Céramique à Way's Mills 2026
.png)
%20(2).png)
Expo-Sale
Jennifer Tannahill, a ceramic artist, has developed a practice informed by her training in animation and fine arts. Through hand-building, modeling, and wheel-throwing, she creates functional pieces in porcelain and stoneware fired in an electric kiln. Her work emphasizes the tactile and intimate experience of the object, where drawing, painting, and textures enrich each surface. Committed to reducing her environmental impact, she recycles her clays and wheel-throwing water, while creating “mystery glazes” from the water used to clean her tools. Through her functional ceramics, she transforms everyday gestures into moments of reflection on the environment, consumption, and the fragility of ecosystems.
Julie Lavoie’s work centers on the creation of functional objects for tableware and tea service, primarily fired in a wood-fired kiln at high temperatures. Wood-firing, an ancient technique, guides her creations by blending tradition and modernity. Julie develops her visual signature through wood-firing, a physically and technically demanding process. She favors natural hues and clean lines so that the material and the effects of firing can express their own language. Everyday objects, clay, water, fire, the forest, plants, minerals, and the passage of time are integral elements of her artistic approach.
Fabrica Ateleia, by Catherine Bouchard, is a small-scale brand defined by the research and work of a single artist. Drawing inspiration from nature—specifically from streams and their smooth river pebbles, often in surprising colors—Fabrica Ateleia aims to offer tableware that gives free rein to the customer’s imagination. With designs and shapes available in both classic and organic styles, and a wide selection of coordinating glazes, customers can create a completely personalized set that reflects their own style. The possibilities are endless, allowing for a unique “mix & match” table setting.
Justine St-Amour works with clay using both the potter’s wheel and hand-building techniques, juxtaposing the raw, textured material with decorations inspired by the natural colors of earth and water. She seeks a soothing balance that creates a unique atmosphere. The wheel-thrown pieces are faceted and feature crackled glazes throughout the body, while the hand-built pieces are adorned with layered crackled glazed panels. Some are left smooth to make way for decorations reminiscent of treasure maps. Justine works intuitively, guided by the material, rhythm, and movement. Inspired by music and nature, she seeks to convey emotion through texture and the richness of the decorations, and highlights the imprint of the hand, thus creating perfect imperfection.
Françoise Humbert, a professional ceramicist, has developed a distinctive practice centered on porcelain shaped using the “galettage” technique. She creates original and expressive pieces in which the material interacts with elements such as wood, metal, or glass. Her work is characterized by recognizable forms, bursts of color, and playful assemblages evoking imaginary and whimsical animals. Through vibrant and humorous works, she seeks to inspire wonder while leaving room for play and imagination. Some of her creations also offer a sensitive reflection on our environment, whether it be nature or the marine world.
Nadine Desmarais, a full-time ceramicist since 2017, has developed a practice rooted in a deep appreciation for nature and the artisanal craft. Trained in Applied Arts–Ceramics, she creates unique pieces in natural stoneware, fired in an electric kiln using an oxidation process at medium temperatures. Her creative process combines hand-building, wheel-throwing, and casting, allowing her to design works in varied forms, characterized by soft, organic lines. She also develops her own glazes to create textures and finishes that give her pieces a personal and harmonious signature.
Based in Chertsey in a studio surrounded by nature, her work is deeply inspired by the landscapes she traverses. Walks in the forest or by the sea fuel creations that evoke the softness of pebbles and seashells, inviting touch and contemplation. Through utilitarian objects imbued with calm and simplicity, she seeks to convey a sense of well-being and presence in the moment.
Patrick Duclos blends the classic with the modern, the glossy with the matte, playing with multiple levels of contrast to transform a utilitarian object into a work of art. Inspired by the textures created by his homemade tools, he enhances his pieces with random patterns. After an initial firing, he adds glossy glazes made from raw materials. Driven by a deep need to create, he offers an alternative to mass production and invites people to create their own rituals. His pieces, combining ancient practices and modern tools, reflect the contrasts present in his way of being.
