Charlie

I am a potter, a sculptor, a wife and mother.  I love animals and live with lots of cats, a beautiful new addition, a Russian dog we rescued at Christmas that we've named Laika and a couple of awesome horses.  When I'm not teaching or potting, or sculpting or taking care of the house, I am hanging out with the animals.  I am extremely fortunate to live on 5 fantastic wooded acres outside Ottawa.  I love to work with all things clay and my favourite firing method is to fire outdoors in a fiber kiln I built in an old oil barrel.  I fire this kiln with propane and a wonderful torch made for the purpose and built by Ward Burners.  This works well for me as we always have a lot of things to burn (shavings, straw, hay) to supply reduction for the raku method. 

I love raku.  It is a very participatory firing method in which you have an active role in the completion of the work.  A pyromaniacs dream! I run lots of workshops in the Raku method for high schools and community centres all over the Ottawa area.  

I make functional cone 6 electric stoneware which is food safe, and I make sculpture and fun decorative items which are mainly finished in a raku or smoke pit firing. 

colettebeardall@rogers.com

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