introducing....Sarah Pike
Where do you currently live?
Fernie, BC, CANADA
Tell us the best thing about that city.
It is a small mountain town with an excellent sense of lifestyle and community.
If you didn’t live there you’d love to live…..
This place is pretty special, but occasionally my childhood home on the West coast of Canada calls to me.
Outside of ceramic art what other types of art/design/fashion etc are you drawn to and does it influence your work?
Wood, metal, leather, cooking, home design… Pretty much anything handcrafted. I look at sheet metal forms and design as an influence in my slab built pottery. I love the versatility, tactility, smell and softnesss of wood. Leather work, also for its tactility and softness, but also for its flexibility. Thick, chunky leather bags are a weakness, probably because they look like slabs of clay sewn together. Cooking… because food and flavours are sooooo goooood. I love home design and decorating and gardening too. All things that bring beauty into our daily lives in a functional yet intimate way.
If you couldn’t be an artist next best job would be:
If I couldn’t be a potter, I’d would be another kind of artist or craftsperson, a gardener or landscape designer, chef, woodworker, or maybe a writer. I like painting too. Or I’d do research and development for green building solutions.
No cheating what’s the book beside your bed?
Women in Clothes (by Sheila Heti, Heidi Julavits, and Leanne Shapton), Edmund De Waal’s the Hare with the Amber Eyes, a pile of Canadian House and Home Magaizines, a few Dwell, mags and a ceramics mags too.
If you could exhibit your work alongside any artist, alive or dead who would you want to show with?
Hans Coper and Lucie Rie, mostly so I could meet them and hold their pots in person. Or maybe a collab with Andy Goldsworthy, again so I could meet him and see him work in person.
Name someone everyone should follow on instragram:
@potsinaction is my hands down fave.
Best tip you’ve ever been given on how to be an artist: Just keep doing it. Sounds simple, but it can be incredibly difficult. Children, finances, life in general can make it challenging. Persevere!
Favorite thing to listen to in the studio:
All kinds of music- faves of the moment are Bahamas, First Aid Kit, Father John Misty, Tweak Bird, Courtney Barnett, Flume. A daily injection of CBC radio and of course various podcasts including CBC’s Spark and Under the Influence, Ben Carter’s Tales of a Red Tale Rambler, Paul Blais’ Potter’s Cast, and This American Life.
Creative blocks? How do you fix them? I get outside and get active. Mountain bike, snowboard, hike, take dog for a big walk. Or go out with friends. Laughter and dancing are so nourishing..so is the wine;)
Do you have a super power? If yes what? If no what super power would you choose?
No super powers here. I would like to save our planet from pollution. Find a solution for all the garbage and toxic waste, find solutions for sustainability. Maybe I’d be a female David Suzuki with super powers.
One goal, art related or otherwise, that you want to accomplish before you die? Travel to Japan, clear Project nine(mountain bike trail in Fernie that goes straight up the mountain. to clear it means ride up without stopping. Aaargh! It is a lung buster.) Walk through a Richard Serra Sculpture.
See more of Sarah's work on her profile page.