A Stonewall artist brought home the crown — quite literally — after winning the title of Canada’s top potter.
Jen Sonnenberg competed in an eight-week friendly competition series called The Great Canadian Pottery Throw Down, which aired Thursdays on CBC. Hosted by Jen Robertson, the show started off with 10 talented potters from across the country vying in a main weekly pottery task plus a skill-testing challenge. Each week, one potter was eliminated until only three remained for the final episode, which aired on April 4.
Sonnenberg continued to soar throughout the series, and that upward momentum continued in the finale when she faced off against Kiefer Floreal of Winnipeg and Elsa Valinas of New Brunswick.
“Well, this week’s episode was like none other. Right from the beginning, there was a feeling of finality to it, like this is it. There are no more weeks after this,” Sonnenberg said
“The main make for the finale was a tea set with a tea pot, four mugs and saucers, a creamer, sugar pot and a cake stand. That was a lot of pieces to make.”
Sonnenberg gleaned inspiration for her design from her children and her love of hockey.
“I wanted to pay tribute to the sport that my kids love so much but without it screaming hockey. So I designed two hockey stick stamps that I would impress into the wet clay. Creating so many pots that needed to be thrown on the wheel, stamped, trimmed and handles added was definitely the next level for us potters,” said Sonnenberg, who is a hockey coach.
“All of those things need to be done at a certain time — and doing it all in a time crunch really added to the pressure. I needed to balance pieces being dry enough to stamp with the hockey stick stamps but not too dry that they couldn’t be stamped. It certainly felt chaotic in the pottery.”
While their tea sets were drying and waiting to be fired, the potters participated in their final spot test.
“This week, trimming three bowls in a set time was the challenge,” she said.
“Trimming is not my favourite thing to do, but I managed to pull off my fifth second-challenge win of the competition. I was pretty excited.”
Sonnenberg was grateful for that win before proceeding with the finishing touches on her tea set.
“Going into the glazing, I felt I had at least accomplished one win, and I needed that mentally as my cake stand had a crack in it. I thought about drying the piece upside down when I was making it, but in the frantic chaos of the make, I forgot to flip it,” she said.
“While drying, the cake stand slumped around the base, leaving a crack in the top. I powered through, decorating the set with a blue-green colour scheme and adding glaze to the cake stand crack in an effort to fix it. I glaze fired the cake stand upside down to keep the piece from slumping even more in the heat of the glaze firing.”
For the final reveal, it was a family affair with loved ones of all three competitors gathered at the Granville Island pottery.
“I was in Vancouver when my husband Ryan and kids John and Tom arrived. Going to the airport to meet them was such a sweet reunion. I missed those boys so incredibly much, so seeing their little faces was the best moment,” she said.
“I was thrilled to have them be a part of the finale. For me, it was the best part. It was such a special moment, and for the kids to be able to see that moment was priceless for me.”
Guest judge Seth Rogen returned to provide feedback alongside judges Brendan Tang and Natalie Waddell. All the original competitors also returned for the announcement of the winner.
“During the reveal, the crack did not go away, and both Elsa and Kiefer’s sets were so well done. I was happy with my set and how the judges reacted to it,” she said.
“Seth Rogen seemed so impressed with how the mugs fit with their plates, with how the tea pot capacity filled the mugs and especially with the locking lid that I made for the tea pot.”
While judges provided comments to all three competitors, the suspense continued to build.
“Finally, the three of us finalists were standing at the front, with the rest of the competitors and our families behind us, waiting to see who would win the first season of The Great Canadian Pottery Throw Down. I knew I was happy with what I had made throughout the competition and how I had competed in the second challenges, so I was happy no matter what happened. But when they called me as the winner, I was completely surprised. The fact that my boys could be there to be a part of it was incredible,” she said.
“I really had no idea and thought for sure it would be one of the other potters, but to hear them say my name was just crazy. I was blown away, and even though the finale was filmed months ago, I think it’s really just sinking in now. My boys were so excited that it was me who won, as well as my husband. I think they were pretty proud. As the episode aired, my entire family was just so excited. It’s really been amazing.”
Echoing those ideas, her husband Ryan expressed pride in her accomplishments.
“It was great to see Jen challenge herself and push the limits,” he said. “This competition has given her so much confidence and energy to follow her passion. Her family is extremely excited for her and proud of her accomplishments.”
Likewise, the boys expressed excitement about their mom’s big win.
“She did amazing,” said John, age nine. “She deserved to win and I’m really proud of her.”
Six-year-old Tom shared similar sentiments.
“She did so good,” he said. “She made amazing pots — and she did it all for us.”
After the judges revealed that Sonnenberg was the winner, Seth Rogen presented her with a handmade ceramic crown.
“Seth Rogen and his wife made the crown, and it’s so neat. I love the untypical colour scheme, and the glob glaze is something that Seth uses on his own pottery,” she said. “It’s personal and unique, which makes it such a neat prize.”
Since the series was filmed in advance of when it aired, Sonnenberg had to keep the exciting secret to herself.
“Having the series end, heading back home and back to school, hockey practices and games and regular life made it feel like the whole thing hadn’t happened, especially because I couldn’t say anything about it. It’s been a ton of fun to watch along with family and friends each week. I’m not going to know what to do with my Thursdays,” she said.
“The best part of this experience has been getting to know and work with the other potters along the way. These were some of the most talented clay artists as well as being incredible people. I’ve definitely been inspired to create more sculptural work and play more with glazes and colour. And I think I’ve gained some confidence in using the electric kiln to glaze work, so that’s something I will probably do more often.”
Looking ahead, Sonnenberg plans to keep in touch with the other potters she met through the competition.
“The group is so great — and we’ve been through this crazy experience that not many others have, so it definitely brought us together,” she said. “And with the judges and Jen Robertson, Instagram has been such a great tool to keep us connected.”
At the same time, she also expressed gratitude for all the kind words she received from near and far.
“I’ve just been so overwhelmed in the best way by all the love, support and messages that I’ve received from friends, family and complete strangers. It has been so truly amazing to hear the congratulations and the stories of how people have loved the show and watched it diligently and how they’ve been cheering me on,” she said.
“I just want to say how grateful I am for all of these messages and support from so many people. It’s truly touching.”
The first season of The Great Canadian Pottery Throw Down is available to stream on CBC Gem. For behind-the-scenes content and updates, follow @CanadianPotteryShow on Instagram and Facebook.
To see more of Sonnenberg’s artwork, visit her online store at www.woodfiredpottery.ca or follow her on Instagram @jensonnenbergwoodfiredpottery. Through the the website, you can also sign up for the mailing list to receive updates about classes at her studio, new items for sale and upcoming events. For those who’d like to see Sonnenberg’s artwork in person, she will be at the Third + Bird spring market at the Red River Exhibition grounds later this month.
Tribune Photos by Lana Meier
