Nov 2022 - Fireworks, La Borne, France

To further my understanding of wood firing, and as part of preparing vessels for the first exhibition of my new cycle of work; The Fisherman and The Sea, I spent two weeks at La Borne in France with the Fireworks group. Such inspiration!

Sept 2021 - Il Palio, Vetulonia

With Covid restrictions still in place, my new little town of Vetulonia has not been able to do their ancient annual donkey race. So instead, the artists (of whom there’s a surprising number in such a small town) got together and organized an exhibition to at least give us a reason to get together (masks on) and feel festive. I was honoured to participate.

Nov 2019 to Nov 2022 - Il Baciarino

In November 2019, I married Andrea and moved to Il Baciarino, a small agriturismo with six rustic cottages on a sprawling plot of land in the hills of Maremma (Italy), overlooking the Tyrrhenian sea. It has been an inspiring canvas to work with, and so I have spent the last three years blissfully engaged in leaving my mark on each of the cottages and on the land itself.

Nov 2, 2019 - The Raucous Joy of the Raven’s Cry: Perched Together

After a year of dreaming, exploring, and creating, I’m proud to share with you the final iteration of The Raucous Joy of the Raven’s Cry - Perched Together. As described by the gallery itself, this “ambitious large-scale installation … features textiles, costume, portraiture, photography, painting, ceramics, and sculpture which come together to tell the artist’s story through the concept of the mischievous raven.” Thank you again to the Ontario Arts Council for their support. And to my wonderful raven women who were the inspiration! (I’m talking about you, Rhiannon, Theresa, and Robin!)

Aug 14, 2019 - Exhibition Assistance Grant, OAC

Thank you to the Ontario Arts Council!! I am pleased to share that I have received a grant to help with the next installation of The Raven’s Cycle which will be at the Queen Elizabeth Park Community and Cultural Centre from Nov 2, 2019 - Feb 17, 2020. This grant will allow me to be bolder with the use of space and may allow me to incorporate some kinetic work. I hope you will visit the exhibition to see what I mean!

June 14 - 16, 2019 - Eco Printing and Natural dyeing Retreat

So I’m going to start including my teaching news/reviews here. It seems remiss not to! This weekend a group of five fabulous students came to The Cedars and learned all about mordants and dyes, blankets and baths, and the beauty of expressive mark making using the rich possibilities of local plant life. We made some stunning fabrics and prints. Thanks for the hard work!!

June 3 - 14, 2019 - Workshop With Tony Clennell

I just spent an incredible two weeks with Tony Clennell, making and firing work that fits with my new artistic direction. I went in looking for a little rejuvenation and got a whole lot of inspiration. Thanks Tony!!

Starting in the early spring of 2020, I hope to be able to share some of my new body of work based on the larger forms and bolder approaches that Tony encouraged.

May 30, 2019 - Fledgling Flight

Rhiannon and I spent an intense but delightful day installing two exhibitions - Fledgling Flight: the Raucous Joy of the Raven’s Call and A Rusted Development Revisited - at the Kitchener Public Library. I tell a little more of the story here. I was especially thrilled when my cousin Adette and her husband Darren came by for the opening that night! It takes a Hammer city girl herself to recognize my work for what it is - a love song to Hamilton, Ontario.

May 5, 2019 - Marks of the Maker

Working alongside the capable Hilary Brown, I installed 11 pieces at The Albion Hotel in Guelph, ON this morning. With this show, I got to bring together my favourite work from the last couple of years! On display until June 16, come out and have a look, and take the opportunity to try their fish tacos! Worth the drive to Guelph!!

April 23, 2019 - Myths, Legends and Stories

As I’m a member of four guilds at the Art Gallery of Burlington, I had the pleasure of including four works in this year’s All Guild Show entitled Lore: Myths, Legends, and other Stories. On till May 19, 2019.

April 5, 2019 - The Summoning

My ravens have found a new perch for the next month (April 5 - May 3, 2019). Drawn by the poetry of Nikita Gill, they have nested in the front foyer windows of the Burlington Public Library. You can read more about the exhibition here and watch a little video of it.

