Fox said as a self-taught artist, she learned her skills through practice and being open to failures while experimenting with new techniques. (Lauryn Mackenzie/CHLY 101.7FM)

A local potter with 40 years of experience is sharing her knowledge in a book aimed at novice potters.

Mary Fox has been working with ceramics since she was 13 years old and has been learning and growing her skills since.

Now, after years of exploring the art and science behind ceramics and making a name for herself as a professional potter, Fox has released her second book, this one teaching low-cost glazing methods, in her effort to give back to young and novice potters.

CHLY met with Fox at her home studio and gallery in Ladysmith to talk about her newest book, Developing Glazes.

All royalties of the book will contribute to the Mary Fox Legacy Project, an initiative Fox created to help young potters develop their skills at no cost. (Lauryn Mackenzie / CHLY 101.7fm)

Fox said as a self-taught artist, she learned her skills through practice and being open to failures while experimenting with new techniques.

“Making the pots is one thing that uses one part of your body, and it's enjoyable. It's frustrating at first, but once you start to get the hang of it, it's enjoyable,” Fox said. “Then you have to take what has taken you so long to learn how to do and you need to glaze it, and you don't know what the heck you're going to do.”

Fox said glazing ceramics can be the most difficult process in pottery. She said many novice potters can be daunted in practising different glazing techniques, as it can be a costly and time-consuming process.

With this in mind, Fox set out to write Developing Glazes to teach readers her methods while still giving readers space to experiment creatively and create something unique.

In the book, she showcases her own exploration into making glazes that can be made with easy-to-attain ingredients that can be fired at low temperatures.

All royalties of the book will contribute to the Mary Fox Legacy Project, an initiative Fox created to help young potters develop their skills at no cost.

Fox said the biggest thing she wants to give her apprentices is the opportunity to take risks. (Lauryn Mackenzie / CHLY 101.7fm)

“As things have progressed, I decided to start an apprenticeship program, which I consider part of the legacy project. Now the legacy project has no government funding,” Fox said. “The apprentices are paid; they get three weeks of holiday a year; they work here full time, and they are paid through the sales of everything that is sold here goes to support the project.”

The legacy project was started in 2021, taking on one new apprentice for a two-year period, where they are mentored by Fox at her home studio. Fox helps them develop their skills and shape their own style.

Fox never had the opportunity to apprentice under another potter through her artistic career, but said she is lucky to now be able to give back to the pottery community.

“I never in a million years thought that I would manage as much as I've managed in my lifetime,” she said. “Like I thought, that I would be lucky to be able to make a living as a functional potter, I had no idea I was an artist, and that all this work would come out of me.”

She said the biggest thing she wants to give her apprentices is the opportunity to take risks.

“If you're [taking risks], you have to accept that this piece that you've spent all this time on may not turn out,” she said. “But if you keep doing the same thing over and over and over again, which a lot of potters do, because ‘oh, I know that that's going to work. I know that that's going to sell,’ you lose your soul in it. Then the passion that you felt for this field starts to diminish.”

Fox said it is a special feeling to watch the young potters come in with beginner skills and watch them bloom over time.

“When did we start to lose our ability to play? I think losing our ability to play is something that we're seeing throughout society,” she said. “We need to get back to the fact that we can actually just do silly things, try different things, everything doesn't have to be figured out, right?”

Fox and Harbour Publishing is hosting a celebration of Developing Glazes on November 15 at 2 p.m. at the Wilson & Co. Gallery and Studio in Ladysmith.

Copies of Developing Glazes can be purchased locally in Nanaimo at Window Seat Books, Fireside Books in Parksville and online on the Harbour Publishing website.

Funding Note: This story was produced with funding support from the Local Journalism Initiative, administered by the Community Radio Fund of Canada.