The 2023 Artist Talk Series is presented in collaboration with the San Juan Islands Museum of Art, as part of Alchemy’s Artists in Community Program. Join us for this free event in person in the upstairs room at the SJIMA, or via zoom using the information below.
Join Zoom Meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83171339245
Meeting ID: 831 7133 9245
Paula West is a studio potter living on San Juan Island, Wa. Originally From Connecticut, she moved to San Juan Island in 1990 and in 1993 set up her small, home based ceramic studio. She works in porcelain and stoneware clay to create handmade vessels that merge function, craft and art. Currently, she is exploring soda firing. This process involves spraying a soda ash solution into the kiln at 2300 degrees. The soda ash vaporizes and moves through the kiln along the path of the flame, forming a glaze on the pots. This creates unpredictable, dynamic and subtle surfaces, a collaboration between kiln, flame, atmosphere and maker.
San San Juan Island artist Alisha Merrick is a painter, illustrator, and enamelist. Her work features bold colors, and minimal designs inspired by nature and Scandinavian sensibilities. You can often find her in her carefully curated brick and mortar shop, FERN, which displays much of her work across a variety of media, as well as the work of other regional artists and craftspeople.
“My work is … an emotional connection to the necessity of beautiful things, merged with my strongly rooted love of nature. The same natural palates, organic patterns, and minimal designs repeat themselves over and over in my work.
I strive for a balance of these influences in each intentionally made, hand fabricated piece. Interesting color combinations, sometimes bold, often muted, that echo the inherent beauty of the shapes and patterns found in nature. Every artistic creation is unique, and that is something to be embraced and celebrated.”