A gorgeous full-colour coffee table book celebrating the art of one of BC’s finest potters, My Life as a Potter recounts Mary Fox’s long journey to the peak of her craft. Part memoir, part coming-of-age story and part handbook for ceramicists, Fox’s narrative expresses the passion she feels for her work and the joy she has found in living the life of a studio potter.

A potter since the early 1970s, Fox is recognized for creating exquisite forms and distinctive textured glazes. She has shown her works internationally and at galleries across Canada. In this book she shares her plans to leave behind a legacy of support and mentorship for young artists, in the form of an artist-in-residence program steered by the Mary Fox Legacy Project Society. Royalties from this book will benefit the project.

Readers with an interest in the technical aspect of Fox’s work will especially appreciate the richly illustrated chapters on technique and artistic process. This book is for anyone who has ever been curious about the life of a professional potter, anyone hoping to become a potter themselves and anyone who believes that art has the power to guide us through life’s myriad challenges and hardships.

Mary Fox is a self-taught exploratory potter who has been working with clay since she was thirteen years old and as a professional potter for over forty years. Her innovative and inspired creations have garnered national and international acclaim. Fox creates contemporary pieces based on classic lines that express the beauty and strength of pure form. With inspired original glazes and shapes that seem to spring up from the earth, each of Fox’s pieces tells its own story, evoking a sense of wonder and intensity that is both delicate and powerful. Fox lives and works in her studio located in Ladysmith on Vancouver Island, BC.

Mary Fox's profile page

“Beautifully and profusely illustrated throughout, My Life as a Potter: Stories and Techniques by Mary Fox offers fascinating insights into the life, work and career of one of Canada's premier artists in the medium of pottery making. Impressively informative, exceptionally 'reader friendly' in organization and presentation, My Life as a Potter: Stories and Techniques is especially recommended for personal, professional, community, college, and university library Contemporary Canadian Art collections in general, and Mary Fox supplemental curriculum studies reading lists in particular.”

<em>Midwest Book Review</em>