Market Chat - Sourceworks Ceramics

Inspiration for Sourceworks Ceramics
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The inspiration for Melanie’s art comes from nature and folklore. The name itself “Sourceworks” indicates a sense of history in what she produces. She enjoys finding the meaning in pieces she creates and incorporates them in her work. She also invites the audience to identify with her art using symbolism. Melanie creates personas in her art - ones that we can relate to. If you know a trickster, she has the raven. If you have someone wise in your life, she has the owl. Perhaps you know someone brave (and stubborn) she has the boar. Melanie creates ceramic art where you can feel part of it and have yourself beautifully expressed through it.

Where the Passion of Art Began...
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Melanie’s passion for art started at a young age. She grew up in Manitoba in a family who encouraged expression through the arts, so she was  introduced to the piano, and art classes at a young age. However, she was drawn to the visual  arts and began to spend more time painting and drawing. At 16 years old, she took the initiative  to apply to Banff School of Arts where she got accepted and traveled from Manitoba to  attend their fine arts summer program.  
Melanie decided to pursue arts in post-secondary education. She applied to several  schools but decided to attend University of Manitoba for fine arts. After a year, she reapplied to  OCAD (then OCA) for one of the best programs in the country and was accepted. This shows  that when you really are truly passionate about something, you don’t give up. This was in the  late 70’s and going from Winnipeg to Toronto was a big and exciting change. She Her focus  was in the experimental arts program taking courses like film making (with 8mm  film), sculpting, and working with photography, including the dark room! 
After graduating in 1985, her and other like-minded experimental artists formed a collective called “Republic”. The collective would show in existing art spaces  in Toronto. Georgian Bay Marketplace celebrates the movements where artists form together and create a  stronger presence side by side.  ​

Becoming a Colorist…

What is a colorist? Read more to find out!
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Melanie also attended Georgian Brown College for commercial arts. She gained employment in the graphics arts and worked as a graphic artist and as a colorist in animation. When we design an illustration on the computer and need to copy a color, we simply use the eyedropper tool. It’s just a click - and boop! You have the same color. However, before computer technology, there was someone who had the particularly special talent of mixing a color to match another exactly. If you have ever gone to a  paint store, you’ve likely seen all those tiny color chits with thousands of shades you never knew existed. It was Melanie’s job to match a color to an exact shade, by hand. For example in the  80s, the Honey Nut Cheerios bee could not be instantly copied and pasted onto another  advertisement. No, you needed someone like Melanie to recreate a color to a specific shade to  copy that iconic character. Melanie was very talented at this - and so it would become a great  asset with Sourceworks Ceramics. 

How Sourceworks Ceramics Started...
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However, before Sourceworks Ceramics came about, something had to change. Art  making had taken a backseat during that time as a colorist, but not for long. The graphics  industry began to outsource and move towards a computer based process, a movement we’ve  seen in many careers. This is the consequence of moving towards a global economy, and why  Georgian Bay Marketplace strives to support a local economy. Many of Melanie’s colleagues  went back to school to stay employed, but she decided to move in a new and different  direction. This is when she started Sourceworks Ceramics. It started out of her basement,  where she gained knowledge first-hand through books, experimenting, and asking other people with a working knowledge of ceramics and clay. She learned how to make ceramic molds and started making ceramic pieces with a method  called slip casting.

Toronto to South Georgian Bay & GHAC

The journey from Toronto to South Georgian Bay was inspired by weekend visits with  friends. Interesting fact - her and her husband sustainably constructed a straw bale house (yay  for sustainability!). Click here for an info sheet to learn why straw bale homes are sustainable.  Melanie, and two other artists, created the Grey Highlands Artists’  Collective (GHAC) in 2008. Instead of committing to one location, they rent a venue together  and exhibit their art based on a theme. Artists have different mediums for expressing  themselves, but can also express their interpretation of that theme in different ways. So, it’s  incredible to imagine what you might see when you bring all that art together! In June they plan  to have an art show with three other local artists at the L.E. Shore  Library in Thornbury.

The Approaches Behind and Ahead for Sourceworks Ceramics...
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As previously mentioned, Melanie’s graphics, colorist and art school background come in handy when working in the studio. She exercises contrasting types of artistry, production and original approaches. Melanie is talented in different skills sets which in turn, makes her art that much more unique.

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