Mark Hemmingson graduated from UBC in 1989 with a major in Creative Writing, and a minor in Anthropology.
He spent nine years in the social services including community work at Triage Emergency Services in the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver.
In the mid-1990's Mark started a stained glass company, Red Herring Art Glass. He created windows for homes in the lower mainland, and pubs across Canada and the US. While his main focus is pottery, he continues to work part-time in stained glass.
My Path Into Pottery
I discovered clay by accident. It wasn't an epiphany, but a gradual realization of how vast is the world of ceramics.
When we moved to Sorrento
I was going to continue in glass, and help Sheryl get her studio started. It didn't take long to see how much there was to do to turn our two car garage into a proper studio. Soon I found myself building shelves, fixing kilns, mixing glazes, making tools, rolling out slabs of clay, and eventually sitting down at the wheel.
I started with small bowls, and gradually worked my way through the various shapes and sizes. As I took on new shapes I began to appreciate the variety of objects that can come from a simple ball of clay.
One thing I like about clay is that it can easily be re-used if the pot doesn't turn out. There is a great freedom in knowing that mistakes are part of how I learn the more difficult shapes. On a new item I might throw half my pots away as I learn to create the form.
I think of the first ones as sketches that allow me to see the dimensions. I also enjoy making the same shape over and over. To some this may seem tedious, but I like working on one thing all day, getting to know it better as I go. There may be forty of them when I'm done, but I've been creating and refining one piece all day.
Another surprise pottery has given me is the pleasue of meeting many new people. We travel throughout BC and Alberta attending craft sales and cultural events, and through the Sorrento Farmer's Market we've gotten to know plenty of people in the Shuswap. Sheryl and I are members of the Thompson Valley Potter's Guild in Kamloops, where we attend monthly meetings, and workshops that offer ongiong training.