The Pottery

How did I get here?

I have always loved art, and started working with ink on paper way back in the 1980’s.  It helped me work through the bust up of a marriage, raising kids, and proved to be a great emotional/spiritual outlet.  It also led to shows at galleries in Toronto, York University, and Northumberland County.  In the late 1990’s I discovered clay in a very round-about way — through meditation. 

My meditation teacher at the time (at the Dharma Centre of Canada) suggested I make 100 vases, and even though he didn’t specifically say I make them out of clay, I stumbled upon a pottery teacher — and I was hooked from the first lesson!  The 100 vases turned into 100 mugs, and then the exercise went onto 100 bowls, 100 plates, 100 teapots, and so on.  I think I’ve probably made about 5000 teapots by now!  Functional work in clay surpassed my work on paper for a while, but I continued to make paintings, especially when there was something I needed to work out. 

All of my work is ‘one of a kind’ in its true sense, and reflects all of the phases I’ve been through — in clay, on paper, and in life.  

A history of my work and some of my favorite pieces can be seen in the Gallery on this site, and I will be adding a page for my work on paper in the near future. 

The Studio itself is now in my basement.  It has been through many configurations but now that I am not teaching, it is just set up for my use.  I have no one else to blame when I can’t find tools!  My space for working on paper has been greatly improved, and right now it’s just a joy be working in natural light and leaving messes everywhere. 

Susan McDonald