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My Ceramics

In the studio I like to do	Handbuilding, Throwing on the Wheel
Pottery Wheel	Brent electric
Clay body	Stoneware, Porcelain
Clay Brand	Tuckers and Pottery Supply House, BMix cone 10
Kiln Type	Electric Kiln, Gas Kiln, Wood Fired Kiln
Kiln Atmosphere	Reduction Atmosphere, Oxidation Atmosphere
Temperature	cone 6 and cone 10
Glaze	Many different types – temmoku, shinos , ash glazes, celadon, white, transparent, slip glazes etc, etc – I like to experiment. I find John Britt’s books on high fire and midfire glazes very valuable.
You can buy my work from	Valley Artisans Coop in Deep River, Ontario Canada

About Me

Introduction	Eva Gallagher. I was born in Prague in the Czech Republic and we left in 1949 once the communists took over and we settled in Austria near Halein (sp?) for a couple years before leaving for Canada in 1951. My father was Austrian, born in Vienna and my mother in Czech Republic and she studied art with a major in ceramics in Prague. I was always encouraged to draw and paint and we would find wild clay and my mother would show me how to make coil pots.
What I Love about Ceramics	It is so versatile – you can do functional stuff, non functional, sculptures, jewellery, handbuild, throw or cast, you can paint like you would a painting if you wish or just plain glaze – the possibilities are endless. I am always searching for something new and hopefully can find it.
How I started with ceramics	I studied Zoology at university but never lost my interest in art. I was lucky that once I was married we ended up in Deep River, Ontario which had a very vibrant art community. The town’s recreational director ran an annual summer art school and in 1968 I signed up for a watercolour workshop which ended up being cancelled. It was suggested that instead I take the 2 week wood fired raku course that was being offered. I never looked back as I ended up joining the Deep River Ceramics Club as it was called then. Today the club is called the Deep River Potters’ Guild and as it was established in 1954 it is the oldest potters’ guild in Canada. I am self taught except for the many workshops that I have taken over the years. For the first 15 years or so I sold at craft fairs and a few craft galleries and then took a 15 year hiatus to work in industry but came back to it around 2000 and started selling my works at the Valley Artisans Coop in Deep River. I really like experimenting and enjoy taking mentorships which I have done several times – first in 2008 with Stephen Hill in the US, then in 2012 with Keith Campbell from North Bay and in 2013 with Dan Hill a soda fired potter from Wilno in Renfrew County.
What inspires me	My mother mainly liked to do figurative paintings and her heroes were Picasso and Gustav Klimt and so I have often been inspired to use figures for decoration on my pottery. Years ago I took a workshop from Tony Clennell and he mentioned how important it is to reference your work to your location and I am lucky to be surrounded by inspirations. We live in a beautiful section of Ontario with the town of Deep River being situated on the upper Ottawa River and we are close to Algonquin Park. The town has a population of just 5000 so we are surrounded by nature. I have also become interested in the prehistory of the Ottawa river as the river was a main highway for First Nations people for thousands of years. Many archaeological excavations have found stone spear and arrow heads as well as pottery shards and copper items in the area. The abandoned farm that we own in the Newfoundout, high in the hills of eastern Ontario, and where I have my wood fired kiln, is another source of inspiration, with huge stone fences, crumbling log barns, wild apple trees etc. Lastly topics that I feel strongly about – environmental or political also play a role.
What I'm working on at the moment	I am working on a piece for our annual multimedia art exhibit at our library in Deep River. I will be referencing our area’s beautiful sandy beaches, remnants of the sandy dunes left over from the Champlain Sea at the end of the last Ice Age 10,000 years ago. It is a ceramic charcuterie board with wiggle wire cutouts to mimic sand ripples at the edge of the river, and with accessories – a canoe, a picnic basket and tree stump toothpick holder.
My Artist Statement	I enjoy the decorating process, either through clay appliqué, sgrafiito, underglazes, slips, etc, often referencing my location or issues that interest me.
My CV	2012 – “Combustion and Creativity -Salt Soda and Wood” Three person show with me the wood firer, https://newfoundoutpotter.blogspot.com/2012/09 2013 – “Four Friends, Four Perspectives”, Sun dyed fabrics, fused glass, found objects/paintings and pottery (me). https://newfoundoutpotter.blogspot.com/2013/10/four-friends-four-perspectives-part-i_12.html 2016- – “Canoe Culture” – a collaborative workshop experience between Deep River Potters Guild (oldest one in Canada) and the North Bay Potters Guild (newest one in Canada) and which culminated in a joint juried exhibit. https://newfoundoutpotter.blogspot.com/2016/12/canoe-culture-series-of-collaborative_18.html 2018 – CPAWS-OV (Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society – Ottawa Valley Chapter) -Art camp on the Dumoine River and exhibit and sale in October. https://newfoundoutpotter.blogspot.com/2018/09/inspired-dumoine-river-art-camp-2018.html