In her studio, Cathi Jefferson is surrounded by the thing that most inspires her: the sacred trees of the west coast rainforest that she refers to as “the lungs of our planet.” Her passion for nature is expressed through her pottery as she “feels a deep connection to the fathomless energy and beauty in nature and I want to maintain this sense with clay.”

Cathi has always known that she was meant to be a potter – it is simply something that she loves to do. Her career as a studio-trained potter began under mentor Herman Venema in Matsqui, BC, in 1974. Cathi imbued this hands-on study with formal arts training at Kwantlen College (1980 – 81) and the Fraser Valley College (1986 – 88). Over the years, Cathi’s desire for learning and improvement has taken her to workshops around the world, with residencies at The Archie Bray Foundation in Montana and others in BC, Banff, Maine, Japan and the UK.

Cathi has taught clay at the University of Victoria since moving to the Island in 2007. She has also taught at Emily Carr College of Art and Industrial Design and the Kootenay School of Art as well as given many hands-on demonstrations at workshops and conferences throughout North America, the UK and Korea. Cathi was awarded the 2010 Carter Wosk BC Creative Award for Applied Art and Design.

In her studio, Cathi Jefferson is surrounded by the thing that most inspires her: the sacred trees of the west coast rainforest that she refers to as “the lungs of our planet.” Her passion for nature is expressed through her pottery as she “feels a deep connection to the fathomless energy and beauty in nature and I want to maintain this sense with clay.” Cathi has always known that she was meant to be a potter – it is simply something that she loves to do. Her career as a studio-trained potter began under mentor Herman Venema in Matsqui, BC, in 1974. Cathi imbued this hands-on study with formal arts training at Kwantlen College (1980 – 81) and the Fraser Valley College (1986 – 88). Over the years, Cathi’s desire for learning and improvement has taken her to workshops around the world, with residencies at The Archie Bray Foundation in Montana and others in BC, Banff, Maine, Japan and the UK. Cathi has taught clay at the University of Victoria since moving to the Island in 2007. She has also taught at Emily Carr College of Art and Industrial Design and the Kootenay School of Art as well as given many hands-on demonstrations at workshops and conferences throughout North America, the UK and Korea. Cathi was awarded the 2010 Carter Wosk BC Creative Award for Applied Art and Design. Cathi’s creation of functional dishes is grounded in her belief that it’s important to have handmade items in our lives to help us remain connected to the natural world and to each other. Most of her work is wheel-thrown and altered into square or triangular shapes. Pieces are decorated with impressions from nature or geometric shapes that attempt to fit the form add texture to the surface. Cathi hopes that you will engage with her work and notice the different rich earthy tones and varying textures. What makes Cathi’s work unique is the salt-fired technique she uses to finish her stoneware. The salt vaporizes at a high temperature in the kiln and interacts with the clay to create a glaze. The process can create a variety of textures on the same object, providing wonderfully unpredictable results. Cathi’s high fired stoneware is light to the touch, yet remains very durable and resists chipping. All items are dishwasher and microwave safe.