The Potters Market

Carol Ann Michaelson's Must-have Bowl

     This weekend was the annual Potters Market held at Goldie Mill in Guelph.  Last year was my first year of attending and both years I have been impressed with the quality and diversity of work exhibited.  I grew up with pottery as my late mother was a studio potter in Burlington.  Although I had easy access to clay, a potter's wheel and kilns, I was never that interested, but have always had an appreciation for it.  To this day, I drink my tea out of a mug that my mother made some 35 years ago!

     Last year, I only bought one piece, a small lavender-coloured bowl by a Burlington potter (!) named Dale Mark.  It has a very simple but elegant shape and a gorgeous, pale colour that is uncommon.  This year, I spent more time at the market and even though I wanted to see all of the work before I made a decision about what to purchase, I had to have the above bowl as soon as I saw it.  It is quite shallow and very reminiscent of Asian pottery.  The artist, Carol Ann Michaelson, has a studio in Glen Williams and was a very interesting person to talk to.  She used to do more mass-produced work, but now does more one-of-kind pieces that have been influenced by time she has spent in Japan.

     Another piece I bought was from Jay Burn Pottery out of Stratford.  It is also a shallow bowl (hmm, is there a trend there?) that has a high temperature-fired, crystalline-looking glaze.  It has greens and pale oranges in it and begs to be touched.
     Lastly, I bought a small bowl from the local potter, Goldie Sherman, someone who has been a fixture of the local arts scene for as long as I can remember.  It has purples and turquoises and an Islamic-like pattern and was inspired by a Sufi poet.