Kathy Ransom

Female

Calgary, AB

Canada

Profile Information:

What is your experience with ceramics in general. (Long answer encouraged)

I took my first ceramic course 30 years ago but life intervened and I didn't get back to it until about 8 years ago. I'm primarily self taught, learning from books and hours spent scouring the internet for tutorials, information, and inspiration. Some of the workshops and courses I've attended are NCECA 2012, Julia Galloway, Trudy Golley, Carol Gouthro (coming up this summer), Cathi Terepocki, and Sandra Ledingham.

I work at home in a large, insulated garage we are converting to a studio and it's functional but my goal is to have a space that will accommodate a studio sale next November. Talking with other potters has convince me that an annual sale is a great way to help pay the bills but it takes a few years to get it established so I need to get started.

I fire with a small 3-4 cu ft kiln that is attached to an electronic controller. Would love to get an 8 - 10 cu ft kiln but need to sell more pots to make that happen. I also have a 10 cu ft Olympic Torchbearer kiln that I would love to have functional but it needs some new parts and a shed before I can do that.

My pieces are all hand built as my hands are too weak to throw, although I'd love to try it and think I could learn if I had a wheel to play with. I love the perfect symmetry of a thrown piece but I also enjoy and appreciate the quirkiness of a piece that isn't quite symmetrical.

What is your current involvement with electric fired ceramics? (long answer encouraged)

Clay fascinates me more than any other material because of its' simplicity as well as its endless possibilities.
Fabric and fabric construction, lace, leaves, flowers, colorful glass & fibres are all materials that have a great deal of appeal to me and I can draw on all of them to create items in clay.
I also appreciate a sense of humour, inner strength, constancy and strong convictions and strive for these in my personal life. I'd like to think that these qualities are present in my work and will call to people who recognize them or have a need for a reminder in their lives.

All our content is viewable by the public. Why do you want to be a member, when you can already see everything as a non-member?

I really enjoy collaboration and sharing of information. When I put one of my favourite glazes on this network - frogskin, other potters became interested in it. They tried layering it with other glazes and refiring to bisque temperatures, altering it through other techniques in ways I'd never thought of. I think I've actually been a member of this network from almost the beginning and have enjoyed watching it grow and change to become a wonderful source of information.

Where do you work on your ceramics projects?

home studio

Do you have your own, or participate in other ceramics Websites:

http://kathrynransom.ca

How did you find this network?

search engine

Comment Wall:

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  Tobla Howell

  Hi Kathy,

  I like it too!!

  Nov 10, 2014

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  Lynnette Lukay

  Hi Kathy! Yes I grew up in Calgary! Here's to cccold Canadian potters! :)

  Nov 25, 2014

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  Erik Evans

  Hey, thanks, Kathy.  I appreciate the comment!

  May 11, 2016