February 1, 2019 - The Raven’s Cry

I was thrilled to have an opportunity to mount an exhibition of the work that I created in the 6 weeks I was in The Netherlands this winter. I installed seven pieces - three raven plinths, and four self portraits - in the main staircase exhibition space at the International Institute of Social Studies, Erasmus University, Den Haag. It will remain in place until I return to the Netherlands on the 22 of March!

This is the fledgling flight for my ravens. They launched themselves from the nest with fierce cries of joy and pride.

December 15, 2019 - Quest Art

Today, Alisa and I took a lovely road trip up to Midland to drop off 3 pieces for two different exhibitions at Quest Art this winter. In Memoria and Under the Raven's Wing were selected to be part of Innovations ‘19, and three plinths from A Rusted Development were included in Recrafted. Both exhibitions run from January 11th to March 30.

December 13, 2019 - Fibre Focus

Over the summer, I spent a lovely afternoon sharing my love of eco-printing with Hannah and her grandma, Elinor. Today, I found out that Elinor shared how much Hannah had enjoyed the process with Fibre Focus - the magazine produced by the Ontario Handweavers & Spinners. A blurb about the workshop was published (along with the above photo of Hannah and I) in their Notes from the Editor! Thank-you again Elinor!

September 15, 2018 - Fibre Content

What an exciting day!! All five of the plinths of Harmonic Variations were included in this exhibit, and it was amazing to see them alongside such a strong representation of the fibre arts: at the cutting edge of fibre arts, Fibre Content displayed 90 pieces from 60 artists from across Ontario.

In conjunction with the show, there were six Artists Talks and Hands on Events - I offered one on dyeing with rust and tannins and it sold out - all 20 spaces filled, and two people on the waiting list!! In the middle of the workshop, one of the participants started massively bleeding (nothing to do with the workshop, but exciting none the less). You can read more about the day here and the takedown for the exhibit here.

Fibre Content ran from September 6 – 16, 2018 in the Lee Chin Gallery of the Art Gallery of Burlington.

September 13, 2018 - Sanguine

Wayne and I met at the Living Arts Centre to see my piece (The Raucous Joy of the Raven's Call), inspired by the Inuit ceramics show he and I saw together at the Art Gallery of Burlington. The piece was selected to be part of Sanguine, the Exhibition for the 40th Anniversary of the Mississauga Potters Guild.  While we wandered, Wayne and I had fun talking about what it means to be an artist, and what getting into (or rejected from) an exhibition means or doesn’t!

Artist’s Statement: My piece The Raucous Joy of the Raven's Call is about the quickening feeling I get when an idea wings its way into my awareness.  The raven calls; it is time to play!  A flight of fancy begins. Clay, fire, fibre.  A vessel pulled from, and of, the earth; bursting forth with the fibrous bones of yesterday's harvest.  And her call is captured, held for a moment in this vessel, only to wing away again, on to new adventures.

Sanguine runs from September 11 – October 28, 2018 in the Mississauga Living Arts Centre.

August 15, 2018 - Sisterly Love at the AGB

I missed the opening of 60x60 - the Burlington Handweavers and Spinners Guild's 60th Anniversary Show, so when Sara and I were in town, I dragged her over so I could see how she gathers the storm within looked installed among the other woven work from the guild.  

60x60 runs from August 1 - September 16 in the RBC Gallery at the Art Gallery of Burlington.

Thank you to Stephanie Field for loaning me 'my storm' (as she lovingly refers to this piece which now usually hangs over her dining room table).  

June 2, 2018 - A Rusted Development in the Living Room

My solo show in the Living Room of the Central Branch of the Hamilton Public Library opened today!  Thank you to an Ontario Arts Council's Exhibition Assistance Grant, I was able to exhibit the quilts in a most spectacular (and safe) fashion!  On the back of each quilt, I even hung some framed work.  

The show runs June 1 to July 6, 2018 and can be seen from the street!!  

