Jayne King
Ceramicist
Chicago, IL, USA
Pictorial ceramics in vivid colours
- Jayne paints and carves porcelain clay pots she calls Memory Vessels
- She creates narrative landscapes that extend from geological strata to outer space
- Her process begins with extensive archival research in libraries and museums
Jayne King explores the functions of storage and preservation common to both ceramics and the human body, contrasting the permanence of porcelain with the fluidity of memory. A Chicago native, she is a graduate of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. While she never knew her great grandmothers, their handcrafted objects have inspired questions central to her work. “I am interested in the layers of history around us and underfoot," she says. "I am curious about the people who left those objects behind and what I can learn about them." Layers of images in bold and vibrant colours unfold like animation around the surfaces of her pots. “I think of my work as a narrative landscape,” says Jayne. “Putting the different details in relationship to each other is how the story is formed.”
Discover her work
INTERVIEW
At the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, I split my time between ceramics and painting. Although I wanted to paint, I felt no connection to the canvas, so I started painting on the pots that I had made. The canvas is blank and has no history, whereas clay comes out of the earth and carries a story by simply being its own material.
I choose the shape of the vessel first and I plan the imagery around it. My work is very research-based, completely sketched out and conceptualised before I touch the clay. Once the blank vessel is ready, I paint, carve, fire it once, paint some more and then fire it again.
Porcelain is so permanent that, regardless of my intention, I am always creating some kind of heirloom or future artifact. I feel a sense of responsibility to think carefully about what I am making, and to ensure that the work communicates something meaningful across time.
When I go to the studio, I think of my grandfather. He was a painter and died when I was nine years old. He used to call and ask me, ‘What have you been up to? have you been painting?’ I am happy to be able to answer him in my heart, ‘Yes, I have been painting.’
Jayne King
Ceramicist
Chicago, IL, USA
ADDRESS
Address upon request, Chicago, IL, USA
AVAILABILITY
By appointment only
LANGUAGES
English
Homo Faber Finds is a new service aiming to inspire admirers of craft to connect and collaborate with exceptional artisans.
We invite you to submit an enquiry here.
