Today we’d like to introduce you to Jan Harrell.
Jan, we’d love to hear your story and how you got to where you are today both personally and as an artist.
I was raised in Japan as an infant until around 8 years old. My mother learned Sumi painting, worked with bonsai arrangements and immersed her West Texas self in all things asian. My father was a textile engineer, but in his spare time , a constant tinkerer-I watched him disassemble and reassemble clocks and tools and machinery. I am fascinated by what can be accomplished with a persons hands and some imagination. After returning to the United States, my high school art teacher introduced me to metalworking and enameling. I was hooked!
At Texas Tech University, I majored in jewelry and minored in enameling. It is not a coincidence that I currently work with a decidely Asian color palette in a medium that has a very strong history in the oriental culture. After graduation, I was employed in the diamond business for over 10 years but my real desire was to get back to shaping metal and putting color on it. After taking time off to raise my daughter and son, I began teaching enameling at The Glassell School of Art, the teaching school of the Museum of Fine Arts Houston. I have held that position for 25 years with some students taking my class for many of those 25 years. In 2007, I received my masters in sculpture from the University of Houston and the size of my work shifted to a much larger scale.
We’d love to hear more about your art. What do you do you do and why and what do you hope others will take away from your work?
Enameling is the process of applying ground enamel-it looks like colored sugar-onto a metal surface and firing that piece in a kiln at 1400 degrees for 2 to 3 minutes. That application of glass and firing is repeated over and over until the final design and color is achieved. Some pieces can take as many as 25 firings.
I started my art journey making jewelry pieces -casting and fabricating silver and copper. When I was in college, I did not have the money to buy stones to decorate and incorporate into my work but I was also taking an enameling class. I could make any color I wanted and then could include that in my work. This began the process that, to this day, is the melding of the beautiful colors of enamel with the shaping and soldering of the metal substrate.
My work over the past 10 years has focused on one-of-a -kind sculpture and object work. I own a 500 pound anvil and with the use of a few special hammers and lots of muscle, I create new forms that are products of my imagination. Besides soldering and raising my metals forms, I incorporate some well curated found objects. I push the scale of the enameled object beyond small wearables. I want to involve the viewer in this piece and a small jewelry scale object just does not achieve that intimacy or connection.
The most recent bodies of work (starting around 2009) are conceptual pieces based on a Muse-a larger than life woman who has many needs.
The first series – Banquet for the Muse –contained the plates, goblet, candelabara, and eating utensils. The many enameled plates were 17 inches across and referenced a cross section of a ripe piece of fruit.
The next grouping –Vanitas-The Muse in Her Boudoir-was an extensive collection of supersized hair combs, hairbrush, powderpuffs-almost anything necessary to outfit this demanding mistress’s chamber.
The third collection-Offerings-Gifts for the Muse-was 12 gifts that were to entice this woman. Included was a bouquet of enameled roses with trompe l’oeil enameled tissue wrapping, a cupcake with all the decorative sprinkles contained under a metal cake keeper, a Valentine box with six candies to name but a few.
The lush colors and tactile qualities really lure in the viewer. But also there is a deeper gender based issue- usually approached with humor but poignant, nonetheless.
How can artists connect with other artists?
I am in several national organizations- SNAG, The Enamelist Society but find that my teaching and studio practice feeds my need to interact with others.
Do you have any events or exhibitions coming up? Where would one go to see more of your work? How can people support you and your artwork?
I am lucky to be at a place in my life that I can choose to focus on one-of a kind work that is very meaningful I feel I have contributed to the advancement of my particular medium, enameling, in my exploration of its possibilities. I love the longevity of my field–I am creating and crafting objects that will outlive me. Teaching has been a profound experience for me-I try to push my students to accomplish their goals with my guidance.
I have my small jewelry work at Wismar Jewerly in Fairhope Alabama. I had my larger sculptural pieces in a gallery for over 10 years in Houston that closed in 2014 . I am in several collections- The Kamm Teapot collection, The Enamel Arts Foundation, the Houston Airport Systems Collection at IAH. I also show my work in local, national and international exhibits .
I also accept commissioned work through my website or email.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.janharrell.com
- Phone: 7138574224
- Email: jannyh@swbell.net
- Instagram: jan.harrell.33
- Other: jannyh@swbell.net
Image Credit:
Jack Zilker
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