Mary FOX

Beauty of Form Enhanced

What a wonderful theme to work to! Beauty is a wondrous and mysterious presence, one that can fill you with surges of joy and delight. Beauty is everywhere in the act of creation and it is humbling to be embraced by it. The fluency that comes from a deep knowing and connection to one’s work is, at times, awesome in its power to bring forth a vessel’s radiance.

One of my favorite stages in the creation process is when the pots are leather hard. Sumptuous and beautiful like the naked body they are full of life with a sheen and glow to them that is profound in its simplicity. But once a piece is bisque-fired, it seems to lose that feeling for me. Somewhat like a shell that has been deserted by its occupant, it waits for the next soul to enter and bring forth its latent vitality.

This is always the biggest of challenges, how to restore the life and enhance the beauty of the naked pot. Over the years I have focused on creating beautiful forms with simple lines and subtle forms of glazing them. One aspect of this exhibit is to show how a range of forms I have created can vary dramatically with the use of different glaze treatments. There are the earthlike tones of the lithium compound that I have been working with since the 1980s, contrasted with the colourful crawl glazes that I started developing in the mid-1990s. It is a source of wonderment to me how much the final finishes on a piece influence the feel or vibe of it. Enhancing these forms has been a pleasure for me. I hope that you will find them inspiring and pleasing to contemplate.

Born 1959, Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada. Self-taught ceramic artist. Introduced to ceramics at age 13 in Victoria, British Columbia and knew very quickly this would be her life’s work and pleasure. Has worked solely as a potter since 1979, creating both functional and purely decorative works. Studio and residence in Ladysmith, BC. 

Selected Recent Exhibitions:

  • 2008    
    • “Fox & Norgate” Wallace Galleries, Calgary, Alberta, April 19- May 1
    • “Contemporary Craft in BC: Excellence within Diversity” presented by the Crafts Association of BC & Vancouver Museum, February 7-April 6, 2008
  • 2007
    • “Elemental Connections”, An Exhibition of Sustainable Craft, Curator: Arlene Gehring, Ontario Crafts Council, Toronto, Ontario, Group show, September 27 to November 12, 2007.
    • “The Art of Splash”, Annual exhibition by Art's Umbrella, Vancouver, BC
    • “Surfaces”, Jonathon Bancroft-Snell Interiors, London, Ontario, 3 person show,
      March 8-29, 2007
  • 2006
    • “In the Palm of a Hand: BC to Tajimi Japan Touring Exhibition” Gallery of BC Ceramics, Vancouver, BC, October 19 –November 13th.
    • “Matter of Clay II - Repeats and Occasional Pots”, Jonathon Bancroft-Snell Interiors, London, Ontario, Group show, August 2-August 31st.
    • “New Growth-Synthesizing Clay”, 40th Annual NCECA Conference, Portland, Oregon, USA, Fired Up Group show, March8-March11
    • “Objectoronto, An Exposition of Craft+Art+Design, Harbinger Gallery, Gladstone Hotel, Toronto, Ontario, April28 –April30th.
    • “February Gallery Invitational Exhibition” Gallery of BC Ceramics, Vancouver, BC, Group show, February 2-27
  • 2005
    • “Beauty of Form Enhanced”, Gallery of BC Ceramics, Granville Island, Vancouver, BC, solo exhibition, August 4- August 29, 2005
    • “Circle Craft Scholarships”, presenting the works of Circle Craft Scholarship recipients, Pendulum Gallery, Vancouver BC, August 21- September 10, 2005
    • “Creation in the Palm, BC–Tajimi Exchange Exhibition”, Japan, August 13 – September 26, 2005. Juried works by BC Potters will be exhibited alongside works by Tajimi Potters in the Tajimi Creative Plaza. There will be a return exhibition in Vancouver, 2006
    • “TransFormation”, Celebrating the Potters Guild of BC at 50.  A contemporary selection of diverse and significant works by select BC ceramic artists, Burnaby Art Gallery, Burnaby, BC, August 9- September 10
  •  2004
    • “Fine Ceramics”, Vancouver Art Gallery Rental & Sales Showroom, Vancouver 
    • “Invitational Exhibition of Contemporary West Coast Ceramics”, ArtSpring, Salt Spring Island, BC
    • “Circle Craft – SPIN”, Pendulum Gallery, Vancouver, BC
  • 2003
    • “The Shape Between Continuity and Innovation”, Museo Internazionale delle Ceramiche, Faenza, Italy. June 6 – Dec. 31. 
    • “On The Edge”, Peninsula Gallery, Sidney, British Columbia 
    • “Genius Loci”, Canadian Clay & Glass Gallery, Waterloo, Ontario. May 24 – August. 31
    • “We Are Circle Craft! Celebrating Our First 30 Years”, Pendulum Gallery, Vancouver, British Columbia. July 1 – August 30
    • “Spring Show”, Wallace Galleries, Calgary, Alberta.            
  • 2002
    • “2002 Sidney Myer Fund International Ceramics Award”, Shepparton Art
      Gallery, Shepparton, Australia. March 2 – April 28
    • “New Works”, Wallace Galleries, Calgary, Alberta 
    • “Empty Bowl Project”, Canadian Craft Museum, Vancouver, BC
  • 2001
    • “White Exhibition”, Portfolio Gallery, Vancouver, British Columbia
  • 2000
    • “ARTS2000”, Gallery Stratford, Stratford, Ontario. National exhibition celebrating Canadian creativity in the visual arts, crafts, architecture and design. Produced by the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts. May 29 – September 4
    • “Treasured Vessels”, Portfolio Gallery, Vancouver, BC  (solo)
    • “Expressions From The West”, Gallery Six One One, Toronto, Ontario
  • 1998
    • “Made By Hand – Silver Edition”, Canadian Craft Museum, Vancouver, concurrent exhibitions in Vancouver and Victoria, BC. June 12 – September 13
    • “Clay 98 – Our Finest Work”, Community Arts Council of Vancouver, Vancouver, BC
  • 1997
    • “APEC Ikebana Exhibit”, Vancouver Trade and Convention Centre, followed
      by related exhibitions, Vancouver, British Columbia
    • “Fine Form”, with accompanying video, Gallery of British Columbia
      Ceramics, Vancouver, British Columbia (solo)
  • 1996
    • “Classic Vessels and Adornments”, with Marianne Brown, Circle Craft Gallery, Vancouver, British Columbia.
  • 1994 - 1990
    • “Disabled with severe medical condition and unable to work.”
  • 1989
    • “Exhibit, The Gallery Shop, Art Gallery of Greater Victoria, with Maggie Tchir and the Orceas Basket Weavers, mixed media artists, Victoria, BC. 
    • “9th Annual Northwest International Art Competition Exhibit”,
      Bellingham, Washington, USA.
  • 1988
    • “Raku”, Gallery of British Columbia Ceramics, with Gordon Reisig 
      and Robin Righton, Vancouver, British Columbia.
    • “Exhibit” Circle Craft Gallery, with Jan MacLeod, Vancouver, BC
    • “Exhibit” Crafthouse Gallery, Vancouver, British Columbia.
    • “Exhibit” Market House Gallery, Annapolis, Nova Scotia
  • 1986
    • “Vault of Dreams”, with Miles Lowry, Out of Hand Gallery, Victoria, British Columbia.

