Circle Craft returned to the Pendulum Gallery for a special show of Innovative craft designs from the past 40 years. Mary exhibited in August 2013.
Pendulum Gallery, HSBC Building
885 West Georgia, Vancouver BC V6C 3E8
Artist Statement
Pushing the boundaries of my work used to make me feel anxious. As a young self-taught potter, I found it difficult to take risks and hard to experiment on my favourite pieces in case they didn’t turn out. But then how do we learn? Those days are long behind me now! If we are not pushing ourselves, are we standing still, and standing still is not for me. My favourite mantra is “It’s okay to make mistakes while learning.” I strongly feel that we need to give ourselves complete permission to fail. When we can fully do that, pushing our boundaries and risking becomes easier.
Chalices are my favourite forms to create. In all of my work with the chalice, I strive for a feeling of upward or opening movement and a sense of the interior space containing the energy of the vessel. These are challenging to throw, as they are shaped down to a small point that is later trimmed to about the diameter of a quarter. They balance on this point in the kiln and, if they survive their firings, I then glue the narrow end into a rock or black clay base. The rock based chalices are much rarer as it is difficult to find a rock that will flow with the chalice. With these pieces, my goal is to create a sense of the vessel emerging right out of the earth. Anchored in sandstone bases from the area where I live, and decorated with glazes created by mixing the earth’s minerals, these sculptural vessels are both born from and evocative of nature.
Who are Circle Craft?
Forty years ago, Circle Craft Cooperative was formed to support the viability and growth of craft in British Columbia. A measure of its success can be seen in the works created by today’s members, works that push the boundaries of “the applied arts”. In their 40th anniversary celebrations, their goal is to showcase to the world the excellence of their members, both in their technical skills and in their personal visions for the future of craft.
See Mary’s Circle Craft profile »
A common thread connecting their exhibiting members is that they make both utilitarian and sculptural forms, each idiom informing and inspiring the other. The more functional objects have a ready showcase in our store on Granville Island, the grander works of imagination have a more difficult time finding public exposure. Each of these members has taken their craft beyond the ordinary, each has moved their medium forward into new territory and they have done so because of the excellence of their technical skills and the breadth of their imagination.