Artist Statement
My ceramic sculptural practice is rooted in a lifelong relationship with the natural world. From early childhood onward, time spent in nature has been a source of calm, attentiveness, and wonder, an experience that continues to shape how I work with clay. My sculptures emerge from this sustained observation of living systems, erosion, growth, and the quiet presence of animals as witnesses within their environments.
I work primarily with animal and figurative forms, often allowing them to appear fragmented, partial, or emerging from rough, porous surfaces. These forms reference archaeological objects, totems, and found remnants, suggesting artifacts shaped by time rather than pristine representations. Surface plays a central role in this language: visible tool marks, irregular textures, and layered finishes function as a kind of record, holding memory, gesture, and process within the clay itself.
Colour is used deliberately and intuitively, often in bold or unexpected ways. Oxides, stains, underglazes, and washes interact with the raw surface, settling into recesses and amplifying texture. At times, I incorporate found materials, gold leaf, or encaustic wax, not as embellment, but as a means of heightening contrast and drawing attention to moments of tension between the natural and the constructed, the ancient and the contemporary.
Each piece is slowly dried and high-fired, reaching temperatures of approximately 1200°C (2200°F). The physical demands of this process, cracking, warping, absorption, and transformation, are embraced rather than controlled. I am interested in allowing the material to assert itself, so that each sculpture develops its own presence and character.
At the core of my practice is an interest in the animal as a symbolic guardian and emotional conduit. These figures are not illustrative, but archetypal, standing in for broader ideas of biodiversity, vulnerability, and interdependence. By inviting viewers into a tactile and sensory encounter with the work, I hope to foster a quiet sense of reverence for the natural world and a renewed awareness of our responsibility within it.
Collectors and viewers often describe the sculptures as possessing a distinct personality or spirit. I see this response as evidence that surface, form, and material can carry emotional resonance. My aim is not to deliver a fixed message, but to create objects that hold space for reflection, wonder, and a deeper connection to the living systems that sustain us.
Biography
Bob Acton continually revives his 10-year-old self by poking under rocks while walking shorelines. He loves being in the bush (as he calls it) or in nature (as others call it) and the energy we share with the world around us.
He obtained his Ph.D. in Psychology from the University of Saskatchewan. Bob developed an early interest in pottery but didn’t actively take it up until a back injury made him realize that life is precious and often fleeting. He realized that he needed to do what was important to him today, and not put it off until tomorrow. He then created his own art studio and began taking pottery classes. He maintains an active practice of learning through reading, taking workshops and training with world experts. He has learned from Dave Settles, Adrian Golban, Alessandro Gallo, Hayne Bayless, Adrian Arleo, Christina Cordova, and most recently with Brendan Hesmondhalgh in the UK.
When not in his studio, you’ll find him in his garden, cooking in the kitchen, listening to music, playing with his Labrador dog, or out in the bush. With studios in Calgary and Vancouver (and many years on Gabriola Island) , Bob gets to live aside nature which fills his heart with ideas for his work. Bob’s work is held in private collections across Canada.
Supported by
Bob’s work has been supported by Calgary Arts Development through the provision of a 2023 Artist Development Microgrant.
Galleries
Golden Duck Gallery, Art Deco II, February-March 2025 Budapest, Hungary
Federation of Canadian Artists February-March 2025 Artist's Choice Online Exhibition
Arts Aqui Gallery, Calgary, Canada (past)
Juried Shows and Magazines
2025 The World of Art
2025 Beacon Original Art
2025 Art Market Craft Sale
2024 Art Market Craft Sale
2024 APA Teapot Show
2023 Art Market Craft Sale
APA Stein Show 2023
PROST! CHEERS! APA Stein Show 2022
Artistonish - 2023
Art Show International - 2023
Shapes & Colours by Gallerium and The Book of Arts - 2023
Land Acknowledgement
I have studios in Calgary, AB and Vancouver, BC, Canada. In the spirit of reconciliation, I acknowledge that I live, work and play on the traditional territories of the Blackfoot Confederacy (Siksika, Kainai, Piikani), the Tsuut’ina, the Îyâxe Nakoda Nations, the Métis Nation (Region 3), and all people who make their homes in the Treaty 7 region of Southern Alberta. I also acknowledge that my Vancouver studio is situated on the unceded traditional territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations.
Bob supports the Alberta Birds of Prey Centre for the purposes of protecting our biodiversity. 5% of each purchase goes to the centre.