Selected Public Collections, Publications, Professional Activities:

  • 2005      
    • “Treasures of British Columbia”, Morgan & Chase Publishing Inc. By invitation to participate - interview and photographs, due for publication in the fall.
    • “Canadian Studio Ceramics 1920-2005”, by Gail Crawford
    • “Craft Perception and Practice, Volume 2”, edited by Paula Gustafson, cover photograph   
    • “Making Marks: Discovering The Ceramic Surface”, by Robin Hopper
  • 2003      
    • “For this potter, form is Number One”, by Robert Amos, originally published in the Times Colonist, Victoria, BC, June 26, 2003, can be found, with additional images at: http://www.artistsincanada.com/php/article.php?id=339         
    • Collection of Museo Internazionale delle Ceramiche, Faenza, Italy
    • Collection of Ultima Ventures Corporation, Calgary, Alberta
  • 2002     
    • “Artichoke: Special Edition Number 2”, cover photograph and Portfolio.
  • 2002 - 1997 
    • Core member of  "Fired Up!" group of ceramic artists, Metchosin, BC
  • 2001     
    • “The Ceramic Spectrum”, 2nd Edition, by Robin Hopper    
  • 1998     
    • “Made of Clay: Ceramics of British Columbia”, Potters Guild of British Columbia, Compiled and Produced by Linda Doherty  
    •  Circle Craft Co-operative Study Scholarship          
  • 1989 - 1988 
    • Board of Directors, Circle Craft Co-operative, Vancouver, BC
  • 1988      
    • Banff School of Fine Arts, Summer Program, Banff, Alberta
    • Collection of Praxis Design Company, Vancouver, BC
  • 1987      
    • Crafts Association of British Columbia Cameron Rogers Scholarship
       

ARTIST STATEMENT
Where do you get your inspiration?  How many times have I been asked this question over the years? Too many to count, and I think that I would give a different answer each time, depending on where I was in my evolution as a potter. When I was younger, this question would send me into a whirl as I groped in my cluttered mind for an appropriate answer. At first all I could say was that I really loved form and I thought that most of my inspiration came from the classical period. Ancient work intrigued me. Who was the potter? What clues did they leave behind in their work for me to study? How had time affected the surface of the vessel? What were the vessel’s weak points?  I thought there would be nothing more engrossing then going to ancient Greece to study the work of potters who had gone before me. That was when I was a baby potter, age 14…

Now I’m a mid-career potter with many years of creative exploration behind me. Questions about inspiration no longer throw me into inner turmoil, as inspiration itself is no longer a mystery to me.

Just about everything inspires me, but ultimately the act of creating itself is the biggest inspiration. I work all the time, and I find that more work inspires more work. Each piece interconnects with previous ones, and they all have in common a pursuit of beauty and simplicity. The more I immerse myself in the world of beauty and creation, the more I want to create; it has become an insatiable desire.

Occasionally my customers will share with me their experiences of living with my decorative pieces or functional work. This is always touching to me, as I put a lot of myself into each piece. To hear how the beauty of the work affects people is somehow awesome.

One of the favorite comments about my functional work came from a child who noticed a small porcelain bowl in the studio. “Look mommy,” she cried, “It’s just like the bowl we all fight over!” How happy I felt to know how much they all loved their bowl and how prized it was. I like to imagine that starting their day eating cereal from a bowl I made brought an element of beauty to their morning routine and so set the tone for the day. Inspiring.