Function meets fashion head-on:
Canmore’s functional artists explain their craft
by Aimee Lorefice
On this chilly Saturday afternoon, Cheryl Baxter is carving out two rings from extraterrestrial rock. The material she’s using fell from the sky and left a dent larger than one kilometer long in the earth’s surface. She now holds a much smaller piece of that meteorite in her black-stained hand.
The goldsmith has just spent four hours carving out a small, perfectly round hole in this heavy slab of iron. After many hours of sheer focus and attention to detail, this piece of jewelry will adorn some lucky person’s finger.
Baxter’s current project is an example of what makes functional art so special. Functional art pieces are custom-made from fascinating and often rare materials. They are one-of-a-kind objects of beauty and function designed with precision by a goldsmith, sculptor or wood crafter.
There is an impressive group of functional artists in Canmore who have built successful businesses making and selling their work. Baxter is one of them, as are sculptor Tony Bloom, goldsmith Rudi Peet and other local wood workers, blacksmiths, potters and glass blowers.
Rudi Peet (left) and partner Susan Kun admire a piece of Peet’s gold work.
I’ve dropped in to visit Baxter at Elevation 1309, her Main Street gallery. A Halifax native and art lover, Baxter puts aside her work for a while to talk about what local functional artists do and why she loves to present their work. At the relatively new Canmore gallery that she owns with her husband, also an accomplished goldsmith, she showcases the paintings and jewelry designed by six goldsmiths and 30 artists.
Elevation 1309 is a warm space snuggled in the back end of the Ravens Court building, above the Avens Gallery. Baxter wants her studio to be a quiet space where the artwork shines and people who find the gallery are people who like to look closely at beautiful things. The earrings she’s wearing, handcrafted from black pearls, drape down and mingle with the reddish wisps in her hair.
Rudi Peet works with a gold piece in his Canmore studio.
Baxter describes functional art as a balance of form and function. At her gallery, she presents the work of local artists who blend those two elements with precision. One of them is Rudi Peet, whom she describes as an impeccable technician with “a complete adherence to beauty.”
Peet is a man who is dedicated to his work and has spent a lot of time studying it. (Baxter says the learning never stops.) On a daily basis he handles various forms of precious metals and gemstones from all over the world.
Born in Holland, Peet worked as a goldsmith in Vancouver before settling in Canmore. Here, the community is small but has the means to help his business thrive. It’s an exciting place for functional artists.
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Cheryl Baxter models one of her creations, a white gold ring, at her Main Street gallery, Elevation 1309.
“The world comes here,” Peet says. “You never know who will come through that door. They all have different tastes. Someone from Switzerland wants (their jewelry) just so. An American wants something big, flamboyant. Canadians don’t want anything too expensive.”
Peet describes jewelry as a symbol of something meaningful and a reflection of the person wearing it. The jewelry becomes a part of you, he says. “It fits well, it feels natural… and it lasts.”
The day I visit Tony Bloom, there are a few others with the same idea. Two ladies come in from Toronto to order a piece to display in their home. They slip in the door and stand in awe of one of Bloom’s copper doors. “Hmm, I’ll take that…” says one, “above the Jacuzzi. Just send me the bill.” Another man stops in to check on his piece and to say hello. The phone rings more than once.
Bloom’s studio is what you might call an organized mess. He’s got glass art tucked behind a copper kitchen hood he designed, which stands upside-down on the floor. There are clay molds, pieces of copper foil, mini models and sketches of his projects scattered around the room.
Bloom is a busy man, with 22 projects currently on the go for customers in Texas, Ontario and everywhere in between. “It doesn’t stop. I like going full blast,” he says.
People who can do what Tony does aren’t a dime a dozen. At the moment, one of his projects is a 24-foot-tall fountain made from copper coils and cauldrons. Bloom is not just an artist, he’s an inventor—an inventor of personalized objects for people who want something beautiful to fill a space in their home or garden. People with “means and taste”, he says.
Bloom is another local artist originally from out of town who decided to make Canmore home. Born and raised in Tokyo, he then moved to Paris before settling in Canmore, and says he has no intention of leaving.
There are many art forms that can be functional in different ways. Design is key, says Baxter, and a strong balance between technique and art is a must: “Nothing excuses it.” The beauty is in the fine details. Functional art is a multi-faceted profession. It involves regular consultations with clients, fittings and drawings, sculpting, engineering and bookkeeping. A successful functional artist is a dedicated craftsman with a sharp eye for detail, a studious manner, a gift for creativity and a fail-safe technique. They’re artists, engineers, physicists and business people.
Finding function:
- You can find Rudi Peet’s and Tony Bloom’s studios at 102 Bow Meadows Crescent off Elk Run Blvd. Bloom shows some pieces at the Avens Gallery, 709 Main Street, and Peet’s work sits in a glass case at Elevation 1309, at the same address on the second floor.
- One of Bloom’s copper doors is the entrance to The Copper Door restaurant at 726 Ninth Street, in Canmore. Scattered around the room and holding up your food, you’ll find more functional art by the restaurant’s owner, chef and sculptor Chris Dmytriw. You might also find the creations of these artists in homes around town or adorning the fingers and necks of passers by. All three artists featured in this story can be reached at their studios during regular business hours.
- On Oct. 23, Elevation 1309 and the Avens Gallery are planning a functional artists’ showcase. Fine furniture, dinnerware and sculpture will be featured.
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