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My Ceramics

About Me

Introduction	My name is Tine Schrijvers. I grew up in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan Canada. I completed my BFA majoring in Painting. I fell in love with ceramics in my BFA when I took one course as an elective in my 4th yr. I moved to Thunder Bay, Ontario when I was 27 and completed my Bachelor of Education for teaching secondary school Visual Arts. I taught visual art for 30 yrs and taught a ceramics portion almost every year. In 1990 I took a silversmithing jewelry course and fell in love with that as well. I divide my art creating time mainly between ceramics and jewelry. I use amethyst (locally found) driftwood and small stones I collect from my beach in my jewelry. I have also used some driftwood as accent additions in my handbuilt bowls. I also create colored pencil drawings as a change which is less physically demanding. My other interests are writing, gardening and landscaping, building utilitarian things in wood, solar and geothermal energy and cooking. I have always been interested in geology, minerals, rocks and fossils. I love travelling and learning about the different cultures in our world. Basically I love learning.
What I Love about Ceramics	I love the feel of clay and how I can work with it in different ways. Creating pieces is meditative because I lose sense of time. The same happens when I design and make jewelry pieces and draw. Clay is so versatile and the range of clays available, techniques that can be used, surface decoration and different glazes that can be made and used means that I am always inspired to learn and try new challenges. It is always interesting and thought stimulating to try something new and see how far I can go with it.
How I started with ceramics	I first discovered ceramics by taking it as a required elective course in my BFA final year in 197and fell in love with it. Within 3 wks I ordered a wheel for myself, an inexpensive Estrin which could be used as an electric wheel or a kick wheel. 2 months later I ordered a small Skutt kiln. When I started teaching high school I had no place to do my own ceramics at home but I managed to revive ceramics in basically every school I got a job in, even a part time one. When first teaching and when positions are scarce, especially in visual arts, a person often moves from school to school, full and or part time, so every year feels like a start over. After 8 yrs of that for me I finally got a full time position in Visual Art. I also became head of the art dept. and built the program to 18 courses of art and 2 other full time instructors. I ran the regular comprehensive courses as well as a fine arts crafts course which included ceramics, jewelry, copper enamelling, glass slumping and a fabric arts portion. Teaching is demanding and I had 3 children by then and my own ceramics were basically on the back burner. When I retired I began doing my own artwork again, mainly ceramics and jewelry and taking various courses as well.
What inspires me	I live right on Lake Superior in NW Ontario in Suniah, a municipality east of Thunder Bay. Shuniah municipality covers a land area of 571 square km (220.5 sq miles) which is all primarily boreal forest. There are basically no villages or towns in Shuniah. It has lots of inland lakes and many people live year round on them or on Lake Superior. I love nature. I live on a small protected bay on the lake and my view from my house is spectacular and includes the Sleeping Giant, a large peninsula that looks like a sleeping giant. There are also 2 islands in my view. The variety of colours, the birds, wildlife and the lake are ever-changing and inspire me. I love walking in trails in the bush. Where I live is meditative and calming and conducive to inspiration and creating. I think I am constantly being inspired because I tend to see things and be excited about things in the same way a young child does when they are in awe of simple things like ants scurrying and joy in doing things like jumping in puddles. My 3 children inspire me with their own artistic creations in visual art, photography, writing lyrics, composing, and playing music and love of nature. My mother was also an artist, painting and drawing.
What I'm working on at the moment	Because of a head on car accident hitting an adult deer mid-belly at 65 km/hr and related medical issues I have been able to do very little ceramics for about 2 yrs. I usually make handbuilt cups, plates and bowls mainly using the slab method. My bowls and plates are usually made using various free form shapes, some textured some not, using either the hump or slump mold techniques. A previous car accident in 2003 when I was hit by another vehicle I sustained an injury in my left arm which resulted in permanent nerve damage. It makes it difficult to wedge clay properly and to throw. I used to really love throwing and it was the main method I used until my 2003 car accident. I am slowly recuperating from my deer accident and hope to get back into my studio by January
My CV	Canada: EDUCATION: Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, University, BFA degree majoring in painting, graduated 1980. Lakehead University, B of ED, graduated 1980. University of Toronto, Honors Specialist Education Visual Arts , 1986. Curtis Summer School 0f Fine Arts, summers 1990-1991 silversmithing and stained glass. 2010 – 2021 Lakehead University various art courses for interest including Glaze Chemical Course and 2010 Historical & Contemporary Chinese Arts course and a class trip in May to China including Sanbao, and June on my own to Bali, Hong Kong and back to China. TEACHING: Secondary School Visual Art 1980 – 2010. grades 9 – 12, OAC till it was removed in 2003. Supply teaching 2010-2017 all subjects all grades. Artists in the Schools elementary classes program 2013 -2019 (not all years). Artist in Residence 2013 July-Aug Thunder Bay, BB Art Centre Introduction to Pottery program ages 4 – adult various age divided group sections and private lessons. WORKSHOPS (taken): 2021 Nov Ceramic Congress; 2021 May Ceramic Congress; 2009 – 2021. Guild workshops yearly or biyearly national and international ceramicists; NCECA 2014 & 2019; 1000 Miles Apart Conference, 2016 & 2018; Grand Marais U.S. -Northhouse Folk School 2014 – 2016 various jewelry rock cutting courses & Grand Marais Art Colony Jewelry Symposiums 2017 & 2019. SHOWS: 1980 BFA show Group: 1979 May Photgraphers’ Gallery Saskatoon, 2010 China: May: Jingdezhen Ceramic Institute April: Ningbo Museum; 2011 July 2012 March, Ontario Crafts Council Juried Show 6 cities; 2016 Sept -Oct TB Art Gallery Potter’s Guild Juried Show; Various Group Shows BB Art Centre 2010 – 2018; Atikoken, Pictograph Gallery: 2019 Feb 23 – April 6th: 2 person show, me & my middle son; Sept 21 -Nov 2nd: 3 person show, me & my oldest & middle son; BB Art Centre: 2019 Aug 2 – Aug 30th 3 person show, me & my oldest & middle son. EVENTS: Potter’s Guild Spring and Christmas Events: yearly most times in both each year 2011 – 2019; Red Rock Folk Festival: 2012 – 2018 Artisan Market; Other events 2 times: Folk Lore Festival; 1 time: Summer in the Parks, Canada Day Hymers Fair; Winter Moon, Celebrate, Horticultural Society