Jean O’Neil
J. O’Neil Studio
Troy, New York
Website
www.joneil.crevado.com
Instagram
www.instagram.com/joneilstudio?igshid=w0okcdmg03r7
Email
joneilstudio@gmail.com
Artist Statement
The New England landscape of my childhood was an Edgar Allan Poe scene of forest paths filled with crooked limbed oaks and maples accompanied by thick fluffy pines. My good fortune was to run wild in this magic without fear, a freedom that led to countless adventures. As many children of a time, I sought solace and refuge in the forests and fields surrounding our old farmhouse. My imagination sprouted like a blade of grass with a natural resiliency to explore. I met clay while in college and we have been together ever since. Painting and clay are old dance partners in my studio. One pushes the other to step up. The process of creating is part of the marrow of my bones and the speech of my soul, an ever-expanding language I never tire of.
Studio Description
Small white cottage surrounded by trees.
What type of clay do you use?
Porcelain Paperclay
What temperature do you fire to?
cone 6
What is your primary forming method?
Handbuilding and sculpting organic forms
What is your favorite surface treatment?
Sgraffito
Do you make any of your own tools?
No, my hands are the best tools consistently.
What one word would you use to describe your work?
eclectic
What is your favorite thing about your studio?
6 windows looking out onto forest
What is the one thing in your studio you can’t live without?
windows
What are your top three studio wishes?
I one day will have a 6-window studio looking out on the Pacific ocean.
What’s on your current reading list?
I am revisiting Ruth Duckworth’s book.
How do you save money on materials and supplies?
Never Waste Clay.
How do you recharge creatively?
Travel and pot luck Raku firings with artist friends.
Do you have any DIY tips for studio efficiency?
Have bookcase brimming with your artist heroes, so when you have a bad day, curl up with one to reignite the muse. Music that makes you smile and want to dance, and a work table on wheels so you can clear the clutter hen needed to de-clutter the brain.
What challenges have you given yourself to overcome?
The cost of getting my favorite clay shipped to NY from New Mexico.
What did your first piece look like?
Organic-shaped sculpture with aboriginal surface design.
What ceramic superpower would you have and why?
Wave my hand and have my studio cleaned.
Who is your ceramic art mentor and why?
Jack Marshall was a ceramic sculptor who inspired me so much that I was his studio assistant (slave) for a year while in college.
What is on your studio playlist?
Van Morrison, Joni Mitchell, Billy Holiday, and Tracy Chapman
Why do you create art?
It lives deep in the marrow of my bones, and its' the speech of my soul. My hands follow their direction.
Who is your favorite artist and what do you admire about that artist?
Picasso and Ruth Duckworth…Both embraced and honored the child inside and continued to explore and challenge themselves until the end.
What is your best studio tip?
Make it fit your individual needs.
If you could change one property of clay, what would it be?
Nothing. I love clay for what it is, that’s why I am here.
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