Linda Hrynyk is a studio potter from Kahshe Lake in Kilworthy, Muskoka, Ontario. Born and raised in Newmarket, after completing high school she enrolled in Fanshawe Colleges Photographic Arts program in London, Ontario. Graduating in 1978, she worked in Toronto specializing in portrait photography and later moved to transparency retouching. At that time, retouching was done by hand, using brushes and coloured dyes, which to Linda, was much more like painting. To miss rush hour traffic after work, Linda enrolled in evening pottery courses at George Brown College. This is where she was first introduced to the endless possibilities of clay.  

In 1983, Linda left the city to be closer to nature and relocated to Gravenhurst, Ontario. From here, she travelled to Barrie and completed Georgian College’s Ceramic and Glass Program earning three scholarships for excellence in clay and academics. In 1985, Linda Hrynyk Pottery studio was established. 

Nature is a large inspiration for the design and decoration of her pottery. The earthy coloured glazes of browns, blues, and greens are simple and will last a lifetime. Sometimes they stand on their own and sometimes the glazes are multilayered. Stamping with found objects and brushstrokes of various colorants are used to paint and alter the ceramic surface. 

Orchid Vase was hand built. Large slabs of clay were rolled out and left to air dry until firm enough to handle. The pieces were then assembled into a large vase. After the bisque firing in an electric kiln, two different glazes were applied. After the first glaze, a wax resist was used to draw the orchid design and then the second glaze was applied overtop. Another firing occurred where the wax resist was burnt off leaving the orchid design. The glaze that was chosen moves during the firing giving the completed design the illusion of movement as in nature.