Sheila Morissette Pottery and Clay Designs

I have no current shows on at the moment but please go to the Gallery of BC Ceramics to see some of my latest work or call me for a private showing.

I am totally intrigued with design in all its multiple disciplines. Clay allows me to express many aesthetic choices with it’s versatility. It’s tactile nature provides interaction and exploration of form, texture and scale. I have been using wood and salt firing because the surfaces created complement the gentle markings I design into my pieces. I work in series and enjoy exploring the subtle distinctions between each piece at the birth of a new form. What I learn from these explorations motivates a continual unfolding of new work. Although I have always mostly focused on creating functional ceramics, over the course of the past couple of years, I have been influenced by several monumental home and garden construction projects that really took my time and attention away from clay. Fortunately, I was able to focus on the creative aspects of design, aesthetics and visualizing something where there once was nothing. Ironically, the time spent away from clay on these projects has proven to be instrumental in shaping me and my evolving

work in clay. As I release the new ideas that have been brewing in my fingertips I find myself working in a larger scale branching into a more sculpturally decorative direction. The hectic nature of the last couple of years has made the artist in me crave simplicity. I am seeking to create work with strong visual impact using clean lines with only subtle details. I want my pieces to pop, to be noticed...but they must also be quiet.

I grew up in upstate New York and Quebec where I loved to observe nature while playing outside in the woods behind my house from dawn to dusk on long summer days. I now make my home on the rugged west coast in West Vancouver where I enjoy working in my studio while gazing out to the surrounding woods and ocean allowing nature to inspire my creations.  

In 1990, I obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree at Concordia University in Communications Studies, and have had ample experience in many mediums including photography, filmmaking, fibre art, interior decorating and oil painting. After moving to Vancouver in 1992, I began taking evening pottery courses for fun and soon found it to absorb all my free time. Once hooked, it wasn’t long before I took the plunge, giving up my day job to pursue clay full time. I went on to co-manage a pottery studio on the North Shore for several years where learning was expedited by helping answer the students’ and members’ many questions.

I continue to supplement my knowledge by participating in numerous workshops given by artists from all over the world.

Today, I manage my own studio and produce an elegant leaf motif line of freshly colored functional ware, a series of wood and salt fired pottery and more sculptural contemporary forms. Clay has been the most personal and intimate medium to work with and I have embraced it fully. I enjoy the time I spend with each pot, keeping it playful and always keeping an eye open for new possibilities along the way.

Contemporary Craft in BC - Excellence within Diversity
Group exhibition by CABC to celebrate the international year of craft
Vancouver Museum February 7th to April 6th, 2008

past exhibitions title

MOD POTz:  Solo exhibition of modern vases
Gallery of BC Ceramics, Vancouver, BC - May 31 - June 25, 2007

Claynadians:   Invitational group show, international section ClayEdge 2007
Cudgegong Gallery, Gulgong, NSW Australia - April 15 - 21, 2007

TransFormations Ceramics 2005:  Group exhibition to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the Potters Guild of British Columbia
Burnaby Art Gallery, Burnaby BC - August 9 - September 11, 2005

Fire Women:  Invitational group show featuring wood fired work
Seymour Art Gallery, North Vancouver, BC - May 3rd-29th, 2005

Gifts in Clay:  Invitational group show featuring my wood/soda fired work;
Ferry Building Gallery, West Vancouver, BC - December 3rd-18th, 2004

Echoes & Whispers:  Solo exhibition of wood/soda fired work
Gallery of BC Ceramics, Vancouver, BC - Sept 2nd-Oct 4th, 2004

Place Settings:  One Exhibition Two Locations - Group show featuring my leaf motif line
Gallery of BC Ceramics and the Wood Co-op, Vancouver, BC June 6th - July 1st, 2002

