Claire Strauss | Feets of Bowldness: Soulful First Steps Towards Joy

Jul 16

Claire Strauss
Feets of Bowldness: Soulful First Steps Towards Joy

EDGE GALLERY
August 1 - 30, 2025
Opening Reception: August 1, 5-7pm

I was born at Mile 4 of the Mayo Road in a wood log cabin. A childhood set on the banks of the clay cliffs of 7th Avenue, is a vast playground of amusements.

Formal introductions to hand building are thanks to a University of Victoria hand building class that got me through a near miss one credit short of my final undergrad year. Fast forward to today, I create to play.

Clay is universal. Clay is function and fantasy manifest for purpose in everyday common needs to the novelty of anything hands can form. I connect with clay to feel the Earth’s properties, play in the moveable, expansive and irritable moodiness of firings.

Pottery is the oldest handcraft.

Depictions of animated clay are historically recorded in 3700-3450 BC. In the oldest recorded animated bowl, an Egyptian hieroglyph means “to bring” depicted on a forward tipping bowl with feet.

In The Edge of today’s series of bowled feet, I express joy in manifesting my heart with clay.

Thanks to the support of my husband Kelly Kirby for giving up his man cave to create my home clay den. To Patrick Royle, my friend for always giving me time to drop off experimental pieces to fire along with all the musings of his studio. To the Arts Underground community for fanning my fancy in having a show. I acknowledge I work and play on the Kwanlin Dun First Nation and Ta’an Kwach’an. Thank you to my family and friends for their endearing appreciation of my mini reveals in the making of the series. This show is for all the mud lovers who fall in love with bottoms, I bring you the whim of my bowled feets.

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