Jan Nontell
Centralia, WA
Artist Statement
When it comes to my art, I really am just a kid at heart.
I love playing with clay and in the mud that is so much a part of the process of turning dirt into something beautiful or beautifully functional.
I love sparkly things like an enameled piece of metal as it comes, white hot, out of the kiln or off the torch and cools into shiny glass that has been fused to its copper or silver base.
I love playing with fire. Both clay and enamel involve high temperatures in the kiln and open flame. Even more that sitting mesmerized by a campfire or fireplace, I love the roar of the large propane-fed fire of raku or the quiet hiss of flame from my enamel torch.
I love working with a cranky, persnickety medium when it comes to making art. Clay gives up and falls over when you push it to hard or to far. It has a memory and wants to return to its original shape. Too much water, it melts, too little water it cracks and even a bit of moisture that has been overlooked in the drying process can cause an explosion in the kiln that can take out an entire shelf full of perfectly innocent artwork. When glaze or enamel is too thick you have a mess, too thin you have a mess, fired to cool or too hot, a mess.
I love the magic of art. The way the flame changes a pink raw glaze into cobalt blue or a layer of brownish dust into bright red enamel. Intellectually, I know it is all chemistry and science, but in my heart, I know that art is magic.
