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!

I always keep a piece from a new body of work: I need to spend time getting to know it.  #15 “Don’t Eat The Yellow Snow: Orange and Red Slurpee” pinched porcelain vase form. Height: 8 inches. Christine Pedersen. 2015. And so #15 stayed with us, and I schemed up a delightful challenge for myself: in the name of art—and pictures for my blog—I would fill it with flowers for every opportunity I could make up for a whole year. Sweet. First up: a lovely (and very modestly priced) bouquet from the supermarket for Christmas 2015.  #15 “Don’t Eat The Yellow Snow: Orange and Red Slurpee” pinched porcelain vase form. Seasonal flowers. Christine Pedersen. 2015. I always approach a vase thinking about the overall shape, as something to contemplate in my home, because most of the time it will probably stand empty. But as I make the piece, I end up imagining flowers and how they will fill it: how the stalks reach down to the bottom and push off at an angle; how wide a...

Photographing a group of new pieces is always interesting—getting to know who they are and seeing how they fit together. I had placed 18 porcelain vases on my dining room table ready to take their pictures; after a couple of days of hanging out with them I felt like I was trying to organise the guests in a wedding party… All those colours and heights and styles—lining up, fitting in, and settling the kids down in front. And then there are all the other shots - like the small family group caught in a candid moment, the teenager poignantly standing apart from their parents. Vases have a very special place in my affections and my need to make (more on this below). Thanks to the Citizen’s of Craft web-site for helping to get the word out that “Vases are people too”. I knew I wasn’t alone :) The vases are available from the excellent Bluerock Gallery in Black Diamond, Alberta.   The Family Photo 2015 - Probably Unrepeatable. Porcelain vases, tallest is 11 inches. Christin...

South of Calgary for half an hour, then drive due west—past the Big Rock (1) and fields of rolling prairie foothills—straight towards the Rockies… It’s a lovely drive down to Black Diamond from Calgary. My first collection of work is now on show at Bluerock Gallery —so proud to be joining the talented artists and friends already there. Don’t Eat The Yellow Snow: Orange & Red Slurpee . Pinched porcelain vase. 17.5 cm/ 7” tall. Christine Pedersen. 2015. If you’re making the trip, I strongly recommend you set-off early and call into Chinook Meadery , just west of Okotoks. Loads of lovely honey-related products, honeycomb to sample, and a live hive doing actual bee-business right there in the shop. Top tip: the honey ganache is amazing on bread and cookies, or straight off your finger whilst still sitting in their car-park. We are working our way into the case of mead we brought back, haven’t drunk them all yet so we can’t elect a champion. So far: six thumbs way up! (1...