Artist Spotlight – Gary Merkel

"It's not about clay so much as how it relates to our lives."

Gary Merkel was an incredibly inventive, self-taught ceramic artist, who created mostly porcelain, wildly decorated creations in his Montreal and Victoria studios. He hand built his work, finding the process unrestrictive and limitless, and is best known for his fantasy pitchers and flat, purely decorative teapots. His bright, bold colours were treated with a transparent glaze that allowed the true finesse of his pieces to shine. 

Merkel began working with clay in 1975 while attending college in Thunder Bay, Ontario, eventually moving west and establishing his own studio near Victoria, BC in 1986. He exhibited throughout North America, including SOFA in New York and Chicago, as well as in Japan and France. His work is housed in the private and public collections of the Art Gallery of Victoria and the Claridge Collection in Montreal. Merkel was a member of the BC Potters Guild, and the innovative pottery group “Fired Up!”. 

“I relate it to life’s lessons. Patience in the face of frustration and disappointment. It’s not about clay so much as how it relates to our lives.” Quote from Gary Merkel Auction Description/Biography: https://www.waddingtons.ca/auction/charles-bronfmans-claridge-collection-auction-part-v-decorative-arts-apr-21-2015/gallery/lot/131/ 


Shall we do a deep dive? 

Fired UP! Website


The Canadian Art Preservation Foundation posts short biographies and information on artists and artwork from its permanent collection in a not-so-subtle attempt to capture your attention and interest in our mission, but we also just want to keep this artwork in view. We are excited about the art we collect and want to share it with you. CAPF is a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving the artwork of Canada’s superstar artists for future generations to examine, study and exhibit – the ones you know and the ones you might not know so well. We accept artwork, journals, notes, letters, exhibition catalogues and anything else that might comprise a visual and/or intellectual “portrait” (ahem, please pardon the pun) of a particular artist.  

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