Jasmina Ajzenkol

Jasmina lives and works in Solihull, United Kingdom. She has a BSc(Hons) degree in Geotechnical Engineering but she fell in love with ceramics once she had experienced the tactility of clay and its immediate response to her hands and later obtained a City and Guilds certificate in Design and Craft in the context of ceramics.   She produces work in a bold, semi abstract style inspired by nature and life forms.

Jasmina’s Statement

I am interested in simple forms and in exploring ideas about line, shape, forms, balance, depth, texture.  I produce work in a bold, semi abstract style. I find my inspiration for both forms and surface in nature. The shapes and forms of seedpods, shells and other underwater creatures have influenced my vessel forms. The rhythm of the landscape such as the patterns created by wind blowing across the sand or the rhythmic gradation of the beach from sand to gravel arranged in carefully sorted bands by the tide are the inspiration for texture, colour and surface quality of my work.

All pieces are hand built using stoneware body.  I like contrast between rough and smooth, glazed and textured clay surfaces.  I combine the contrasting techniques of layering, distressing the surface of pots by scratching and carving into clay and burnishing to create a three dimensional texture using a series of different levels and depths encouraging the eye to move in, rather than bounce away.  These are enhanced by the subsequent use of oxides and glazes.

What I love about ceramics is that it starts as a soft lump and can become pretty much anything you want it to be. It is possible to make vessels  and sculptural pieces so diverse in form and finish that it is sometimes hard to remember that they were all made from the same material. After the firing they are hard and durable and can survive centuries but at the same time they are fragile and can be broken into pieces in a moment.  The glazing process brings a final surprise to each of the pieces making  each one unique with their own story.

Exhibitions:

November – December 2013, Open all media exhibition, RBSA Gallery, Birmingham, UK. Highly Commended  award

March – April  2013, Open all media exhibition,  RBSA Gallery, Birmingham, UK

August 2007- Group exhibition, Gallery St. Benedict, Rovinj, Croatia