Isabelle Simard has developed a ceramic practice rooted in a sensitive dialogue between clay, the artisan’s touch, and the living world. Inspired by nature and her work as a florist, she creates hand-formed pieces with organic shapes, in which textures, irregularities, and the traces of the artisan’s touch play an essential role. Her approach also leaves room for the unexpected, making each creation a one-of-a-kind piece.
Her work focuses primarily on functional ceramics: cups, bowls, and everyday objects designed to be durable, pleasant to use, and to foster a more mindful relationship with simple gestures. Through a process guided by slowness, observation, and respect for materials, she seeks to create thoughtful objects, carefully crafted locally.
Fabienne Synnott works with stoneware and porcelain, whether thrown, shaped, or sculpted, creating one-of-a-kind pieces or small series. She primarily fires her work in a gas reduction kiln, though she occasionally uses a wood-fired kiln. She treats each piece as a living composition, where the clay retains its natural character. Inspired by nature and the “primitive,” she enjoys playing with materials and letting the clay express itself, provoking transformation through the flame. Fabienne combines sculpture, engraving, and painting, seeking a fluid gesture that allows the tool to speak. She often throws basic forms that she then transforms or assembles, creating textures and contrasts between glazed surfaces and unglazed clay. For her, working in tandem with her kiln is a dance that brings her pieces to life, true portals to the inner self.
Paule Vézina, the artist behind Poterie Vez, has developed a practice centered on wheel-throwing functional pieces, with glazing playing a significant role in her work. Coming from a background in the restaurant industry, she has a genuine passion for coffee—a passion that has led her to reflect on the importance of everyday objects, and more specifically, the coffee cup.
Based in her studio in Val-Morin, in the heart of the forest, she draws inspiration from nature and the textures that surround her. Always on the lookout for new forms suited to specific uses, she creates objects designed to accompany daily rituals with simplicity, sensitivity, and the joy of use.
Marie Drolet, of Muraï Céramique, has developed a practice focused primarily on wheel-throwing, in which certain pieces are then altered and enriched with textures to create sensitive and expressive surfaces. Her work is distinguished by extensive research into glazes, all of which are based on recipes and combinations developed over many years of experimentation. Fusion effects, crystals, starry skies, and microcosms occupy a central place in her visual universe.
Through utilitarian and sculptural collections, she explores the interactions between textures, glazes, and fire to reveal the power of natural elements. Her pieces evoke, in turn, the cosmos, the ocean, the volcano, or vegetation. Elegant, refined, and designed for pleasant use, they seek to create a sensitive connection between the object, the material, and the natural forces that animate it.
Véronique Allaman of Kaoline Atelier crafts translucent porcelain, which she blends with earthenware to create unique landscapes that are revealed only during the final firing. The patterns then emerge, ranging in tones from pure white to warm brown, in a transformation full of unpredictability and surprises. Her simple, clean forms serve as a canvas for the designs, while the sanded exteriors highlight the natural softness of the clays used. Trained at the Centre de Céramique Bonsecours, she discovered a free and creative style in sculpture that continues to inform her approach today. The shaping process allows her to work gently, imbuing each piece with a part of her own sensibility. The marriage of cold, precious porcelain and warm earthenware illustrates a poetry of opposites through a collection of minimalist and timeless tableware.
Since childhood, clay has been Marie Serreau’s material of choice. In 2000, she returned to working with clay in Montreal and trained as a ceramist at the European Institute of Ceramic Arts in France in 2002. After completing her studies, she traveled and collaborated with ceramists in several countries, thereby enriching her artistic vision. Based between France and Quebec, she has specialized in earthenware, which she appreciates for its flexibility, color, and history. Marie carefully shapes her pieces to be comfortable against the lips, and lets herself be guided spontaneously by the brush, painting with blue or black slip before engraving to refine the design. Each piece is unique while belonging to the same family. She also creates small sculptures that tell stories inspired by fairy tales and childhood memories.
SAM & SARAH is a queer artist duo whose practice lies at the intersection of design, art, and functional objects. Partners in life and in their creative work, they explore ceramics with spontaneity, humor, and intensity, seeking to transform the material into objects capable of creating sensitive and joyful atmospheres.
