Liz Demerson

Primordial Pottery

Liz Demerson holds a Bachelor of Arts degree with Honours in Anthropology from the University of New Brunswick, a Bachelor of Education degree from UNB, and a Master of Arts in Socio-Cultural Anthropology from Concordia University. Liz learned her ceramics at the New Brunswick College of Craft and Design under Peter Thomas and  Karen Burk. Now head of ceramics at the college, she has sold her work across the Maritimes and Ontario. Liz has been harvesting a variety of materials in New Brunswick, such as seashells, granites, sands, seaweeds and other plant materials as well as different rocks and processing them into a ceramic grade glaze product.

When did you first become interested in clay?

I have been attracted to pottery since I was a child. I loved going to craft festivals with my mother and was always pulled into the pottery displays by the beautiful forms, rich colors and varied textures. When I began drinking tea, as a teenager, I began a quest to find the perfect tea mug!

Were you initially drawn to other mediums?

Yes. My grandmothers taught me how to knit and I explored sewing, and embroidery further on my own. My mother took weaving at NBCCD when I was young, so there was a large loom in one of our rooms. I also used my father's cameras and took a couple of photography classes when I was working on my BA at University of New Brunswick. So, making things has always been a part of my life.

How did you get into clay?

After completing my BA, I took a year off from my academic life and took ceramics at NBCCD.  That ruined me forever! I had always wanted to try pottery, but I thought I should pursue a career first, and then could have fun with clay when I was old. Then one day it occurred to me that I could have fun now.

Mentors and role models are so important to many potters. How about you?

Dr. Mary Blatherwick, my first high school art teacher, made me feel capable, adventuresome and valued. She encouraged all kinds of creativity and remembered my name years later when I studied education with her at University of New Brunswick. I also learned a lot from Peter Thomas, whom I met when I decided began ceramics at NBCCD. He quickly became a mentor in a Nanny McPhee kind of way. When you want him to leave you alone, he’s always there and driving you crazy. It just so happens that this is when you need him the most. On the other hand, when you really want and feel like you need his advice, he leaves you to figure it out for yourself. He has become even more of a mentor since I returned to the college as an instructor. His deep experience in both teaching and ceramics has becomes indispensable. This includes the business side of things. He’s been in the field for sixty years and loves to share his knowledge.

What qualities of clay most attracts you?

Clay is a miraculous material. It transforms from mud to glass with heat. I love that it can stretch and take on almost any shape or form or texture. I love that is becomes a usable object, when fired: it is so durable! Plus, you can manipulate it by adding different materials to create almost any surface you want. Finally, it is the ideal material for anyone who loves to "think with her hands." I encourage my students to "sketch on the wheel" so that they can respond directly to the clay, in three dimensions.

The intersections between technique and concept are so important in every artwork. Can you select one of your recent pieces and talk us through its development?

To make this pot, I started with a medium-fire porcelain. I then wedged in (that is, worked into the clay) some sand that I gathered from Mactaquac on a kayak trip and ran through a sieve to produce a fairly uniform particle size. Starting with about nine pounds of clay, I threw the basic form on the potter's wheel including a ledge at the top so that the lid would sit properly. Then I took another handful of the same sand and applied it to the outside of the form. Then I threw the bowl part of the lid with a piece of clay free from sand. (I discovered early on in my experiments that the sand frequently melted out and tended to make lids stick) I let everything dry for a few hours, then I popped the little ears out of the body of the vase. A day later, I trimmed the jar form at the base and trimmed the lid. I played a bit with knobs for this jar, seeking forms that were both functional and unexpected.

Were you inspired by any specific ideas or forms?

I began with gourds. I love their voluptuous forms, their textures and their amazing variations. By playing with natural materials (ashes, clays, sands and rocks) and I can greatly transform a pretty simple volume.

And this has resulted in a whole series of artworks.

Yes, I've now done a series of  gourd-inspired jars. They became taller and narrower. The lids have become more defined and knobs less vine-like. Throughout, I focused on using as many local, natural materials as possible. Finding, refining and transforming natural materials has become a major aspect of my practice. My favourites are the ones with texture and what I like to call “warts,” which remind me of my original inspiration. A few of the examples are shown here.

