Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Wonderful January (i'm not referring to the tempurature!)



It is January and there are exciting things happening this month that I am very excited to blog about:






January 29th, 2011 10 am - 10 pm
Suncor Community Leisure Center at Mac Donald Island
Decadent Pink is: "A day to Honour, Empower, Encourage, Pamper & Inspire the Women of Our Community!"

This is an interactive day filled with inspiration and education, spa services, photography sessions and boutique shopping. A fashion show, silent auction and cafe lounge will also be offered.
Pottery Verve is participating as a vendor in the boutique shopping for the entire day. We are making lovely new pottery for this event, and look forward to meeting many new people in the community.
More information is available at:
780-792-8113


MacDonald Island Community Art Gallery
The Wood Buffalo Artists Forum and MacDonald Island Park is celebrating the grand opening of the first community art gallery in Wood Buffalo.

Thursday January 27, 2011
Second Level Concourse
Suncor Community Leisure Centre
MacDonald Island Park

C E L E B R A T I O N January 27th to February 16, 2011

"Our Opening exhibition, Celebration, features visual art in various media by over 50 regional artists. The exhibit will also feature a special work loaned to the gallery by Suncor Energy Inc. This painting by internationally renowned Fort McMurray artist Fred MacDonald, was commissioned by Suncor Energy to celebrate the first tailings pond reclaimed in the region."


I have sort of finished an ongoing (9 or 10 years???) painting. It is entitled "Late July 2010). This painting has an ongoing history in that it began as an image of Sandro Botticelli's "Birth of Venus" painted using imagery mimicking Takashi Murakami's sculpture. That painting evolved over the time I attended White Mountain Academy. Once I started my own studio, I rebelliously gessoed over Venus (and all her pseudo-anime glamour) and painted a giant orange abstract hibiscus flower. I boldly used low grade craft paint! I covered the sides of the structure with Ralph Lauren paint in brown (reusing paint after I installed DIY wainscotting in the bathroom in my apartment above Tribal Voices.) That particular version landed in the care of Erin Socall for a few years when I left for Alberta in '06. She returned that painting to me (dammit!) some time last year. It was as ugly as the day it left! Despite being in a flood, she did take very good care of it. That structure was my first big one and I feel obligated to honour the Herstory it represents.


Here is a blurry photo, as taken with my Blackberry, from last night when I dropped it off at the gallery:

The photo does not do the painting any justice and I do know better. I promise to take my camera and tripod and photograph it properly when time allows.

Have a great January, to spite the cold. Hot chocolate, hot mocha, hot apple cider, hot toddies, hot homemade soups, hot homemade breads, hot dreams, think hot!!

Saturday, January 8, 2011

Paying it Forward


So many times the production process is to find the right size, shape and surface treatment for an object, then deliver it to a mysterious audience to be rewarded financially. A very dear friend suggested an alternative production process by posting to her Facebook a "Pay it Forward" process. In recognizing the potential for sharing with and rewarding others I got on board with her idea. Very shortly afterward I found several of the friends I consider to be artists also agreed to the "Pay it Forward" plan.

Five dear friends are going to be receiving handmade gifts from me during the year 2011. What a lovely and inspiring way to walk into my studio to begin my production process this year. I am looking forward to the reward of their reaction to the gift I select for them!

Saturday, January 1, 2011

1-1-11 firsts of the new year

This is the introductory blog for 2011 from Pottery Verve. The artist is hereby pledging to blog regularly for the entire year, there are so many exciting events that happen around the studio, the neighbourhood and the city.

Today we had our first coffee of the new year, our first outdoor fire in the firepit, reorganized the glaze studio and then relaxed in the pottery studio with a blazing fire in the fireplace and a couple of great movies.

Tomorrow we will be running a test kiln with exciting new glaze prospects!