Closing on July 3 is a special exhibition of finely crafted jewellery by BARBARA MULLALLY (Clayton ON) and intricately decorated porcelain pottery by MAUREEN MARCOTTE (Wakefield QC). Don’t miss these two artists who have long been dedicated to their respective studio practices, always experimenting with new techniques and materials to express their creativity.
From July 5 – August 14, we feature CHANDLER SWAIN’s figurative/functional ceramics and MEAGHAN HAUGHIAN’s mixed-media works on paper and panel.
Chandler Swain lives in Blakeney (just outside of Almonte) along the Mississippi River where water, earth, sky and animal life influence her daily. She says that, “it has been so powerful to watch spring unfold in the forest: the magic of this rebirth after a long winter is very profound when one can see the changes on a daily basis.”
Her new ceramic work takes on functionality and the figure in delightful and thought-provoking ways. She hand-builds figures and trees using porcelaneous stoneware, colouring with stains and glazes before firing them. They are animated, poignant and delightful.
She dedicates this series of work to “the folks who created and maintain the forest paths we get to walk each day – which includes the volunteers from the Almonte Fish and Game Club, Stephen Brathwaite, Greg and Marianne Smith, and the forest management team at the Mill of Kintail.”
For decades Chandler has been a huge influence on other potters and artists and an advocate for the arts in the Ottawa region – indeed, across Canada. Among many other endeavors, she has established The New Art Festival, 260 Fingers and General Fine Craft. She’s also a pottery teacher, exhibition juror, overall humanitarian and (as anyone who knows her can attest) an inspired ideas person!
Ottawa based mixed-media artist Meaghan Haughian has a youthful energy which parallels Chandler’s, so it’s very appropriate that they’re showing together at this time. Meaghan received her BFA from Mount Allison University in 2004 and has since been active at a grassroots level in the Ottawa arts scene.
Her studio work incorporates painting, photography, printmaking, collage and stitchery techniques in a 2-dimensional format. Thematically, her latest series focuses on the dualities that exist in life’s most significant relationships. In this work, figures appear and disappear from view, replaced with patterns sewn into the image surface.
She seeks to “capture the experiences and emotions that we share collectively as human beings but often experience in isolation… searching for balance and connection: interior and exterior, presence and absence, hope and despair, growth and decay.“ You can find your own connection in her work and unconventional techniques.
Join us for the opening to meet Chandler and Meaghan on Sunday July 10 from 1-3pm at 63 Mill Street in Almonte.
In conjunction with our neighbour Carriageway Studios (68 Mill Street, Almonte), General Fine Craft with be open late during the first ever Carriageway Night Market on July 7.
And from August 16 – October 2, see the work of potter LETA CORMIER and painter MARY PFAFF.
You’ll find more details on our website: www.generalfinecraft.com
Have a happy, art-filled summer!
