Jane Samuel

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Elements: air water

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Jane's ceramics reflect our journey through life, with forms which are inspired by the coast, broken shells with their multiple layers of fragile mother-of-pearl and the movement of the sea, with its ever-changing effect on the beach it washes over.

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Looking deeper into her work, it can be said that the fragility and strength of the human mind and body, coupled with the unpredictability of life itself, are what makes us who we are, moulding us, just like the sea shapes the beach and the shells upon it.  In today's world there seems to be a tendency to seek perfection in everything we see, in others and ourselves and yet we are able to pick up a broken shell from the beach and admire its beauty, strength and fragility, something we seem unable to show our fellow human beings.

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Taking these thoughts forward, Jane takes inspiration from the razor clam shell as a form to work with; filling it with fragile shards of porcelain each of which mirror the layers of mother-of-pearl, exposed only in broken oyster shells and represent the fragile layers that are within us all. Applying a volatile glaze which, during the firing, pushes the shards around, moving and distorting them, emulating ourselves as we travel through life.  Some of these shards become hidden beneath the glaze, the surface of which is ground away to reveal the hidden beauty, strength and fragility lying beneath.

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Choosing a number of these strong holding forms Jane takes them a step forward in their journey and "slices" them; some of the shards and pieces of the form will break away, making them incomplete.  These broken edges are then polished, taking something that was fractured or broken and elevating it, allowing it to truly show the beauty within.