Pretty Little Nightmares on display at Station Arts

Jennifer Dawes displays one of her skeleton mugs, part of the exhibit Pretty Little Nightmares, which showcases her pottery at the Station Arts Center. (Jeff Helsdon Photo)

Jeff Helsdon, Editor

The Station Arts Centre’s latest exhibit is in tune for Halloween with a title of Pretty Little Nightmares.

Don’t worry, though, the exhibit is not that scary.

Pretty Little Nightmares is the title of ceramic artist Jennifer Daees’ exhibit that was “inspired by the strange, spooky and wonderfully peculiar things that have always found their way into my studio.”

The pottery pieces include ghosts, skeletons, demons and spiders, but are functional. For instance, skeletons appear on both incense holders and mugs.

“There is humour and personality in these pieces, a skeleton can be cheerful, a ghost can be charming, and even a demon can become an oddly lovable character,” the show statement says.

Dawes, 34, is from Woodstock and has been involved in ceramics since high school. She went to the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design to earn a degree in ceramics and art history. After completing residencies in Medicine Hat and at the Banff Center, she started on her own.

“I’ve been trained and taught by amazing potters and ceramic artists,” she said.

Besides selling pottery and giving lessons from her home studio, Dawes also teaches classes at other locations such as Burning Kiln Winery and Cow Bell Brewery.

One of her ‘spooky’ favourites has been making small ghosts. Rather than scary, Dawes said the ghosts are cute, giving the example of the unicorn ghosts. She has a collection of 16 different ghosts in the series, and has added making ghosts to her teaching.

The Station Arts Centre exhibit includes Dawes’ mugs.

“Putting art into everyday objects brings a smile to your face,” she said of the mugs.

Some potential customers point out that they already have a lot of mugs.

“People say you should see my mug cupboard,” Dawes laughed. “No, you should see my mug cupboard. There’s always room for another one.”

She estimated she has about 50 mugs, both her own and those from other potters.

“It’s a huge collection – might be closer to an addiction,” she smiled.

This is the first time Dawes has had a solo exhibit at the Station Arts Centre. The show opened on Oct. 2, and runs until Oct. 30.