Bio - COLETTE BEARDALL

Colette is an award winning sculptor of ceramic animal and figurative sculptures.
She began by exhibiting her Raku, Functional and Sculptural work in Alberta throughout the 90’s, and since moving to Ottawa in 2001, she has exhibited at galleries including Cube Gallery, The Museum of Nature, the Trinity Gallery in the Shenkman Arts Centre, and Loretta Glass Studios in Ottawa, the Jared Branfman Memorial Gallery in Needham Massachusetts and the Ontario Crafts Council Gallery in Toronto. Her work is in private collections in Australia, Japan, the U.K. and all over North America.
Colette was awarded a solo exhibition at the Dust Evans Gallery at Shenkman Arts Centre in 2016 which featured endangered species from the 7 continents. Most recently she exhibited at Galerie Cote Gallery where she was delighted to receive best in show at the annual Exhibition of the Ottawa Guild of Potters for her contemplative work, Ekundayo, a representation of an endangered Grauer’s gorilla. Most of her animal sculptures are considered critically endangered and she actively supports nature conservation charities.

In 2013 she participated in Fusion Clay and Glass Mentorship Program where she finally made a decision to concentrate on her animal sculpture and is currently exploring incorporating bone and wood and beeswax in her ceramic work.

She has been a popular instructor all over the Ottawa region teaching handbuilding, and wheel thrown pottery and sculpture. She lives on 5 idyllic wooded acres south of Ottawa with her husband, 2 cats, Russian rescue dog, Laika and her two horses.

Her animal sculpture work has been featured in the book “Mastering Raku” by Steven Branfman and 2011’s release of Lark Books “500 Raku” and in April of 2018 two of her most recent works were included in Susan Halls’ new book Ceramics for Beginners Animal and Figurative Sculpture in the gallery section.