Art on the Lawn: August 2012

Carol Grant: Deep River Ceramic Artist

The final lecture in The Art on the Lawn Lecture Series will be given Monday evening, August 27th, at 7:00 p.m. at St. Barnabas Anglican Church, 80 Glendale Avenue, Deep River, ON. Children are welcome. Light refreshments will be offered during the reception following the lecture.

Carol is a member of the Valley Artisans' Co-op here in Deep River. She says about her work:

"My work is divided between purely expressive pieces and design pottery. The beauty of the form is central to all of my work. When forming the sculptural pieces, I combine thrown and coiled parts which allow the sculptures to develop in a spontaneous way.

For my porcelain raku pieces, subtle variations in the curves and angles of the walls are carefully examined and redefined while throwing. The pots are then altered giving each piece a unique character. Applying terra sigillata and burnishing imparts a fine silky finish.

My aim is to achieve very delicate thin-walled pots, which have been described as eggshell-like. These pots are then raku fired. Presently I am concentrating on “naked raku” as well as using multiple colorful glazes.

For my design pieces I am intrigued with the bowl. Many of my bowls, which fire to a wonderful golden yellow, are decorated with clay that I find while canoeing on northern rivers. I also make very large altered wall pieces and am exploring the use of multiple layers of glazes and glass applied in a painterly way.

Opportunities that allow me to explore new ideas and develop my skills as a professional artist are of utmost importance to my further development. I recently received a grant from the Ontario Arts Council and spent one month at the Guldagergaard International Ceramic Research Centre in Denmark. I enjoy applying my skills as a craft-person, but the greatest rewards come from being able to incorporate artistic expression in my work. "

Carol will present a brief introduction to the history of ceramic arts, discuss her background and work practice, and share with the audience specific examples of her work. Her lecture will be illustrated by a wide variety of colour slides. She will also have on hand examples of her recent studio production. Carol is one of the juried craftspersons who will be exhibiting and selling her work at Art on the Lawn.