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Artist Of The Month - June 2009
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Jan Dobrowolski
Location:
Washington, D.C.
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What do you love about Art Clay?
The ability to make one–of–a–kind pieces is very attractive to me. Using traditional methods, many of the pieces I make would have to be cast and making only one wouldn’t be cost effective. Additionally, even after making hundreds of pieces, I’m still captivated by the process of designing in clay and watching the transformation to an intricate piece in fine silver. |
What are your favorite Art Clay projects/creations?
My favorie Art Clay pieces are those that have been inspired by a certain event that will then evoke a cherished memory each time I look at it. Currently, I’m very excited to discover new techniques enabling me to incorporate beach stones and found objects into my work. |
What other media do you work and/or teach in?
I’ve always craved some sort of creative outlet. I’ve worked in many different media, including pastel and watercolor, but my artistic perceptions were never as easily and accurately conveyed as through Art Clay. |
Biography:
My Wonder Bread years were spent in small town Oklahoma where I freely explored and grew to appreciate the natural environmentl. I drew from this organic inspiration to supplement my formal coursework in interior design. While raising my family and being blessed with an opportunity for world travel, I was inspired to expand into various forms of art media and design. After spending a year delighting in the sights, sounds and aromas of Morocco, I returned to the United States, flush with new ideas. I turned these ideas into a new business partnership focused on antiques, objet d’art and exotic teas. From the business world to full–time artist: close friends provided the inspiration for jewelry design using elegant beads to compose a memory necklace of our lives together. The memory necklace inspired me to create individual pieces for each of them in return. I soon realized I had found a new passion! |
Philosophy:
Expressing abstractly, in metal, the patterns revealed in the inner profile of a rock, the textures of lichen–covered bark the repeating curves of a wave, even the pebbles in a shallow stream, is a creative and technical challege. The tactile experience of hand–forming each piece to satisfy these challenges is one of my greatest pleasures. My focus on jewelry has allowed me to explore the many aspects of design I have studied and observed over the years. Making jewelry is my passion and I become completely absorbed in the creation of each part of the piece; from designing the metal focus of the piece to choosing just the right gems to compliment each element with color, texture and style. I’m delighted to be on this journey of continual new discovery and forever grateful for the opportunity. |
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