Click images to enlarge!
Jean O’Neil,
J.O’Neil Studio,
Troy, New York
Website: https://instagram.com/joneilstudio?igshid=w0okcdmg03r7
Email: joneilstudio@gmail.com
Artist Statement:
Oaks, maples, and pines on rolling farm fields was the landscape of my childhood. Like Huck Finn, I ran wild on the edge of roaring mountain fed streams. That unkept freedom, is where my artist grew. I met clay while in college and we have been together ever since. Clay connects us to the earth while offering endless possibilities of expression. I am restless and uneasy without it’s touch.
Studio Description:
Tiny 1958 Old Florida Block house in the Old Englewood Arts District.
What type of clay do you use?
White stoneware & dark chocolate brown.
What temperature do you fire to?
Cone 5/6.
What is your primary forming method?
Hand building and sculpting organic forms.
What is your favorite surface treatment?
Sgraffito.
Do you make any of your own tools?
Yes.
What one word would you use to describe your work?
Eclectic.
What is your favorite thing about your studio?
Windows that look out onto 100 year old oak tree.
What is the one thing in your studio you can’t live without?
Windows.
What are your top three studio wishes?
Light, beautiful natural surroundings, and outside working area.
What’s on your current reading list?
I am revisiting Ruth Duckworth’s book.
How do you save money on materials and supplies?
Use every bit of my clay and test my glazes before destroying a form.
How do you recharge creatively?
Travel & pot luck Raku firings with artist friends.
Do you have any DIY tips for studio efficiency?
Make it fit your needs for construction, privacy, and research.
What challenges have you given yourself to overcome?
Create a series of sgraffito functional forms similar to the process of Escher’s graphic inspired wood carvings.
What did you 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?
John “Jack” Marshall was an American artist best known for his sculptures. He introduced me to clay.
What is your studio playlist?
Miles Davis, Van Morrison, Billy Holiday, Bonnie Raitt, Joni Mitchell.
Why do you create art?
Because I am at my best and who I am when I am creating.
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.
