McMillan, Gillian

Port Moody potter Gillian McMillan and her archaeologist husband Alan have made their home on St. George street since 1971. Gillian was raised in Dorset, attended Teacher Training College in London and emigrated to Canada in 1967. She has been a potter and wheel-throwing instructor for decades.   When her sons were in their late teens Gillian realized a life-long dream of being a full-time Art School student, attending Emily Carr Institute of Art & Design for three years and earning her BFA in Ceramics in 1994. Two years later Gillian was one of a group of artists who advocated for the vacant Port Moody City Hall to become an Arts Centre. The basement became the pottery department and Gillian was one of two ceramics artists in residence there for three years. In 1999 she re-established her studio in her nearby home.  Her signature jugbirds are made of wheel-thrown red earthenware, painted with brightly coloured slips. She also enjoys occasional opportunities to fire stoneware work in a salt or soda kiln. Her work can be found at Circle Craft Co-op on Granville Island and at Jonathon’s Gallery, London, Ontario. Her blog, to be found on her website, records clay activities and the arrival of new jugbirds! Gillian will participate in The Shuffle, Port Moody Art Walk on June 23, 2023, and will welcome visitors to her studio, two blocks from PoMoArts.