metal is clay

Raw porcelain vases , drying. Or, as I like to think of them: well organized dirt.  I love seeing clay work at the raw stage… There’s an intensity in seeing all the forms together, and because I tend to make a variety of shapes and sizes, it feels like a crowd - like a group shot of people: they are individuals, somehow uniform, and different.  Freshly pinched porcelain vases: bases levelled, signed, and slowly drying ahead of their first trip through the kiln. 3.5 - 8.5 inches tall. Christine Pedersen. 2016. Lining the pieces up for a picture has a habit of making one of them stand out - like seeing a group photo where you only know one of the people. I’m not entirely sure how consciously that happens, but it definitely adds to the fascination of taking the pictures, and it’s part of getting to know the characters before I have to say goodbye. Th is group of vases are small and medium sized, and will hopefully be joining their friends at Bluerock Gallery in April ...

For Valentine’s… #15 looking, dare I say, hot! P ulsing with colour and promise. You can find a wide selection of my vases - from the petite and curvaceous , to the tall, brooding, and handsome at Bluerock Gallery , Black Diamond, Alberta, Canada. B l uerock will ship, or there is a lovely florist nearby if you're local. "#15: Be Mine" pinched porcelain vase, with “Don’t Eat The Yellow Snow: Orange and Red Slurpee” glazes. 21 cm tall. Christine Pedersen. 2015. #canadianceramics #spreadtheword L oving these tulips. The hashtags I am adding #canadianceramics #spreadtheword come from a new Canadian Ceramics web-site ma k eanddo - the site is building a directory of Canadian clay artists, offers guest artist features, and the work of a core group of fabulous Canadian contemporary clay artists. Pop over and see!

Artists write stories about their work all the time, and the greatest joy is when that story becomes important to another person.  This project was about creating a piece of fan-art for a client (DP) based on their love of JK Rowling’s Harry Potter stories. DP approached Jeff de Boer because he needed to commission a very special golden snitch sculpture: the body would become an opening engagement ring-box. DP had a very special proposal in mind, and the snitch was to play a key part. Jeff and I do not usually make snitches. Jeff is a renowned metal artist and teacher, famous for creating armour for cats and mice , and collected world-wide. Jeff also has an ever-increasing body of large-scale public art projects (…with lots of news to come in 2016!). His web-site is a magical place, full of stories made real. I am an emerging metal and clay artist whom Jeff is mentoring - particularly in the skills of chasing and repoussé - and these skills were to be at the core of makin...