Tory is an emerging artist in Nelson, BC. Trained in craft at the Kootenay School of the Arts. Growing up in the foothills of Alberta, and working in reforestation in Northern BC; human impact on the natural environment is of primary focus in her work. Working largely with wheel-thrown vessels, Tory pays specific attention to learning traditional techniques and atmospheric processes. Coming out of a strong background in fibre, Tory carries over techniques into their practice with ceramics.

Their work has been featured at Oxygen Gallery in Nelson, BC and is held in private collections in Alberta and Eastern Canada.

ARTIST STATEMENT

I have been trying to describe the viscerality and ethics of human-altered landscape since I first encountered it. From the level farm plains of northern Alberta, to the ravaged cut blocks of interior BC. Where words have failed me, pottery has intervened. The tactility of the medium is able to convey messages I cannot speak. Each step along the way, from preparation of clay, to traditional final firing techniques, to the vessel coming to rest upon a laden table; it is all vital.

One day, my work will tell this story that I have long been witnessing.

September 2023 – July 2024