The Ottawa Guild of Potters

The Celebrating Clay virtual exhibition is now open!

Amy Jane St. Denis’ show entitled ‘Vessels of Contemplation MMXXIV’ represents a philosophical and humanistic approach to the creation of clay vessels, perhaps more than any other exhibition in the Celebrating Clay series.

Her uniquely decorated functional pieces are each marked with a roman numeral, connecting it to a set of related but unique pieces. Learn more about the meaning of these pieces by visiting the virtual exhibition.

View Amy's exhibition here: https://ottawaguildofpotters.ca/events/celebrating-clay/

The next Celebrating Clay virtual exhibition opens October 1!

Amy Jane St. Denis’ show entitled ‘Vessels of Contemplation MMXXIV’ represents a philosophical and humanistic approach to the creation of clay vessels, perhaps more than any other exhibition in the Celebrating Clay series.

Her uniquely decorated functional pieces are each marked with a roman numeral, connecting it to a set of related but unique pieces. Learn more about the meaning of these pieces by visiting the virtual exhibition throughout the month of October.

Beginning October 1, visit the Ottawa Guild of Potters website, link in bio, to find Amy's exhibition.

Workshop Opportunity now open to the public!
Relief Wall Hangings:
Sculpting Workshop with Richard Gill

Renowned sculptor Richard Gill will offer a 2 day hands-on workshop on October 5-6, co-hosted by the Ottawa Guild of Potters and Gladstone Clayworks.

The workshop will cover an introduction to relief sculpture on day one, and day two is an opportunity for you to work on your own sculpture with Richard's expert guidance. Richard will offer an introduction to relief sculpting work of buildings, working from photographs and learning to interpret photos for wall sculpture. Glazing and firing is not included in the workshop, but Richard will discuss his approach to finishing the work.

October 5 & 6, 2024 9am to 4pm
Lunch break 12-1pm
Gladstone ClayWorks - 949B Gladstone Ave
Workshop fee $275, including clay.
Participants should bring a selection of their own sculpting tools.

Now open to the public, there are only a couple of spots available, maximum 12 participants.
To register, send $275 by e-transfer to [email protected] and an email to [email protected] with your name and phone number, and “Richard Gill Registration”. First come, first served. Registrations are complete when payment is received.
If you have any questions, email [email protected]

About Richard Gill:
Richard Gill is widely recognized for his excellent relief sculptures. He is one of the founders of the Ottawa Guild of Potters, and operated a studio and gallery in Burnstown, ON for many years. Richard has a Bachelor of Architecture from Pennsylvania State University and a diploma of Applied Arts in Ceramics from Sheridan College, and has been sculpting full time since 1970.
Richard's plaques and murals have received numerous awards and hang in many private and public collections across Canada and abroad. His commissioned murals hang in Kingston General Hospital, Stoney Creek City Hall, Amoco Oil (Calgary), Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, Canadian Museum of Civilization, Queen's University and various restaurants, churches and community centres, including Hintonburg Community Centre.

OGP Members– Have you always wanted to attend the New Clay Conference?

Well, now’s your chance!

The Guild has created a bursary to send two of our members to this year's New Clay Conference from Friday, October 25 - Sunday October 27 in Ottawa.

This year, see the wonderful Toni Losey, Carly Slade and Brendan Tang create for a weekend up close! Meet the artists in an intimate setting. Please see details on the website: New Clay Conference.

To qualify, you must NOT have been the recipient of another Guild Bursary or Scholarship.

The Bursary covers the cost of the conference ticket for the full weekend. You'll find the New Clay Bursary Application Form in the Guild Forum message from Natalie, sent Sept 5. Application deadline Spetember 30.

Pottery wisdom.

"You can't use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have."
- Maya Angelou

Amy Bell knows that, and likely most of you do too. So keep being creative friends!

Pottery wisdom.

When you have clay in your hands, what are you drawn to making?

Kirstin makes much more than birds!
Photo: Kirstin Davidson

Pottery wisdom.

"... every piece of clay is a piece of someone's life. They say it even has it own small voice and sings in its own way" – Byrd Baylor, When Clay Sings

Do you feel this?
A piece of us is incorporated in every piece we make. A fragment of our heart, set free in the world. Some pieces sing quietly, some sing with gusto. And there's no better feeling than when another's heart hears that voice.

Photo: Lynn Glover

More pottery wisdom.

Being creative isn't a hobby, or something you do.
It's part of your being. It's how you live your life.

Do you feel this too?

Photo: Michele Macdonald at her wheel, living her creative life.

We are now accepting submissions for the upcoming Celebrating Clay Exhibition!

This will be a virtual show curated by the Exhibitions Committee, presenting a small collection of ceramic pieces from a single OGP artist. The show will run October 1-31, 2024.

The Exhibition will consist of a web page where images and descriptions of the works will be displayed during the month of the show. There will also be an Exhibition catalogue. You could refer potential clients to it, and post it to your own website. The image in this post is from Lucy Willemsen's Celebrating Clay show in 2023, titled "Birds and Birch".

Applications will be accepted until midnight this Saturday, August 24. We expect to include around eight to twelve items in the show (min 6 max 18).

For information about the Exhibition and submission guidelines, see the OGP website. While logged in, visit Members' Area > Guild Exhibitions > Celebrating Clay. If you have additional questions, email [email protected].

Pottery wisdom.
Happy Tuesday everyone!

Vase by
Peonies from the garden 🌸

OGP members– Have you ever thought about holding an exhibition of your pottery? Here’s your opportunity!

Virtual Celebrating Clay is a show, curated by the Exhibitions Committee, presenting a number of ceramic pieces. The upcoming Celebrating Clay exhibition will highlight a single OGP artist's work, including around eight to twelve items (min 6 max 18).

A key part of the Virtual Celebrating Clay exhibition is a web page where images and descriptions of the works will be displayed during the month of the show. As well, there will be an Exhibition Catalogue! You can refer potential clients to it, and post it to your website.

The next Virtual Celebrating Clay will be October 2024. Applications will be accepted August 18-24.

If you have questions ahead of the submission period, you may email [email protected].

I know you are focused on summer, but it's not too late to register for the New Clay Conference!

When: Oct 25, 2024, 5:00 p.m. EDT – Oct 27, 2024, 5:00 p.m. EDT
Where: Richcraft Theatre Shenkman Arts Center,
245 Centrum Blvd, Orléans, ON K1E 3W8, Canada

Click the link to read more about the event and each artist. Maybe Brendan Tang will reveal juicy insights behind the scenes of the recent Great Canadian Pottery Throwdown! 🤗

https://www.gloucesterpotteryschool.com/new-clay-conference

SAVE THE GREAT CANADIAN POTTERY THROW DOWN ON CBC

The Great Canadian Pottery Thrown Down was recently cancelled by CBC after only one season. It’s crushing that this positive, entertaining, unique, family oriented series got axed so soon. The show brought families, friends, potters and non-potters together.

If you loved this amazing series, let’s all urge CBC to reconsider their decision to cancel "The Great Canadian Pottery Throw Down". After all, the CBC is meant to represent you and me and all Canadians. Let's do this potters!

TELL CBC YOU WANT "ANOTHER SEASON" BY:
1. Signing the Petition at Change.org ; search "Great Canadian Pottery Throw Down"
2. Sharing the petition with family, friends, and colleagues, and on your social media platforms
3. Using the hashtag

https://www.change.org/p/save-the-great-canadian-pottery-throw-down-on-cbc