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My Ceramics

In the studio I like to do	Handbuilding, Throwing on the Wheel, Sculpting, Everything to do with Ceramics
Pottery Wheel	Brent, Pacifica and Shimpo
Clay body	Stoneware, Porcelain
Clay Brand	P-300, Bmix cone 5
Kiln Type	Electric Kiln
Kiln Atmosphere	Oxidation Atmosphere
Temperature	2167
Glaze	We make our own glazes using a celedon type green, clear and white. Neil uses a terra sigilatta applied with an air brush and I use underglazes and underglaze transfers as well as some handpainting and mishima process for fine lines.
You can buy my work from	http://www.islandclayworks.com

About Me

Introduction	Anita and Neil are a husband and wife pottery team based out of Gold River, B.C. Canada.. We work in our studio together but on separate work, the studio/ gallery is called Island Clayworks. We work in mid range stoneware and porcelain. Neil’s work is mainly Sgraffito design in salmon and wildlife images. Anita works with underglazes, transfers and sgraffito, mishima and handpainted designs. More of our story and inspiration can be read at http://www.islandclayworks.com Anita also has an Etsy page at http://www.etsy.com/shop/anitalawrencepottery
What I Love about Ceramics	Ceramics is such a tactile and contemplative medium. It is very easy to get lost in a day creating from slippery clay or building with leather hard clay slabs. Ceramics offers an infinite world of possibilities and it never ceases to amaze me how we can have such diversity in this medium amongst potters and ceramic artists.
How I started with ceramics	I first began in clay when I was in high school, the only student with one wheel in the corner of a noisy hydro room. But I was hooked, and decided to go to art school to learn more and that is where Neil and I met. The visual arts program offered in our diploma was enough to get us started with technique and form. Many years later, a few moves and career shifts we own and operate our own studio and gallery and have been monstly self tought.
What inspires me	We both love nature and wildlife, this is very prominent in Neil’s work. He documents with photography, another medium he is very gifted with. These photo’s help him with close ups of feathers, water, leaves, species and placement. My works revolves around color contrast, design and various finishing techniques for oxidation. I am inspired by design and ultimately the use of a piece. My finishing is always a process of layering, scratching the surface, color inlay and transfers.
What I'm working on at the moment	Neil is working on a series of pots that are going to three fishing resorts for the summer of 2021. His work fits in well with what they are promoting and its nice to work on large commission. I am concentrating of social media and sales. My pottery work currently is porcelain with color and transfers in functional stoneware.
My Artist Statement	Neil and Anita Lawrence have been collectively making pottery for over 25 years. They have made Gold River their home on Vancouver Island and produce functional and decorative wares from their studio at Island Clayworks. Neil works primarily with Terra Sigillata’s and engobes to create a canvas that he can carve imagery into. These images have been strongly influenced by the beauty of the islands’ rugged coastlines and the majestic wildlife as well as the history and art of the first nations. Neil considers each ceramic piece as a time capsule in a sense, capturing a glimpse of this period of time he has been on the island and perhaps in a historical sense, documenting the landscape and wildlife of this area. Anita’s work reflects the flora and fauna of the area as well as more abstract designs interpreted from nature. She completed her BFA in Fine Arts from Emily Carr University and sees her pottery taking a turn from purely functional to more conceptual, relating to topics of environment and sustainability. Functional ware is still a pleasure for her to create and her throwing focuses mainly on platters, bowls, mugs, cups and vases.
My CV	Anita Lawrence CV http://www.islandclayworks.com Box 365 instagram – islandclayworks Gold River, B.C. anitalawrence2263@gmail.com V0P 1G0 Education 2016 BFA – General Fine Arts, Emily Carr University, Vancouver, B.C. 1993 Undergraduate studies, University of Victoria, Victoria, B.C. 1992 Undergraduate studies, Kwantlen College, Surrey, B.C. 1990 -91 Design, drafting and rendering studies, Kwantlen College, Richmond, B.C. 1987- 89 Associates of Arts in Visual Arts Diploma, Camosun College, Victoria, B.C. Teaching Appointments 2013/14 School District 84, Guest Artist, secondary 2011 Arts Week clay instructor, Gold River, B.C, 2004 -2011 Pottery Instructor, Private lessons, Gold River, B.C. 2000 -2002 Pottery Instructor, Private lessons, Nanaimo, B.C. 1996 – 99 City of Nanaimo, Parks and Recreation adult pottery instructor and afterschool Visual Arts programming, Nanaimo, B.C. 1995 Nanaimo Christian School, grade 8 art teacher, Nanaimo, B.C. Solo Exhibitions 2020 2021 Island Clayworks, Gold River, B.C. 2004 2020 Clayworks Café and Gallery, Gold River, B.C. 1996 2002 Clayworks Gallery, Nanaimo, B.C. 1988 Herald Street Café, The Figure: Stuffed, Screened and Painted, Victoria, B.C. 1988 1989 Camosun College, Individual Works, Public Gallery, Victoria, B.C, Group Exhibitions 2016 ECUAD Grad Show – Emily Carr, Vancouver, B.C. 2016 ECUAD Grad Show – CVAG, Courtenay, B.C, 2015 Comox Valley Potters Club, Art of the Fire Show, Campbell River, B.C. 2014 Mid Island Potters, From the Fire, Parksville, B.C. 2011 Mid Island Potters, From the Fire, Parksville, B.C. 2000 Christ Community Church, Art From The Heart, Nanaimo, B.C. 1996 2002 Nanaimo Pottery Co Op Group Show, Beban Park, Nanaimo, B.C. 1989 Open Space Gallery, Grad Show, Victoria, B.C. Anita Lawrence 2 Collections 2010 – 2020 Steven Ogden, Vancouver, B.C. 1996 – 2021 Private Individuals in Vancouver, Vancouver Island, Saskatchewan, Ontario, Montreal Belgium, Netherlands, Australia, Denmark, Germany, Japan Collaborative Projects 2011 Arts Week, School District 84, Tile Wall Mural 1996 – 1999 Tozan Society, Kiln Firing, Nanaimo, B.C. 1996 – 2002 Pottery workshops, Nanaimo, B.C. Professional Experience 2005 – 2007 Hudson’s Bay Company, consignee in Table Ware Dept., Victoria and Nanaimo stores 1997 Artist on Board the Discovery Coast Connector, BC Ferries 1996 – 2014 Pottery Retail Shows, Pottery Sales, Retail Wholesale Shows, Clay Workshops, Vancouver, Vancouver Island, Edmonton Publications Lawrence, Anita “Artists of Nootka Sound”, Nootka Sounder, Courtenay, B.C. P.19, Current Summer Editions since 2005 Theisen, Cherie, “Old Growth Glory”, Westworld Magazine, Spring Issue April 2013 pg.28-29 BC Home and Garden, photo Clayworks Pottery, spring 2013, Pg.32 Brett, Mark “Crafty” Nanaimo Daily News, Nanaimo, B.C. B10, April 23, 1998