Jayne Walker

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A contour, a curve - the lie of the land

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For Jayne, images seem to amalgamate in the memory, get mixed up with imagination and process themselves again in three dimensions.  They come from holiday visits to the Welsh and Cornish coasts during childhood and since, where cliffs, caves, rocks, pools, sand (wet and dry), hills and mountains have been endlessly explored.

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Jayne draws the shapes which are in her head  but she finds there is not enough information so has to make them in three dimensions to discover how they work.

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Using chisels, rasps and rifflers, Jayne carves a durable plaster called Crystacal into individual forms inspired by geographical features in the landscape. She loves using the curves of the land or coast to describe the forms, while the patterns and textures of geological strata, water, sand and rocks provide inspiration for the pencil drawing she sometimes uses to emphasise an area within them.

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Jayne first used plaster while making moulds for her sculptural, slipcast vessels in the final year of her ceramics degree course at West Surrey College of Art and Design in Farnham in 1980.

On setting up her own studio she realised that carving the models was more satisfying and immediate than casting and firing clay which is sometimes unpredictable. 

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After experimenting with carving soapstone and sandstone, Jayne settled on plaster as she enjoyed the smooth, silky finish which could be achieved without having to compromise on form which sometimes happens when carving stone due to natural fissures and flaws.  The surface could also be controlled by adding line and/or colour which allows the combination of 3D forms and drawing.

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Jayne has been making her current collection of "Land vessels" for the last five years, taking inspiration not only from the landscape and geology but also nautical instruments and maps, such as 19th century travel globes which have leather hemisphere shaped cases enclosing a small globe; thus being domed vessels for holding the miniature earth.

 

Photo credits: Deborah Husk