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Janene Waudby

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Biography

“I have had a lifetime’s interest in the sea and nature; walking, diving and sailing all over the world, including around Cape Horn and across the Southern Ocean. I finally left what my parents called a “proper job” in 2015, and I became a full time artist. In early 2016, I moved 600 miles north to Scotland. The studio now looks out over Loch Torridon and, in the distance, the Outer Hebrides. The view through the window constantly inspires, whether it’s the changing colours of the sea, the shifting light, wild storms or the sea birds.

My work is inspired by the beauty and spontenaity of nature, particularly of the sea and the Scottish Highlands.
I work in my studio in Shieldaig on Loch Torridon, immersed in the wild and ancient landscape and changing seasons. My vessels are all smoke fired with sawdust and plants common to the Highlands, including moss, seaweed and bracken. The surfaces aim to capture the color, depth, and beautiful imperfection of nature.

My work is thrown on the wheel, or sculpted by hand and then burnished using a smooth stone. All of my thrown work has a simple, curvaceous form which is the canvas for the fire to make its unique imprint. Each firing is carefully staged as a collaboration so that the vessel is imprinted with patterns and colours reminiscent of moments in nature. My aim is for the vessels to quietly evoke the landscape, nature, sky and waters of the Highlands.
As the vessels remain unglazed, they are tactile and warmer to the touch than glazed ceramics.”