Paige Sabrina Harris
Paige Harris is a full-time artist and crafter currently working out of her home studio in Mohkinstsis/Calgary, Alberta. Originally born in Vancouver, she was raised in several small towns around Saskatchewan. Due to many mental health and addiction struggles within her family, Paige moved out of her home with her twin sister, Summer, at 16 and started working at McDonald's to pay rent. In 2013, Harris graduated from high school and moved to Calgary on her own to pursue the arts. Art has always been a safe haven for Paige, and her creative journey began with poetry, drawing, and painting.
In 2017, Paige earned a Bachelor's Degree in Fine Arts with a major in sculpture from the Alberta College of Art + Design. After graduating, Harris worked in a prop-making studio for three and a half years, utilizing her skills as a sculptor, welder, painter, and hard-coater. In 2021, she made the decision to resign from her position and fully dedicate herself to her artistic practice and the entrepreneurship of her pottery business, SunDay Ceramics. Within her business, Paige produces, markets, and sells colorful pottery, jewelry, and small sculptures that explore themes of nature, nostalgia, and growth. In 2022, Paige's savings had dwindled, but she started working part-time at Mao Projects with artists Mao Kun and Chris Savage, engaging in the intricate craft of creating ceramic mugs, plates, spoons, and vases inspired by Kawaii culture.
Artistic Practice
While Paige's pottery production is visually playful and innocent, her artistic practice takes on visceral subject matter, comparing and correlating suffering to the human experience. Harris's work raises the question: Can there be beauty in suffering? Rather than submitting to the habitual response of running from pain and struggle, Paige attempts to magnify and cradle it, to place pain high on a pedestal and honor it for how it strengthens us.
One creation that holds a special place in Paige's heart is the Mopey. It originated as small sculptural forms and has since expanded to include larger Mopey sculptures. Mopey represents feelings and challenges us to confront and embrace them. Paige hand sculpts a variety of Mopeys in different colors, sizes, and shapes. Each Mopey has its own unique personality and expression and serves as a tangible reminder that you're not alone in your emotions, encouraging acknowledgment and processing.
While sculpture and ceramics have been major focuses in her practice, Paige possesses a diverse skill set in photography, mixed media, and painting. She is experienced in 2D and 3D painting, employing techniques such as acrylic, oil, spray paint, spray gun, and airbrushing. Her expertise encompasses both large and small scales, including exterior and interior painting techniques.
Paige is also an advocate for public art and collaboration, with a notable portfolio in the field. She has contributed to the painting of three public art murals in Mohkinstsis/Calgary and recently participated in a public art residency in collaboration with Gladzy Kei to design and produce signage for the cSPACE Eau Claire Community Hub in November 2022.
Paige's artistic expression extends beyond the visual realm into the realm of music. She explores acoustic guitar and songwriting in the melancholic genre of indie alternative music. Inspired by her life struggles and unique perspective on the world, her music serves as a medium for expressing and understanding her emotions, particularly related to her mental health issues and trauma.
Harris encourages her audience to view their work through the lens of their perspectives, provoking questions about the human experience. She aims to reduce the stigma surrounding trauma and mental illness, encouraging vulnerability, compassion, and courage in the face of suffering. As Viktor E. Frankl wrote in 'Man's Search for Meaning,' "But there was no need to be ashamed of tears, for tears bore witness that a man had the greatest of courage, the courage to suffer."