June 1, 2018 - Dialogue Opens at AGB

Dialogue is a joint exhibition of weaving and ceramics.  35 ceramic pieces were selected from the Art Gallery of Burlington's permanent collection and members of the the Burlington Handweavers and Spinners Guild were invited to create a woven response.  I had the pleasure of creating a response for both Gordon Hutchin's Denman Island (2002) and Johanni Carson's Whisper Road (2013).  

The show runs June 2 to August 26, 2018 and includes an elegant table setting from the collection too!  Worth checking out!

May 2, 2018 - Installation of Fate Destiny and Self Determination

I met Line Dufour this fall.  We were each exhibiting at the Art Gallery of Burlington, and so had a lovely couple of days of getting to know each other as we were feted by the gallery and prepared for our artist talks.  Line thinks big, and brings together people from across the globe, and she has been selected as this year's John Willard Fibre Artist Resident (an honour I had last year!).  So when I came across her project - Fate, Destiny, and Self Determination - An International Tapestry Project - I jumped at the opportunity to participate.  

They mounted it today in Ireland.  And what a task.  Over 700 small tapestries had to be affixed to a mesh wire.  It took hours and hours for a whole collection of people to accomplish.  This is a stark reminder that big projects require lots of work and many hands.  Thank you Line for taking this on!!

April 20, 2018 - Best Functional Award - Pottery & Honourable Mention - Fibre ARts

I was thrilled to be awarded TWO awards at the opening of Journey, the 2018 All Guilds Show at the Art Gallery of Burlington!  Read more about the thrill in my blog.

Apr 9, 2018 - Warming It Up!!

I love libraries.  I've always loved libraries.  So getting to be the first artist to display work at the Brampton Public Library is a joy.  I also love the idea of my art just being part of someone's daily life for a couple of months.  I'm drawn to public spaces (rather than galleries) for this very reason - I want people who don't yet know that they appreciate art to have a chance to come across art regularly!  

April 7, 2018 - Shenanigans in Campbellford with A Sunday Kind of Love

Kirsten and I took 60 ceramic bottles entitled A Sunday Kind of Love out on the town today as part of the exhibition [[Everyone’s asking if I’m ok / No one’s asking if I’m ok]].  There's a lovely article in Trent Hills Now about it.  The locals were incredibly gracious and supportive.  I feel very welcomed home!  

April 2, 2018 - Part of Down Sterling Road goes North!

While I was still in Italy, Shanan (my trusty accomplice) packaged up this piece and mailed it to Kirkland Lake to be part of the Museum of Northern History's exhibition Tranquility (their 11th Annual Contemporary Juried Art Exhibition) from April 6 - May 5.  Here it is, hanging in the gallery.  I remain amazed that Canada Post so gracefully and easily got it there in one piece!  

Down Sterling Road is a series of work that explores the knife’s edge between tranquility and loss.  The muted colours, the quiet compositions, the simple materials immerse the viewer in the contemplative experience I experienced making them.  As one says goodbye to attachment, and crosses the seas of solitude, one finds respite in a new landscape of meditative silence.

This particular piece - ‘Tillamook to Gualala; a love story’ - recalls my winter 2017 travels with my amazing daughter, Rhiannon.  It was a time of profound loss - I'd just separated from my life's partner of 10 years.  And yet complete peace - Rhiannon helped me fall in love with the zen of travelling light, all over again.  

March 25, 2018 - Exhibition in the Grotto, Certaldo Alta, IT

Although we had our doubts when we showed up for the install, turns out the grotto exhibited the work well!  Three months of hard work were captured by two plinths of pieces each.  It was fascinating to wander the room seeing each of our work on display.  There's such a difference between fresh out of the kiln and carefully placed on exhibit.  Thank you La Meridiana and Ken Shipley for making this happen! 

Feb 1, 2018 - Good Friends Make Things Happen!

While I'm off enjoying my residency in Italy, I've been blessed to have two friends, Alisa and Shanan, take on the task of installing my exhibition at the Gallery Turner Park.  So I received via email today this image of my work.  It's my first show of the year, and it promises to be a great year.  Thank you Alisa and Shanan!