An exhibition and sale of studio ceramics by West County potters Bibi Clement and Lane Borstad.

Beaverlodge Art and Culture Centre

UPDATE:
The Empty Bowl Project sold out and it was with immense gratitude to the community that I was able to present the Beaverlodge Food Bank with a check for $1,000.00. Thank you Beaverlodge and area patrons for assisting in making this a success and helping fill some of the many empty bowls in our community this holiday season.

My work in the exhibition is drawn from my recent works

The work in this exhibition is the product of a partnership between the artist, materials and process.

Bibi works with the natural elements of earth, fire and atmosphere to produce unique works that are redolent of the natural world from which they evolve.  The pots are fired over the course of many days in a traditional Japanese wood fired Anagama kiln. The extreme high temperature achieved melts the wood ash which is deposited on the pots and produces a natural glaze.  The flow of heat through the kiln is like water in a stream. The swirling flames lick and caress the pots and leaves a record of the flames passage.

Bibi often introduces salt into a second wood fired kiln when the temperature reaches about 2375 F/1300 C.   This adds a brilliant texture to the surface of the pots. The salt vaporizes instantly and forms a liquid glass that runs down the pots and creates a distinctive and unique surface.

The work in this exhibition demonstrates Bibi’s skill as a potter honed over a life time of working. The wood ash glazes resulting from her method of firing create works that reflect her love of the Eastern Japanese traditional ceramics (she studied and taught in Japan)

This exhibition showcases some of Bibi’s earlier work as well as more recent work and affords us the opportunity to see why Bibi’s work is represented in public and private collections across Western Canada.

I am fascinated with traditional forms in pottery – Classical Greek,  Medieval French, the British Arts and Crafts movement of the 19th Century and in particular the Studio Pottery renaissance led by Bernard Leach and Shoji Hamada in England in the 20th Century. Both Hamada and Leach were steeped in the traditional crafts of Korea and Japan and initiated an East/West exchange of ideas which has shaped much of artistic pottery of the world today. This interest in the East/West influences is shared with Bibi.  From her home and studio in the Peace River country she has become one of the leading exponents of the Japanese ceramic tradition in Western Canada.

I am honoured to have this opportunity to exhibit with Bibi.