Susan Delatour Le Poidevin
was born on Long Island, New York in 1954. She studied at the University of Oregon before receiving her B.A in Arts, Crafts and their History from the University of Santa Cruz in 1976. Susan also studied at the Sun Valley Centre for Arts and Humanities in 1976-77. She moved to Banff, Alberta, Canada in 1978 and studied and worked for two years at the Banff Centre for the Arts.

In 1980-86, Susan and Steve Le Poidevin owned and operated Clayform Studio in Shawnigan Lake, BC. They moved to Princeton, BC in 1987, where they raised two sons.

In 1996-97, Susan and her family lived for one year in an ancient village in Scotland, on the East coast of Fife. She was most influenced by Britain’s unique and varied architecture, rich and diverse landscape and its antiquities. Susan uses these subjects as inspirations for her work. In August and September 2001, Susan returned to Scotland, this time to Kilmartin, a small village situated in the west. This area was filled with ancient sites, including standing stones, cup and ring marks, cairns and burial grounds. Susan spent six weeks doing an artist residency at Kilmartin House, a museum devoted to the study of the ancient people and their environment.

Susan presently resides in the beautiful Similkameen Valley in Princeton, BC, 31/2 hours east of Vancouver. Her studio showroom displays her whimsical clay sculptures as well as her colourful pen and watercolour drawings and mixed media collages. The showroom is open by appointment by calling (250) 295-0527. For more information on Susan's popular workshops, please go to the workshop icon at the top of the page.


EDUCATION
1972-74
University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon, Undergraduate
1974-76
University of California, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, California
1976
B.A. in Arts, Crafts and their History
1976-77
Sun Valley Center for the Arts and Humanities, Sun Valley, Idaho
1978-80

The Banff Centre, School of Fine Arts, Banff, AB

TEACHING EXPERIENCE

1994 Potter's Guild Workshop, Burnaby, BC
1995 Penticton Potter's Guild Workshops, Leir House, Penticton, BC
1998 Leanne Petschl Studio, Raku Workshops, Tulameen, BC
2001-02 Workshop Instructor, St Michael's University School, Victoria, BC
2002 Pottery Classes, Adults and Teens, Princeton Cultural Centre, Princeton, BC
2001 Guest Speaker and Instructor, Canadian Clay Symposium, Burnaby, BC
2002 Comox Potter's Guild Workshop, North Island College, Comox, BC
2003 Workshop Instructor, St. Margaret’s Elementary School, Victoria, BC
2003 Workshop Instructor, Metchosin International Summer School of the Arts, Victoria, BC
2004 Week-long Workshop- Metchosin International Summer School of the Arts, Victoria BC
2005 Professional Development Ceramic Workshop, Port Coquitlam, BC
2005 BC Annual Art Teachers Conference, Workshop Presenter, Burnaby, BC
2005 Caribou Potter's Guild Weekend Workshop, William's Lake, BC
2005 - Present Resident Pottery Instructor at Riverside Center, Princeton BC
2006 Richmond Potters Club, workshop, Richmond BC
2007 Thompson Valley Potter's Guild, workshop, Sorrento, BC
2007 Semiahmoo Potter's Club, workshop, White Rock BC

RELATED EXPERIENCE

1980-85 Co-owner of Clayform Studio, wholesale and retail potterybusiness, Shawnigan Lake, BC
1998 OMRAC juried art show, curated exhibiton, Princeton Arena, Princeton, BC

EXHIBITIONS, AWARDS
1978 Attic Gallery, Mendicino, California.
1979 Alberta Potters' Association Summer Games Juried Exhibition, Edmonton, AB; Award - 2nd prize
1980 Alberta Ceramic Showcase '80 - purchase award from Alberta Potters' Association
1981 Ceramics '81, Vancouver, British Columbia; Award - 3rd prize
1982 B.C. Festival of the Arts, Kamloops. BC; painting "Going Away". Mixed media
1982  Ceramics '82, Vancouver, BC, Award - 1st prize
1983 "Made by Hand" Juried Craft Exhibition, Vancouver, BC
1983 "The Ceramic Spectrum", an exhibition of work by forty Canadian artists included in the book, "The Ceramic Spectrum", by Robin Hopper, Toronto, ON
1984 International Ceramic Symposium, Seattle, Washington. Work represented in gallery show of British Columbia artists
1984 Eloise Picard Smith Gallery, University of California, Santa Cruz
1985  "Show of Hands Goes West", an exhibition of ceramic works from Western Canada at A Show of Hands, Fine Contemporary Crafts Gallery, Toronto, ON
1988 "6X6X6; Fourth Annual National Exhibition of Small Scale Fine Crafts",Cartwright Gallery, Vancouver, BC
1985 "Fired-Up" annual show and sale, Victoria, BC to present
1990 "The Ceramic Figure, Diverse Approaches by Three BC Artists", Art Gallery of Greater Victoria, Victoria, BC
1992 B.C. Festival of the Arts, Vernon, BC
1995 "Fired-Up" group show, Richmond Art Gallery, Richmond, BC
1995 "Fired-Up Goes East", Harbinger Gallery, Waterloo, ON
1997 "6 Canadian Potters", group show, Rock Creek Gallery, Portland Community College, Portland, Oregon
1998-99  "A Taste of Clay, 9 Potters from the Okanagan", Kelowna, B.C.
1998 Clay 98; Our Finest Work, juried show, Vancouver, B.C.
1998  Stephen Lowe Gallery, Fired-Up group show, Victoria B.C.
1999 Hammond Harkins Galleries, Contemporary Canadian Ceramics, Bexley, Ohio, juried show during NCECA conference.
1999 "A Celtic Journey", one-person show, Art Gallery of the South Okanagan, Penticton, B.C.
2000 North Texas Irish Festival Juried Art Exhibition, Dallas, Texas
2000 Gallery Six One One, group show, Toronto, Ontario
2000 6th Taiwan Golden Ceramics Awards Juried Exhibition, Taipei, Taiwan
2003 Filberg Festival, Fired-Up Guest Artists show, Comox, BC
2005 The 3rd World Ceramic Biennale 2005 Korea Juried Exhibition, Icheon, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea
2005 "BC in a Box" travelling Exhibition of miniatures in selected BC galleries
2005 "Transformations", juried show, Burnaby Art Gallery,Burnaby, BC
2005 BC-Tajimi Exchange, juried show, Tajimi, Japan
2005 "Gallery Manager's 50 Favorites", Gallery of BC Ceramics, Granville Island, Vancouver BC
2005 "Spirit of Place" group show of paintings and ceramics, Cowboy Coffee Gallery and Coffeehouse, Princeton BC
2006 NCECA Fired-Up Group Exhibition, Portland, Oregon

PERMANENT COLLECTIONS

Walter Phillips Gallery, Banff, Alberta
Alberta Potters' Association
Esso Corporation
The Bronffman Collection