Galery of 8.C. Ceramics
1359 Cartwright 3 Granville island
Vancouver A, Canada

[ot4) 665-9645 VGH In?

GALLERY REPORT

The final feature for the spring in the Gallery was
recent work by Penny Birnbaum. The collection
represented a tribute to animal species such as Rac-
coons, Flying Squirrels, Mountain Goats and Moose
that were found in great abundance in British Colum-
bia at the turn of the century.

Penny has a strong sense of the importance of such
creatures in the grand scale of things, and she shows
this commitment throughout her work. For example,
on one wall Flying Squirrels were suspended in vari-
ous poses of flight, one of them appearing to Moat
across the wall on its back. There were figures of the
Raccoon, Moose and Mountain Goat mounted into a
ternple-like setting to draw to mind the spiritual
mearlng of these animals in our past and how impor-
tant they are to our future.

Penny has created these icons based on a need to
portray “Animal Gods" as an essential dimension, not
only of natural existence, but of human conscious-
ness, an essential part of what we are. Hence they
remind us of how far we have moved apart from the
influences of nature, Same of her pieces, such as the
mouse who wears a maple leaf where a fig leaf ought
to be, humorously satirize how our land's greatest re-
sources have been reduced to cartoons, mere souve-

Gany Merkel

Penny is.a graduate from Emily Carr College of art and
Design and has been working as a clay artist since
1987 when she graduated as an honours student.
She has had a three-person show in 1986 at the
Richmond Art Gallery, and several one- and two-
person shows in Vancouver and Castlegar, B.C.
Penny believes that the mythical acts of creation are
aimultancous with experience and that it is hard to be
pretentious in clay.

Thanks to all of the artists whose work has been
featured in the Gallery over the fall and winter
months, A lot of energy has been put out by everyone
and yel has been a benefit to all. The public continues
to come to the Gallery to see new and exciting work
being done by ceramic artists in British Columbia, We
are becoming known for our work in clay here.

Artists featured tn the fall tentatively include Fired-Up
from Victoria, as well as Marlene Bowman, Gordon
Hutchens and Takako Suzuki. More on this in
September. Have an inspired and creative summer,

Coralie Triance
Gallery Manager