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I first
encountered clay at age 6, sculpting animals
in the basement of a hobbyist / ceramics
teacher in Queens, New York. I
intermittently continued building with clay
throughout grade school. In high school an
art teacher demonstrated throwing on the
wheel and encouraged my interest in
ceramics. In 1964, while employed as a
research microbiologist in New York City, I
began attending evening classes at Greenwich
House Pottery.
After marrying in 1965 and while raising two
children, I continued working part-time with
clay for the next 14 years. I worked as a
volunteer in numerous community programs and
helped
establish
a potter's
support group - the Hudson River Potters. In
addition to creating my own work, I attended
many ceramic classes and workshops, and
studied weaving and basketry as well. I also
became the founding director of a non-profit
municipal gallery, The Gallery at Hastings
on Hudson.
In 1978 my husband and I decided to take
advantage of an opportunity to relocate to
the San Francisco Bay Area. I realized this
was my opportunity to focus on clay full
time, something I had long wanted to do.
After settling with my family in Palo Alto,
I established a studio in Mountain View,
"Plum Tree Pottery". Working in the shade of
a yellow plum tree, I concentrated on
developing distinct forms and glazes.
In 1989 I moved my studio to a warehouse in
downtown Palo Alto where the evolution of my
work continued. Recognizing that my
warehouse studio would not be available much
longer, my family and I moved 7 miles west
to Portola Valley in 1993. We immediately
made plans to build a studio at home. I now
have the pleasure of making pots in a studio
of my own design.
I enjoy making pots for everyday use; each
is a subtle variation of a form - usually
thrown in a series. I am a perfectionist (as
much as the process allows) and am
constantly in search of the perfect surface
and ideal form while striving to create pots
that have life and vitality. I have a
casserole included in the permanent
collection of the Renwick Gallery, National
Museum of American Art, Smithsonian
Institution, Washington, DC. |
|
AWARDS |
|
Honorable Mention, “Made by Hand, Meant
for Use”, ARC Exhibitions, Andrews
Univ., Berrien Springs, MI |
2005 |
|
Award of Merit, California State Fair,
Sacramento, CA |
2004 |
|
Best Functional, “State of Clay”,
Lexington Arts and Crafts Society,
Lexington, MA |
2002 |
|
Purchase Award, “Focus on Function”, The
Minneapolis Institute of Arts, Minneapolis,
MN |
2000 |
|
PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS |
|
Baulines Craft Guild
Master
Craftsperson
Association of
Clay & Glass Artists of California
Exhibiting Member Board of Directors
1981-present, President 1991-1993
Craft Emergency Relief Fund
Board of Directors 1992 - 1997
National Council
on Education in the Ceramics Arts
Palo Alto Art
Center Foundation
Board of Directors - current
|
|
COLLECTIONS |
|
Nora Eccles
Harrison Museum of Art, Utah State
University, Logan, UT
Renwick Gallery, Smithsonian Institution,
Washington, DC
Claudia Chapline, Stinson Beach, CA
Virginia Breier, San Francisco, CA
The Minneapolis Institute of Art,
Minneapolis, MN
Forrest Merrill, Berkeley, CA
Kay Sekimachi, Berkeley, CA
Bermuda National Gallery, Hamilton, Bermuda
Please click
here MS Word version of Jan's Resume |
