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Sheri White,
Urn Song Pottery,
Halifax, Nova Scotia
Email: sheriwhite@eastlink.ca
Website: http://urnsongpottery.com
Artist Statement:
I am an apprenticeship trained potter who creates functional stoneware and porcelain pieces inspired by nature's designs, whether through colour, texture, or line. I strive to make my work affordable as I am happiest when I see it in another's hands
Studio Description:
I operate a private studio in Halifax, Nova Scotia. It is an 800 sq foot 100 year old home that I coveted for many years. The main level is my studio, the basement houses the glaze and kiln rooms, and the upstairs is for open studio potters.
What type of clay do you use?
I use stoneware and porcelain.
What temperature do you fire to?
I fire to Cone 6.
What is your primary forming method?
Primarily I throw.
What is your favorite surface treatment?
I enjoy relief carving the most, but do it the least.
Do you make any of your own tools?
Not really.
What one word would you use to describe your work?
Flowing
What is your favorite thing about your studio?
It is a soulful place.
What is the one thing in your studio you can’t live without?
Music
What are your top three studio wishes?
1. That it could clean itself. 2. That I could find that perfect purple glaze. 3. That I had a gas kiln so I could fire cone 10 reduction.
What’s on your current reading list?
The White Road - Edmund de Waal and Warlight, by Michael Ondaajte
How do you save money on materials and supplies?
I organize bulk order from my supplier. I make my own glazes. I recycle my clay.How do you recharge creatively?
I read about the lives of other potters or I spend more time outside. I also look at glaze recipes and think of how I could apply them to my work.
Do you have any DIY tips for studio efficiency?
Sadly, no.
What challenges have you given yourself to overcome?
I had been afraid of being juried, but last fall decided that I just had to put my work out there. Since then I have been juried into three shows.
What did you first piece look like?
It looked like a crinkled brown paper bag with a turquoise rim. I still have it. People have referred to it as god-awful. Personally, I like it.
What ceramic superpower would you have and why?
I would love to have the superpower of understanding (and remembering) the impact of every single ingredient (the weird ones too) going into glazes.
Who is your ceramic art mentor and why?
Paula MacDonald of Amicus Gallery. I was her apprentice for two years when I began as a potter.
What is your studio playlist?
Currently - Rose Cousins, Amelia Curran, Basia Bulat, The National, Dan Mangan, and Hey Rosetta
Why do you create art?
I create art to make my heart happy and to stay sane. As I make things, with others in mind, I do so with the intention of comfort and joy.
What is your best studio tip?
Take a small plastic shower soap trays and heat up the hanger and bend it. Then hang it on the side of your throwing bucket for your sponges.If you could change one property of clay, what would it be?
That it was not harmful when it became dust.
