Canadian Artist, Marie Paquette featured at Tay River Gallery

<h1><font face="verdana">Biography: Marie Paquette, clay artisan</font></h1> <div class="navboxcont_5C0EC5" align="center"> <div class="navboxleft_5C0EC5" align="center"> </div> </div> <div class="navboxcont_5C0EC5"> <font face="Verdana"><font face="Verdana">It took me a while to come to pottery even if I grew up in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Québec that used to be the Canadian Capital of Pottery at the end of the 19th century (St.Johns, P.Q.). I didn't know I wanted to be a potter while growing up with my feet sinking in the blue clay of the river Richelieu, literally "a rich place".</font></font> <p><font face="Verdana"><font face="Verdana">Instead, I studied French Literature at University of Montreal thinking: I'll be a poet! I ended up teaching French as a second language to military personnel. </font></font></p> <p><font face="Verdana"><font face="Verdana">All those years though, the energy concentrated in my hands was looking for a way to express, to fulfill itself and in 1992, I registered for hand buiding night classes in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu. </font></font></p> <p><font face="Verdana"><font face="Verdana">It quickly became an addiction that gave me a lot of joy!</font></font></p> <div align="left"> <p><font face="Verdana">Nevertheless, 2 years later, I decided to give watercolours a chance…But while visiting the Musée du Haut-Richelieu at the end of the summer 97, I saw three chunks of clay of different colours: red, blue and green that moved me so deeply I knew I had to go back to pottery! To go back to my joy! </font></p> <p><font face="Verdana">Since we were then living in Trenton, I registered in Peta Hall's hand building pottery night class at Loyalist College: Peta was and still is- an inspiring master! She took me on a wonderful journey through all aspects of hand building with clay!</font></p> <p><font face="Verdana">I work with stoneware, porcelain and raku clay and fire them all in an electric kiln at cone 6.</font></p> <p><font face="Verdana">I hand build only because I love the peaceful rhythm of hand building: the intimacy of pinching pots in the cradle of my hand or the weight of the clay being stretched into slabs. </font></p> <p><font face="Verdana">I love the serene heaviness of the clay as well as its fluidity, its motion.</font></p> <p><font face="Verdana">I fold and fold again the clay, texture it, tear it part and put it back together, stretch it, allowing the clay to curve and ripple.</font></p> <p><font face="Verdana">All along the process, I make sure to stay very close to the clay, aware of what it wants to become and to try to respect it…I have this deep conviction, after 6 years now, that in the fluid immobility of the clay, there are an infinite numbers of pots waiting to come to life! </font></p> </div> <p></p> <p>Updated:<csobj w="72" h="20" t="DateTime" locale="00000409" format="ShortDate" region="0">10/11/2007</csobj> Copyright 2007 <a title="Tay River Galler Home" href="http://www.tayrivergallery.com/index.html" target="_blank">Tay River Gallery</a></p> <p></p> </div>