JOHN JENSEN
QUICK FACTSYears As An Artist
I have only been working in clay about 35 years–so far. LOL. Main Clay Body Coleman Porcelain and Black Mountain Stoneware for wheel throwing; a Smooth Raku for hand building Primary Clay Building Methods Wheel throwing and hand building Favorite Studio Tool My favorite tools are Kemper, especially the "W" series used for very fine detail work. I also like a "throwing stick." Clay Wishes or Dreams To remain healthy and to continue to work in clay all the while continuing to appreciate the gift of life. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
ARTIST STATEMENT
Photography, painting, and ceramics were my earliest interest in art. I began graduate school at the University of Arizona in painting. A visiting artist from Philadelphia, Mark Burns, posted a cryptic sign in the hall of the Fine Arts Building, “Paint on clay.” I enrolled in this class and knew that this would lead to my life’s work. I also believed that doing traditional things well was important: wheel throwing, handbuilding, decorating and glazing. It was also important to push boundaries using alternative coloring techniques, incorporating mixed media such as metal, glass, plastic, bones, electricity, etc. into my work. I began combining traditional pottery with sculptural techniques that incorporated mixed media; I used alternative coloring techniques and often incorporated the human figure into this work.
The early experiments with colored pencils, mixed media and sculptural techniques were often not well received at the university level. I persisted – doing a series of color pencil drawings on bisque fired porcelain and creating another series utilizing mixed media titled “Alternative Modes of Pottery Decoration." This work began to increase in scale and complexity. My interests increasingly shifted towards human anatomy and physiology, and this element was incorporated and became a primary theme in much of my work. I was examining and dissecting the viscera, tissue and bones, and integrating this information and interest into my work. These pieces were evidence of my interest and appreciation of the human body and of life itself.
I taught figure sculpture using a live model at Armstrong Atlantic State University in Savannah, GA, and demonstrated sculpting techniques used for creating clay portrait busts. This “teaching portraits” evolved into the series I titled, “The Americans.” A galvanized pipe joins a ceramic head with ceramics feet/shoes making it a portrait of an individual using a head and feet only. I have worked on this series for a number of years, completing about 15 sculptures, and it reflects my interest in, my fascination for and my love of people.
I continue to work on original “fine art pottery;” particularly wheel thrown porcelain, raku and stoneware –with emphasis on meticulous carving, piercing and sculpting and on forms that are highly original. I am working on a series of face jugs; some incorporating found objects, others are detailed representations of famous people titled, “Pope John Paul II: On a Fast Track to Sainthood,” or “George W. Bush with Pickle.”
My work reflects my interest in creativity, craftsmanship, mixed media, anatomy and physiology, absurdity and humor and especially my appreciation for the miracle of living – of life itself. It is a reflection of my interests, my spirit, and my time on the planet.
The early experiments with colored pencils, mixed media and sculptural techniques were often not well received at the university level. I persisted – doing a series of color pencil drawings on bisque fired porcelain and creating another series utilizing mixed media titled “Alternative Modes of Pottery Decoration." This work began to increase in scale and complexity. My interests increasingly shifted towards human anatomy and physiology, and this element was incorporated and became a primary theme in much of my work. I was examining and dissecting the viscera, tissue and bones, and integrating this information and interest into my work. These pieces were evidence of my interest and appreciation of the human body and of life itself.
I taught figure sculpture using a live model at Armstrong Atlantic State University in Savannah, GA, and demonstrated sculpting techniques used for creating clay portrait busts. This “teaching portraits” evolved into the series I titled, “The Americans.” A galvanized pipe joins a ceramic head with ceramics feet/shoes making it a portrait of an individual using a head and feet only. I have worked on this series for a number of years, completing about 15 sculptures, and it reflects my interest in, my fascination for and my love of people.
I continue to work on original “fine art pottery;” particularly wheel thrown porcelain, raku and stoneware –with emphasis on meticulous carving, piercing and sculpting and on forms that are highly original. I am working on a series of face jugs; some incorporating found objects, others are detailed representations of famous people titled, “Pope John Paul II: On a Fast Track to Sainthood,” or “George W. Bush with Pickle.”
My work reflects my interest in creativity, craftsmanship, mixed media, anatomy and physiology, absurdity and humor and especially my appreciation for the miracle of living – of life itself. It is a reflection of my interests, my spirit, and my time on the planet.
ARTIST BIO
John G. Jensen is a Professor of Ceramics and Sculpture at Armstrong State University in Savannah, GA. John creates figurative, ceramic sculpture and wheel thrown art pottery.
John was born in Tomahawk, WI one of seven children. He graduated from the university of Wisconsin – Stevens Point with the Chancellor’s Award for Excellence. He earned a Masters of Fine Arts from the University of Arizona in Tucson, AZ, and was awarded the Gregson Award for Outstanding Artistic Achievement and the Outstanding Graduate Teaching Assistant of the Year Award. At Armstrong he has been awarded the Dean H. Propst Award given annually to an outstanding faculty member and the Kristina Brockmier Award presented annually for outstanding contributions to the university. He has also been awarded the Armstrong Scholar’s Award, selected by the National Council for the Education of the Ceramics Arts in their Emerging Artist Program and has been featured in numerous newspaper and magazine articles. He has been selected to travel abroad as a visiting artist to universities in Colombia, South America; Batumi, the Republic Of Georgia and recently returned from two weeks in Seoul, South Korea where he was a visiting artist at two universities. John is the author of Ceramic Sculpture: The World of Jensen, and is married to Linda Jensen, art professor, artist and mother. They have two children and live on the Isle of Hope in Savannah, GA.
John was born in Tomahawk, WI one of seven children. He graduated from the university of Wisconsin – Stevens Point with the Chancellor’s Award for Excellence. He earned a Masters of Fine Arts from the University of Arizona in Tucson, AZ, and was awarded the Gregson Award for Outstanding Artistic Achievement and the Outstanding Graduate Teaching Assistant of the Year Award. At Armstrong he has been awarded the Dean H. Propst Award given annually to an outstanding faculty member and the Kristina Brockmier Award presented annually for outstanding contributions to the university. He has also been awarded the Armstrong Scholar’s Award, selected by the National Council for the Education of the Ceramics Arts in their Emerging Artist Program and has been featured in numerous newspaper and magazine articles. He has been selected to travel abroad as a visiting artist to universities in Colombia, South America; Batumi, the Republic Of Georgia and recently returned from two weeks in Seoul, South Korea where he was a visiting artist at two universities. John is the author of Ceramic Sculpture: The World of Jensen, and is married to Linda Jensen, art professor, artist and mother. They have two children and live on the Isle of Hope in Savannah, GA.
CONTACT INFO
John works from his Isle of Hope Studio in Savannah, GA. Feel free to contact John directly with inquiries about his work through email [email protected] or phone 912-704-8660.