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Biography
American contemporary ceramic artist SJ Lane creates vessels that are carved with images inspired by nature or surreal figures from the ancient past. Each burnished piece is made complete with reduction firing. Through the firing process she is able to manipulate certain elements so that each composition is made complete.
Her love of art began as a ceramics major in college. As an artist she has travelled through all art disciplines. Her longing for discovering new things, being a keen observer, and her inquisitive nature are what make her the creative person she is. She has worked as a painter, photographer, sculptor, and at one point worked with interior designers creating murals and finishes for both residential and commercial real estate. However, her deep passion for sculpture has always been rooted in the play of light and shadow on a three dimensional form. This was unleashed when she discovered creating ceramic vessels in the most simplistic way.
Artist Statement
Her travels throughout the United States, Europe, and Latin America have allowed her to experience not only the diversity of the land but also of its cultures. This fascination drives her to research how the land was formed and where the origin of each civilization began. How did these rock, salt, and ice formations develop? Equally interesting, who were the early inhabitants of these areas? The complexity of what she discovers is reduced to simple images and figures. She believes that the most simple of forms can be introduced into her work and perhaps the viewer will take time to look more deeply and wonder about the world we live in. As Georgia O’Keeffe once said about her flower paintings, “No one really takes the time to look at flowers. If I paint mine large enough, they will take time to look and appreciate their beauty.”
Each piece is different in it’s meaning or emphasis. Lane hopes that the simplicity of the form will draw the viewer in and that they will have an opportunity to ponder the carved imagery.
The pieces she creates are ancient in process. Each is hand built using coils of clay, carved, and burnished by compressing the surface with a small stone. The result is that the clay particles become reflective; the surface is extremely smooth, sensual to the touch, revealing the true depth of the clay body. Burnished clay is unique and it’s beauty is unsurpassed.
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