Tuile-Fionnuala

Bio

In a beautiful old limestone church in Kingston Ontario, Tuile’s self-directed and unschooled life informs her drawing, painting and ceramics.

She hand builds functional ceramic work that exudes joy, youthfulness, strong emotions, humour and playfulness. Her narrative work unabashedly tells stories born from her wild imagination.

Although only 11, Tuile has been a working artist for 2 years. This year she will have a solo show at the Dust Evans Gallery in Ottawa, a collaborative show in Kansas City, several group shows at esteemed galleries such as Charlie Cummings in Gainesville, Florida and Clay Akar in Iowa City. The ‘piece de resistance’ will be to do her invitational two month residency with solo exhibition at Lefebvre Et Fils in Paris France in 2022.

Artist Statement

Some of my earliest memories are of being at my parents’ summer art camps and getting to play with clay as the older kids worked on ceramic projects. During the year my mother would do clay with the children in her daycare, and in the evening work on her own ceramic projects but she wouldn’t get far before I insisted on partaking.

I draw, paint and sculpt on slab built clay pots or pinch pots creating small colourful functional ceramic objects that have tons of personality. I take inspiration from my interests in science fiction, pop culture, our animals, food I love, graphic novels and everyday emotions.

Currently, I obsess over the never ending possibilities that clay has to offer. That obsession translates into complex colourful, multilayered work that is forever getting more and more busy. I like a pot that has a lot to say and offers new discoveries each time you use it.

Exhibitions