About the Artist and her techniques
Studio:
Workshops
History
Linda Wright, originally from Edinburgh, Scotland, has been a potter for almost 25 years. Since graduating from Sheridan School of Craft and Design, Ontario, in 1985, she has been committed to creating functional pottery that inspires and delights her customers.
Her first studio was in the basement of her home in Hamilton, Ontario.
Things took an 'interesting' turn when twin daughters, Bronwyn and Morgan,
were born in 1988. In the summer of 1990, the whole family moved to Muskoka,
built a home and studio/showroom. At that time, Northshore Pottery was
created, and was involved to a large degree, in the Muskoka artist community.
Linda enjoyed producing pottery for the local cottagers in the area, craft
shows and many stores in and around Muskoka for over 17 years. She also
spent a large part of her time teaching pottery to both beginners and
the more advanced students. Teaching has always been a strong element
in Linda's career as a potter; she loves to experience the excitement
her students find in exploring clay.
Now, here on Cape Breton Island, Linda is once again recreating herself
and her work.
With the amazing talent and hard work of her partner Terry Henderson,
the barn that used to house the goats and horses, is now a beautiful,
light filled studio. New glazes are being explored and there is great
excitement when it is time to open the kiln.
Process
Throwing on the wheel has always been my main passion. I love the sensual
nature of clay. There is such a deep sense of satisfaction within me when
I prepare balls of clay and head to the wheel - it still has a magical
quality for me. I use porcelain clay, mainly because I love the whiteness
in the fired state, and the light quality when glazed. I tend to work
in series, and in a rhythm that allows me to throw enough to fill a bisque
kiln, which can usually yield 2 glaze kilns.
I'll vary the forms and items, but usually work in terms of how many of
a certain item fits on a ware board! For example, I can get 12 mugs on
a ware board and I most often make 3-5 ware boards worth of mugs at a
time. Throwing enough work in a day to allow for
the drying process is often the challenge. I like being able to trim the
work while it is still quite soft and easily trimmed. Also, adding handles
is more successful when the work is still a bit on the soft side. For
the past couple of years I've been doing most of the decoration while
the piece is still soft. Using stamps for example, or at the leather hard
stage, when I'm carving the design into the piece. My inspiration is wide
and varied…. simple symbols are often used. I am drawn to pattern
making and have been influenced over the years by many other potter's
work, and also historic pottery, particularly work from places like Iran,
China and Japan.
I also enjoy hand building, using slabs of clay, either to drape over
a mould or slump into a mould. Creating larger pieces using leather hard
slabs is also something I love - hand building offers a slower pace and
can be very relaxing.
All the pieces are glazed in one of the 4-5 glazes that I make from scratch
in the studio. Glaze exploration has been occupying my time a great deal
lately. Previously, I used only a base white glaze and paint on top with
stains, very similar to a majolica technique. However, I've become more
interested lately in exploring textures and what glazes do on a stamped
or carved surface! I am getting some very exciting results. Glaze chemistry
is a struggle but one that I am enjoying immensely. All my work is fired
in oxidation (electric kiln) to cone 6. All glazes are food safe and the
work is oven proof, microwave and dishwasher safe.
Please have a look at the Gallery to get an idea of the variety of colours and items available.
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