Guest curated by Sema Al Arabasi
Ceramics have long been a medium through which stories of life are shaped, symbolized, and shared. While life is often represented in ceramic art through human figures, animals, or plants, it is not always the central focus, as attention is typically given to elements like functionality, technique, or aesthetic appeal. This exhibition from the Canadian Clay & Glass Gallery aims to shift that perspective by exploring how ceramic art reflects the essence of life, including its values and connections to humanity, nature, and spirituality, while also incorporating cultural and symbolic narratives. Through a selection of six artworks, which may not share similar figures but convey similar meanings, the exhibition invites viewers to explore how ceramic pieces reflect life through themes such as the human connection to nature and the deeper meanings they embody.
Ann Roberts, Breathing Life, 1989. White earthenware, glaze & stain. The Canadian Clay & Glass Gallery Permanent Collection. Gift of W. R. Petri 1995.001.002.
Breathing Life by Ann Roberts is a sculpture that can be seen as both delicate and striking. The wide opening at the top of the woman’s head symbolizes a holder for thoughts, or life itself. The gutted fish in her hands has a deep cut running along its length. Her lips appear pressed against the fish’s mouth, creating a touching connection, an exchange that may stand for nourishment, the cycle of life, or a spiritual union. The woman’s slightly hunched posture with open knees adds to the raw, organic quality of the piece, while the fish’s tail rests lightly on her arched left foot, further displaying a sense of balance. The cream colored surface is brought to life by green, blue, and amber brushstrokes. Along the left side of the base, green line-drawn fish flow from her elbow toward her feet, faintly reflecting the connection of life forms and natural cycles into the artwork’s narrative.
Jack Sures’s Dish with Still Life displays a simple form yet highlights a series of meanings. Its simplicity and creativity provide a dynamic coordination of texture and design. The unglazed surface of the bowl shows its earthy quality, while the center portrays a variety of fruit, arranged in a top-down perspective that displays the richness of still life traditions. On the rim is a softly drawn band of leaf patterns, enclosed by two subtle lines, adding a touch of organic elegance. On the underside, shallow, vertical lines create a textured pattern, with dark blue-green tones in the recesses. A matte blue-green oxide wash on the interior of the foot puts, putting together the piece with a lifelike finish. The dish reflects the energy of nature and life’s simple yet meaningful offerings.
Jack Sures, Dish with Still Life, 1984. Porcelain, glaze, oxides & underglaze pencil. The Canadian Clay & Glass Gallery Permanent Collection. Gift of Ann Roberts. 2019.001.024.
Leigh Smith, Woodland Floral Design, 1983. Porcelain & slip. The Canadian Clay & Glass Gallery Permanent Collection. Gift of Neil and Doreen Forsyth. 2012.007.004.
Woodland Floral Design by Leigh Smith is a captivating vase that incorporates the cultural and symbolic portrayal of life through art. The vase has floral designs in black, deep brown, and white, which symbolize health, life, growth, and fertility. These designs are separated by a deep brown and white zigzag line, with four chevrons placed above it, representing the four guardians that watch over the Earth as well as and the mind, the four winds, the four directions, and the four seasons. This piece is a visual narrative, conveying cultural understandings of survival and life. The patterns on the vase are influenced by traditional Indigenous designs and stories from the Kanienʼkehá꞉ka (Mohawk), Haudenosaunee (Iroquois), and SouthWest American Indigenous cultures. This work reflects a cultural and symbolic narrative of life, connecting
Jennifer Elion ‘s Reliquary is a representation of life’s complexities, carrying the essence of memory and preservation. The artwork takes the form of a rectangular blue-grey box, its two legs curving inward to support the structure, giving the impression that it exists in a space between the physical and the spiritual. The surface is speckled, with darker areas on the sides representing the marks of time, and lighter hues at the top and bottom indicating moments of clarity and reflection. Large, irregular patches of copper luster enhance the sides, creating the idea of life’s passing moments and the imprints left behind, while the base of the legs fades into a soft grey, imitating the unpreventable passage of time. A black wash at the base of the legs further representsenting wear and the signs of experience. Triangular groupings on the front left and rear right corners suffice as subtle markers of transformation, and can be viewed as the change and renewal in life. At the front of the sculpture, a drawer with a triangular handle suggests the contents within, symbolizing the hidden stories and memories carried through life.
