About

Jane James was born and brought up in Tiptree, Essex. After leaving school in 1988, Jane studied a National Diploma in Art and Design at the Colchester College of Art. She then went on to study a Higher National Diploma in Photography at the Kent College of Art and Design. After completing her studies Jane worked as a Graphic Designer, a Photographer and as a Media Manager. Jane lived in West Mersea, Essex for 9 years before moving with her family to Jersey in 2007.

Jane started working with ceramics as a hobby to make interesting and educational personalised tableware for her family and friends. Moving to Jersey has given her the opportunity to spend more time developing her ceramic art and to turn what was a hobby into a small local business.

Jane further developed her ceramic skills by studying pottery at Highlands College in Jersey. She has combined her love of the sea and her passion for pottery to create a range of unique coastal ceramics. She works with a range of clays such as stoneware, porcelain and earthenware, each piece being completely hand crafted from the raw materials.

Once fired the ceramics are individually hand painted with a range of speciality glazes that produce beautifully bold and bright ceramic pieces with a magical lustre finish that capture the colours of the sea.

Many of the pieces are mounted on local driftwood and fishing rope reclaimed from the beaches around Jersey. These add an extra sculptural quality and interest to create unique pieces of coastal art. A dog walk on the beach is never just that for Jane and her family, they are constantly on the look out for driftwood and other flotsom and jetsom, almost anything found can be used in her pieces.

Each piece of coastal ceramic art is unique, having been designed and handmade by Jane James. All her work is identified using a ceramic button signed with the letter 'J' . Steps have also been taken to copyright Jane's designs and she is a member of CopyWatch.

Jane's coastal ceramics have qualified for Genuine Jersey Association status which guarantees that the skills involved in their production can be regarded as genuinely local to Jersey.