Janene Waudby

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Previously shown in Blue 2022

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Unearthed 2023

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Janene’s work is rooted in nature, particularly of the sea and wild coast of the Scottish Highlands where she has her studio.  Her ceramic pieces are all thrown or hand built and then burnished with a smooth stone before being smoke fired with oak wood shavings.  

Each firing is carefully staged as a collaboration so that the vessel is imprinted with patterns and colours reminiscent of moments in nature.   Janene judges each firing according to the weather, listening to the fire to control its urge to steal oxygen from the vessels around it.   Janene’s aim is for the vessels to quietly evoke the landscape and waters of the Highlands.  As the vessels remain unglazed, they are tactile and warmer to the touch than glazed ceramics.  

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The “lichen” series of vessels was created in response to our impact on nature.   The series adopts the iconic pitcher form, a universally man-made form occurring across many cultures and centuries.   The surface is textured with stains and slips and, after a bisque firing, treated with wood shavings using the artist’s unique method.  The intention is to represent nature’s quiet resilience, even in the face of the damage we cause to the earth’s climate and ecosystems.  The vessels are a tribute to nature’s beauty, patience and strength.

 

 
About the Artist

Janene has had a lifetime’s obsession with the sea and nature; walking, diving and sailing all over the world, including around Cape Horn and across the Southern Ocean.  She became a full time artist in 2016, moving to the Scottish Highlands to live surrounded by the beautiful and ancient landscape, seeking peace and simplicity away from the man-made urban environment.   The studio looks out over Loch Torridon and, in the distance, the Outer Hebrides.   The view through the window constantly inspires, whether it’s the changing colours of the sea, the shifting light or the fierce storms.