Friday, May 28, 2010


Mar 29–Apr 9
"William Daley & Thomas Daley: Collaborations."

Building pots and making buildings/a visual conversation is a collaboration for building between a father and son. William Daley (artist) and Thomas Daley (architect).

Organized by Thomas Daley.

I could not resist putting in a few pictures from this exhibition. I have long admired these pots on the printed page, so it was pretty powerful to see them in person and of course to touch them!
I heard him give a dynamic speech at a previous a NCECA conference.

Here's a quote from Hugh McNichol......


"Last Saturday, I attended William Daley’s exhibition, “Vesica Explorations,” at Swarthmore College. The exhibition of clay pots executed by Bill over the past 20 years is remarkable. Each piece is reflective of the artist’s fascination with the material of clay and it’s intrinsic link between temporal reality and spiritual transcendence. Bill Daley is the patriarch of the American pottery world and a revered figure in the Delaware Valley.....


He explained his process, with drawings on the white wall in his studio, (which he painted over after each piece was completed), explained the transcendence of clay, the mysteries that unfolded in the manual working of such a simple ingredient such as clay and how the material has been an essential part of all human history since man first fashioned a clay vessel for domestic use. Bill cited the Book of Genesis and how God formed man with clay and clay has accompanied man as a essential element ever since."



CATCHING UP ON MY BLOG
March/April
Attending NCECA's conference (National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts) in Philadelphia this year was one of the best times. And of course the road trip was one of the highlights. Travelling with Barb Murphy, Heather Daymond and Terry Osborne is always good fun and good conversation, all seasoned professional potters. And meeting up with good friends Liz Willoughby and Ron Roy is a treat! The city of Philadelphia was full of gallerys showing ceramic exhibitions, and my favourite was William Daley's strong architectural vessels. The conference was full of good lectures, panel discussions, small group discussions (especially about wood-firing), a large hall of excellent distributors and I am sure the demonstrators were fine (this year I did not get to see them). Looking forward to next year in Tampa, Florida. Check out the website www.nceca.net




SHANE NORRIE AND I ARE BOTH STUDIO POTTERS
FROM INGERSOLL, ONTARIO
FOR YEARS WE HAVE BEEN IN CONVERSATION
ABOUT OUR WORK:
DISCUSSING, CRITIQUING, EXPLORING, ENCOURAGING
SO WE WERE VERY PLEASED WHEN JONATHAN SMITH INVITED US TO PUT TOGETHER AN EXHIBITION,
THUS GIVING US AN OPPORTUNITY TO SHOW THE RESULTS OF THIS ONGOING CONVERSATION.
THIS IS FROM SHANE NORRIE www.shanenorrie.com
AND HIS BLOG.....
"I was very pleased to be asked to exhibit at the Burlington Art Centre, from May 8, until August 1, 2010 alongside my good friend Shirley Clifford, who is also from Ingersoll. The exhibition was organized by Curator of the Collection; Jonathan Smith, M.F.A., who is one of Canada's foremost authorities on ceramics. Although the show is now open, the official opening and artists' tour and talk is on June 6th, from 2-4pm. I have posted a couple of images of the exhibition installation, but this is only a small portion of the work.About the Burlington Art Centre: A multi-faceted facility nestled next to Lake Ontario in the heart of Burlington, Ontario. It is truly a centre for art, supporting artists, staging exhibitions, nurturing a nationally and internationally recognized ceramic collection, and serving the community.Permanent Collection: From its early foundation, the BAC also expanded to become home to a permanent collection of ceramics, vigorously acquired since 1983. The BAC Permanent Collection of Contemporary Canadian Ceramics has achieved international recognition and is the largest such collection in Canada. It continues to grow in size and artistic depth. ( I was very pleased to find out that I have a few pieces included in this terrific collection!) http://www.burlingtonartcentre.on.ca/ for more information."
This is one of the smaller showcases that we like. Jonathan Smith, the curator of the exhibition, has selected Shane's sculptural highly textured pieces and one wall piece/platter to stand with my vases and teapot for a pleasing combination. They look great with the sunlight streaming through the window into the corridor.

Monday, March 22, 2010


The Masterworks Southwest Exhibition
will be at
Tom Thomson Art Gallery
in Owen Sound
840 First Avenue West
from March 28 til April 25th
If you click on this site, you can see the booklet catalogue for this show.
Extremely creative and ingenius items to dazzle you.
Here are some Thoughts from the Jurors:
Rhona Wenger
Lois Etherington Betteridge
Christian Bernard Singer
We considered each piece according to the criteria established by the Ontario Crafts Council: craftsmanship, expression, innovation, and excellence. What we found was genuinely impressive. The overall quality of the works submitted was high, which is a pleasure to see, for it indicates a community of artisans who are not afraid to push their media technically, emotionally and experimentally. All of the works that were accepted into the show stretch the expected boundaries of the chosen medium in some way. We included some pieces that are elegant and sophisticated, where the maker has exhibited extraordinary technical virtuosity. Other pieces combined unusual or unexpected materials, at times even understating their mastery of technique to achieve effect and meaning. The quirkiness that comes from an underlying sense of humour is also much in evidence.

Sunday, March 21, 2010


































Today was the first day of our exhibition in Ingersoll.


