Artist Statement
My work of late has been about combining the comfort of familiar forms, both to myself and those who use them, with imagery of personal interest and significance. I often find myself leaning on well known forms while pushing into a new technique or developing a familiar technique further. The mug form is one that has been apart of my creative repertoire for some time, so my comfort with the creating of the form is fluid and does not require much of my creative energy. I enjoy exploring surface design possibilities on this form because it is such a readily useful and intimate form for those who use it as well.
We drink everyday from some vessel or another. It is a physical necessity, though the same action can be taken out of indulgence and for the sake of social connection depending on the contents of the cup and the company.
I find myself concerned with connectivity through our shared humanity and the valuable role that beauty plays in building community. How much is the experience impacted, whether solo daily ritual or shared social moment, by the amount of humanity contained in the vessel used? How does the experience differ when a single use container is the vessel, compared to one crafted to be both a functional object as well as a work of fine art?
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The power of an image, symbol, color, or shape to evoke emotion, and potential connection is fascinating. Over time I have continued to ask myself, why these images. When I come back again and again to the same sort of imagery, though perhaps it is worked differently or utilized in a new material, I wonder at the source. I have long been in the process of recognizing a component of nostalgia in the imagery that finds its way into my work. Though it may not be immediately recognizable to others, my own memories and moments find their way to the surface of mugs, wall hangings, paintings, and class demonstrations.
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As a mother, creating my work alongside my growing and changing children. I have found a connection to the images of my work with what I refer to as an instant nostalgia. A deep sense of memories and moments being made. Seemingly random images and feelings being cemented into the emotional fabric of my own children and myself. There is an acute awareness of the fleeting and changing nature of ourselves and our lives, lived out in the day to day routines of growing children.
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These images of land, place, and home take a role in my work that I have developed a companionship with. I believe our visual surroundings have a deep and sacred impact on who we are and how we interact with our world.
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As I continue to create I am interested in exploring these seemingly mundane, yet sacred images. I am curious about how the form of my work may begin to shift and change as the imagery becomes more comfortable. What forms will emerge? How might sculptural, non-functional works change the nature of the imagery itself? These are current questions to be considered as I continue to explore possibilities set forth in clay.
Samuel (4) with my work
"Reflections on the Garden"
My Space, My Studio
SMALL SPACES, BIG IDEAS.
I've heard, and I've been known to say. Make what you can with the space you have. Not having the space is never an excuse for abandoning your practice of creativity. My space is small, so my work is often small, a reflection of the way in which the work was created. I choose to to embrace this space.
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During the summer of 2017 I expanded from my kitchen corner table studio space to a renovated camper trailer. Follow me on instagram for current endeavors and process stories.
Jennifer Joy.
THE STORY SO FAR...
Where to begin when telling a story that is still (and always will be) in process?
I can say art has been an interest and habit of mine from a young age. More than that though, curiosity and an intentional way of seeing have long permeated the way I interact with the world.
Coloring books and playdough led to charcoal, oil paints, and my true love, clay. My own interest in making (and the many makers who influenced me along the way) led me to my passion for teaching. Teaching in turn has provided me the chance to be a part of other maker's stories. This intersection in learning and living side by side is a deep joy of mine and provides inspiration to keep working and exploring.
Here I am in the middle of my story, a woman, a wife, a mother, a maker.
Where will we go from here.