Their work takes shape through sculptural and utilitarian pieces featuring vibrant colors and inspiring forms, often marked by soft curves and gradients reminiscent of sunsets. Produced in small series or as one-of-a-kind pieces, their creations evolve freely according to their desires, the materials available, and experimentation in the studio. Particular attention is paid to the sensory experience of the object, especially through touch, making gesture and surface essential elements of their approach.
Catherine de Abreu is a socially conscious ceramic artist driven by a deep desire to communicate through her creations. Fueled by an insatiable curiosity and constant questioning, her practice is characterized by a sensitive and mindful approach. Her studies at Concordia University, initially in printmaking and painting, continue to influence her current work, particularly through the incorporation of graphic elements. Catherine creates tableware that combines function with artistic expression. Her contemporary works embody her personal values and a worldview that is both empathetic and assertive. Driven by a growing environmental consciousness, she explores deep connections with nature and the environment, while valuing artisanal craftsmanship and dialogue with others.
Amélie Beaudroit, founder of Acore Beach Ceramics, has developed a practice centered on wheel-throwing functional stoneware pieces. Her work is distinguished by a sensitive exploration of glazes, which she develops herself to evoke striking landscapes and territories. Inspired by horizons, mosses, shorelines, and natural colors, her palettes capture the essence of a place through surfaces in earthy tones, sage green, cream, and blue-gray.
Formerly an abstract landscape painter, she maintains a particular focus on color, the simplicity of forms, and the relationship between the object and memory in her practice. Committed to an ecological approach, she uses local materials such as wild clay from the Eastern Townships or fireplace ashes incorporated into her glazes. Through objects designed for everyday life, she seeks to create durable and sensitive pieces capable of accompanying simple gestures and, over time, carrying an intimate memory.
Audrey Levasseur-Ruel has developed a ceramic practice that combines wheel-throwing, hand-building, and decorative experimentation in an approach that is both functional and artistic. Inspired by the worlds of childhood, memory, and play, she creates sensitive, colorful pieces in which gesture, drawing, and playful forms take center stage. Through coil building, modeling, and the incorporation of patterns in colored clays, she develops a visual language nourished by childlike imagination and hybrid forms.
Rooted in the handmade, her approach highlights spontaneity, softness, and narrative through objects ranging from utilitarian pieces to sculptures. Clowns, flowers, butterflies, and other poetic figures take shape in creations that seek to bring a smile to the face and cultivate a sensitive relationship with everyday objects.
Trained in design and ceramics, Michèle creates pieces that reflect her love of nature and watercolor. Through her hand-drawn designs and forms, she reinterprets antique tableware in a contemporary way. She creates pieces with more organic shapes, decorated with floral motifs reminiscent of watercolors. Made of porcelain, her ceramics are either thrown on the wheel or hand-built. It is important to her to create objects that are aesthetically pleasing, durable, and high-quality, suitable for everyday use (they are dishwasher-safe) or special occasions. For her, it's a beautiful way to bring joy into her life and the lives of others. Added to this floral collection are translucent porcelain candle holders, which encourage reflection and sharing, or which complement a festive table setting.
Manon Ste-Marie has developed an instinctive ceramic practice focused on creating functional pieces made on the wheel, often altered or enhanced through hand-building. Ranging from one-of-a-kind pieces to small, ever-evolving series, her work is guided by the joy of the creative process, a sensitive relationship with the material, and a quest for fluidity, lightness, and presence. The forms, sometimes classic, sometimes transformed, are characterized by clean lines, graphic patterns, and textures that reflect a dynamic dialogue between spontaneity and precision.
Her approach is deeply nourished by human relationships, sharing, and the need to create meaning in everyday life. Polished surfaces, exposed recycled clay, and objects designed to be held in the hand contribute to a comforting and soothing tactile experience. Through her pieces, she seeks to offer moments of gentleness, beauty, and connection, where the utilitarian object becomes a vessel of presence and joy.
Paul Guidera breaks with the traditions of pottery while paying homage to them. His pieces are dotted with hybrid, narrative figures that blend references to childhood, adolescence, the human, and the animal. These humanoid creatures interact and enact scenes from everyday life, drawing on various myths and life stories to explore the boundaries between the personal and the universal. His playful, hybrid pieces combine the figurative with the utilitarian. By incorporating monstrous elements, he blurs the functional and brings to life what seems inert. These imperfect creatures become animated companions, allowing for the formation of sensitive, intimate bonds in everyday life.
