SPECIAL EDITION: In this episode of the Colour & Ceramics Podcast, we explore the Surface Stories Collective, https://surfacestoriescollective.lovable.app/, a Toronto-based initiative bringing non-ceramic artists from equity-deserving communities into the world of ceramic surface design.

Through workshops, studio sessions, and a culminating exhibition at Gallery 1065 from July 24 to August 2, participants are expanding their creative practices, experimenting with clay, and building new connections across Toronto’s arts communities.

It is an inspiring conversation with Natalie Waddell https://claygirl.ca and Christina Leslie https://www.christinaleslie.com/ about access, collaboration, and the possibilities that emerge when artists step into unfamiliar creative territory.

Listen now wherever you get your podcasts.

Produced with the support of the City of Toronto through the Toronto Arts Council.

#ColourAndCeramics #SurfaceStoriesCollective #CeramicArt #TorontoArts #ContemporaryCraft

My guest today is British ceramic sculptor Paul Smith, who has worked full-time from his studio in North Derbyshire since 1998. Paul is known for his bold, semi-abstract animal sculptures, combining simplified forms with expressive, richly layered surfaces.

Inspired by ancient sculpture and pottery, Inuit and folk art, and his lifelong fascination with the natural world, Paul is especially drawn to horses, cattle, wolves, bears, and big cats. His recent work uses layers of slips, engobes, oxides, and underglazes to create sculptures that feel like treasured objects, marked by age and history.

Alongside his studio practice, Paul now teaches his distinctive hand-building methods through masterclasses in the UK and internationally.

You can find him here on his website: https://paulsmithsculptures.co.uk/ and on his Instagram page here: https://www.instagram.com/paulsmithsculptures/

This week we're joined by Mary Fox, a self-taught BC potter who turned a lifetime of "learning at the school of hard knocks" into an acclaimed artistic career. Mary shares her journey from functional pottery to exploratory art, her approach to surface design and colour, and why she created the Legacy Project Apprentice Program — a rare two-year apprenticeship helping young Canadian potters become studio professionals. 🎧 Listen now!

See her work and all about her apprentice program https://maryfoxpottery.ca/