Jennifer Wharton

Jennifer Wharton lives and creates in Mohkintsis/Calgary.

While she has instructed and facilitated in many capacities over the years, to people of all ages and abilities, she has recently decided to embrace life as a full time potter.Having grown up in the Northwest Territories, Jennifer has spent a lifetime building relationships with, and observing the patterns of life on the rivers, lakes, tundra, beaches, forests, and mountains surrounding her. She is happiest outside.The appreciation she holds for the land frequently shows up in the natural colours, textures, and themes of her work.

Jennifer completed a year long practicum at the Banff Centre in the Ceramics Studio in 2018 after graduating from the New Brunswick College of Craft and Design in 2016.It was the community she found there, as well as the myriad of adventures to be had in the Canadian Rockies that led to making the choice to call Alberta home. It is these adventures that continue to fuel Jennifer’s creative exploration as she happily pots away in her Calgary based home studio.

My creative process at the moment, is rooted in the long-standing family tradition of visiting beaches in Nova Scotia to walk by the water, and to search for treasures with my Nana. On those beaches, I learned the catharsis of becoming completely absorbed by the sound of the waves while taking the time to notice the colours, textures, and intricate details of life at my feet. I eventually landed with my family in the Northwest Territories as a child. This is the place we call home to this day, and this is where we traded the ocean for rivers and lakes. While I found myself in an entirely new environment, I still found comfort in spending time by the water.

I found new microcosms to explore, and began developing my independence in the outdoors, as well as my carefully curated rock collection. My work today still revolves around these themes, wherever I find myself.

I use items and inspiration found on my adventures in the Canadian Rockies here in Alberta, or my visits home to the North to express my appreciation for the natural world that sustains us.