Drone photos of Newfoundland coastline inspire art project by visiting sommelier

Valerie Belisle came to St. John's from Montreal to be a sommelier at Raymonds, but she's leaving as an accomplished potter.

That's all thanks to the beauty of the Newfoundland coastline, which she explored from above on her days off.

"I have this tiny drone." she said. "You can visit places through the sky, which is so much fun."

What she saw from above inspired her to get serious about her casual pottery hobby, and take on a creative challenge to make 100 pieces of pottery.

On each piece, she used custom glazes inspired by the colours of the ocean and the sharp contrast of the water meeting the beaches along the Newfoundland coast.

She's now sold each and every one, and she gave all the money — $1,500 — to Raymonds Dinner For Levi fundraiser, which supports the neonatal unit at the Janeway Children's Hospital. 

The Raymonds fundraiser was an obvious fit, she said.

"The reason why I came to St. John's is for Raymonds."

Watching from the sky

Belisle is originally from Ottawa and has worked at restaurants all over the world.

Her need to explore carried her all over the island of Newfoundland on her days off from Raymonds.

She'd explore the ground and camp in her van while her little drone explored the coast, soaring overhead.

The images it returned affected her, she said. 

"I just realized how amazing it [the coastline] was."

She had started doing a bit of pottery before she came to St. John's, and the colours and shape of the edge of the island inspired her to keep going.

She found TJ's Old Place, a pottery studio in St. John's, and committed to the shop's 100 Cylinder Challenge, making 100 cylindrical pottery pieces.

Each one was inspired by what she saw of the Newfoundland coast, with rich, bright blue and green glazes meeting stark white and grey clay.

Normally, pieces that didn't shape right would be used again and made into new pieces.

But Belisle decided she loved the pieces just the way they were.

'I had a feeling I would fall in love with Newfoundland'

She wasn't the only one to love the pieces: after a friend encouraged her to open an online shop, Belisle sold all 100 pieces she made during the challenge.

Belisle is now heading to British Columbia for a different job, but she said she plans to keep up the pottery and eventually return to Newfoundland.

"I had a feeling I would fall in love with Newfoundland for some weird reason," she said.

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