Invited Guest

Robin Clarke

Founding Member

of the NSPG

Halifax, Nova Scotia

In 1971, at age 16, I became fascinated with clay. At 17 I was hired as an apprentice to Klienburg, Ontario potter Jack Herman before attending Sheridan School of Design. Following Sheridan, I opened Bestwood Farm Pottery in Schomberg, Ontario until 1980 when I moved to Nova Scotia, opening Mudworks Pottery at Ottawa Brook on Cape Breton Island.

Now active in Nova Scotia's clay and craft community a group of us formed the Nova Scotia Potters Guild. The guild took off quickly with members putting on workshops and exhibitions across the province. We also saw 1995 designated "Hands on Clay the Year of Earth and Fire" which included a juried exhibition  "From The Ground Up" visiting galleries across the province.

In 1995, I moved to Halifax where I taught adults clay for Tourism and Culture and children clay at the Dartmouth Findlay Center. As well as continuing with my own work I also started Play With Clay parties for kids, which took off in popularity. I have been very fortunate in my time as a potter, receiving many awards over the years and having work acquisitioned for the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia's permanent collection.

While I have been retired from potting for several years now, I look back with many fond memories of those times when I lived and breathed clay daily, my motto was "I pot therefore I am!"

I would like to close with a big thank you to the Nova Scotia Potters Guild for the opportunity to put a Raku fired piece from my days with clay into this show. It is heartwarming to see the Guild is still going strong and I wish you all the best going forward. May the kiln god shine on you always.

Robin Clarke
Past President: Nova Scotia Potters Guild