Coralie Huckel has developed a ceramic practice where memory, material, and craftsmanship converge. Through utilitarian, decorative, and expressive pieces produced in small series, she primarily explores porcelain and stoneware using the wheel and slab-building techniques. Her work is characterized by clean lines, delicate textures, and glazing techniques she develops herself, playing on the contrasts between glazed and unglazed surfaces.
Inspired both by the landscapes of her childhood in Alsace and by an Asian heritage passed down in an intimate and fragmentary manner, she incorporates plant and mineral imprints into her creations, as well as stamps made using seals from Korea and Burma. Through her collections, she seeks to create objects imbued with presence and resonance, where materials, traces, and gestures become sensitive links between memory, place, and inner emotion.
Rett Walz, founder of Atelier Espial, has developed a practice that bridges the worlds of art and craftsmanship, where figurative sculpture and functional ceramics coexist naturally. Through his portraits of people and animals, he seeks to capture the essence of a being in a fleeting moment—a glance, a movement, a posture—to reveal the presence and sensitivity of the living. For him, clay is the ideal medium for capturing these ephemeral expressions, which are then transformed by fire into lasting traces.
His work invites us to reflect on our relationship with others, with the natural world, and with the objects that surround us. Deeply committed to artistic education and outreach, he has taught for many years across Canada and founded Atelier Espial in Hudson, Quebec, where he offers courses in pottery, drawing, and figurative sculpture. The word “Espial,” an old French term meaning “to perceive,” sums up his approach: attempting to capture, through the material, the unique presence of a living being.
Mélanie Gauthier, founder of La Source d’Arts, has developed an artistic practice where storytelling, materiality, and tactile sensitivity converge. After more than twenty-five years as a sound engineer and sound designer, she incorporated clay sculpture into her practice, opening up a new creative territory rooted in the tangible and the expressive. Her work, often inspired by stories or anecdotes, navigates between sculpture and utilitarian objects, while also incorporating collage, engraving, and alcohol-based ink.
In particular, she has developed a sculptural series centered on the “Rogers,” hand-crafted rabbits with sensitive and evocative personalities that humorously explore human dynamics. Her recent work also focuses on the third firing and distorted sculptural utilitarian objects, allowing her to introduce freer visual interventions and effects akin to collage. Through this constantly evolving exploration, she creates a dialogue between function and expression, where textures, gestures, and firing techniques become essential elements of her visual language.
Mélanie Forest, founder of For Mé Création, has developed a practice focused on creating hand-thrown functional pieces in semi-stoneware. In her studio in Lachute, she particularly explores surface treatments through engobe transfers using various types of paper, such as newsprint or drawing paper, to create unique textures, marks, and compositions.
She also develops her own glazes, applied in layers to explore the reactions and nuances that emerge during cone 6 oxidation firings. Inspired by both abstraction and landscape, her work seeks a balance between technical mastery and the spontaneity of the material. Each piece thus becomes a sensitive space where the traces of the process are revealed, within a visual universe that is at once vibrant, nuanced, and deeply personal.
Sarah-Jeanne Riberdy has developed a ceramic practice driven by a desire to infuse everyday objects with a sense of intention. Through small collections crafted with care and precision, she seeks to enrich living spaces and the gestures that inhabit them. Her work highlights the richness of the material and its possibilities through a minimalist aesthetic, where attention to detail, craftsmanship, and surfaces plays an essential role.
Laetitia Chastel, of Tchinchin Ceramics, has developed a ceramic practice inspired by nature, travel, and urban landscapes, creating unique pieces with simple, joyful, and delicate forms. Working primarily with semi-porcelain through hand-building and slab construction, she favors this material for its luminous whiteness, which highlights her underglazes and bas-relief patterns. Her colorful, textured surfaces become narrative spaces where childhood memories, lush vegetation, and floral imagination converge.
