A MAGICAL Christmas market

Artists conjure up unique creations for Carnegie Gallery fundraiser

“I have always been drawn to the whimsical side of life,” says Nancy Joyce. “I love the magic of the forest and forest animals.”

Cross that forest magic with the magic of Christmas, and you get Joyce’s tiny ceramic reindeer, unicorns and trees. They aren’t the only creatures stirring all through this year’s Christmas Market at the Carnegie Gallery.

Every December, the Dundas gallery transforms itself into a joyful world filled with hundreds of paintings, prints, ceramics, glass, jewelry, clothing, textiles and tree ornaments, all handmade by more than 100 leading local artists. This is a major fundraising event for the not-for-profit artist-run gallery.

Joyce, a potter, also makes functional pieces like mugs, plates and bowls using stoneware, earthenware and porcelain.

“I took pottery lessons as a teenager and went to the School of Crafts and Design at Sheridan College for one year until life took me in other directions,” she tells me. “I hadn’t worked with clay again until a trip to Kenya in 2019 took me to kazuri beads and rekindled my love of pottery. I couldn’t wait to get back to it.”

Joyce reduces her reindeer and unicorns to their basic four-legged shapes, but she gives each creature a decorative surface. The reindeer, for instance, have dappled coats and their antlers are outlined in black. Two black dots serve as eyes for the unicorns and their white bodies are covered with a lively pattern of red, green and yellow dots. Joyce also makes star-topped conical trees, coating them with a highly textured surface of clustered drops.

Diane Irons’ mice are just as dotty as Joyce’s unicorns. Like Joyce, Irons is a potter who makes functional wares. But her nice mice are more sculptural. Their pale spherical bodies fit comfortably in the palm of a hand. The bodies morph into delightfully simple faces with pink, pointed noses and circular ears. And they flaunt tall green elf hats with white dots.

Sarah Raymond’s hand puppets are warm and inviting. An author and illustrator, Raymond says she sews whenever she needs a break from her computer and craves a more tactile experience.

“I like to make objects for kids that allow for imaginative play,” Raymond explains. “Puppets specifically give kids a voice. I also just love the process of combining materials.”

She calls her puppets “beasts.” Different fabrics and species-appropriate ears make each one unique. And each sports a button at the tip of the nose.

“I use upcycled materials as much as possible: thrifted textiles, notions and even threads. I'm always on the lookout for wool and wool blends especially. Part of the puppet might have once been a skirt, a scarf or a blanket. Fabric remnants go inside the stuffies.”

Renate Min-Oo is a dab hand at conjuring clay and fabric into works of art — but not together. She’ll sew fabric patches together for runners and wall hangings. But she also produces landscapes made from fabric and embellished with machine stitching.

Pam Norman, another textile artist, hand dyes and paints on silk, making wall hangings and scarves. And then there’s Cornelia Wilhelm, who is a regular contributor to the Christmas Market. She makes hats, bags, tea cosies, Christmas stockings and tree ornaments from recycled and felted wool fabric, which she decorates with appliqué, embroidery, beads and sequins.

Other equally stunning offerings — to name just a few — include ceramics by Adriana Romkes, Scott Barnim, Joseph Panacci and Barb Sachs, paintings by Pat Kozowyk and Cora Brittan and jewelry by Janice Peshke.

The Carnegie is also selling limited-edition black tote bags, 15 by 16 inches, promoting the gallery, for $19.99.