MARY PHILPOTT

Mary grew up in Oakville Ontario, and studied Art History at the University of Guelph, and spent some time at McMaster University doing Archeology and Anthropology before discovering her love for clay and textile design.

She attended the School of Crafts and Design at Sheridan College, and then began a residency at the Harbourfront Craft Studios before opening her own teaching studio in Toronto.

In 2002 she moved to Stratford and had a tile design studio there until 2015, when she had moved her studio to Uxbrdige to live on an old farm. Mary’s studio practice moved to become predominantly sculptural work in 2011. Mary has attended Artist Residencies in Canada and France, with plans for next years residency in Toulouse, southwest France. Her work is shown and collected internationally in both private and public collections.

"I work in the Studio most days, at my home in the Uxbridge countryside. Most days begin with copious amounts of strong coffee, then a good brisk walk in the Durham Forest with the dogs. Getting out into the Trees I find clears my head from whatever is muddling it up, and prepares me for the day, whether there is kiln prep or glazing, or getting to create a new creature.

Most of what drives my new work is related to storytelling, and the animals and birds I see around me. As I enjoy reading, both fiction and nonfiction drive my interest and I find it reflected in the world around me. Things that I may not have seen before, or perhaps glanced over, are now prominent and take my attention. Then, I like to tell a story about it, by sculpting the being"