“Building and surface combine to form a ritual process akin to working with the shadows of time and place”

“My work explores human experience through the magical, mysterious and sacred. It calls to our common humanity”

Themes

Jane’s work deeply engages with the human experience. Focussing on commonality and inclusivity, her pieces explore diversity and connection through human relationship with prehistoric artefact and the ancient skill of coiling. Her work addresses cross-cultural themes of the liminal, unseen, sacred and experienced through the anthropomorphic language of the vessel as well as pure form. All are expressions of the permeability of time and material.

The ancient, rhythmic process of coiling is a vehicle for meditative engagement. Coiling is one of our earliest means of shaping our environment. Using minimal tools and relying on the sensitivity of touch, Jane celebrates human creativity and the importance of making as a core human activity. Working as our ancestors did, she experiences clay as a receptive medium and venerates this as her chosen material. Jane has always striven to work with minimal environmental impact. Work is fired to a low earthenware before smoke firing quickly in her garden kiln.

Pattern and symbol are applied with paper, offering hints and glimpses of distant cultures with a method our earliest ancestors would recognise. These develop into personal narrative that combine philosophy and ritual practice. The ephemeral nature and limited palette of smoke firing are a perfect vehicle for these enquiries. Smoke is a natural dye permeating the surface to engender a transient and live persona.

Recent practice is exploring ways of reducing environmental impact further by working with natural clay pigments in a once-fired process, ultimately towards unfired pieces which honour our relationship with the earth.

Background

Jane has worked primarily with clay since 1990. Early years were spent in Cambridge. Her mother was an inspiring sculptor and art teacher, introducing her to a rich seam of museums and artists whilst versing her in craft skills. Visits to Stonehenge, Carnac and the caves of the Dordogne fuelled her passion for prehistoric monument and folklore. She now lives on the Somerset/ Wiltshire border close to the ancient sites of Avebury and Stonehenge, recently returned from artist residency in Orkney.

Jane lectured full-time at Bath College for 15 years as Subject Leader for Ceramics. She is a fully qualified teacher, graduating with a BEd honours degree (Art, Religious Studies, Multi-Cultural Education) from Bath Spa University in 1989 just as the Ken Robinson report on arts education was published. Her passion for art education fuelled many workshops to students and teachers whilst developing a national reputation as a ceramicist. She was represented by Kate Chertavian Fine Art (then David Bowie’s art agent) exhibiting under her maiden name, Jane Day. JD remains her signature inscription. Early career work exhibited in Cork St and was sold through Selfridges, London and St Ives gallery, Cornwall.

A Development Award from South West Arts in 1998 led to a sabbatical year researching the spiritual use of ceramics in Africa. A resultant article was published by Ceramic Review (issue 185) before returning as guest artist to the Potters Association of Namibia, judging their national ceramics competition and delivering workshops at the University of Namibia and Kalahari desert funded by the British Council.

She took a career break in 2009 to bring up her sons, retraining as an ordained Interfaith Minister before resuming her ceramics career.

Recent exhibitions

Jane’s first returning exhibition in November 2021 was a sell-out solo show at Brownsword Hepworth gallery in Kensington, London. She became a selected member of the Craft Potters Association in 2022. Jane has shown work at selected ceramics events (Celebrating Ceramics, Potfest in the Park and Oxford Ceramics Fair. Recent exhibitions include Contemporary Ceramics (London), Beaux Arts Bath, Vanner Gallery (Salisbury). Gallery 57 (Arundel), Velarde gallery, David Simon Contemporary. She has worked recently with curator Jacquiline Creswell in ‘Vessels’ exhibition in Salisbury and ‘Vessels Art Trail’ in St Michael and All Angels, Gwernensey, curated by Jacquiline Creswell with Arts in Christianity and Friends of Friendless Churches.

Workshops

Jane has developed a reputation for her masterclass workshops on hand building skills. Workshops in Frome are bookable through her shop page. She welcomes opportunities to engage in discussion around human creativity, spirituality and art education.