Cathi's career as a studio-trained potter began under mentor Herman Venema in Matsqui, British Columbia, in 1974. She also completed fine arts courses at Kwantlen College and the Fraser Valley College. Two Canada Council Grant provided funding for a 4-month residency at The Archie Bray Foundation in Montana and the Banff Centre for the Arts. Experiences with fellow ceramic artists include a Cuban artist exchange (2004), wood-firings in B.C., Banff, Oregon and Minnesota, and residencies in Banff (2000/2005), Montana (2006), Maine (1997), Japan (1993/ 2003), the UK (2002).
 Reflecting Nature: Reflecting Spirit artwork by Cathi Jefferson |
Cathi currently teaches ceramics at the University of Victoria, and has taught at the Emily Carr College of Art and Industrial Design, Kootenay School of Art in Nelson, Medalta in Medicine Hat, North Mount Pleasant in Calgary, and at ‘Series’ in Red Deer. Cathi enjoys teaching workshops and sharing experiences with fellow potters through teaching workshops in BC, Canada, Europe and the USA.
Cathi has always been actively involved in the clay community. During a 4-year term as a board member with the Tozan Society, she helped build 2 traditional Japanese wood-fire kilns in Nanaimo. She is affiliated with Circle Craft Co-op, the Potters Guild of BC, the South Vancouver Island Potter’s Guild, and the Fraser Valley Potter’s Guild (president 1995-2007). Since 1996, she has been a member of the Fired Up collective. She recently completed a 3-year term as a North West Ceramic Foundation board member, and is co-chair of the triennial Canadian Clay Symposium.
Her exhibition history has been extensive over the years, being invited to participate in three USA exhibitions at the National Clay Exhibition for the Ceramic Arts (NCECA) and the ‘21st Century Ceramics’ in Ohio. She was juried into the Sydney Myers International Award, Australia and won the juror’s award at the American Orton Cone Box Show. Among the many publications that have featured her work are Robin Hopper’s 'Functional Pottery' and Phil Roger's 'Salt-Glaze Ceramics'.
Cathi's passion for the preservation of nature is evident is all aspects of her work. Her new studio and gallery on the beautiful Cowichan River near Duncan, BC, is surrounded by the west coast rain forest that inspires her. The unique salt-fired functional stoneware and sculptural forms she creates have designs from nature that she cares so passionately about. Her large sculptural pieces represent the forests that are so crucial to the health of the planet. Her concern for the fragility of nature led her on a three year creative journey that resulted in the installation, 'Reflecting Nature: Reflecting Spirit'.
Visit Cathi Jefferson's website at: www.cathijefferson.com
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