m a k e r by Rebecca
My name is Rebecca and I have been a “maker” of inspired work for as long as I can remember. My hands are never idle and I have worked with many mediums. As a child I was a prolific macrame artist working primarily with embroidery thread, hemp and seed bead floral art. My love for bead art expanded into lampwork where I created glass beads with an oxyacetylene torch. In University I cultivated a group artists and my jewelry making expanded into silver and precious stones and I sold my pieces online and in small shops across Ontario. My first memory of building something from clay was digging it from the shallow shores in my parent’s bay and letting our creations dry on the warm rocks in the sunlight. In High school my art teacher inspired me to do an Independent project hand building nature inspired vessels. I returned to clay, many years later and I honed my skills on the wheel, after taking numerous classes at the Winnipeg Art Gallery.
In 2020, after living away from the area for 15 years, my partner and moved to Keewatin with our 3 kids and I built my 4th home studio space. My kids are the 6th generation of Beattys to live in Keewatin and this town brings me a lot of joy – to read stories of my Great Great Grandfather who was the first doctor in Keewatin over one hundred years ago. This area and the lake of the woods is in my blood. I am an environmentalist, a steward of the forest and lake and I love that I am able to draw inspiration from this land, in my work. The focus of what I do with my pottery is to create utility pieces that are both beautiful and practical. I use nature inspired colours and local flora to print into many of my pieces.
Most of my work is done on the wheel but this winter I was compelled to focus on hand building and created multiple large bowls and platters. These pieces represent 2 extremes of beauty I often see in pottery, as well as this landscape: delicacy and strength. The bowls were inspired by the delicate petals of a poppy flower from my garden – hand painted to resemble a water colour. The platter shapes and glaze-work was inspired by the strength and stoicism of local boulders.
Contact makerbyrebecca@director
204-798-3050
