RITISH COLUMBIA a President’s Message Please join me in welcoming new board members Amy Gogarty, independent researcher, educator, artist and writer; Carole Henshall, interior designer, ceramic artist, teacher and studio technician; Judy Osburn, business owner, manager, and ceramic artist; and Patrick Geach, investment executive, portfolio manager, and supporter of the arts. They each bring a wealth of experience, knowledge and enthusiasm that will help us move forward. At this year’s AGM we discussed a resolution that would, in special circumstances, allow the board to exempt a director from having to be a member of the guild. The resolution was proposed in order to facilitate the board’s efforts to recruit directors with expertise in Ga | le ry N @wWS By Sharon Cohen What would happen if the Mad Hatter’s Tea Party took place in Africa? Vibrant whimsy is the short answer, and the long answer can only be fully appreciated by checking out Laura Vanderlinde’s exhibition Three. Bold, confident use of colour has always characterised Laura's work but, despite the fact that the colour is such an essential component of her creative vision (and genius,) it’s only part of the story. Her use of three-dimensional embellishments contributes as much to the overall aesthetic as the wild colour does. There are leaf indentations, there are postage stamp protrusions, there are spiked edges, there are curlicues, there are lugs and nubs and braids and peep holes and three dimensional pin dots. And the patterns! Each grouping of her pieces has its own distinctive patterning, and each has a name. Laura named Confetti, Dan named Dimples, Nadiya named Pillow Fight and 1 named Flashdance. All of the pieces in all of the groupings are functional, some more practical, some more whimsical, like the tea-light lanterns, the spike-collared mirrors and the triangular cake plates. The most WOW-inducing pieces are the ceramic urban trees, which stop passers-by in their tracks and make them gape and then smile and then go exploring through the rest of the exhibition in a state of joy and wonder. I myself have been in a perpetual state of joy and wonder, and am just loving having this truly spectacular work in the gallery. Yay, Laura! ‘The lovely hot, sunny weather is the perfect backdrop for Laura's Africa inspired work, and it also means the gallery is packed with tourists, some of whom will be taking Laura’s pieces to distant shores. So yes, it’s busy here, and that’s great! Just the way we like it! Summer is wonderful but, before we know it, fall will be upon us, and that means that the annual exhibition jury is imminent. Please consider applying, details can be found on our website at www. bcpotters.com/Gallery/forms/2010_Gallery_Jury_ Application.pdf Confetti, Dimples and Clowning Around, a Laura Vanderlinde trilogy! areas other than ceramics. This is an issue that has surfaced several times in the past. During the AGM discussion of the proposal it was decided to look at alternative ways of addressing this question. If you would like to read the 2009 Annual Report, you can find it on our website in the Members Only section (click here to sign in). —Jinny Whitehead Confetti Teapot, by Laura Vanderlinde. Urban Tree, by Laura Vanderlinde. Potters Guild of BC Newsletter « July/August 2040