Brackenwood Gallery - Fine Arts and Crafts from the Pacific Northwest

Artist’s Statement

I’ve always thought of spinning on a potters wheel as an apt metaphor for life. Things go so much better if you start out properly centered. I try to create art that fosters the same peace of mind and sense of well being I find when gazing at the starry night sky. That’s why most of my pots feature accurate constellations. I throw my work on a potters wheel, with a fine-grained local white clay, carving designs into the leather-hard surface after it is trimmed. Pine needles gathered in the nearby mountains fuel the raku firings and infuse the clay with a smoked, natural look. The final surface is hand painted.

Biography

Born in Pomona, California in 1952, Joan Govedare grew up on Catalina Island and in the Santa Ynez Valley of Southern California. She moved to Washington State in 1972, and to Whidbey Island in 1990, where she lives and has her studio today. Having had a constant and early experience in ceramic studios, she has been developing her own techniques since 1970. Joan’s father, an astronomer, engendered in her an interest in the stars, which remains a large influence in her work today. Joan currently has her work at the Infinity Shop in the Adler Planetarium in Chicago.

Selected Exhibitions and Awards

2003 Gaskill/Olson Gallery, annual two person show, Choochokam Arts Festival, Langley, Washington
2001 Gaskill/Olson Gallery, annual two person show, Choochokam Arts Festival, Langley, Washington
1998 Childers/Proctor Gallery , Langley, Washington, annual two person show
Sixteenth Annual Women’s National Juried Exhibition, Springdale, AR. Honorable Mention
Allied Arts Association, Richland, Washington, Award of Merit, 1998
Pacific Northwest Art and Crafts Fair, Bellevue. Washington
1997 Kimzey Mil1er Gallery, Seattle, Washington, two person show
Childers/Proctor Gallery, Langley, Washington, annual two person show
Bellevue Art Museum, Invitational Show, Bellevue, Washington
Valley Bronze of Oregon, Joseph and Cannon Beach, Oregon
Pacific Northwest Arts and Crafts Fair, Bellevue, Washington
1996 Kimzey Miller Gallery, Seattle, Washington, Group Show
Childers/Proctor Gallery, Langley, Washington, annual two person show
Valley Bronze of Oregon, Joseph and Cannon Beach, Oregon
Pacific Northwest Arts and Crafts Fair, Bellevue, Washington
1995 Childers/Proctor Gallery, Langley, Washington, annual two person show
Bellevue Art Museum, Invitational Show, Bellevue, Washington
Valley Bronze of Oregon, Joseph and Cannon Beach, Oregon
Pacific Northwest Arts and Crafts Fair, Bellevue, Washington
1994 Childers/Proctor Gallery, Langley, Washington, annual two person show
Pacific Northwest Arts and Crafts Fair, Bellevue, Washington
Artquake, Portland, Oregon
1993 Childers/Proctor Gallery, Langley, Washington, annual two person show
Pacific Northwest Arts and Crafts Fair, Bellevue, Washington
1992 Childers/Proctor Gallery, Langley, Washington, annual two person show
Pacific Northwest Arts and Crafts Fair, Bellevue, Washington
Park City Art Festival, Park City, Utah
Artquake, Portland, Oregon
1991 Pacific Northwest Arts and Crafts Fair, Bellevue, Washington
1990 Pacific Northwest Arts and Crafts Fair, Bellevue, Washington
Artquake, Portland, Oregon
1989 Pacific Northwest Arts and Crafts Fair, Bellevue, Washington
1988 Museum of Native Amrican Cultures Show, Spokane, Washington
Potters Exchange Show, Pittsburgh and Baltimore Clayworks
Pacific Northwest Arts and Crafts Fair, Bellevue, Washington
1987 Museum of Native Amrican Cultures Show, Spokane, Washington
1986 Pacific Northwest Arts and Crafts Fair, Bellevue, Washington
Elizabeth Fortner Gallery, “The Bowl” Show, Santa Barbara, California