Canadian Potter Opens Studio in Haliburton Village

Posted on May 5, 2012 by Marie

People looking to buy quality fine-crafted pottery now have a new studio/gallery to check out right in Haliburton village, Ontario, Canada. Tucked away behind an eight foot fence in a garden setting Stone Garden Pottery sits attached to potter Sharon Lynch’s home.

After years of working in her basement,Sharon has moved up into this bright and airy space to create her colourful hand-painted stoneware. However when she bought the property almost twelve years ago, she had no idea where the future would lead. It was only after she found broken pottery equipment and pieces of pots in the shed that she realized one of the previous owners had been a potter.

This discovery peaked her interest enough to take a hand-building course with Thom Lambert at the Haliburton School of the Arts FlemingCollege. It was love at first touch. Over the years Sharon continued with a number of instructors at Fleming including Barb Peel and Paul Portelli. Five years ago she began selling her work at The Art Hive near Carnarvon, where she is a founding member. The response from the public was encouraging and now the time has come to throw open her own studio doors.

Sharon fashions fine hand-crafted pieces for both inside and outside the home. Located at 64 Eastern Avenue(at the end of Highland St.), Stone Garden Pottery is having its grand opening Saturday and Sunday May 19 and 20. The work is also featured on www.MadeInHaliburton.ca.

Sharon is a member of the Arts Council~Haliburton Highlands.

MadeInHaliburton.ca in the News

Posted on April 11, 2012 by Marie

January article from Terrance Gavin in the Highlander illustrated some mixed reviews from the crowd that gathered to hear about the proposed new website: www.MadeInHaliburton.ca. There was much optimism and excitement by many but also some concern by others. Now that the website is live and 40 artists have already chosen to sell their products in this manner, with more applications in the works, the press is more positive as is illustrated by this excerpt from an editorial by Bram Lebo of the Highlander.

By Bram Lebo:
“If, like me, you’ve had the good fortune to discover George’s Savoury Pies in Argyle (real lard, unreal crust), you’ll no doubt be familiar with George’s problem: there’s just not enough traffic on that country road to keep the ovens in business. Sadly, George has on more than one occasion had to close up for a month or three.
What George could use is a billboard on Highway 12, something to point the pie-lovers in his direction. Or, he might consider an online sales tool like MadeinHaliburton.ca, the website launched earlier this month.
Plans for the site were announced to the community in January and were greeted by a passive-aggressive combination of cautious enthusiasm (another grant project) and outright hostility (ripping off and stifling artists, not necessarily in that order). Now, roughly on time, it is here.” READ MORE >>>

At the launch of our site, the mood in the Art Hive on April 5th when the artists and project partners gathered in a private party to mark the occasion of the launch of the new website was upbeat and hopeful. Small sales had already been completed with shipping to Canada, USA and Hong Kong.

Lois Raw’s Roots in the Highlands

Posted on April 6, 2012 by Made In Haliburton

Lois Raw’s family started their association with the Highlands in 1938 or 39 when they purchased a cottage resort called Kushog Heights that was located, strange as it may seem, on what is now known as Lake Kashagawigamog. Other members of the family, including Lois’ grandparents, purchased property in the surrounding area. Lois took possession of her grandparents cottage and owned it until 2001.

When she retired she felt the strongest connection to the Haliburton Highlands. She realized she could not live in the cottage as it was not equipped to meet the demands of our Canadian winters. So, she searched for property and found the former school house that she now lives and works in. Interesting that a teacher should now live in this abandonned school house.

When the Haliburton School of the Arts first opened Lois began to take art classes. She states that “this community is a wonderful place to be an artist. It has a rich and deep artistic background and lots of variety and expertise from which to draw”. She notes that the curators at both the Rails End Gallery and Art Centre and the Agnes Jamieson Gallery have been very encouraging to her, giving her opportunities for exhibition of her work. She has won many awards for her pastels, including the Abstract Award from the Pastel Artists of Canada

In addition to being a pastel painter she is an active participant in the performing arts faction of this community. She is a member of the Highland Festival Singers, takes piano lessons, and volunteers to assist in the creation of scenery for the Highlands Summer Theatre. She loves the Haliburton Concert Series.

Lois is currently working on a series of paintings of local Haliburton Highlands musicians. One of them, a picture of Albert Saxby, is featured in the MadeInHaliburton.ca exhibit that opens on April 7, 2012 at the Art Hive.