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 Rough-hewn bridge with gurgling stream |
 Flowers in the garden |
 Linda at work |
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It was another Sunday Atikokan "day trip" -- afternoon trip really. I had missed Linda Stewart's Dragonfly Studio on Thursday afternoon. So I called and asked if I could visit with her on Sunday. It was a gorgeous, cool, breezy, sunny day, the kind of day that is so glorious in the north, especially after the incredible heat we had just suffered through. The setting of Linda's studio and home is a sun-filled corner of Highland Park, complete with a gurgling stream mere steps from the house. There are squirrels, mice and a cat, Mittens, and an extraordinarily gifted artisan and unique spirit in Linda herself. She tells me that the property where she has lived for the past three years came to her through a friend and really fulfilled a dream she had had about where she would live and make her living. A couple of hours passed quickly in Linda's company. She is a great storyteller and I found out that she has lived many other places, taught pottery in some of them and taken workshops from world-renowned potters in others. She has worked with First Nations peoples to establish pottery programs on reserves. An example of her quirky creativity: She was living in Windsor, doing some teaching. Windsor doesn't have a whole lot of rocks and Linda was missing the rugged landscape of Northwestern Ontario -- so she made them, out of clay. That's what a creative person can do -- something is missing from life, so she used her talent to create her own rock-like forms to enliven her world. Her studio is an informal exhibition of her talent -- pots, mugs, bowls, wineglasses, wind bells and archival works from exhibitions she has held in the past. She is providing souvenir mugs to local businesses, as well as postcards, with images from the area. Her business card says "Open by chance or by appoinment". If you have visitors coming into town, and you find Linda at work, by chance or by appointment, I am sure your visitors would love the experience of visiting our local potter. |
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