Judy Blake

Dates: May 8th - June 26th

My journey as an artist began when I encountered the burnished, unglazed pottery of the Southwest Native Americans and the Mata Ortiz of Northern Mexico. I was drawn by the sensual beauty and unglazed surface qualities of these timeless vessels, as well as the unpredictable firing techniques used to create them. Since then, my work has focused on creating beautiful, unglazed surfaces, using fire as a transformative force to breathe life into my pieces.     

Much of my inspiration comes from the natural world—the graceful, undulating curve of an eggplant, the delicate fronds of a woodland fern, or the intricate beauty of a seedpod. Through my vessels, I aim to evoke a sense of contemplative serenity and peacefulness, striving to balance strength with simplicity. My forms serve as canvases for ‘painting with fire’, where each piece becomes a unique story told through marks and textures shaped by the elemental process. 

In my most recent work, I have turned my attention to the beauty of seedpods. For much of my life, I have been a collector of found objects—stones, shells, pieces of driftwood gathered on beach walks, and tiny seedpods from my garden. These objects, each with their own intricate forms and textures, have deeply influenced my work. It was this collection of seedpods that became the inspiration for my exhibition Seed Vessels, which was shown at the Beaverbrook Art Gallery in Fredericton in 2023.                                                                                 

As I continue to evolve in my practice, I am returning to the vessel, exploring new forms and surface techniques. I am hoping to expand my creative vocabulary, pushing the boundaries of my work as I pursue deeper expression through both material and process.

Judy Blake was born in Toronto, Ontario and moved to New Brunswick in 1966.  After graduating from New Brunswick Teachers’ College with a major in art education, Judy taught for five years in Labrador, Nfld.  Upon returning to New Brunswick in the mid 70’s, she attended the New Brunswick Craft School majoring in Ceramics and graduating in 1978.  She has been actively involved on the board of the NBCC, as a juror for artsnb and has been the recipient of several awards including  artsnb grants for Creation, Travel, Professional Development and Arts by Invitation. In 2019, Judy received a prestigious Canada Council grant to ‘Explore and Create’. Just recently, she was awarded a Senior Arts Grant for Creation.

Her smoke-fired vessels have been exhibited in galleries and exhibitions across Canada, the United States and Korea and are included in many private collections nationally and internationally. One of her vessels was selected for the Canadian Craft Federation exhibition, ‘Unity and Diversity’ ; part of the 2009 Craft Biennale in Cheougju, South Korea. In 2012, one of her vessels was purchased for the Permanent Collection of the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia and in 2014, two of her vessels were purchased by Foreign Affairs Canada for permanent display at Canada House in London, UK. In April 2010, she was invited to have a solo exhibition at Canada’s largest ceramic art gallery, the Jonathon Bancroft-Snell Gallery in London, Ontario to celebrate their 10th anniversary and since that time, Judy has had several solo exhibitions at the gallery. In 2014, she was invited by Barry Morrison (art museum director and curator), to document her history as a ceramic artist for Studio Ceramics Canada website. In 2020, the Art Bank of New Brunswick selected one of Judy’s pieces for their permanent collection and in April of this year, Judy’s exhibition Seed Vessels opened at the Beaverbrook Art Gallery. Some of her work from Seed Vessels travelled to the Canadian Clay and Glass Gallery in Waterloo, ON for a group show A Living Palette. Judy is one of 18 artists from Atlantic Canada to be invited to exhibit her work at the prestigious international art fair “Collect 2024” in London, UK. She recently had one of her pieces chosen to represent New Brunswick in the exhibition “Coast to Coast to Coast” which celebrates the Canadian Craft Federation’s 50th anniversary in Montreal and Ottawa. In September 2025, Judy was awarded the prestigious Strathbutler Award for excellence in the arts and for making a substantial contribution to the arts in New Brunswick.

Judy experiments extensively with unglazed surface treatments using alternative firing techniques such as sawdust-firing, naked raku and saggar-firing.  She is one of a small number of Canadians and the only ceramic artist in the Maritimes using these techniques. She has had an opportunity to influence many students as a teacher in the Ceramics Studio at the New Brunswick College of Craft and Design from 1998 to 2012 and continues to do so. Judy Blake maintains a studio practice in Lincoln, New Brunswick.