Detail: Vin Arora, Untitled.

Fired Up! Ceramic Artists: Contemporary Works in Clay 

presented ​MONUMENTAL, Celebrating 35 Years ​​May 24-26, 2019

The 35th annual show and sale at Metchosin Community Hall, 4401 William Head Road.

was a COLOSSAL success! Photos of the event are below

Sheryl MacKay host of CBC's NxNW talk show interviews Samantha Dickie, aired May 25

Participating Fired Up! 2019 artists are Vin Arora, Samantha Dickie, Sandra Dolph, Sandy Harquail, Gordon Hutchens, Cathi Jefferson, Meira Mathison, Kinichi Shigeno and Pat Webber. (Alan Burgess and Mary Fox on sabbatical.) Guests artists are Elaine Brewer-White, Peter Flanagan, Bob Kingsmill, Alwyn O’Brien and Clive Tucker.

The Metchosin show and sale is a mecca for collectors and highlights the excellence and diversity of Fired Up! ceramics. In April, the group preview their 2019 theme “Monumental” at the Circle Craft Gallery on Granville Island. Past exhibitions include the Canadian Clay and Glass Museum in Waterloo, Jonathon Bancroft-Snell Gallery in London, and two US conferences hosted by the National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts.

Vin Arora: Tea bowl. Stoneware 3.5 x 3 in, 2018

Samantha Dickie: Wires Crossed. Saggar fired paper clay.  Sizes average 36 x 7 in, 2019.

Sandra Dolph, Geometric Expression. Clay, 15 x 8 in, 2019

Fired Up! was founded in 1984 and is proud to be a vitally active group 35 years later. To celebrate this momentous occasion, the’ve contacted original members (numbering 16 in total) to exhibit one ceramic piece at Metchosin Hall. This is in addition to the annual display of themed artworks by core members and guests. Invited artists are an important part of adding interest to Fired Up! Often youthful guests become core members and so the circle grows.

​The original members of Fired-Up! had an important objective: to connect community with the diverse world of ceramics.
​Over the years, their mission gained success. One founding member Robin Hopper (1939-2017) received the Saidye Bronfman Award in 1977 for assisting the development of fine crafts in Canada. Hopper was appointed to the Order of Canada in 2016 for advancing technical excellence in the discipline of ceramics.

Sandy Harquail: Collecting Moments. 5.75 x 6.25 x 14.25 in, Wood-fired stoneware and glaze.

Gordon Hutchens: Seascape. Coloured slips on stoneware, wood-fired, 16 x 15 in, 2018

Cathi Jefferson: Old Growth. Wood-fired, 20 x 5 in.

Gordon Hutchens who operates an Anagama wood fired kiln on Denman island, believes educating the public is important. A founding member, Hutchens has taught ceramics at North Island College’s Fine Arts program since 1999.  He tells his students that ceramics is a complex art: combining drawing, painting, sculpture, three-dimensional design, and colour theory.
“Ceramics is the most difficult and least understood of all the arts” he says. At the Fired Up! show, Hutchens enjoys the personal contact with guests. He is happy explaining the technical details of glazing and firing to help people appreciate the intricacies of his craft. ​​

​Welcoming the public and working together on annual shows evokes a spirit of camaraderie. “With time our bonds have grown,” says Meira Mathison. “More than an art show, Fired Up! is a way to honour our friendships and support professional growth.” Mathison is well known in the ceramics community as owner of Dancerwoods Pottery and former Executive Director of Metchosin International School of the Arts. She continues to teach and mentor students and professionals in her field. 
Mathison has conducted workshops in North America, England and Mexico. She is an ongoing sessional instructor at Red Deer College in Alberta.

Meira Mathison: Sandstone Tidal. Stoneware, high fired, 12 x 20 in, 2018.

Kinichi Shigeno: Mega 35. Clay, 16 x 14 x 10 in, 2019.

Pat Webber: The Hitchhikers’ Dream. 14 x 9.5 in, Wood-fired & stoneware, 2018.

Founding member Pat Webber lives on Salt Spring Island. She describes core members as being fully engaged in their own communities through volunteer activities, workshops and classes. After working solo in the studio, group exhibitions help expand their horizons while delighting the public. “The work we create brings joy to so many people,”  she says, “and lets us play with our favourite earth-based medium.” Webber’s functional pots are often imbued with visual stories created by the addition of small creatures. Her sculpted characters include frog, rabbit, salmon and tortoise. On journeys great and small, the adventurous animals highlight the artist’s respect for all life forms and environmental concerns.

​Below: Five talented guests join core members at Fired Up! 2019.

Alwyn O’Brien: A Matter of Shadow. Porcelain, 11.25 x 14.5 x 49 in, 2017 Photo: Ken Mayer

Peter Flanagan: Redshift. Porcelain, pigment & glazes, diameter 27 in, 2019.

Clive Tucker: Tea Urchin. Porcelain & glaze, 8 x 8.5 in, 2009.

Bob Kingsmill: Celebrating CBC Radio 2018. Stoneware tower, 44 x 12 in, Photo: Ken Mayer.

Elaine Brewer-White: Sangria Set. 18 x 13 in, 2018.

Fired Up! thanks their generous and ongoing sponsors in 2019

​​Web Design and Content by Kate Cino
arts writer published in Focus, Yam and Boulevard. 
She has a History in Art degree and Public Relations certificate from the University of Victoria
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