Joy Eliuk is a Toronto based ceramic artist and teacher who has had a lifelong passion for art, design and nature. Joy is an active member of Toronto Potters.

After completing one year of fine arts, Joy graduated in 1990 with a Bachelor of Interior Design Degree from the University of Manitoba. She went on to spend 15 years working in the interior design field. While she enjoyed designing she longed to have complete creative control and a more hands on working experience. Her interest in clay led her to take pottery classes in Edmonton and Toronto and then to apprentice with potter Paul Stewart from 2002-2005.

Joy has worked full time in ceramics since 2004, participating in many juried art shows and exhibitions including Art in a Courtyard House, Distill Cup, Blessings and Innovations Ritual Cup Design and the Cabbagetown Arts and Crafts Festival, to name a few. She received the Flin Flon Arts Council scholarship in 1985 and second in show at the Queen West Art Crawl in 2008.In 2009 Joy and her work were featured on an episode of Pure Design; Colleen’s Kitchen episode 2008.

Funded by the Ontario Arts Council through the Artists in Education programme, Joy has taught ceramics in several schools including Lawrence Park C.I. and Essex public school. She continues to teach in her home studio where she enjoys the enthusiasm and excitement students bring to their interactions.

Artist Statement

Joy comments: “My background in fine art and interior design brings a simple Bauhaus-inspired sensibility to my work. My working philosophy stresses the aesthetic of form following function and the belief that art and craft can be unified in a beautiful functional vessel. Decoration is always integral to the form of the piece rather than merely applied. I am currently fascinated by the complex geometries and textures found in nature. The delicate lines of tree branches on sky, the gentle symmetry of unfolding flower petals and the undulation of land and seascapes inspire me. I try to distill the essence of these natural phenomena into my work. I keep my glazes simple to enhance the purity of these forms.”

All photos by Joy Eliuk except Spike Tea Set, Forest Bowl, Forest Fire Lantern, Innie Vase and Rough Innie Vase by Dale Roddick