11/23/2023

NANOOSE BAY "CHRISTMAS CRAWL" STUDIO TOUR

 The Nanoose Bay Studio Tour artists are getting ready for their Christmas Crawl!

12 artists at 8 studios will happily welcome you on 

DECEMBER 2nd & 3rd  /  from 10am to 4pm

For more details AND A PRINTABLE MAP, visit the Studio Tour website at

nbst.ca






 

8/29/2023

MY STUDIO/GALLERY IS A QUIET PLACE WHERE...

SEASCAPE
Chinese ink and watercolour on Stonehenge paper, 8" x 30" 
Unframed archival prints available / $100

For more than 7 years, I had the privilege to be living almost at the tip of the Beachcomber Peninsula in Nanoose Bay, only 5 minutes walk away from its unique Beachcomber Regional Park.

My studio/gallery, with -weather permitting-,its double-garage door fully open, is a quiet place where I spend a lot of time, always feeling at peace.

As soon as clay objects and brush explorations are completed, they are displayed in the gallery section, up for sale.

It is always a great pleasure when visitors stop by and I take time to explain how  "pots" and "paintings" come to life.

 FEEL WELCOME TO STOP BY AT

1372 PILOT WAY, NANOOSE BAY(corner of Marina Way)

SPECIALLY IF MY OPEN SIGNS ARE UP.

YOU CAN ALSO PHONE OR TEXT ME BEFORE COMING

(OR IN FRONT OF MY CLOSED DOUBLE DOOR) 

250-240-2366 or mariepaquette@shaw.ca





LET'S WISH FOR A FABULOUS FALL 2023...

Here are the Fall Shows I will attend


October 7th, 8th & 9th / 10am - 4 pm 

NANOOSE BAY THANKSGIVING STUDIO TOUR

Studio #21  at  1372 Pilot Way, corner of Marina Way, Nanoose Bay

Russell Bardak, with his unique wood creations, will be a guest at my studio

Visit nbst.ca for a map of the tour


October 21 & 22  / 10am - 4pm

FINE ART & ARTISAN SHOW in Nanaimo




4/10/2021

ONE INK STROKE WITH A CEDAR BARK BRUSH







silencing the mind

emptying it of any intention

of any expectation

 

hand, arm and body

moving the brush

in harmony with the breath

eye gazing on the white of the paper 

ahead of the stroke taking shape

 

putting the brush to rest

welcoming a unique stroke
complete and perfect 

marie

In the following 20-second video,
my dear friend Ann Gruchy captured
the unpredictable dance of a cedar bark brush:



“You don’t know what’s going to happen – it’s like flying.” 

(Kazuaki Tanahashi, “Brush Mind”) 



For more about how I came to explore with cedar bark brushes, see full text published on line in the Island Arts Magazine, issue #54

1/15/2020

BEACHCOMBER IMPRESSIONS: A UNIQUE LINE OF CLAY OBJECTS


Weather permitting, I walk to Beachcomber Park with small blocks of clay looking for interesting rock formation to press my clay against; I need a surface that once imprinted into the clay will give a "rocky" character to it. Then 
I start carving out the clay to create a container: a goblet, a box or little vases.

Stoneware, 5" x 3.5' x 1.5" / $55

Some other times, I press a slab instead of a block onto the rocks, stretching it at the same time; it can then become a plate or be shaped as a vase. 

It is a perfect activity for warm sunny days when the rocks are dry!
Stoneware, 5.5" high x 3.75" in diameter/SOLD




READ MORE ABOUT THESE 
"PLEIN AIR CLAYING" SESSIONS
IN THE ON-LINE ISSUE #50/JUNE-AUGUST OF
ISLAND ARTS MAGAZINE 

9/26/2017

BRUSH EXPLORATIONS OF AN OLD JAPANESE TECHNIQUE




DRIFTING MEMORIES, Sumi ink and pigments on Stonehenge paper, 12" x 36" / $250

10/28/2012

DÉMARCHE ARTISTIQUE - CLAY PROCESS


(POUR UNE VERSION EN FRANÇAIS, VOIR PLUS BAS)

I approach clay with attention rather than intention and only have a vague idea of what the final object might look like. It is by paying attention to how clay responds to manipulations that I can see the new object coming to life, the form suggesting itself through the different stages of the shaping process. I like to think I work in collaboration with clay.


Details are addressed with care, taking the time needed to resolve any issues the best I can at this point in time. Glazing is also a very important step: each object, in its uniqueness, requires a surface decoration that –hopefully- will add up to a harmonious whole, taking into account the atmospheric reduction of a wood firing kiln as well as the large part played by toasting flames and melting ash. Finally, I surrender my clay objects to the fire never knowing what to expect while hoping, all through the intense hours of stoking, for unpredictable surprises!

J’approche l'argile avec attention plutôt qu'avec intention. Je n'ai au départ qu'une vague idée de ce dont l'objet aura l'air en bout de ligne. C'est en portant attention à la façon dont l'argile répond à la manipulation que je vois la forme de l'objet se suggérer aux différentes étapes du façonnage. J'aime croire que je travaille en collaboration avec l'argile.

Je soigne les détails, prends le temps nécessaire pour résoudre les problèmes au meilleur de ma connaissance. La décoration est une étape très importante : chaque objet est unique et sa surface demande donc un traitement qui, je l'espère, en fera un tout harmonieux. Je garde en tête la réduction atmosphérique du four à bois, les flammes qui caresseront et rôtiront l'objet et les cendres qui, en fondant, se transformeront en une glaçure naturelle. Je confie mes objets d'argile au feu sans jamais vraiment savoir à quoi m'attendre mais espérant, tout au long des intenses heures de cuisson, d’heureuses surprises!