Phaneuf, Louise

Technique : Pottery, porcelain, rakù

Louise Phaneuf lives in St-Augustin-de-Desmaures Quebec.

As a teenager, she became interested in ceramics, pottery and all that the local workshops would offer in her neighborhood. In addition to having been formally trained by Robin Hopper, a craftsman with international reputation, Louise Phaneuf holds a doctorate in education from Laval University in Quebec and an MA in communication from UQAM in Montreal.

The artisan now fully devotes her time to her two passions: ceramics and writing. She has published several youth novels and children's books in the last ten years, and two more are to be published in 2013, including a collection of short stories. Every year, for 10 years, Louise Phaneuf has visited Victoria, British Columbia to attend ceramic workshops at MISSA, a summer school founded by the famous Robin Hopper. In 2007, she participated in a workshop and Raku pottery lesson by Meridiana Certaldo, at the International Centre of Art Pottery located in the heart of Tuscany, where many nationally and internationally recognized potters teach different techniques.

Louise Phaneuf's production is divided into two categories. In the Beauchamp Art Galleries, she presents her porcelain animal sculptures, which are mostly cooked in the method and time of Raku, a Japanese technique dating back to the 16th century. This ancient method is based on cooking various parts at a low temperature, and then putting them through a thermal shock, which enhances various surface effects resulting in a very distinct material quality.

Louise Phaneuf has participated in many exhibitions and craft fairs. She is a member of the Association of Quebec ceramists and the Potters Council of America.