Jeanne D’Amico

Pottery

I am drawn to clay work by a love of making natural objects that weave either decoratively or in functional ways into our everyday lives.

There is a unique communication between the potter and the person who will use the cup or the bowl in their daily lives. It’s as if there is a human intimacy not only with the raw material but the final object as well. Picture a small tea bowl in your hands. The bowl is such a solid tactile object but also fragile like ourselves.

My vessels are either hand built or thrown on a potter’s wheel. Terra cotta, stoneware and porcelain are the clay mediums. Bowls, platters, plates, cups, tea bowls and vases are some of the utilitarian forms that I make. I make each pot distinctive and unique by either hand carving, impressing the ware with stamps or words or using glazes in interesting patterns.

As of 2001, I became a full-time potter with lots of encouragement from my brother. Over the years, I have taken classes at Worcester Craft Center, Framingham State College, University of South Alabama, Artworks in Oak Park, IL, DeCordova Museum School, Danforth Museum School and Emerson Umbrella. 

The most inspiring of all the instructors I’ve had is the late Japanese potter, Makoto Yabe. Much of my work has an Asian flavor that was influenced by him. He encouraged me to be more spontaneous and organic with both forms and glazes. Makoto also taught me to embrace the imperfect.