Oh I’m just brimming with excitement, it’s going to be such a beautiful month here at musing with all of these amazing artists I’m going to share with you over the upcoming weeks. Thanks so much to everyone that’s sent in images and info so far, I couldn’t do it without you. There are still a few spots open so keep those entries coming!
To start it all off is the incredibly talented Rachelle Chinnery:
In her words:
I started out in Linguistics, went to Japan to teach for a year, gave up on Linguistics and stayed in Japan for four years. That was the beginning of the training with reluctant Japanese men and the end of my future career as an academic. I came back to Canada, went to Sheridan for a year, then Emily Carr for a year, and realized art school wasn’t really for me either. It’s been a bit of a solo road in the studio since 1995.
Three years ago my husband and I moved to Hornby Island in BC, and just this month my studio is nearing the end of completion. I have been making pots in a trailer for 3 years. Nobody deserves a new studio like I deserve a new studio.
For the past ten years or so I’ve been focusing on a line of carved porcelain. I use a mid-fire body that is translucent where thin, and it rings just like a high-fire porcelain body. In 2007 my work was selected for the British Columbia Achievement Award for Creativity. I was the first ceramist to be a recipient of the award. This bottle and cups set was accepted into the Croatian Post-Modern Ceramics Exhibition in Varazdin in 2009. A lidded jar of mine made it to the finals in the NICHE awards in 2009, and this year this same bottle and cup set also made it to the NICHE finalists list. I was unable to fly to Philadelphia in 2009, so I wasn’t able to attend the awards ceremony – you have to be there to win anything. But this year – I’m going for gold…. (local Olympic rhetoric creeping in there ).
I hope to develop a new body of work in my shiny new studio and return to making larger sculptural pieces – too challenging to make in the trailer.
rachellechinnery.blogspot.com
www.rachellechinnery.ca
When I think of the idylic life of the west coast potter the words "trailer" and "studio" seldom share the same sentence!!! Great work Rachelle. so good to see you being so succesful on the international stage.
This is a great set. I like natural curves and especially how the feet hold the glaze. I wish I could hold them and feel the weight of the cups since practicality is part of your emphasis. The photo taken is nice with the reflection however I think showing off the transparency would be nice. Great work, and good luck to your next body of work!!