Axis of Art – Women in Clay

Some months ago Jonathon invited me to make a couple of special, big jugbirds for a show in the Summer. Only fellow participants in a January soda firing saw what I made but now that the show has opened I can post photos of them.

Axis of Art – Women In Clay
This is the first installment of a new series of exhibitions celebrating excellence in Canadian Clay
Women in Clay at Jonathon Bancroft-Snell Gallery in London, ON celebrates 15 outstanding artists working in clay. Three BC clay artists are included: Meira Mathieson, Barbara Tipton and Gillian McMillan. Over the last 23 years since the gallery has opened it has been their mandate to showcase the very best in Canadian ceramic art, it turns out the majority of artists they have shown have been women. Currently the gallery is made up of over 70% women artists!!! More about the show and purchase artists’ works here:

https://www.jonathons.ca/womeninclay

After getting over feeling like an imposter I found it interesting to consider which women ceramic artists Jonathon has selected for this first in a series of shows. Here is the list of people representing each Canadian province. 

British ColumbiaBarbara TiptonMeira MathisonGillian McMillanAlberta Mindy AndrewsLisa McGrathSaskatchewan Jeannie MahManitoba Valerie Metcalfe RCA Grace Nickel RCA Ontario Celia Z. Brandao Zsuzsa MonostoryKim Harcourt-Roman Marianne FisherQuebec Maureen MarcotteNew Brunswick Judy BlakeNewfoundland – Katrina Chaytor

For those of us who cannot travel to London, Ontario I’ve chosen one image per artist (taken from the JBS website) to give you an idea of the variety shown. It’s very hard to learn about the work made by ceramic artists across this vast country so this is a start.

Barbara Tipton #1 Red Flowers 2023, 4.5x4" $450 , Wheel thrown and handbuilt, with low-fire glazes, electronically produced decals
Meira Mathison #2 Crystal fired Bowl $225 13x3"
Gillian McMillan - #1-130 Tall Eagle Jug Bird 12 .5x17.5" $300 #2-129 Tall Jug Bird 11.5x9.5 SOLD Thrown in parts then assembled Soda Fired, plus a Bird Vase & an Egg
Mindy Andrews #1 Abundance of Limited Time $450
Lisa McGrath 1. Fashionably Late for an Important Date Stoneware clay, glaze $850 13x10" It’s 4:20 and White Rabbit no longer frets about being late for the Queen of Hearts. Lazily laying on the caterpillar’s toadstool having a relaxing puff.
Jeannie Mah - #3 Blue Sevres Cup $1500 17x5.5x7.5"
Valerie Metcalfe RCA #1 Celadon Teapot $385 Hand painted design with acrylic varnish, then sponged (water etched) 7.5x10.25x6 1/4"
Grace Nickel, Commemorative Cameo (with vessel fungus, pink and green terra sigillata, and cuerda seca on pink and charcoal print) 2021 Porcelain with inkjet print on fabric Ceramic cameo: 21 x 17 x 8 cm Inkjet print: 90 x 60cm $2000 Photography by Michael Zajac
Celia Z. Brandao #1 Flora and Fauna $950 12.5x6.5
Zsuzsa Monostory - Empathy Series #2 $425 10x6.5x5
Kim Harcourt-Roman #3 Peanut Vase $125 Porcelain, Shino Glaze Wood and Soda Fired, Fired on it's side on seashells
Marianne Fisher Totems #1 $1800 #2 $1700 #3 $1500 Tallest being 76inches
Maureen Marcotte #3 Triangles and Vines Plate 15.5x2" $490
Judy Blake - #2 Saggar Fired Vessel 14x8" $1250
Katrina Chaytor #2 Fruit Bowl $325
and another piece by Zsuzsa Monostory - Empathy Series #7 $1000 15.5x11.5x15.5"

What a huge variety of work can be seen here! I would have liked to visit Jonathon’s Gallery for this occasion, but one day I will get there! Our seaside holiday with our kids and grandsons prevailed. 

I was pleased to learn that a happy collector has already given a home to one of my pieces. Thank you Jonathon and Brian for including my work in this important show. 

I opened a glaze kiln this afternoon so I may need to show you my newest earthen-ware in my next blog.

Gillian McMillan

Gillian writes blogs about ceramics in and around Vancouver and sometimes talks about other Art, her garden, travels and family.

This Post Has 2 Comments

  1. Dale

    What a beautiful show

  2. Kay Bonathan

    Thank you for this wonderful blog.

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