31 January, 2010

On Friday, 5 February, you’re invited to the opening reception of the Manitoba Crafts Council 2010 Members’ Showcase, from 7-10pm, at the Cre8ery Gallery in Winnipeg, 2nd floor, 125 Adelaide (in the Exchange District). I’m one of 30 MCC members who will be exhibiting works: PJ Anderson, Aliza Amihude, Jan Ashton, Marilyn Folson, Ursula Neufeld, Louise Gardiner, Michael Astill, Linda Glowacki, Jolanta Sokalska, Natasha Halayda, Kathleen Black, Elise Nadeau, Pat Findlay, LeVerne Tucker, LeeAnne Penner, Carol James, Alison Norberg, Karen Schlichting, Tammy Sutherland, Valerie Metcalfe, Kathryne Koop, Rachael Kroeker, Helen Lyons, Jayne Nixon, Evelin Richter, Lily Rosenberg, Zbigniew Sokalski, Susan Styrchak, Gaetanne Sylvester and Karen Taylor.

The show will run until 16 February (gallery hours are 12-5pm Tuesday to Saturday, 6-10pm Monday and Thursday). The opening will offer the chance to meet the showcased artists, with snacks and a cash bar available.

See you there?

31 December, 2009

29 November, 2009

Thanks(!) to all who came out to the Handmade Holiday Sale at the West End Cultural Centre this weekend and who helped make the event the success it was. I enjoyed meeting and visiting with you… your positive remarks and comments about some of my (admittedly quirky) ceramics were greatly appreciated. Thanks also to the fine folks and volunteers who took care of the planning, logistics, etc.

It was also good to finally meet some of the other artists involved with the Manitoba Crafts Council (I have heard and read about you, but have not had the privilege to actually meet many of you before this show).

14 November, 2009

Here’s a huge “Thanks!” to Helma and the 25+ area artists who crowded into my little home last night to attend a party in honour of this fine woman. Our lakeside communities are indebted to Helma for the tireless energy she has offered to the local creative scene—as a founder of the Winnipeg Beach Art & Culture Co-op Inc. a decade ago, and as an enthusiastic leader of 8 successful years of WAVE Artists’ Studio Tours. (Helma took the evening’s thanks and kudos in stride… though for the first time that anyone can remember, seemed at a bit of a loss for words at one point :-).

You are the greatest, Helma!

Winnipeg, Canada

Two weeks from now (Friday, 27 November from 4 to 10pm & Saturday, 28 November from 10am to 3pm) I’ll be at the West End Cultural Centre in Winnipeg (586 Ellice at Sherbrook) along with 15 other local artisans: PJ Anderson, Joy Bamford, Jolanta Sokalska, tamara rae biebrich, Ursula Neufeld, Janet Carroll, Pat Findlay, Matt Jenkins, Elizabeth Joyce, Tesh Kosowan, Rachael Kroeker, Dawn Chaput, Fleur McLauchlan, and Gaetanne Sylvester.

Please do drop by to check out our unique “handmade wares”… Friday night will also feature live entertainment and a cash bar.

31 October 2009

I’ve been having a great time here in Beijing… though I came expecting to see ancient sights, I’ve been surprised at the overwhelming modernity. While Rob has spent time at his Icograda congress, I’ve done some exploring on my own (and with other foreign delegates I’ve met) of destinations including The Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square, the Pearl Market, and the Silk Market.

Outings with Rob have included the Ming Tombs north of Beijing, the Great Wall of China (at Badaling), a jade factory, the avant garde 798 Art Zone, and the incredible Panjiayuan flea market. Evenings have been filled with special events, fancy dinners, and a seemingly endless stream of receptions and show openings (all part of the Xin Icograda World Design Congress 2009 and the First Beijing Design Week)—lots of creative stimulation and a great way to “fill the well.”

Photos: my auto-portrait just inside The Forbidden City; mimicking Rodin’s The Thinker (one of the original bronze casts) at the China Central Academy of Fine Arts; at an outdoor evening opening with Rob; having a little rest on the Great Wall of China; moi, dwarfed by substantial sculptures in the 798 Art Zone; and rummaging for treasures in the world’s largest flea market. View more China photos on Rob’s blog here, here, here, and here.

18 September 2009

Last night I participated in my first juried show—Craft: Culture/Counterculture, the exhibition of a collection of 20 works by Manitoba Crafts Council members (the 2009 juried exhibition). The theme was intended to “reflect the dual role that craft objects, materials, and techniques can play: creating and affirming the every-day, expressing something of our identity; and/or challenging cultural assumptions, expressing more idiosyncratic visions of the world, and manifesting the creative shadow side of mainstream society.” My piece, Peer Pressure, acts as a social commentary on the failure of corporatism and the workaholics who drive themselves down along with sinking enterprise.

Photos: Moi, admittedly glowing a bit… my friend Kelli Rey’s beautifully expressive Poodle Herd and Friends #2 (I studied ceramics with Kelli Rey at University back in the day), and Tibor Bodi (a long-time designer friend of Rob’s who he also climbs with on occasion) with Voice of America 1956, (a compelling piece that recalls the propaganda wars Tibor experienced while living in Budapest as a child). View many more photos from the show on Adrian Shum’s Flickr site here.

6 September 2009

I’ve had a busy and enjoyable weekend. Thanks(!) to all 130 of you who visited my studio as part of the 8th WAVE Artists Studio Tour—your enthusiastic and positive response was encouraging and rewarding.

Photo: my lovely mom, Elfriede Richter (who once again served up platters of delectable dainties to one and all) with moi and The Vamp outside the studio on Saturday morning.

18 August 2009

My sculpture ‘Peer Pressure’ has been selected as one of 20 pieces of art to be shown in the Manitoba Crafts Council 2009 Juried Exhibition. The show opening is 17 September at 19:30 at the Outworks Gallery, 290 McDermot Avenue in Winnipeg—then continuing on display until 29 September. From 1-29 October, the exhibition travels to the Viscount Cultural Centre in Neepawa.

‘Peer Pressure’ is a slab-built stoneware piece with low-fire glaze and assemblage (an antique bottle capper) on a waxed wooden base, 395mm x 200mm x 520mm. This is my social commentary on the failure of corporatism and the workaholics who drive themselves down along with sinking enterprise.

My artist’s statement, that accompanied the submission:

“I love creating with clay, making “something” from “nothing.” I love clay because of its sensuous pliability. My favorite tools are my hands—I experience and learn so much through the sense of touch. Figurative sculptures are particularly satisfying—I enjoy meeting new characters as they emerge out of the clay. I begin by visualizing, then wait for the shape to materialize through my hands. I know my work is going well when I lose track of time. I know a work is completed when it matches the image in my head, and when I can think of nothing else to add.”

3 July 2009

Folks have been asking about recent sculptural work… Canada Day (a stat holiday up here in the great white north) provided the opportunity of catching up with some photography. See images of some recently completed works here.