Jennifer Roberts designs by intuition, echoing forms from nature and experience.

Everyone has a memory of touching their first piece of clay.  Mine was second grade; I squeezed out a Triceratops and glazed it with a runny, heather-green glaze.  Years later I took a college ceramics course, spent six weeks learning to center a ball of clay on a potter’s wheel, and realized I had found my soul song.

Forty years later, I am still discovering new ways to work with clay.  This year I’m launching a donkey and horse series inspired by my time last fall at the US Dressage Finals in Lexington, Kentucky.  I’m also exploring new pitcher and bowl designs, eager to see where a new glazing technique will lead.

I believe clay is a universal language.  It is everywhere.  You can’t go into any culture without seeing some type of ceramics.  We use clay for noble purposes like fine china and for less noble—toilets.  And as our society embraces mass-produced items and technologies, our souls’ need for one-of-a-kind, hand-crafted items increases.  They connect us to our individuality and to the earth.  My goal is for everyone in America to discover the pleasure of drinking from a hand-made mug, one that fits the unique properties of their hand and their artistic preferences.

Favorite Technique

While many of my pots are electic or gas kiln fired, my favorite firing techniques are raku or atmospheric firings like soda and sagger.  These firings allow for less predictability, more adventure, and sometimes "happy accidents." They force me to stay curious.

Inspirations 

Caves, fabric patterns, wood textures, manhole covers, Bible stories, horses' curves, donkey's "laughter", gnarled trees, cascading waterfalls and the mountains around Chama, New Mexico--these are a few of my favorite things that weave their way into my art.