Shane's paintings which echo the feel of his ceramics, have seen much success and are included in collections in Ontario, Nova Scotia, Manitoba, Alberta, British Columbia, Utah, and New York. They are also included in the RBC Corporate Collection, County of Oxford Collection, as well as HSBC Executive Collection, New York, N.Y.


There will be a reception on the last Sunday of the show, April 18th, from 2-4 pm at the Ingersoll Creative Arts Centre.

Saturday, March 20, 2010

This vase is one of a series in an exhibition called "Reaching Up".
This porcelain vase is functional and has a celadon glaze similar to those used
by the Chinese potters in the Tang Dynasty.
Then surprisingly low-firing Raku glazes are poured over the celadon to give a fluid melt of
reds and blues and greens.
They were all fired in a high-fire gas kiln.
The bases by contrast add a substantial grounding to the vessels
and are fired with a black lava glaze.

Monday, March 15, 2010

Today I shipped this Raku vase to Tom Thomson Art Gallery in Owen Sound. This is the first venue for a new exhibit called "Masterworks Southwest".
This is a porcelain vase with a clear glaze fired in a Raku kiln.
As soon as it comes out of the kiln, it is oversprayed with ferric chloride.
This chemical bonds onto the molten glaze and created
the gold/orange luster surface.

Sunday, March 14, 2010



These ritual vessels mark special occasions. Celebrations and feasts which deservedly require a unique ceramic piece of art to commemorate and give us a lasting memory of togetherness and community.





The largeness of the emptiness says 'fill me with abundant harvest'. We want pour out an abundance of good times and good results from our hard work. The logical contrast is from our everyday ware used to facilitate our repetitive, sometimes mundane activities.

The large bowls are about special get togethers, sharing bread together, celebrating special events together. The tall legs elevate the offering to give a ritual blessing. The elegant curl of the foot is a reference from classical vessel bowls used to celebrate the Athenian games, the forerunner of our Olympic games.






Wednesday, March 10, 2010







The big bowls have been loaded into the kiln!


This will be an oxidation firing cone six in my gas kiln. My electric kiln is on the blink!

Friday, February 26, 2010


NEW BOWLS -
OPEN - FILL ME
RITUAL SERVING VESSELS
GOTTA GO, MORE LATER.

Wednesday, February 3, 2010


Am finally back on my blog.
Having trouble getting into this, getting tongue-tied, I think. Can anyone out there help me with this? Any suggestions?
Anyway, here is a new image of one of my favourite forms. A reference to ancient Shigaraki storage jars.
The rough texture is from feldspar which I brought back with me from Shigaraki, Japan. It stand almost 30 cm tall. Wood-fired with various Shino glazes.

Saturday, November 21, 2009









Earlier this month I went to Chicago to see the SOFA art show - Sculptural Objects Functional Art. This is a view of my friends standing in front of Navy Pier, the venue for the show. In early November the weather was warm and balmy, so we walked and walked and walked!











This piece was in the show. A ceramic piece made by Ruth Duckworth. I love the sense of design - subtle and strong.












Sunday, September 27, 2009


Getting ready for the Ingersoll Creative Arts Centre Studio Tour Sat. Oct 3rd and Sun. Oct. 4th. $20 Ticket includes lunch on Saturday and a unique pottery tray made by the Ingersoll Creative Arts Centre Potters! Choose from 325 trays which will be on display at the lunch venue on Sat. from 11-2 at St. James Anglican Church! 35 artists and 11 Ingersoll Studios and 2 Thamesford Studios. Sunday visits are free.
Come for a lovely drive in the country - my friends and I look forward to your visit. Heather MacIntosh will be showing spectacular watercolours; Keith & Rosemary Lewis have new pottery works, both large and small scale;
Susan Clark has amazing colourful quilts of original unique designs; Monika Burrell has new work - paintings as well as pottery. See you then!

Friday, September 11, 2009


Okay, Okay,
Everyone is sick of this pot....
So this is the last post about it.
I put me in the pic just to show the scale of it.
Photo taken in my showroom in
the studio
in Ingersoll.

Thursday, September 10, 2009



Finally, a better picture of my POT. More to come tomorrow. Slow learning figuring out this blogging.

Thursday, September 3, 2009

This is the biggest pot I have ever made!

Paperclay stoneware - thrown and coiled. This soda kiln was built by Barb Murphy, Heather Daymond, Terry Osborne, and me. It fires like a dream!
The soda did its magic and left a lovely sheen on all the pots all over.

Ever since we built Beaulah Baby, I have dreamed about making a pot to fill the kiln. Sweet.
Let me know what you think

This is the biggest pot I have ever made!
Paperclay stoneware - thrown and coiled. This soda kiln was built by Barb Murphy, Heather Daymond, Terry Osborne, and me. It fires like a dream!
The soda did its magic and left a lovely sheen on all the pots all over.
Ever since we built Beaulah Baby, I have dreamed about making a pot to fill the kiln. Sweet.
Let me know what you think.

Friday, July 24, 2009

Artists of Oxford Launch Party


Last night Artists of Oxford had a super successful launch at Bronson's Steakhouse in Woodstock, Ontario. Mayors of Woodstock and Ingersoll and our MPP Ernie Hardeman were present for the opening ceremony. Here they are signing a painting in progress! Have a look at the website for Artists of Oxford: http://www.artistsofoxford.com/

This is my first blog.


Today is my first entry into the world of blog.

Testing one two three.