It just always seemed that I was an artist, although I sometimes wonder whether I actually had that much talent or if I was simply encouraged and supported to do this, so it never occurred to me I couldn't do it well.
During my school years, I was always known as "the artist." "This is my friend JoAnn, she's an artist." "You know her, she's the artist." I went to art school and had an identity crisis when I found myself as one of 160 people who had all seen themselves as "the artist" within their own circle of friends. All of us had to come to terms with this, and learn to accept that simply having talent was not, in itself, enough. Talent and desire need to be coupled with discipline, practice and learning, in order to become true skill and mastery. Yet my abilities are just as valuable as anyone else's, even if they're different.
After art school, I studied History in Art and earned an Honours degree at the University of Victoria. I followed that with 3 years of graduate study in Japanese art. During this time, I had close friends doing graduate work on Islamic Art, and I developed a love for many of the decorative arts of the Islamic world.
In my teens and twenties, my main artistic medium was drawing and painting. In art school, I specialized in Ceramics, primarily hand-built pottery and sculpture, and in Applied Design: textiles, weaving, jewellery and small object design. My main interest as an art historian was pottery, textiles, decorative arts and calligraphy.
After years of not doing pottery, I bought a second-hand kiln and started creating hand-built pottery. At first, working alone using an electric kiln was challenging. In art school, we had each other to bounce ideas off of, and we'd used a gas-fired kiln. The finished product is very different between the two types of kilns. It was like learning everything all over again. Over time, I developed various styles of pottery that seemed to sell well, and offered me scope for change and growth. In 1998, the real breakthrough came when I was asked to do pottery as part of an exhibit of authentic fifteenth century artisans, as part of the Leonardo exhibit at the Royal BC Museum in Victoria. I did some research and discovered that potters of Leonardo's time tended to use two main techniques in decorative pottery, maiolica (also spelled majolica or Maijolica), a brightly coloured glazed ware, which I was not technically prepared to do, or sgraffito, a method of applying a thin coat of coloured clay over a contrasting clay, then scratching through the surface to create a pattern. I opted for sgraffito, and over the years, this became my primary form. It combines pottery with drawing and surface decoration, a perfect combination for me!
I've retained all of these as forms of artistic expression. I've made pottery for many years, I sew and design clothing, including historical costuming, I've designed and built furniture and tents, and I also do set design and props for community theatre groups. For a long time, I didn't draw, but I'm getting back into that by way of "Zentangle" type doodling. I also enjoy creating graphics for advertising, and making posters.
I have a keen interest in calligraphy, mainly medieval manuscripts in Britain and Europe, and Islamic calligraphy.
Both my parents were very artistic, with a love of beauty. I learned about interior design, colour and many different skills, like sewing, embroidery, knitting and crochet, quilting, flower arranging, from my mother. My father was an engineer, who also had a love of beauty. He built furniture, did repairs and renovations around the house, installed and even created lighting fixtures. We moved a lot and redecorated every house, so I know how to paint a room or a cabinet properly. I've watched or helped in setting tile, laying carpet, installing floors, and many other handy skills. So far, I have not used power tools, but I'm adept at basic household repairs and understanding instructions. Which means that I never feel that I'm completely reliant on other people to fix things or do things for me.
I watched a show on unusual homes once, and they said something that stuck with me, that artists are not necessarily people who have exceptional or unusual talent. They're people who have confidence that they can make their dreams into reality.
During my school years, I was always known as "the artist." "This is my friend JoAnn, she's an artist." "You know her, she's the artist." I went to art school and had an identity crisis when I found myself as one of 160 people who had all seen themselves as "the artist" within their own circle of friends. All of us had to come to terms with this, and learn to accept that simply having talent was not, in itself, enough. Talent and desire need to be coupled with discipline, practice and learning, in order to become true skill and mastery. Yet my abilities are just as valuable as anyone else's, even if they're different.
After art school, I studied History in Art and earned an Honours degree at the University of Victoria. I followed that with 3 years of graduate study in Japanese art. During this time, I had close friends doing graduate work on Islamic Art, and I developed a love for many of the decorative arts of the Islamic world.
In my teens and twenties, my main artistic medium was drawing and painting. In art school, I specialized in Ceramics, primarily hand-built pottery and sculpture, and in Applied Design: textiles, weaving, jewellery and small object design. My main interest as an art historian was pottery, textiles, decorative arts and calligraphy.
After years of not doing pottery, I bought a second-hand kiln and started creating hand-built pottery. At first, working alone using an electric kiln was challenging. In art school, we had each other to bounce ideas off of, and we'd used a gas-fired kiln. The finished product is very different between the two types of kilns. It was like learning everything all over again. Over time, I developed various styles of pottery that seemed to sell well, and offered me scope for change and growth. In 1998, the real breakthrough came when I was asked to do pottery as part of an exhibit of authentic fifteenth century artisans, as part of the Leonardo exhibit at the Royal BC Museum in Victoria. I did some research and discovered that potters of Leonardo's time tended to use two main techniques in decorative pottery, maiolica (also spelled majolica or Maijolica), a brightly coloured glazed ware, which I was not technically prepared to do, or sgraffito, a method of applying a thin coat of coloured clay over a contrasting clay, then scratching through the surface to create a pattern. I opted for sgraffito, and over the years, this became my primary form. It combines pottery with drawing and surface decoration, a perfect combination for me!
I've retained all of these as forms of artistic expression. I've made pottery for many years, I sew and design clothing, including historical costuming, I've designed and built furniture and tents, and I also do set design and props for community theatre groups. For a long time, I didn't draw, but I'm getting back into that by way of "Zentangle" type doodling. I also enjoy creating graphics for advertising, and making posters.
I have a keen interest in calligraphy, mainly medieval manuscripts in Britain and Europe, and Islamic calligraphy.
Both my parents were very artistic, with a love of beauty. I learned about interior design, colour and many different skills, like sewing, embroidery, knitting and crochet, quilting, flower arranging, from my mother. My father was an engineer, who also had a love of beauty. He built furniture, did repairs and renovations around the house, installed and even created lighting fixtures. We moved a lot and redecorated every house, so I know how to paint a room or a cabinet properly. I've watched or helped in setting tile, laying carpet, installing floors, and many other handy skills. So far, I have not used power tools, but I'm adept at basic household repairs and understanding instructions. Which means that I never feel that I'm completely reliant on other people to fix things or do things for me.
I watched a show on unusual homes once, and they said something that stuck with me, that artists are not necessarily people who have exceptional or unusual talent. They're people who have confidence that they can make their dreams into reality.