Following the Experimental Course | Janene Waudby | Episode 427

Janene Waudby | Episode 427

Janene Waudby lives and works in the Highlands of Scotland. Janene’s work is inspired by the natural colors and textures of the Scottish landscape. Janene throws her work on the wheel before burnishing and smokefiring. The vessels are classically proportioned, and shaped in a way which optimizes the spectacular smoke effects.

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You mentioned that some potters hold back some of their secrets. What are some of the secrets you hold back on?

I don’t hold back on any but I wouldn’t give out every single step of the process. So people for example say to me, How do you achieve that piece? And what I want to do is enable people to do their own exploring. So I will say, How about you take a leaf and put it around a pot but then find a way of covering it to stop the fire touching to pots, so just the heat can touch the pot. Use something like foil. I will send them as far down the road as I can without giving them the whole answer.

When people ask you what your work is how do you describe it to a novice?

I describe my work as smoke fired pottery. It is very difficult to describe the work without holding it. It is an experience to hold the work. It is very interesting when I get visitors into the studio, they don’t need to be experts an ordinary person with no previous history in pottery will come in and interact with the work because it is so unusual and reflects so much of the environment. People are particularly in love the with galaxy type surfaces where you appear to have nebulas and stars and images of a moon behind clouds and people are drawn to it.

You were previously a lawyer. Do you ever long for the mental challenges that packing prawns does not bring?

No. (laughter) I will try and go into a bit more detail. An ex-colleague of mine asked me if I would help him out on a sort of free-lance basis and I was appalled because I was for a second tempted, which took me by surprise because I wasn’t expecting that. If I miss anything at all, what I miss about my previous job is everything we did was in a strange corner of the world. Places where I haven’t been before and I met people all over the world and traveled all over the world and I miss that diversity.

What is one thing that you like that you did to set up your ceramic business?

Setting up a ceramic business is only a way, if I’m honest, of moving the stock I am making as part of this scientific quest to understand this smoke firing. I had to produce hundreds of pots to really understand that. If I am honest with you I have a need to sell the work in order to discover more. I need room so I need the pots to sell.

What is a challenging you are facing right now in your ceramics?

It varies. One of the things you find when you are smoke firing you are constrained by the fuel you are using in the smoke fire itself. And guessing a consistent supply of sawdust doesn’t really happen so you are constantly wresting with variables you have no control over. The other thing would be continually trying to find new forms on which to show the smoke firing effects that I am able to achieve.

If you could give any smoke-fire potter any advice wheat is one piece of advice that you would give?

Don’t have any expectations. Be open to all possibilities. Because if you have expectations you may be disappointed. Be constantly open to new outcomes and embracing change.