Fired Up! Pushing Boundaries in Ceramics & Glass

15 November 2025 — 11 January 2026

“This ‘behaviour’ of the material (clay) which does not seek your permission, already suggests to me a dance of nature, mind and culture.” Steven Heinemann

“Glass is a magical medium that has the ability to capture light. Working with hot glass is like a dance, a beautiful fluid motion with heat and material.” Susan Rankin

The magic of fire. The ancients understood how to use it. Archaeologists recently unearthed fired clay pots in China that were 20,000 years old. The earliest record of making glass—mixing sand with other materials and applying the heat from a flame dates back to the Egyptians in 1500 BC. 

Oeno Gallery’s Fired Up! exhibition brings you an extraordinary group of contemporary ceramic and glass artists who often challenge the historic boundaries of what clay and glass might endure.

The ceramicists - Steven Heinemann, Susan Collett, Paula Murray, Bruce Cochrane, Loren Kaplan and Bill Greaves. 

The glass artists - Cheryl Wilson Smith, John Paul Robinson, Susan Rankin and Julia Reimer. 

Each one has explored new techniques of working with clay or shaping hot glass into unique pieces.

Each one has endeavoured to discover their own distinctive visual language.

Each one has strived to elevate their art form.

“You have to respect the material, which is the clay, and the process it goes through. Each piece I make has been on a journey. Porcelain’s fragility and its strength mirrors human experience and nature.” Paula Murray

 A special offering of ceramics from Toronto art collector and philanthropist Aaron Milrad, a passionate supporter of the arts will also be on view and available for purchase.

Join us for the opening on Saturday November 15, 2025 from 3- 5pm.  Artists will be in attendance.

Artwork