Canadian Ceramics named Rosaline Delisle

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Canadian ceramics-Rosaline Delisle
Rosaline Delisle was born in Rimouski, Quebec to a family that valued the creativity. Her mother often worked on clay as a hobby while her father sculpted wood in his free time. In an interview she said that her earliest memories are filled with the rhythmic sound of her father chipping away wood with his chisel and the fine strips of wood that littered his working table. Initially, Delisle thought her future was in the sciences of physics and chemistry just like her elder brother who was grounded in the same. These plans however got shelved for eternity when she decided to enroll in the nearby Art school after paying them a visit.
Delisle’s entry into the world of Ceramics
The school’s name was the Institute of Applied Arts, Montreal. In this institution she studied from 1969 to 1973. Being based on the old-model of education, she was subjected to a strict academic schedule that demanded she study for 40 hours a week. In this system, she was exposed to the use of a variety of materials. After experience in the different techniques of creating art work, Rosaline Delisle opted to specialize in ceramics since this is where her passion lied. Initially she worked with coarse Stone ware but didn’t find fulfillment owing to the lack of smoothness and consistency of colors in the finished product. A major turning point was when a fellow ceramist who happened to be her friend introduced her to porcelain. The fine nature and consistency of this type of clay was exactly what she wanted in a raw material for throwing since it allowed her to push her creativity to the limits both structurally and aesthetically.
Apprenticeship and independence
After graduating, Delisle took up an apprenticeship under little-known ceramist Enid LeGros. This was in the Gaspe Peninsula. By now, Rosaline LeGros was in her early twenties and was working and living in relative isolation in a log cabin. Here she used to construct fine stripped porcelain bowls from which she made small margins by selling in Montreal. She however didn’t stay here for long owing to the loneliness and unbearable winters. By and by, her friends persuaded her to join them in their studio which was in the South. Here they used to make a living from the sale of finely stripped and banded pots which they sold in pairs (Frank Lloyd Gallery 4).
Life in the studio was not financially sustainable and she soon found herself in serious insolvency. Because of this she took a bold move by joining a group of male friends who had gone to seek employment in Alberta as Lumberjacks. While here, she didn’t let stereotypes about women put her down. She took on every challenge as it came and she was exceptionally skilled with the chainsaw despite having a petit frame herself. The ease with which she adjusted to the nature of this job can be owed to early experiences she had with her father whil...