Play by Wendy Walgate The quirky and colourful creations of Toronto ceramic artist Wendy Walgate were one of the new discoveries that caught my eye at this year’s Interior Design Show. The aptly named Play consists of white earthenware [slipcast and glazed], sitting on top of a vintage toy drum. Walgate explains that her finished collections are built within objects that “reference lost, abandoned and imagined ‘play’ sessions and memories.”  So what’s green about her creations? Walgate, who has been working with clay for over 25 years, incorporates “heavily used objects, comprised of discarded and abandoned toys from the 1950’s, such as rusty strollers, carriages, wagons” and more. Her site has some fantastic examples of her work in a variety of colour palettes, ranging from the monochromatic to the circus like. If you’re in Toronto in July, you can check out more of Wendy Walgate’s playful sculptures in person at the Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibition. The 2009 edition of the massive and prolific Interior Design Show was probably the best I’ve ever attended, thanks to an increase in green and Canadian design offerings and the expert publicity and organization of the brilliant team at Faulhaber Public Relations. I’m sure that they’re already busy gearing up for the 2010 show and I’m indeed looking forward to it. ::more Walgate posts::

Play by Wendy Walgate

The quirky and colourful creations of Toronto ceramic artist Wendy Walgate were one of the new discoveries that caught my eye at this year’s Interior Design Show.

The aptly named Play consists of white earthenware [slipcast and glazed], sitting on top of a vintage toy drum. Walgate explains that her finished collections are built within objects that “reference lost, abandoned and imagined ‘play’ sessions and memories.” 

So what’s green about her creations? Walgate, who has been working with clay for over 25 years, incorporates “heavily used objects, comprised of discarded and abandoned toys from the 1950’s, such as rusty strollers, carriages, wagons” and more. Her site has some fantastic examples of her work in a variety of colour palettes, ranging from the monochromatic to the circus like.

If you’re in Toronto in July, you can check out more of Wendy Walgate’s playful sculptures in person at the Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibition.

The 2009 edition of the massive and prolific Interior Design Show was probably the best I’ve ever attended, thanks to an increase in green and Canadian design offerings and the expert publicity and organization of the brilliant team at Faulhaber Public Relations. I’m sure that they’re already busy gearing up for the 2010 show and I’m indeed looking forward to it.

::more Walgate posts::

.:June 5, 2009
Life is a Red Rebus Stroller by Wendy Walgate. Probably one of her most playful pieces yet, Walgate uses a vintage metal stroller as the foundation for this vibrant work of art. I also came across this great photo of the Toronto ceramic artist in her studio, surrounded by her eye popping creations. Photo :: confetti*snowstorm ::more Walgate posts::

Life is a Red Rebus Stroller by Wendy Walgate.

Probably one of her most playful pieces yet, Walgate uses a vintage metal stroller as the foundation for this vibrant work of art. I also came across this great photo of the Toronto ceramic artist in her studio, surrounded by her eye popping creations.

Photo :: confetti*snowstorm

::more Walgate posts::

.:June 5, 2009
I Am Not Greedy by Wendy Walgate. The colour palette may be subdued and the theme may appear whimsical, but this is definitely a sculpture with a statement. Walgate, who recycles discarded objects and features them prominently in her creations, started with a vintage cup bearing the slogan “I am not greedy, but I want enough.” Walgate believes that the cup’s statement is “incredibly apt for these times and particularly the need to have enough meat on our plates. The centre of all our meals - the meat. How about everything else we can eat that doesn’t involve confinement, torture and killing? How about being creative with our food and using all those fresh, brilliantly coloured foods that don’t involve death?” The artist further encourages us to “Go vegetarian and try hard for vegan. It’s the inevitable way of the future.” Photo :: confetti*snowstorm ::more Walgate posts::

I Am Not Greedy by Wendy Walgate.

The colour palette may be subdued and the theme may appear whimsical, but this is definitely a sculpture with a statement. Walgate, who recycles discarded objects and features them prominently in her creations, started with a vintage cup bearing the slogan “I am not greedy, but I want enough.”

Walgate believes that the cup’s statement is “incredibly apt for these times and particularly the need to have enough meat on our plates. The centre of all our meals - the meat. How about everything else we can eat that doesn’t involve confinement, torture and killing? How about being creative with our food and using all those fresh, brilliantly coloured foods that don’t involve death?” The artist further encourages us to “Go vegetarian and try hard for vegan. It’s the inevitable way of the future.”

Photo :: confetti*snowstorm

::more Walgate posts::

.:June 5, 2009
Trojan Horses by Toronto ceramic artist Wendy Walgate. A real colour contrast to Walgate’s Play, Trojan Horses began with a pair of 1950’s discarded ceramic horse containers, which could have been used as bookends or planters in their day. The artist explains: “I framed the piece with the black ceramic horses on the bottom and a large ‘Clydesdale’ horse on the top - with a golden pig on his back. When it was finished it seemed as if the contents of the horse bookends were spilling upward, similar to the surprise of the contents of the famous Trojan Horse.” ::more Walgate posts::

Trojan Horses by Toronto ceramic artist Wendy Walgate.

A real colour contrast to Walgate’s Play, Trojan Horses began with a pair of 1950’s discarded ceramic horse containers, which could have been used as bookends or planters in their day.

The artist explains: “I framed the piece with the black ceramic horses on the bottom and a large ‘Clydesdale’ horse on the top - with a golden pig on his back. When it was finished it seemed as if the contents of the horse bookends were spilling upward, similar to the surprise of the contents of the famous Trojan Horse.”

::more Walgate posts::

.:June 5, 2009