My name is Jan and I’m a potter…….well a bit of a clay addict with a love for all things ceramic and aspirations to make my own personal contribution to this often undervalued corner of the art world.
I can’t remember the first time I played with clay but potting has been my escape from the challenges of studying, work and family responsibilities since my student days. My Tuesday evening at Ouseburn Pottery with David Pyrkes who runs the studio and teaches at college and my fellow potters was the highlight of the week. Sadly, my making made only very slow progress until, three years ago, opportunity knocked!! There was an opportunity to decrease my work commitments and to begin to study ceramics at Newcastle College.
The rest, as they say, is history! Well not quite I still have a very long way to go, I have not as yet found my niche in ceramics – as one of my fellow students said ‘I reserve the right to be eclectic in my ceramic practice’ – or words to that effect. I love all styles of making and enjoy throwing, hand building, slip casting –you name it if it is clay I’ll be there admiring it, caressing it or covered in it!
I have two projects to complete before the end of this academic year – a work based module and a site-specific module.
The work-based project is nearly completed and at this very moment I am writing up my last work placement that finished today. I will make this the subject of my first entry ……
