A collection of their unique, sometimes whimsical, pottery is currently on display at the Carnegie Gallery in Dundas, The exhibit, which opened September 5 and continues until September 28, is aptly named HB2, in recognition of the signing initials that appear on their artwork.

Sharing the same initials is actually what brought the two women together. Both were curious to know about ‘the other HB’ whose works were sometimes displayed at the same potters’ events. And so, they met at a show in the Dundas Community Centre about 28 years ago.

“We’ve admired each other since the early ’80s,” Beswick confided last week, referring to their mutual appreciation of each other’s pottery pieces. Both are members of the Hamilton Potters Guild, and longtime artist members of The Carnegie Gallery.

As it happens, both live in historic houses and they share a passion for the environment. Their paths crossed, outside the art gallery, several years ago when they joined the throng of local residents opposed to converting the former Steetley quarry in Greensville into a dumpsite for GTA garbage.

Their affinity for the natural world is reflected in their artwork. Pottery is made from clay, and both women often decorate their pieces with floral or leaf designs to add yet another natural dimension. Brink likes to use “wax resist” as a method of imprinting a design on her pottery; this technique allows the natural colour of the clay to form the design on the glazed work. Beswick, who was a painter before she became a potter, likes to paint floral designs or whimsical figures on many of her works.

Both women have used Dundas Valley clay in their works and feel fortunate to live in an area where the material they need for their artwork is in good supply. The valley’s bluish grey clay is distinguishable in the glaze of many of their works.

Brink and Beswick have both tried their hand at teaching their craft to others: every year for a period of eight weeks, Beswick teaches novices at the Burlington Arts Centre where she is a member of the collections committee; Brink taught students in the studio of her Greensville home for about 10 years. Both agree that the ‘hands on’ method of teaching works best for them. In other words, they like to put their hands over the students’ hands to show them precisely how much pressure is needed to shape clay into a work of art.

Brink’s initiation into working in clay began in 1957 in Toronto, where she learned the basics and more from pottery teacher Chizuko Shimano. The Oriental influence in her work is still strong to this day. She also worked as a potter in London, England for three years before moving back to Canada and settling in Greensville 46 years ago.

Her pottery pieces, which include plates, bowls, mugs and teapots of varying sizes, are functional as well as pleasing to the eye.

“Clay is an incredible material; it’s so responsive,” she said while explaining what draws her to the art form. “One minute, you have a lump of mud, and the next, you give it form. It’s addictive.”

Brink also likes the idea that, once a piece is fired, it’s permanent. Proof of that, said Beswick, are the shards uncovered at archaeological sites thousands of years after a settlement has been abandoned. “Pottery is a statement of advancement,” she said.

“Cultures are judged by the standard of their pottery,” she added, noting that Japanese and Chinese civilizations are best known for their distinct brands of pottery.

A Sheridan College graduate, Beswick, took up pottery in 1967. She opened her first studio in Campbellville in the late 1960s, moving to Dundas in 1980 to become an active member of the town’s flourishing art community. A few years later, she became a columnist for the Dundas Star News. She continues to write a column for the Dundas weekly to this day.

Like Brink’s collection, Beswick’s work includes mugs, vases, bowls and plates of assorted colours and sizes. Many of her unique pieces are richly and colourfully decorated with paintings of people and flowers.

The pottery exhibit can be viewed at The Carnegie Gallery, 10 King St. W., Dundas Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Saturdays between 10 a. m. and 5 p. m.; Thursdays and Fridays, 10 a. m. until 7 p. m. and Sundays, 1 to 4 p. m. For more information, visit the gallery’s website at www.carnegiegallery.org or phone 905-627-4265.