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Typewriter Keys & Caribou Teeth By Shannon Merritt

Shannon Merritt was the Gallery of BC
Ceramics featured artist for February 2011, She
writes about her experience here.

1 felt like a regular city slicker packing up my
pots for a show in Vancouver's Granville Island
Gallery of BC Ceramics this past February. It
was my first show outside of Nelson's lovely
artful nest and a great experience sharing my
pottery with Vancouver.

I didn’t get juried into the gallery shop last
year, but mine are among the many mugs and
tiles that line the walls of the shop. And after
sending in my form for the featured artist
draw (through snail mail, no less) I received
a call from Sharon, the gallery manager,
inviting me to show off my work for a month
beginning Feb. 15.

Sharon helped me to prepare for my
exhibition by suggesting 24 pieces for the
limited space she had to work with. She
encouraged me to put together pieces that
showed a relationship to each other and that
best communicated my individual style—
pretty easy instructions to follow, given that
I really only use one glaze and spend most

Flask and shot glass, by Shannon Merritt.

of my time in the studio pressing the likes
of typewriter keys and caribou teeth into my
pots.

I made pots I thought would best match
the mood of the month. For me, February
is the last of the lonely winter months, so I
wanted to show dishes meant for intimate
celebrations and pots that decorate individual

rituals. A flask and wee shot cups for toasting

Discovery
Art_Travel
201 1 CERAMICS*EXGURSIONS

Crete
Sept. 19-Oct. 4

Morocco
Oct. 13-Nov. 3

dear friends. Pouring maple syrup in your
morning coffee from a long spouted ewer that
reads “MY VERY FAVOURITE”.

And the pots I sent were really well received!
A few friends made their way out to the gallery
and remarked on the fantastic display created
by the gallery staff. Better yet, I made some
sales and dipped my toe into a new market.
Living in Nelson, as many of you know, can
sometimes feel like living in a bubble. It’s such
a great experience to reach out and enjoy a
moment in the city sunshine.

This is still new to me, having graduated
from the Kootenay School of the Arts clay
program just two short years ago, so forgive
the simplicity of my ideas, but it’s so easy
when youre working alone in your studio
to forget that what youre doing is fresh and
new to everyone who isn‘ you! And bear with
me here, cause this is going to sound like
crazy talk, but a number of those people are
pretty stoked that you're making things that
speak to them; things that belong in their

environment.

Continued on Page 6, Cozy

adult ceramic programs
summer 2011

red isfer now /

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Potters Guild of BC Newsletter - June / July 2011