Artist Information
Artist
Pat WebberRole
CeramicistDate made
n.d.Time Period
21st CenturyNotes
ARTIST STATEMENT
“I belong to the tribe of people who feel compelled to shape vessels from clay; vessels for daily use or for contemplation.
My designs are distilled from ideas and images born through attentiveness to nature. I feel connected to ancient people whose vessels served a function while also praising and describing the world of which they were a part. I continue this tradition and delight in holding and moulding hand-warmed clay till it breathes with life.
Today functional pottery blends art with life, fusing the tactile with the visual. Our lives are enriched and deepened by use of vessels which nourish our spirit while holding foods that nourish our bodies. This elevates our daily tasks to acts of affirmation; art and life are integrated.
Creating pots from clay and fire is my celebration of life. I have gained my inspiration from observing plants, animals and rocks. These I interpret through ceramic sculpture and pottery forms. A vase becomes complete when holding flowers, foliage or grasses. A small frog climbing an urn is a metaphor for the beauty and fragility of nature.”
CERAMICIST BIOGRAPHY
Born, raised and schooled in Vancouver, B.C., Pat Webber began her study of ceramics with studio potters in Oregon. Her training continued at Oregon State University and Portland’s Museum Art School and Chinese Art Studio. She established her first studio in Brentwood Bay on Vancouver Island, followed by 21 years in Cordova Bay. Webber now lives, teaches and works at 'Pat Webber Pottery', the pottery she founded on Salt Spring Island, and does yearly trips to wood-fire her pots in the Digger Mountain Anagama in Oregon. Her works are noted for their classic form and functionality, and are sometimes altered to feature storytelling creatures, such as frogs and owls.
