Jackson Shaner
Duration: February-March 2023
Jackson Shaner plans to continue creating large scale sculptures that combine several of his interests and anxieties. Since bodies are fascinating, complicated, bizarre, and beautiful, he intends to create sculptures utilizing bodily references and representations that also use elements of constriction and repetition. Jackson hopes this residency in New Harmony will allow him to create a portfolio work to further his pursuit of attending graduate school in the near future.
quick facts
How many years have you been working as a clay artist? 7 years
What is your main clay body that you currently use? I am still experimenting with different clay bodies, but currently I enjoy cone 6-10 Stonewares.
What is the primary method you use for building your work? Solid sculpting and then cutting, carving, and reassembling.
What is your favorite studio tool? A rubber tipped stylus and steel ball stylus.
Do you have any future clay wishes or dreams? To receive my MFA and teach ceramics at a university.
ARTIST STATEMENT
I use figurative ceramic sculpture combined with wheel throwing to express relationships and explore texture, proportion, and flesh mimicry. Most recently, I have created porcelain sculptures that celebrate my mother and comment on our commonly shared experiences. In the summer of 2021, she developed ovarian cancer that had metastasized to several different areas before it was detected. I have since realized how important she is to me, and I wanted to express this appreciation through sculpture.
In these works, I use hands and piano-inspired forms to represent my mother (as she is a classical pianist), fabric to show comfort, and a variety of abstract forms to express positivity and growth. I use a miniature figure of myself for two reasons: to show a childlike fragility and powerlessness surrounding my mother’s health and to keep the scale small to prompt an intimate interaction with the works. I leave the sculptures white to create a dream-like quality that elicits elements of memory and to highlight the soft and smooth beauty of the porcelain. I hope that in viewing this work, people will be reminded of their own support systems and reach out to give thanks for all their positive relationships.
Additionally, some of my work has touched on the impacts of Covid, like the struggle to find human connection and re-assume societal roles. Oftentimes, I use altered wheel-thrown forms to create expressive face pots. For me, faces are an illustrative way to convey simple and complex emotions, as well as connect my work to a rich cultural past of face-jug pottery.
BIOGRAPHY
BORN: Greenville, SC | USA
Jackson Shaner has worked with clay for seven years. He received his Bachelor of Arts in Studio Art at Furman University (2022). While there, he worked as a teaching fellow for the introductory ceramics class and fell in love with teaching. Jackson also received the Glen Howerton Award for his achievements in 3-D artwork and was inducted into the Phi Beta Kappa Honors Society for his academic accomplishments. Currently, he works as a ceramic artist, a pottery instructor, and a production assistant for another potter in Greenville, SC. Jackson has participated in several art exhibitions and has had work published in Artistonish magazine. In the future, Jackson looks forward to pursuing his MFA so that he may teach at the university level.