Collection: Artist: Janie Packer

Sculptures of Janie Packer

Artist’s Statement:

Clay is such an exciting and responsive medium in which to work. Most often I only have the germ of an idea when I begin a project. I begin to build a form and before I know it, a wild dance has begun between me and the clay. It seems to know the steps and where we are headed, so I blithely follow along, taking my cues from a bend or an outcropping in the clay. Maybe it’s starting to look like a weeping woman, or a cat with a crown on its head. I just let the dance go on until I have made something.

Sometimes this journey continues without stopping from early in the morning until the sun goes down. Finally I step back and see what I’ve got. If it makes me smile, then the refining process begins. Pieces may be fired multiple times until the surface treatment is completed. My sculpture deals with the idea of human fragility. It is about compassion for people as they journey from suffering on towards enlightenment. Each piece is a snapshot of a traveler at some point on life’s bumpy path. I hope you enjoy looking at my sculptures as much as I have enjoyed making them.