Influenced by her background in graphic design and landscape architecture, she draws inspiration from gardens, real or imagined flowers, and the sensations associated with summer to develop a world rich in color and texture. Through the interplay of underglazes, oxides, and transparent glazes, she seeks to capture fleeting impressions and emotions tied to the landscape, transforming each object into a small, tactile, and poetic story.
Anja Jamrozyk has developed a ceramic practice that bridges the gap between art and craftsmanship, creating functional pieces turned from porcelain as well as decorative works shaped by hand. Her work is distinguished by the contrast between clean, precise forms and surfaces spontaneously painted with blue engobe. Each piece is painted freehand in a single session, leaving the gestures, brushstrokes, and energy of the movement visible in the final glaze.
Inspired by various artistic and craft traditions—from medieval frescoes to Chinese celadon ceramics and Art Nouveau—she develops a coherent visual language in which the pieces engage in dialogue with one another and form evocative narratives. Working primarily with a limited palette of blue on white, she designs objects intended for everyday use, while imbuing them with a narrative and pictorial dimension that connects memory, history, and personal experience.
Dominique Major, of Spin, has developed an intuitive and sensitive practice in which clay becomes a space for freedom and exploration. Working without sketches, in direct dialogue with the material, she allows forms to emerge through gesture and instinct, seeking to create works that are both aesthetically pleasing and imbued with a subtle sense of humor.
Her “Drapés de porcelaine” collection draws inspiration from movement and her experience in sewing, translating the folds, tensions, and textures of textiles into porcelain to create light, fluid forms. With her “San Andreas Fault Line” series, she explores the transformative power of nature through fissures that evoke both rupture and renewal. Through these complementary worlds, she develops a sensitive body of work in which material, movement, and transformation take center stage.
Raku Punk Performance
Jean-François Bourlard and Valérie Blaize, guest artists from France, will present their impressive Raku Punk performances. Combining spectacular firing, theater, and experimentation, these performances push the boundaries of traditional ceramics through radical and unpredictable processes. Amidst fire, material, and movement, the audience is invited to discover a raw, fragile, and intensely vibrant world.
Saturday, June 20, 9:00 PM - Which Came First, the Chicken or the Egg?
A performance inviting the audience to join the Chicken Clan and participate in a ceremony as pagan as it is offbeat. A spectacular, whimsical, and poetic experience.
Saturday, June 27, 9:00 p.m. – À table
A performance featuring spectacular cooking demonstrations that give shape to works centered on the theme of the table. As night falls, spectators witness an apocalyptic feast.
Free event. No registration required.
Pottery Wheel Experience
Come spend two hours learning the basics of pottery wheel throwing.
Introductory pottery wheel workshops led by Manon Ste-Marie will allow participants to discover the basics of pottery wheel throwing in a friendly atmosphere at the heart of the event.
Registration required:
Experiment in image transfer onto ceramics
Come learn the basics of ceramic image transfer during a 3-hour creative workshop led by Valérie Blaize, artist-in-residence at the Rozynski Art Centre and a guest from France.
For the very first time at Céramique à Way’s Mills, participants will experiment with different transfer techniques while creating three personalized tiles. The pieces will then be fired and can be picked up a few weeks later.
Registration required:
Raku Experience
Come discover the fascinating art of Raku with artists Jean-François Bourlard and Valérie Blaize.
Starting with a provided piece, you’ll glaze your creation, watch it undergo a spectacular firing, and leave with a unique piece featuring unpredictable effects.
A rare opportunity to experience the magic of fire and ceramics through an activity open to everyone.
No registration required. First come, first served. Space is limited. June 24–26, 11 a.m.–3 p.m.
Lectures
Come meet the guest artists at Céramique à Way’s Mills and discover the approaches, research, and experiments that inform their practice.
- Saturday, June 20 at 11 a.m.
Nathalie Batraville
Presentation of the exhibition *J’ai connu des rivières / I’ve Known Rivers*.
- Sunday, June 21 at 11 a.m.
Montserrat Duran Muntadas
Presentation of the work created during her residency at the Rozynski Art Centre, exploring the combination of glass and ceramics.
- Saturday, June 27 at 11 a.m.
