Ruth Gowdy-McKInley Arrives!

It is always exciting when new work arrives but the arrival of some historical pieces by the late Ruth Gowdy-McKinley is truly a momentous moment. As I have mentioned earlier I am writing a book on Ruth "The Exuberant Toast" that will be out in August. The photography session for the book is next week. In talking with Lauren, Ruth's daughter, she mentioned that her mother used to make tiny cups. The wee cups were made for children to buy at the annual Sheridan College year-end show. The show was always around Mother's day. The cups were affordable (25 cents) and Ruth felt that this gave children something they could buy as a gift for their mothers. Lauren has made eleven of them available. regrettably they are no longer 25 cents (current price $125 each) but for anyone wanting a small example of Ruth's work this is a great opportunity. Ruth's teapots are currently selling for $2,500 each. A far cry from the $10 they sold for in the sixties.

These little guys in the traditional Ruth Gowdy-McKinley
Brown and Black are in mint condition approximately 1 1/2"
We have only eleven left $125

It seems like prices for historical Canadian ceramics are beginning to climb. This is especially true for work by Lorenzen, Deichmann and Harlander. This rise in price is a good thing as it indicates and interest and renewed evaluation of Canadian artists important for what they did to advance ceramic appreciation in Canada. I recently acquired for my own collection a wonderful and unusual piece by the Harlanders. It is a dramatic tri-legged sculpture that is an extraordinary example of mid-century modern.

But back to Ruth. I am including some images of what arrived yesterday. Of particular note are the two remarkable flower holders. Lauren told me they are quite rare as they were part of a special commission. Rare or not they are extraordinary. They are really for the advanced collector or museum collection. They are being photographed for inclusion in "The Exuberant Toast".

A side view of an extraordinary floral arranger
Note the incredible flashing bearing in mind that
Ruth exercised total control - she meant it to have this
drama!



A top view of the floral arranger with six cone
structures permanently fixed. A major collector's
item and extremely rare.



A side view of another floral arranger - again
with a fixed 'frog' in a geometric floral design
the bottom image showing a top view of this
exceptional work.