Jan Barnes

I came to clay relatively recently from a background of writing, drawing and design. In clay I have found a tantalising element: form. The marriage of form with carved decoration, burnishing and/or glaze satisfies my need for creativity and balance.

Constant in my life are a handful of significant places, both close to home and far - flung, together with special people I have met along the way who offer friendship, nurturing, love, advice and support.

Then there is the continuum of ancient links with the land: men and women making vessels from clay, hardening them in open fires and using them to prepare and store their food; and the very essence of pots having their roots in the land, the earth. I want my pots to reflect these origins, to bear the colours and warmth of the earth; to be simple yet strong in form. Very early in my potting career I fell under the spell of the pueblo pots of the southwestern US, their generous, curvaceous forms, surfaces burnished to the smoothness of river stones; and I acknowledge they have had a direct influence on my work.

There is a certain nurturing that goes into creating a pot. I truly care about each piece as I throw and turn it: and burnishing with sensuous stones, picked up years ago on a cove in Newfoundland, is truly meditative. After each firing I hold my breath in anticipation that all the elements will have worked their magic. Sometimes a completed piece touches a nerve and I keep it to savour. But ultimately, I have no trouble letting go. Potting teaches patience and also the transience of material things: so many things can go wrong and often do, it does not do to get too attached.

The learning curve continues. I have not arrived yet and I'm not sure I want to: the journey is too much fun!

Jan Barnes, February 2000

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