Jane's Blog

Watch this space for news and information about my latest work and creations.

I will now be using a new Jane James coastal ceramics Facebook page to update everyone, see link below.

 

 

12.12.11 Just finished or should I say survived 11 days in a wooden hut at the Spirit of Christmas Fair at the Weighbridge. We had storm force winds (which overturn the yurt), torrential rain, hail stones and freezing temperatures, in short another normal Christmas Fair (i think it is jinxed!!). The good news is that the public showed their supported and still made an effort to visit us and buy thier Christmas prezzies. My shop will now be closed until the new year so if you need any last minute presents please visit one of the outlets that stock my work see Stockists page. Thank you and best wishes to everyone who visited me at the fair.

Happy Fishmas.

01.12.11 I have been busy creating work for the Spirit of Christmas Market at the Weighbridge for 11 days (1st Dec to 11th Dec).My new work involves recycling traditional china tea cups and combining them with my coastal ceramics to create Storms in a Tea Cup (like the pun!!!). I have now taken it a step further to create a Gravy Boat!!!

 

 

01.10.11 I spent the warmest October on record in a Mongolian yurt at the Spice Treasue & Trade show at Jersey Accomodation & Activity Centre in St Martin. There were plenty of activities, performers and music making it a very enjoyable evnt, although I would have rather been at the beach!!.

10.09.11 Last weekend I built a fire pit at the end of the garden and we roasted marsh mellows and watched an amazing sunset from the summerhouse. Evenings like these remind me how lucky I am to live in such a beautiful place.

 

 

04.09.11 I was commissioned to make a wedding gift for this weekend incorporating a marriage stone. In Jersey Marriage Stones can be seen above above doors on old granite farmhouses. They are normally located on the southern facade and are made from a granite lintel carved with the initials of the husband and wife joined by a heart follwed by the year of the marriage. I made a large beach hut and a ceramic plaque with the bride and grooms initials & year to go over the beach hut door. This was mounted in a white washed wooden box frame. I think the end result is very effective, I hope they like the gift.

30.08.11 Last week I visited some of the other Channel Islands with my family, we spent a few days in Guernsey and visited the islands of Sark and Herm. It was an opportunity get some inspiration and to re-stock the lovely gallery in Sark run by Katie called Sark Glass Take Two. I loved the fisherman's hut I came across in Sark harbour, it shows that I am not the only one that likes painting fish!! Herm also lived up to its reputation, beautiful and tranquil, what a wonderful place. Shell beach is as amazing as any I have seen in the Carribean. I highly recommend a visti or even stay on either of these islands.

I have had a lovely summer break but I am looking forward to getting in the studio and making again.

 

28.07.11 I have just moved studio from the Artists Workshop in St Ouen to my own studio in Bouley Bay. I had an offer to move into a vacant shop next to the Black Dog PH in Bouley. It was too good an opportunity to turn down, a studio next to a pub with views of the sea in a beautiful bay, I feel like I have won the lottery!. The shop needed some making good and painting to turn it into a vibrant studio. It isn't huge but it is just big enough to have a studio area for me to make my ceramics and a small display area to sell them. It also has a kitchenette and toilets. I have just had some shop signs made and erected. Its is also the height of the season so I have had a lot of interest from passing tourists. I am really pleased with the finished result. The location is inspiring, so I am really enjoying going to work!

(Above) the Bouley Bay Studio before I got my paint brush out. (Left) the finished result with my studio at the rear and a new front display area built and fully stocked. If you would like to visit my new studio I am usually there weekdays 10am to 2 pm term times but I recommend that you phone me first or contact me to make an appointment to visit, so that you are not disappointed if we are closed.

 

 

 

 

15.06.11 I have had a very busy month. I had to complete the orders I took at the British Craft and Trade Fair (BCTF). I am now selling my ceramics through the Baxters Gallery Dartmouth and Maisie & Mac Gallery Fife. I have also had to keep my regular outlets stocked up for the summer. I am now selling my ceramics at Rococo Art & Gifts in the new Liberty Wharf, St Helier, Jersey.

 

12.05.11 Last Monday 09/05/11,was a Bank Holiday in Jersey, known as Liberation Day, which celebrates anniversary of the liberation of Jersey from German occupation. On Liberation Day there is a large thanks giving's service followed by a re-enactment ceremony of the Liberation. In the afternoon there was war time music and a fair in Liberation Square. Everyone that participates is encouraged to dress in period costume. They even had a professional make up artist to give everyone a 1940 look! Liberation Day is one of my favorite events of the year. It has a great atmosphere and I usually sell a lot of my ceramics and this year was no exception.

 

12.04.11 I now have a large display of my ceramics in the new shop and visitors centre at Durrell Wildlife Park. As part of the display Durrell has commissioned me to make them an exclusive Dodo range, which can only be purchased in their shop. The new centre is now in the final stages of completion and it looks fantastic. It can be used by both visitors to the wildlife park or by the general public without having to pay for a park admission. The new shop and café are already open for business and the finishing touches are due to be completed by the 24 th April. See http://www.durrell.org/Latest/Events/New-visitor-centre-and-Cafe-Firefly-opening/

Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal will officially open the new visitor centre and café firefly on 3rd May. Perhaps she might like to have one of my Dodos as a memento of her visit to Jersey!!

 

09.04.11 I spent last week at the British Craft and Trade Fair (BCTF) in Harrogate. This was the first time I have attended BCTF. Jersey Enterprise sponsored 12 Jersey artists/designers to attend the trade fair which each year attracts over 500 of the UK's top designers and craft makers and over 4000 trade buyers. It was a lot of effort and a long way to travel so I was a bit disappointed that it wasn't very busy with buyers however I did take a number of orders from some lovely galleries. By the summer I should be selling my ceramics at a 10 different galleries across the UK.

 

 

15.03.11 I have been working hard getting ready for BCTF. The most difficult things is being able to reproduce similiar pieces of work, especially the drfitwood! I have now finalised my beach hut range. Here is a sneek preview. If you want to see more you will need to visit me on stand 427 at the BCTF.

 

 

 

30.01.11 I have just finished a commission for avery large bait ball. I couldn't find a piece of driftwood large enough so I commissioned Jersey Oak to machine a 3ft square piece of oak retaining the bark edge. I then hand made over 400 ceramic fish to create the bait ball. Each fish was given a different glaze and different scales. This is the largest bait ball I have made to date and I am really pleased with it, I just hope my client is!!.

 

25.01.11 I spent this morning with Chris Stone, a BBC Radio Jersey presenter recording a feature for his afternoon show about local artists in Jersey. Chris first joined me driftwood hunting at Le Braye, St Ouen with my dog Pip. We then went back to my studio to make some ceramic fish and to discuss the making process. Fortunately he was wasn't very good at making fish! You can judge for yourself by viewing the photographs he took of the morning at www.news.bbc.co.uk/local/jersey . The feature was broadcasted in three sections during his afternoon show. You can listen to this broadcast again on Jersey Radio's BBCiPlayer at www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer . The programme is 165 minutes, my feature is broadcast at 10.00 - 15.00 minutes, 1hr 06 - 1hr 13 minutes and the last piece at 2hrs 06 - 2hrs 15 minutes.

05.01.11 I spent the New Year visiting family and friends in Essex. This also gave me an opportunity to visit my old home of West Mersea. I walked along the beach and enjoyed looking at the rows of beach huts painted in different shades of green. There is something quite unique and magical about these seaside icons and I really enjoyed making my own interpretations of them out of pottery.

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