I work primarily in clay and metal, creating sculptural works for the home and art jewellery. Works are typically one of a kind, and evolve into series through research, writing, and photography.
What unfolds at the end of my finger-tips relates directly to narratives about real and imagined landscapes, and especially the climate crisis: memories of moving through wild spaces have become integrated with advocating for stewardship and environmental protection. I ascribe preciousness to many materials, holding onto them for investigation and re-use, and I continue to absorb science, so that the mechanisms of cell biology, the folds of the foothills, or gravitational waves can inform new work. Abstracting the vocabulary of some forms allows me to scale the same piece between larger decorative works for the wall, or the body.
I have worked with clay since my teens, and studied Jewellery + Metals at Alberta University of the Arts. This provided the opportunity for a deeper exploration of both materials, pushing their abilities to form and flow, while expanding my work into more media. I have always worked with a very experimental process, researching materials, pushing against their physical limits, while seeking conceptual connection between material and object. I specialize in developing intense surfaces in metal with handmade steel punches. I hand-build and pinch clay because these processes provide infinite solutions to form. I partner with the material to nurture intense textures, referencing the relationship of rock with water—how weathering over deep time creates clay. Finished pieces document my making process: they show extreme resilience while whispering of loss, and draw attention to the fragility of all life.
Current research and material exploration is focused on works in the 'Phase Change' Series, this aims to generate dialogue about the changing western Canadian winter climate—the rapid loss of glaciers and winter snows due to environmental warming. I am creating work that invites contemplation on our complex relationship with the landscape: it is set within the demands of material extraction, the need to preserve ecological diversity, our deep yearning for pristine landscapes, and the essential need for every human to access clean air and water. ‘Phase Change’ asks viewers to identify what they love, what is important to safeguard for future generations, and what we are willing to lose forever as climate and industry increasingly encroaches on the remaining natural places.
Image: Phase Change Series: Icefield #1, detail.
All photography copyright Christine Pedersen.
2026.09.17 Last update.
