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In 2012 three PEI potters gathered at Pottery by the Sea -
Kerry Kingston's studio and shop in North Rustico. L-R, Kerry, Daphne Large, Anne Coneen. |
When Anne married Allison Coneen her life would include following his career and moves across Canada to open finance offices. With a young family she found herself interested in taking up a craft while living in Ontario and thus enrolled in a pottery class. She enjoyed it greatly but didn't have her own pottery wheel so was dependent on the class facilities to continue.
On November 21, 1966, Allison and Anne Coneen bought an
historic property in Montague, PEI that would become their home. Much more than home they operated it as a bed and breakfast called The Pines which served her pottery studio/shop and an antique store. After the kids were in bed she would head to the studio and find herself at 2 am some evening still there, immersed in her pottery work. She developed her own glazes and indicated that a clear glaze over red clay was one that she always enjoyed for its rich tone reflecting the iron oxide within the clay.
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| Studio work of Anne Coneen. |
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| Studio work of Anne Coneen. |
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| Studio work of Anne Coneen. |
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| Studio work of Anne Coneen. |
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| Studio work of Anne Coneen. |
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Anne's daughter Wendy Coneen shared her mother's interest in pottery and studied in the clay studio of Holland College School of Visual Arts in 1976. Anne eventually sold the Montague property and moved to Charlottetown to be near family. It was a pleasure to meet with both Anne and Wendy in October 2016 when they paid a visit to Village Pottery in New London, PEI.
She signed much of her work with her full name "Anne Coneen, PEI". In 1974 she was also signing with her initials in the format "ALC - PEI - 1974"
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| From the collection of Tom Banks |
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From the collection of Tom Banks
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In January 2019 the crafts community was saddened to learn of her passing. Her obituary indicated:
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| Anne Jane Coneen |
The death occurred at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital on Monday, January 28, 2019 of Anne J. Coneen (nee Pound) of Charlottetown and formerly of Montague, age 94 years. Beloved wife of the late Al Coneen and dear mother of Mike (Louise) Coneen, Wendy Coneen and Susan (Bill) O’Connor. Also survived by her grandchildren and great grandchildren Ben (Laura) Coneen and their children Alex and Owen; Kate (Jeremy Howard) Coneen and their children Emily, Emma, Thomas, Meg and Zach; Isaac (Kelly) Coneen; Jamie (Matt) O’Connor and Luke (Teigan) O’Connor; sister, Norma Stewart; sisters-in-law Onie, Betsy, Florence and Evelyn; numerous nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by her parents Bill and Blanche (nee Taylor) Pound and brothers and sisters Jean Jackson, Helen MacLean, Melvin, Donald, Eliza Hansen, Clara Ramsay, Tressa Pound, Ora Gass, Lowell, George, Lloyd, and Reigh. Resting at the Hennessey Cutcliffe Charlottetown Funeral Home until Saturday, then transferred to Park Royal United Church for funeral service at 1 p.m. Interment later in Floral Hills Memorial Gardens, Pleasant Valley. Visiting hours at the funeral home on Friday from 4 - 7 p.m. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Heart & stroke Foundation of PEI or the Alzheimers Society. On-line condolences may be made at www.islandowned.ca
