Shore to Shore

Sharon began playing with clay in her Grandma’s studio at around 4 years of age, the seed had been planted although it took until she reached her 40s to sprout.

When unhappiness with her job led her to announce that she was going to be a potter, her husband’s reply was, well I guess you better find a place to take some lessons.

Sharon was fortunate that they lived in Tsawwassen, home to Delta Potters Association, a co-operative pottery studio. It has been over 20 years now since she began her relationship with clay.

Sharon’s studio and showroom are in Sooke.

Daniel has always been fascinated by clay.  He has been collecting ceramics since hiss early adulthood and love the form and possibility of objects made with clay. 

He moved to Vancouver Island in 2006. In 2009 he began formal instruction in clay with Muriel Sibley, Wintercreek Pottery, a local potter. He took to clay quite quickly and had his own studio within his first year of throwing. He has continued to explore clay with a variety of mediums, clay bodies, firing techniques and instructors.

His influences are based in Antique Asian, Japanese, Korean, and Chinese, Ceramics and Porcelain.  He is lucky to have experienced and collected the works of Judi Dyelle, Robin Hopper, Harlan House and Kayo O’Young.  Their beautiful work inspires him as he strives to create his own voice in clay. 

Daniel’s studio is in View Royal.

Roger lives in View Royal and has been making pots for 20+ years. Currently Roger is showing his pottery at Art in the Barn in Victoria. Their website shows a number of his pieces made over the last few years.

His work is primarily cone 6 tableware, including bowls, plates, mugs and vases. He favours multilayered glazes that reflect the West Coast vibe.

Roger will be a guest artist at Esther Drone’s Studio in Langford.

As a potter, Andrea loves creating art that’s both functional and personal. The finished piece shows the process, the care and attention that went into throwing the shape and refining it through trimming and smoothing to ensure it is balanced and comfortable to hold. The final step of the glaze is an expression of creativity that flatters the form and function, often contrasting with the simple beauty of bare clay. The result is a functional piece of art that will be treasured and used often.

NOTE: Andrea is unable to participate in this year’s tour. We look forward to having her join us in October 2023.

Lori has been an artist all her life and discovered clay 8 yrs ago. She only makes what she loves, which is rustic, earthy, functional pottery in natural colours. Imperfections only make the piece more desirable in her eyes.

Lori will be a guest of Irene Ives in Colwood.

With her functional work, Esther strives to create interesting sturdy, solid everyday pottery. Mugs are one of her favourite types of pottery to make. Fitting handles to the varying forms and experimenting with new glazing combinations keeps each kiln unloading exciting.

She loves the physical nature of pottery, wedging clay, throwing large pieces and the three dimensional puzzle of packing the kiln.

The carved porcelain pieces are entirely different. They are a slow process of carving away at leather hard clay to reveal the imagery. Some are jars while others are purely sculptural. Unglazed, once fired they are then sanded for a smooth finish.

Esther’s studio and showroom are in Langford.

Sarah is an emerging ceramic artist currently based on T’Sou-ke and Pacheedaht Territory on Vancouver Island (Shirley, BC). She received her BFA from NSCAD University (2021).

Sarah’s work combines ceramic forms with plant fibers using weaving and basketry techniques. This combination and overlap in craft mediums and ways-of-making serves as a personal reflection in the context of materials, relationships, and place.

Sarah’s work will be on exhibit at the Metchosin ArtPod on the day of the tour.

Hilliary produces pots that she hopes people will use every day. As a former pastry cook and baker, she spends a lot of time thinking about the relationship between the pots she makes and the food that may be served in them.

Although working alone can be difficult at times, she has a great group of potters around her who are always willing to talk about pots.

Whether it is a salad bowl, a mug, or a water dish for her dog, she strive to make pieces that are beautiful as well as functional.

NOTE: Due to personal circumstances, Hillary is unable to participate in the studio tour this year.

Irene Ives is a ceramic artist living in Colwood. She uses a variety of handbuilding techniques and firing processes to produce both decorative and functional ceramic pieces.

She is heavily influenced by the materiality of the clay and considers her work to be a collaborative dialogue between her creative instincts, and the properties and demands of the clay itself. It is the most archival of mediums and she finds inspiration in the interplay between humans, clay and fire across time.  Her work is about texture, patina, erosion, accretion… Her pieces are imperfect, and irregular, reflecting the ever-evolving surfaces and forms found in nature. Her process purposefully includes evidence of the maker’s hand and she strives to create pieces that beg to be touched and handled.

Irene’s studio is in Colwood.

Derek Kasper’s ceramic art is pigeon-holed clearly in his company name, No Two Alike Ceramic Arts. Coming to focus on clay relatively late in life he has a keen sense of father time looking over his shoulder. His curiosity and creativity lead him to try many concepts in ceramic art and he is constantly striving to push the limits of his abilities and the materials—before time runs out!

NOTE: Due to recovery from knee surgery, Derek will be unable to join us this year. However, we look forward to him participating in future tours.

Belle Leon, a clay artist originally from Zimbabwe then later, South Africa, learned to work with clay while pursuing a career in zoology, and developmental education. 

Living in Canada allowed her to further her ceramic education in Haliburton, Ontario. Now living in Victoria, her clay work includes refined functional, decorative and sculptural pieces, both wheel thrown and hand-built. They have technically diverse decoration that is inspired predominantly by the natural elements of her surroundings.

Belle will be a guest artist at Esther Drone’s studio in Langford.

With ‘clay’ at the centre of her journey, the unique and sometimes bizarre education opportunities that have presented themselves to Glenys over the years have allowed her a freedom of expression in all that she does creatively. It has kept the joy and passion of exploration first and foremost to this day.

She believes that all arts communicate and mingle – the vision is the same. Learning and understanding fuse if you are open to other perspectives, so there are no real boundaries.

Glenys’s studio and gallery are in Sooke.

Rebecca makes vessels with a modern vibe, utilizing classic forms, stark contrasts, and vibrant colours. She brings her love of design to both her functional and decorative pieces.

Rebecca’s studio is in north Langford. Please note that she is unable to partipate in this year’s tour due to injury and will hold her own open studio in November.

Diana primarily makes non-functional abstract art in clay and encaustic. Her aim is for the work to be accessible (in price and concept), thought-provoking and attractive. The subject matter and style is often inspired by the Japanese wabi sabi aesthetic and world view which honours the imperfect, incomplete, humble and the hand-made.

Diana’s work will be on display at Metchosin ArtPod on the day of the tour.

Heather Vale is a studio-trained potter and painter who has been creating work for over a decade. Her work is inspired by the nature that surrounds her studio in Shawnigan Lake on beautiful Vancouver Island.

Her pottery is simple, yet elegant with a focus on form and function. It is influenced by life-long travel that includes living in Tanzania as a child and for a year in Australia as a young adult. She has developed an appreciation and respect for the intersection between art and craft and sees the beauty in everyday objects. 

Instead of saving things in our homes for special occasions, Heather encourages us to enjoy and use objects that have beauty and special meaning in our everyday life.

Heather is a guest at Daniel Casey’s studio in View Royal.