FEATURE ARTIST
Sarah Pike
Sarah Pike has been up to her elbows
in mud since childhood. Growing up
in Greater Vancouver, on Saltspring
Island, and in the Prairies, she was
immersed in a world of art and
inspiration. She calls her parents
“makers of things” and lived in a
fairytale land of woodworking, fine
crafts, galleries, and gardens.
Selecting her major, the tactile nature
of clay won out. She recalls an early
art school assignment to create 12
mugs and pick 4 for critique. Only one
made it to the final fire, and eventually
into her kitchen cupboard. Drinking
tea from that mug turned a fortifying
refreshment into a sensual exploration
of inspiration, sustenance, and the
reward of turning art into life. As muse
and medium, she calls clay her “main
squeeze.”
Sarah’s pottery takes the form of
slab-built work, pots built up from
bent and cut, rolled slabs of clay. The
angular nature of the work and added
motifs lend an air of leatherwork or
pressed tinware. She draws much of
her inspiration from nature, evoking
tiny forest ferns and gigantic valley
vistas through a carefully placed stamp,
curved handle, or subtly tinted glaze.
Her career has included a teaching role
in Calgary, AB, and studies in Boulder,
CO, and Minneapolis, MN. Since
arriving in Fernie 6 years ago, Sarah
has quickly become a key figure in
the local arts community. Her annual,
collaborative, pre-Christmas show and
sale, Hearth, at her West Fernie home
is a popular date on the social calendar.
Her work is available from her home
studio, at the Hearth event, online, and
at galleries in Edmonton, Vancouver,
Banff, North Carolina, and Missouri.
When she’s not immersed in clay,
Sarah spends her time enjoying
Fernie’s spectacular trails, events, and
community spaces with her husband,
their two children, and their dog, Lily.
www.sarahpikepottery.com
www.makeanddo.ca
sarahpikepottery
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