Meet our Member: Heather McIvor

When we first opened, Heather was one of our first members. She had belonged to a pottery studio in Toronto and knew the benefits of being a part of a dynamic creative community.

When did you fall in love with pottery? 

I’ve always wanted to learn to make pottery, especially on the wheel. I took my first lesson at the Gardiner Museum in Toronto in April 2018, and I was immediately hooked.

What have been the benefits of working with clay?

First, and foremost, I’m much more patient and less perfectionistic than I was before I started making pots. Repeatedly making mistakes, and learning from each one, has somewhat cured me of self-criticism. Second, learning to throw on the wheel gave me the courage to try other new things without fear of “failing” or looking silly in front of other people. So now I’m taking music classes where I sing or play the fiddle as part of a group, and it’s intensely liberating to be vulnerable among strangers. And third, I’ve learned that vulnerability and shared creativity can easily turn strangers into friends!

Do you have a favourite piece you’ve made so far? What’s the story behind it?

I’m especially fond of two porcelain mugs painted with images of a knight from the Lewis Chessmen. The originals were carved from walrus tusks in the 12th century, likely by a brilliant female artist known as Margrit the Adroit, and found buried on the Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides (my ancestral homeland) in 1831. My favourite knight is called a “berserker” – he’s so overcome by his aggression that he’s biting his shield. That seemed to capture my feelings about anything that gets between me and my first coffee of the day.

Knights of the Lewis Chessmen.

I usually make functional tableware, which I use constantly. So I also love whichever bowl or mug – or salt pig, vase or oil bottle – I’m using at a given moment.

Favourite tool? 

Too many to name. But if I were forced to choose, it would be my throwing sponge from Mudtools. I couldn’t pull up a wall to save my life for nearly two years, until a friend in throwing class showed me how to use a sponge to keep a firm (but not destructive) grip on the clay.

Favourite clay? 

White stoneware. I often decorate my pieces with underglaze, and the white bisque provides a perfect canvas. I also love to use translucent glazes, which really shine on the white clay.

Favourite time of day to come to the studio? 

Mornings, after I’ve had my coffee.

What do you like to listen to when you work?

Yacht rock or 80s classics, so I can sing along. (Sorry, everybody.)

What’s your next pottery goal, or the skill you’re most keen to learn?

I want to make a foot-tall piece, probably an albarello, in two parts. But only if it won’t cause too much angst in the kiln room.

Best part of being a member of Ford City Potters Studio?

The other members! 

Read more of members stories below and if you have questions about how to become a member of this amazing creative community, email us at fordcitypotter@gmail.com