Jennifer Elion, Reliquary, 1987. Stoneware, glaze. The Canadian Clay & Glass Gallery Permanent Collection. Gift of Ann Roberts. 2019.001.025A-B.
Édouard Jasmin, La faim de peinturer justifie les moyens, 1985. Red earthenware, glaze, stain. The Canadian Clay & Glass Gallery Permanent Collection.
La faim de peinturer justifie les moyens by Édouard Jasmin. This sculptural wall hanging portrays themes of creativity and perseverance. Set on a shallow oval base with curved edges and three circular openings, it displays a three-story building with vibrant yellow and green balconies. A figure on the second-floor balcony, paintbrush extended, illustrates humanity’s desire for self-expression and creation. A curved stairway connects the balcony to the ground, while a ladder supporting a white paint can reinforces the visual focus, highlighting tools of craft and effort. The title, written at the ladder’s base, reflects the effort involved in the creation. The back has loops with a white braided cotton rope for hanging, while the underside’s green, blue, and white glaze ties the piece to nature, strengthening its bond to life’s essence that is resilience, creativity, and inspiration .
Steve Smith’s Spider’s Web displays life in both cultural and symbolic lenses. its deep, brown surface and entangled sgraffito illustrations, goes through the connection of life. One side features a spider’s web, with a black spider at its center, surrounded by geometric patterns in orange, deep brown, and purple, and also features a bird. The web, symbolizing the “Web of Life,” reflects the belief that all things are interconnected, linking nature, humans, and spirituality. On the opposite side, four white figures holding hands in a line, pointing out unity and community. Above them, a ring of white dots on the rim symbolizes the sacred, continuous cycle of life and renewal. The title, Spider’s Web, provides a vision by Handsome Lake, a Seneca prophet who saw Earth surrounded by a spiritual web. Smith’s design draws on the traditional Indigenous designs and narratives from the Kanienʼkehá꞉ka, Haudenosaunee, and South-Western American cultures, highlighting the symbolic narratives of life’s connection.
Steve Smith, Spider’s Web, 2006. Porcelain, glaze, slip. The Canadian Clay & Glass Permanent Collection. Gift of the Artist. 2008.008.001.
To conclude, this exhibition of ceramic artworks highlights the profound and varied ways thatin which life is symbolized and reflected in the medium of ceramics. Each piece provides a unique view of life’s essence, whether through cultural narratives, personal identity, or spiritual connections. From Ann Roberts’ Breathing Life, which portrays nourishment and spiritual union, to Steve Smith’s Spider’s Web, which conveys the shared connection of all living things, each piece offers a distinct perspective on life. Jack Sures’ Dish with Still Life and Jennifer Elion’s Reliquary delve into the simplicity and complexity of nature and memory, while Leigh Smith’s Woodland Floral Design connects life to cultural representations of growth and spirituality. Édouard Jasmin’s La faim de peinturer justifie les moyens embodies creativity and perseverance, further emphasizing the resilience and creative spirit that define life. The exhibition showcases these varied expressions, encouraging a deeper understanding of the symbolic and cultural significance of life, as seen through the creative lens of ceramic art.
Sema Al Arabasi
The above works can all be found in the Canadian Clay & Glass Gallery’s Permanent Collection Online.
About Sema Al Arabasi
An undergraduate student at the University of Waterloo, studying Visual Culture. Passionate about art and enjoy engaging in the creative process of fine arts as a hobby, with a primary interest in analyzing the history and meanings behind artworks and the many aspects the field explores. Looking to further gain knowledge in this area through real world experience.