ideas and content development for this new project. Plus on top of it all I would be surrounded by artists with a wealth of knowledge, particularly regarding ceramic surface techniques which I could learn from, test and possibly incorporate into new surface treatments for my figurative work.
Urgh glaze testing. How I hate thee. But with only a week and the inability to really bring anything back with me there was no point in making any sculptures – even if the idea of a weeks worth of uninterrupted days could have resulted in more physical work than what i created all last year. So instead i’m spending a lot of time peering over shoulders and learning, engaging in conversations about clay, craft, academia, life, you name it, and basically easing my way back into a making mode. Needless to say it’s been lovely, truly exactly what i needed and more.
For now I’ll leave you with some eye candy from around the studio as i’m eager to get away from this computer and back to the studio. I promise to fill you in more about Arrowmont, Gatlinburg and all of the artists i have the pleasure and honor to be working beside as soon as i have a spare minute. Until then enjoy!
by Carole Epp | Dec 17, 2012 | Uncategorized
April 26th – April 28th, 2013
“This is the kind educational, intellectual event one
expects from museums or universities, but which public institutions seem
less and less able to provide.” – ARTWEEK
CCACA brings the ultimate ceramic sculpture event to Davis, CA from
April 26 – April 28th, 2013. In an intimate setting, you can interact
with top artists in a way not possible at other venues. UC Davis, home
to the late sculptor Robert Arneson, was instrumental in defining a new
direction for ceramic art. Enjoy delightful downtown Davis and be
inspired by nationally recognized ceramic art talents.
Demonstrations, lectures, shows—no other event delivers more inspired
knowledge of ceramic sculpture for a better price. Meet face-to-face
with distinguished ceramic sculptors you might only read about; see and
hear from the artists what makes them top in their field.
45 Major Shows
Local gallery exhibitions and over 40 college shows bring the best work of the year within easy reach.
- John Natsoulas Gallery’s 23rd annual 30 Ceramic Sculptors
- The Artery’s California Clay Competition
- The Davis Art Center
- The Pence Gallery
- Ceramics from UC Davis’s permanent collection, featuring Robert Arneson’s masterpiece, The Palace at 9 a.m.
These shows run concurrent with CCACA 2013. See all this and over 40
amazing student shows within a short walk. This is a chance to surround
yourself with the top ceramic art of today and the ideas of the artists
of tomorrow.
The following are the schools who participated in 2012: Academy of
Art University, American River College, Cabrillo College, California
College of the Arts, CSU Chico, CSU Fullerton, Chabot College, College
of Marin, College of the Redwoods, Cosumnes River College, Cypress
College, Davis High School, Delta College, Diablo Valley College,
Emerson Junior High School, Humboldt State College, Los Medanos,
Foothill College, Fresno State, Fresno City College, Mendocino Art
Center, Mendocino Junior College, Merritt College, Oregon School of Arts
and Crafts, Reedley College, Sacramento City College, Sacramento State,
San Francisco Art Institute, San Francisco State University, San Jose
State University, Santa Rosa Junior College, Sierra College, Sierra
Nevada College, Skyline College, Solano College, Sonoma State
University, Southern Oregon University, UC Berkeley, UC Davis, West
Valley College.
Find out more here.