Crafthouse: 1386 Cartwright Street,
Granville Island, Vancouver, BC

Gallery of BC Ceramics: 1359 Cartwright Street, Granville Island, Vancouver, BC

Business in Vancouver Magazines - Home Makeover: Changing Space with Ideas
Winter 2007
Editor - Frank O'Brien
Article: Feats of Clay - Discovering and Celebrating the art of West Coast Pottery by Corey Van't Haaff
Page 20-22 - photo spread and interview

500 Pitchers: Contemporary Expressions of a Classic Form
2006, Lark Books
Editor - Suzanne J.E. Tourtillott
ISBN 13: 978-1-57990-687-0
ISBN 10: 1-57990-687-7
Page 206 - photo and quote

TransFormations Ceramics 2005
Editor - Carol E. Mayer
Publication documenting the exhibition held at the Burnaby Art Gallery August 9 - September 11, 2005 to Celebrate the Potters Guild of British Columbia's 50th Anniversary
ISBN 0-9738251-0-3
Page 35 - photo and quote

Demonstration Workshops (1-2 Days Each)

ClayEDge: A week of workshops with ceramic artists from all over the world; Gulgong, Australia - 2007
Canadian Clay Symposium: Shadbolt Centre for the Arts - 2006
Paul Davis: Throwing & Decorating Traditional Japanese Forms; Shadbolt Centre for the Arts - 2005
Canadian Clay Symposium: Shadbolt Centre for the Arts - 2004
Steven Hill: Thrown forms for Single Firing; Delta Community Centre - 2002
Canadian Clay Symposium: Shadbolt Centre for the Arts - 2002
Keith & Celia Rice-Jones: Throwing & Handbuilding; Lucas Centre for Continuing Education - 2002
Robin Hopper: Decoration, Designs and Surface Enrichment; Shadbolt Centre for the Arts - 2001
Carol-Ann Michaelson: Ash Glazes; Parkgate Community Centre - 2001
Bruce Cochrane: Thrown and Altered Forms; Shadbolt Centre for the Arts - 2001
Cathy Jefferson: Thrown and Altered Forms; Lucas Centre - 2000
Canadian Clay Symposium: Shadbolt Centre for the Arts - 2000
Jeff Oestreich: Thrown and Altered Forms; ECIAD - 2000
Darrel Hancock: Throwing and Decorating; Lucas Centre for Continuing Education - 1999
Julia Galloway: Throwing and Decorating; Shadbolt Centre for the Arts - 1998
Svend Bayer: Large Garden Pots; Shadbolt Centre for the Arts - 1997
Darcy Margesson: Majolica; Shadbolt Centre for the Arts - 1997
Gordon Hutchens: Throwing and Decorating; Shadbolt Centre for the Arts - 1996

Hands-On Workshops (2-5 Days Each)

Paul Davis: Wood Firing using Water Cooling Techniques; Shadbolt Centre for the Arts - 2005
Linda Christianson: Wood and Soda Firing; Shadbolt Centre for the Arts - 2004
Linda Doherty: Numerous Wood and Soda Firings; Shadbolt Centre for the Arts - 2001-2005
Vincent Massey: Reduction Firing; Vincent’s Studio in Whistler BC - 2002
Gordon Hutchens: Firing the Ombu; Shadbolt Centre for the Arts - 2002
Peter King: Architectural Ceramics; Vancouver - 2002
Micky Schloessingk: Salt Firing and Making Forms for Salt Firing; Capilano College - 2001
Connie Glover: Soda Firing Workshop; Connie’s Studio in Whiterock, BC - 1988
Bob Kingsmill: Masks and Wall Sconces; Shadbolt Centre for the Arts - 1997

Hands-On Courses (8-12 Weeks Each)

Eagle Harbour Community Centre: Numerous courses on Raku Firing Techniques - 1997-2000
Lucas Centre for Continuing Education: Numerous Advanced Throwing Courses, Majolica Techniques,
Creamware, Mask Workshop, Glaze Workshop - 1996-2000
Delbrooke Community Centre: Numerous pottery courses on Throwing and Handbuilding Techniques
from Beginner to Advanced 1994 - 1997

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