AFTER 17 YEARS OF MAKING POTS AT NIGHT AND ON WEEKENDS I RESIGNED FROM THE LAW FIRM WITH A LOOSE PLAN TO MAKE POTS FULL TIME.
I didn’t know what that looked like. I knew I needed to get better. I took more courses, rented studio space outside my home, completed mentorship programs and experimented. I took the time to find my style. I wanted a clean, simple aesthetic but as I learned, it is a look that is surprisingly hard to achieve. I had to improve my skill. I wanted consistency in style and form, so I learned to throw repetitively, to make sets.
AFTER RETURNING FROM A MENTORSHIP ABROAD IN 2021, I HAD A VISION OF WHAT I WANTED AND I BEGAN LOOKING FOR A SPACE TO BRING MY VISION TO LIFE.
It took quite some time to find the right space. In late summer 2022, a beautiful property came up for sale in historic Wortley Village, in London Ontario and I was blessed to be able to buy it. The bones were good, but it wasn’t a studio space, and it needed a lot of work. The entire building was renovated over the next year to create the space I had envisioned.
WHILE THE RENOVATIONS WERE UNDERWAY, I CREATED THE GLAZE PALETTE. THIS WAS ONE OF THE FINAL PIECES I NEEDED TO BRING MY VISION TO LIFE.
I wanted a rich palette of colours that would pair seamlessly together, and I wanted each glaze to have a soft, buttery texture. This wasn’t something that I could achieve with commercially available glazes. I took intensive glaze chemistry courses to figure out how to develop the glaze palette that would bring my work to life. It was harder than I expected but after hundreds of tests and countless hours of work I found what I was looking for.
CREATING THE NAME, FLUX POTTERY, WAS THE FINAL STEP.
I often get asked where the name Flux comes from. Flux has a couple of different meanings, both of which resonate with me. First, flux means to flow. All glazes contain fluxes, they are the materials that create the glaze melt, that allow the glaze to form. I learned a lot about them through my journey to create the glaze palette. Flux also means change. It captures the significant shift in my life as I transitioned from practicing law to making pottery full time. While not common in usage, Flux is the perfect name for my studio and store.
FLUX POTTERY OPENED ITS DOORS AT THE END OF 2023. EACH AND EVERY PIECE OF MY POTTERY IS MADE AT FLUX POTTERY IN HISTORIC WORTLEY VILLAGE.
Flux Pottery is a bright and warm space that pays homage to the historic nature of the building. It is a constant source of inspiration and informs most aspects of my work. Flux Pottery houses both a retail store and my working studio. The studio is visible to those coming into browse. When you come to view the collection, you will almost always find me prepping, throwing, trimming, glazing, sanding or photographing the pots. Often, I will have to wipe the clay from my hands to package a customer order.
THE FUTURE
I am always striving for improvement and the collection will continue toevolve. I will continue to explore glazes, styles and different methods of firing my work. I have learned that this is not a journey with an end datebut rather a lifelong endeavour of improvement and growth.
