Susan Card

by Susan Card 

Nature has always informed my work in ceramics. Pieces created in my studio serve as canvases to explore visual space, illusion, and perception, either in the form of traditional studio pottery or wall mounted glaze paintings. I regard clay as a vehicle for communication between people, between cultures, and across the centuries.

The studio pottery forms I produce are intimate domestic objects designed for use as "special occasion pieces" that work as small decorative sculptures when not used as tableware. Painterly surface treatments reference the natural environment through abstract floral decoration and texture.

On occasion, as a relief from the intensity of the complex decorating process characteristic of my porcelain, I enjoy making smoke fired pieces because of the sense of immediacy implicit in the process.

Along with studio pottery, I create ceramic paintings displayed in DISH GALLERY + STUDIO in the Toronto Distillery that explore glaze texture as a visual metaphor for landscape. The Ocean Series deals with issues of climate change, clean water and species mutation. The technique involves traditional brush work combined with pouring ceramic glaze as a serendipitous experience completed by the heat of the kiln. The result is unlike any other media application. The uncertainty of what image the kiln will present provides an element of risk and excitement that gives impetus to daily work in the studio. The perspective that the viewer brings to pieces completes the original intent. 

Susan Card
C/O DISH GALLERY + STUDIO
Toronto Distillery Historic District      
55 Mill Street, Case Goods Warehouse Bldg 74, Studio 112
Toronto, ON M5A 3C4
416.603.DISH (3474) ecard@interlog.com
www.dishgalleryandstudio.clayandglass.on.ca

Joan Spears

By Joan Spears

Having my hands in clay for 35 years has not diminished the pleasure of seeing new forms emerge from that lump. I prefer making work that my customers will use on a daily basis although I am still drawn to Raku production and lately to small scale saggar-fired work. I am particularly excited by investigating ways to alter my work by texturing, stamping or carving. And making my glaze combinations flow and run so that the action of the kiln plays an important role has also been fun.


And now, as I teach six days a week, I have the opportunity to pass on my excitement and joy to a large group of students. At my store/studio, Pleasant Pottery, I also have been able to encourage my more experienced potters by offering them the opportunity to sell their work twice a year. We will be having a group show the first weekend of December, Dec. 3-5. 
Of course, I always enjoy participating in the Toronto Potters show coming soon.

Yumiko Katsuya

by Yumiko Katsuya 

Born in Japan, I became a Canadian resident in 1971 and started pottery in 1983.I have a passion for creating ‘functional art’, particularly tea pots, vases and dishes. I also like to make utensils for Japanese Tea Ceremony as I have been studying the Way of Tea for a long time.

 A customer favorite, the pattern of tiny wildflowers is my signature design, inspired by the beauty  and liveliness of my spring garden. 

Drawn by its mystical appearance, I have been focusing on using crystalline glazes to create pieces in recent years.  This tall lidded jar is one of my favorites, loved for its beautiful pattern and stillness. 

Linda Rosen

by Linda Rosen          

Clay can be anything but it takes a lot of practice to make something.

I am fascinated with the many possible variations that ceramic

materials and processes can bring to an idea

I have been working with clay for most of my adult life and introducing others to the material that fascinates me through most of that time. Those new to the medium often miss the importance of process. Every piece is a step on the way- with no piece “finished”. I enjoy working in series, repeating a form but always with variations. Ideas grow as the work takes shape in the hands -- each piece holding the seed or suggestion of the next. Changes in materials, processes, or improvements in technique, make each piece new. The possibilities and challenges are endless. I look forward to being back in my studio, growing.

 Some Shows and Exhibitions:

Toronto Potters Juried Biennial 2010 at the Gardiner , Nuit Blanche 2009 “If Walls Could Speak,” Nuit Blanche 2008 “Secret of the Disk,” “The Cup” Distill Gallery, “From Hands to Lip” Canadian Clay and Glass Gallery,  “Uncommon Objects” Harbourfront, Fireworks (Fusion), Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibition; Harbourfront, “Maker's Eye”, Cabbage Town Fall Festival; Toronto Potters Exhibition, Pottery and Glass Sale (Fusion)         

 

Toronto Potters Fall Sale

Toronto Potters, founded in 1979, is an internationally acclaimed, non-profit organization with approximately 120 members: potters and/or clay enthusiasts.

Members of Toronto Potters announce that their annual fall sale will be taking place in a new location, the William Lea Room of Leaside Memorial Community Gardens Oct 29-31, it is a timely opportunity to purchase one of a kind works of art as gifts.

Help celebrate the passion for clay and meet the potters by attending the Opening Friday Oct. 29^th at 6-9pm 

Take note, there will be a fundraising table of artist’s works for sale, in which a portion of the proceeds will be donated to Red Door; a family shelter in Toronto that assists families, refugees and women who are fleeing from violence. www.reddoorshelter.ca