Philippe Caron-Lefebvre
Presentation of the work created during his residency at the Rozynski Art Centre, focusing on the effect of glazes.
- Sunday, June 28 at 11 a.m.
Valérie Blaize
Presentation of the artist’s graphic universe and its integration into ceramics.
- Sunday, June 28 at 1 p.m.
Jean-François Bourlard
Presentation on experimental firing techniques.
Free event. No registration required.
Beer Garden
Come discover the flavors of Hop Station Microbrewery during a guided tasting of four of their beers, including the Rozynski Art Center’s beer, Rozynska.
Led by Étienne Pélissier, this friendly experience will allow you to learn more about the ingredients, brewing techniques, and craftsmanship behind each beer.
A wonderful opportunity to experience the Estrie region in a new way, amidst the festive atmosphere of Céramique à Way’s Mills.
Accordion Evening with Mélanie Bergeron
Let yourself be swept away by Mélanie Bergeron’s musical world during a warm and welcoming evening blending world music, tango, and folk traditions.
Presented during a beer tasting at Hop Station Microbrewery, this evening promises a delightful blend of music, socializing, and culinary delights.
A renowned accordionist, pianist, and bandoneonist, she is a member of the ensembles Gadji-Gadjo, Quartango, and Kleztory.
Free event. No registration required.
Pizza Nights
Every Friday and Saturday starting at 4 p.m., treat yourself to a culinary delight with MelaTony’s delicious wood-fired pizzas. It’s the perfect opportunity to get together, savor local flavors, and extend your Way’s Mills Ceramics experience in a warm and festive atmosphere.
Cultural Mediation
Collective Clay-Shaping Workshop
At the edge of the woods, the public is invited to try their hand at clay-shaping by creating a collective artwork inspired by the river. Over the course of several days, the sculpture will take shape on a large table: starting as a simple stream, it will evolve into a rich, dynamic landscape shaped by the hands of visitors.
Conceived as a collective, creative, and sensory experience, this evolving sculpture will bring together people of all ages around the movement of water and the poetic, evocative potential of the river. The work will embrace its ephemeral nature and will subsequently be entirely recycled.
Two artist-facilitators will guide the public through this exploration by sharing insights on basic shaping techniques, the composition of clay, its presence in riverbeds, and its use throughout the millennia.
Free activity. No registration required.
Outdoor Exhibition
I've Known Rivers
Graphisme : Dominique Rivard
Rooted in the Niger River, which flows through the hamlet of Way’s Mills, and in the history of people of African descent that it carries, the exhibition J’ai connu des rivières presents the work of Nathalie Batraville. Through a series of ceramic sculptures and archival documents, the artist examines the connections that Black people forge with the places they have inhabited or passed through—places whose memories have been erased. Created during a residency at the Rozynski Art Centre, the works lining the riverbank explore forms of defiance, rebellion, and transmission. They recount the journeys and roots of people of African descent, bringing to light botanical and political knowledge whose imaginaries resist oblivion.
ARTIST
Nathalie Batraville is a Black, queer feminist artist and researcher of Haitian origin based in Montreal. Her practice encompasses ceramics, collage, and writing; she is also a professor of feminist studies at Concordia University. Her works explore anti-colonialism, pleasure, botany, and rebellion. Seeking to give form to a collective desire to bring down empires, she traces the legacy of various figures and episodes of revolt and self-defense across different territories—from Santo Domingo to the Congo, via Tortuga Island and Palestine. She juxtaposes different forms and traditions, as well as diverse cartographies of struggles against subjugation.
CURATOR
Noémie Fortin is an independent curator and writer based in the Eastern Townships. With a keen interest in practices rooted in ecofeminist thought, she supports artistic, agricultural, and community initiatives focused on caring for living things. Her research focuses on ecological art that moves beyond institutions to engage with territories and communities, with a particular interest in rural areas. Her projects have been presented at the Centre d’art de Kamouraska, Chez Adélard, the Centre d’art Rozynski, the Biosphère de Montréal, and the Foreman Art Gallery. Her writings have been published in specialized journals including Esse arts + opinion, Espace art actuel, and Le Sabord.
