A Love Letter to the Coastal Rainforest

Scott Beardsley has enjoyed a 50+ year career that includes high-end large decorative pieces, ceramic murals that can be the centrepiece of a room, high-volume production work, dozens of craft fairs, and many gallery exhibits. Currently, Scott is finding a lot of joy in creating small functional objects that he can sell at affordable prices.

“With the economy these days, not everyone can afford a $300 vase, but people need beautiful, handmade things in their lives. I’ve had people tell me how much their $25 dollar mug means to them, how they love the feel of it in their hands and how it calms them when they’re stressed. Hearing these comments makes me feel I’m fullfilling my function as a potter.”

Scott’s work is inspired by natural beauty of Denman Island. His colour palette is a love letter to the infinitely varied shades of greens and earth tones in the coastal rainforest—golds, rich browns, and velvety black. The leaf patterns—maple, hazelnut, wild rose, bracken fern, lemon balm—that adorn much of his work come from the land he lives on and the forest he walks through regularly to find material. The natural environment is literally inscribed on his pottery via imprints of the delicate vein patterns on the backs of the leaves.

“From all these years living on the west coast, that landscape has surely influenced what I make,” says Scott. “Other major influences are Asian pots, especially from Japan, Korea, and China. “I’m always surprised at how versatile the clay medium is and how even after all these years it can still give me so much joy while also keeping me humble.”

Studio: 4920a Lacon Road, Denman Island, open 10:00 – 5:00 daily