ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT
KENT ARTIST PROFILE :
JANIS VOLCKMAN , OAST HOUSE CERAMICS
A LOCAL POTTER INSPIRED BY ALL THE NATURAL BEAUTY AND HISTORY OF KENT , JANIS VOLCKMAN ’ S UNIQUE PIECES VARY IN ALL SHAPES , SIZES AND FORM , BUT ALL REPRESENT HER CREATIVE EYE AND INCREDIBLE IMAGINATION .
Janis , tell us a little bit about what led you to becoming a potter and how you would describe your pieces .
I ’ ve always enjoyed creating things . As a child in East London I used to dig up the clay in the garden and make plates and bowls . At secondary school I was fascinated by a poster in the art room of Lucie Rie and Hans Coper ’ s pottery but my school teachers wouldn ’ t let me study art as I was ‘ a scientist ’ ( I went on to gain a pHD in chemistry ). I eventually started pottery at adult education classes in the 1980s and finally set up my own studio in 2019 . I ’ m not a very disciplined artist , my work varies depending on my mood , but I ’ m particularly drawn to spikes and holes – I like the shadows holes create – and I ’ m fond of matt finishes .
Tell us a little bit about the techniques and process you undergo to create your pieces .
My goal is to create forms that are functional as well as decorative . I use a range of different coloured clays and prefer gritty , textured ones even though using them on the wheel is like throwing with sandpaper ! I often take thrown forms and distort or build on them to add interest . Lately I ’ ve been influenced by the work of Craig Underhill who creates paintings on clay with slips ( coloured liquid clay ). I use slips on my bird forms . I paint the slip directly onto leather-hard clay or paint it onto paper and press the paper onto the clay creating random patterns . I also like combining glazes to give interesting drippy effects . I have a particular combination that reminds me of seaweed which I use on my discus forms .
When I began potting I was so focussed on trying to create something on the wheel that often the glazing phase became an afterthought . However , I ’ m now very much focused on decoration and trying to match the decoration with the form .
Pieces are fired twice , first to a biscuit phase ( 900 ° C ), after which glazes can be applied , then to stoneware temperatures ( 1230 ° C ). Each firing / cooling cycle takes around 24 hours . The cost of firing the kiln has increased recently and I try to fire using solar power whenever possible .
Janis , you go by the name of Oast House Ceramics , a building which is a very significant part of Kent ' s heritage and history , do you find that Kent inspires your work ?
I lived in an oast house in Wickhambreaux for 20 years and that ’ s where Oast House Ceramics was born . Ours had twin roundels and looked like a fairy castle . The white cowls of oast houses reaching
up into the blue Kent skies captivate me . We had beautiful lichen-covered walls and I often try to recreate the colours and patterns of the lichens on my pots .
Where can we see / purchase your art ?
I have a permanent space in The Eclectic Art Gallery in Margate and my work is available online through www . eclecticartmargate . co . uk . I ’ m also in The Folkestone Art Gallery – www . folkestoneart . com and The Little Studio in Ash – @ littlestudio38a . You can email me at oasthouseceramics @ gmail . com .
oasthouseceramics oasthouseceramics
26