SAMANTHA DICKIE | STAND
November 4 – December 5, 2004
Artist’s Talk & Opening Reception, Thursday November 4, 7:30 pm
The Odd Gallery is pleased to present Stand, an installation of life-sized hand built ceramic towers created during the artist’s two-month residency at the Klondike Institute of Art & Culture. Together, the towers create an environment for the viewer to experience; alone and upon closer inspection they reveal marked and carved surfaces – traces and imprints of the artist’s hands – that develop intimate records and stories of life.
“As an abstract visual narrative, “Stand”, reveals stories of life seen and vanished. Like monolithic stone structures, or the charred standing remains of a forest fire, I feel an elemental rawness in each tower. Whether walking through a Haida Gwaii forest, or through crowds of Toronto’s skyscrapers, we see imprints. I imagine the stories told through an etching on a tombstone, the gouges on an old pair of running shoes, or the signature print of a graffiti artist. Everything leaves a distinct mark. “Stand” is about carving a visual narrative that is visceral, abstract, and curious.”
– excerpted from the Artist’s Statement
Biography
Samantha Dickie is a contemporary ceramic artist working in Canada. She completed a Bachelor of Arts at Trent University majoring in Women Studies and Native Studies. Shortly thereafter, she moved to Nelson, B.C. where she attended the Kootenay School of the Arts and majored in ceramics. Since graduating Dickie has been practicing art full time in various locations throughout the West. A recent body of work named “Imprint” was created during a residency at the Banff Centre for the Arts and has been shown across Alberta and British Colombia.
Although trained as a potter, Samantha Dickie has been creating non-functional forms for the last five years. Both on the wheel and in hand building, she continuously challenges her skills and pushes her material to its limits. Dickie combines her technical knowledge of clay with a sculptural approach to creating. Her process of making and her interest in the way that the viewer engages with her work demonstrates a conceptual approach to her medium. The formal design and intentions behind her work have been influenced by her numerous paddling expeditions throughout the North.
The Odd Gallery is pleased to present Stand, an installation of life-sized hand built ceramic towers created during the artist’s two-month residency at the Klondike Institute of Art & Culture. Together, the towers create an environment for the viewer to experience; alone and upon closer inspection they reveal marked and carved surfaces – traces and imprints of the artist’s hands – that develop intimate records and stories of life.
“As an abstract visual narrative, “Stand”, reveals stories of life seen and vanished. Like monolithic stone structures, or the charred standing remains of a forest fire, I feel an elemental rawness in each tower. Whether walking through a Haida Gwaii forest, or through crowds of Toronto’s skyscrapers, we see imprints. I imagine the stories told through an etching on a tombstone, the gouges on an old pair of running shoes, or the signature print of a graffiti artist. Everything leaves a distinct mark. “Stand” is about carving a visual narrative that is visceral, abstract, and curious.”
– excerpted from the Artist’s Statement
Biography
Samantha Dickie is a contemporary ceramic artist working in Canada. She completed a Bachelor of Arts at Trent University majoring in Women Studies and Native Studies. Shortly thereafter, she moved to Nelson, B.C. where she attended the Kootenay School of the Arts and majored in ceramics. Since graduating Dickie has been practicing art full time in various locations throughout the West. A recent body of work named “Imprint” was created during a residency at the Banff Centre for the Arts and has been shown across Alberta and British Colombia.
Although trained as a potter, Samantha Dickie has been creating non-functional forms for the last five years. Both on the wheel and in hand building, she continuously challenges her skills and pushes her material to its limits. Dickie combines her technical knowledge of clay with a sculptural approach to creating. Her process of making and her interest in the way that the viewer engages with her work demonstrates a conceptual approach to her medium. The formal design and intentions behind her work have been influenced by her numerous paddling expeditions throughout the North.