An exhibition of sculptural ceramic pieces depicting women's feminine side is currently on display at the Artists Showcase Gallery in Ottawa.
In her collection "The Sacred Feminine," Ottawa-born Maryl Morris uses the medium of clay in the forms of figures and a variety of vessels to express what she calls "sacred feminine energy."
Morris draws upon historical and mythological sources for inspiration, producing magical results. She has created a fascinating collection of contemporary pieces with ancient origins for us to admire and ponder.
"I mostly use my hands to mold, sculpt and smoothe the clay because I like to create these images in a simple way, as artists did thousands of years before the influence of major organized religions," says Morris.
Morris worked for many years as an animation filmmaker in Ottawa and internationally. As a fine artist, she has explored many media and has exhibited drawings, paintings, prints and sculpture in solo and group exhibits.
Ranging in price from $30 to $500, the 20 pieces in the exhibit reflect Morris' exploration of hand-building techniques in stoneware ceramics, created at the Ottawa School of Art.
The use of diverse subject matter and references from realms both real and imaginary, combined with equal measures of wonder and whimsy, make this exhibit both awe-inspiring and mysterious. The variety of shapes, sizes, colours and glazes also adds interest when viewing the exhibit as a whole.
Spirals are a recurring motif, and are found in shapes as well as incised on surfaces, sometimes with contrasting glazes. Morris says the spirals in her work are ancient sacred symbols used cross- culturally to signify feminine energy.
"Many of the pieces are vessels, representing the womb. The womb embodies the power of feminine energy and I honour that in my work."
The showpiece is a dramatic Egyptian-inspired vessel depicting the face of a woman enfolded in the spirit of a bird. Some of the most striking pieces are the funerary urns, such as Bird Spirit, a large vessel of gentle curves with a lid bearing a stylized bird head.
The vessel is unglazed and hand burnished, a technique used in ancient times that creates a glazed appearance. The Dragon Head Funerary Urn has a lid with a striking image of a dragon on a shiny blue background.
Dragons are also portrayed in the appealing Twin Dragons Urn, a classic urn in dark matte earth tones with dragon-shaped handles. Another large powerful piece, The Goddess Remembered, is reminiscent of a fertility symbol. It has a beautiful earth-tone finish created by the iron-oxide underglaze, which contributes to its ancient appearance.
"In ancient times sacred feminine energy was revered and honoured as a way of keeping in balance with Mother Earth," says Morris. "Some of these pieces are intended to be used for ceremonies of life's passages and in solstice rituals, marking the seasons and celebrating the feminine spirit in us all."
Many of the vessels are larger functional pieces. Horned Spirit Vessel is a three-legged container with a burnished gold patina. Fibonacci Wave is a ceremonial chalice with a striking wave-shaped handle and is named for a mathematical sequence found in natural forms such as waves and shells.
A beautiful blue teapot, She Comes in Many Forms, makes reference to the sacredness of the goddess, which Morris believes is found in all women.
Perhaps the gentlest items are the figures. A mother and child lovingly portrayed atop an inverted bowl pedestal evoke the tenderness of this universal symbol. Deep Peace is a light-coloured figure of an ample nude woman with cupped hands and a serene expression.
Artists Showcase Gallery is at 187 Lyon St. in Ottawa, located in the Minto Place complex adjacent to the Prime 360 restaurant and the Minto Suite Hotel. The exhibition runs until the end of June.
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