POTTERS
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of BRITISH

COLUMBIA
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Industrial materials,
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industrial yet vulnerable. Earlier work was
left white and unglazed in order to emphasize
form, but recent work makes use of both
sugary, pastel glazes and coloured clay. York
often presents her work on the wall in boxes
and circular “peeps” as a means to reference
painting, an enduring interest of hers. She
works with aspects of perception, challenging
concepts of “normal” by introducing elements
that handicap sight. Viewers are forced to
struggle slightly and to question what exactly
they are seeing. She fronts her containers with
plastic lenses that distort what lies behind;
the appearance of the interiors change as the
viewer moves across them. The theatricality
of this presentation engages the body of the
viewer, encouraging interaction and personal
engagement.

Her most recent work, reflectionnoitcelfer,
exhibited at the Pentimenti Gallery in
Philadelphia in 2010, represents a new
and exciting direction for the artist. Rather
than encasing or submerging her forms, she
incorporates them into tableaus reminiscent
of seventeenth-century Dutch still life vanitas
paintings. The individual works incorporate
domestic forms resembling bowls, salt
cellars and table sculptures arranged on
staggered wooden platforms. Curved sheets
of stainless steel back these seemingly
simple arrangements, confounding vision
and perception. The objects are imperfectly
reflected in the steel’s mirror-like surface,
creating dynamic and complex assemblages
that speak compellingly to the passage of
time, materiality and the body.

Julie York’s work with a range of materials
expands the ceramics dialogue. Her lecture
on Oct. 13 will discuss the trajectory of her
artistic career and her ongoing efforts to
marry concept with process and form.

York grew up in the Vancouver area,
beginning her studies with David Lloyd at
Kwantlen College and graduating from Emily
Carr Institute. She received her MFA from New
York State College of Ceramics at Alfred and
subsequently held fellowships and residencies
at the Clay Studio in Philadelphia and at
the International Ceramic Research Centre,
Guldagergaard, in Skaelskor, Denmark. Her
work has appeared in numerous solo and
group exhibitions across the United States.
In 2007, she was awarded the prestigious Pew
Fellowship in the Arts, which enabled her to
focus intensively on new studio work.

Julie York’s latest work may be viewed on

View, 2006, porcelain, glass, plastic, H13cm x W28em x D10cm.

the Pentimenti Gallery website at www.
pentimenti.com, and an excellent short video
produced. by the Pew Foundation is available
online at www.pcah.us/fellowships/artist-
profile/grantees-2007-julie-york.

The North-West Ceramics Foundation is

Robin’s Final
Workshop in Victoria!

associated with the Potters Guild of BC but is
an independent non-profit entity dedicated to
fostering public education in the ceramic arts
in Western Canada, Since May 2000, it has
sponsored numerous lectures by distinguished
visiting artist, critics, historians and others
engaged in the broader field of ceramics.

Potters Guild of BC Newsletter - September 2010

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