So, the process of finding and transforming natural materials for use in your artwork seems like a central theme. You really are a natural glaze scientist as well as an artist.

Yes, seeking and transforming natural materials informs my work a great deal. I keep meticulous notes on the source and the process by which I transform rocks, wood or found clays into useable material. But beyond that, I welcome the unexpected. Every time I open the kiln, I may find a treasure within! However, because the materials are so unpredictable, I consider a hammer one of my most important tools. I have opened kilns with pots and tiles the colour of baby poo more than once. I smash a lot of pots that just don't work!

What is one of your favorite found materials? Where did it come from, how did you turn it into something usable, and what effect does it produce?

Seaweed is actually known as a good glassmaker, so I went on a day trip to Saint Andrews, New Brunswick, with my family. I loaded garbage bags with heaps of stinky seaweed that had collected on the beach from the tide. Once home, I dried it out in my back yard. In the college studio, I chopped it up into manageable pieces, placed it in saggars (boxlike containers used for ceramic materials), put them into the gas kiln and fired it up to about 900 degrees Celsius. The gas kiln’s chimney helped to remove the resulting smoke. I then discovered that seaweed doesn’t turn into a fine ash. It still retains its form, so I had to grind it up into a fine powder.

I then did a whole slew of tests, trying many different proportions of materials, to see what would work. Generally, glazes need a balance of three main ingredients: silica (a glassformer), alumina and flux. The seaweed powder turned out to be very rich in sodium, resulting in an effect that is similar to some of the traditional salt-glazes used in Japan. This jar an example. My technician named it lizerson.

Balancing unity and variety is almost a mantra for when we are teaching basic design. Too much unity equals boredom; too much variety equals chaos. It seems to me that sticking with fairly simple forms frees you up to more exuberant surface development.

Yes. And my use of natural materials encourages a continual process of discovery, both when I discover something during a trip outdoors and when I use it on a jar.

Fiber artist Jackie Bourque described the difference between a narrow, laser-beam approach to making and her wide-ranging, multidisciplinary approach. How might we describe your creative process?

I am strongly focused on the end result, but always willing to leave the path to explore unexpected possibilities. We might envision a hiking path, with plenty of meandering. Jackie might ask, "What if?" while I might ask, "What next?" My approach is more incremental.

You are clearly very dedicated to teaching. Can you name the three or four most important "take-aways" you hope your students gain from your teaching?

• Just keep making, even if it the work is not going anywhere or is nothing special. Make anything. When a sustained studio practice is impossible due to other commitments, knit, draw, crochet, paint, whatever you like to do to relax that isn’t part of a job. Never stop.

• If you are going to do it, do the best work you can within the constraints that you've got.

• Seek a balance between perfection and completion. Too much refinement can drain energy from an artwork; too little can leave you with an incoherent mess.

• If you are doing your best, seek a better best on your next one. So just make more.

• Re-evaluate often. Continually consider ways to push your ideas further.

What are the notable characteristics of the most creative people you have met?

They are open-minded, highly observant and intelligent. They listen carefully and think a lot.

What actions or ideas most stimulate your creativity?

One idea leads to another, and one form leads to another. This results in a continual process of discovery. I learn from the materials I use and via the many variations I make.

In almost any situation, there is a lot of unrealized potential. What further potential do you see for  encouraging creativity?

As an instructor in the arts, I see a lot of driven and talented people who could go very far in the arts. What stops them? Finances and the difficulties of getting started.

This is especially true for a ceramicist. The equipment is expensive and requires dedicated space. Clay is very time-sensitive. Certain processes must occur when it is just wet or dry enough. This means that continual attention is best. And there are so many nay-sayers, who question the possibility of making a living in the arts. This includes artists and craft persons themselves, who may be troubled by self-doubt. The few grants available are usually modest, short-term and highly competitive. So, a co-op in New Brunswick, a potter’s guild, or some sort of start-up studio space would really help beginners.