Check out Jill Spawn’s Artwork

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jill Spawn.

Jill, we’d love to hear your story and how you got to where you are today both personally and as an artist.
I grew up in Indiana, and was always very interested drawing and making things, but I did not work seriously with clay until college. I was a Fine Arts major with plans to specialize in Graphic Design, but I realized a few years into college that Graphic Design wasn’t the right thing for me. I enjoyed my first ceramics class, but it was my first wheel throwing class that really got me hooked. I loved the process and I loved the finished product.

I graduated from Ball State University in 2001 with my degree in Fine Arts, and shortly after I moved to Phoenix. Just a few months after moving, I found a studio in North Phoenix – the Desert Dragon – where I could continue making work. I dove back in and started throwing again, honing my making and glazing skills.

At the same time, I was hunting for and eventually finding a career path. I started working in the printing industry, and found that it was a good niche for me. And I continued making work on weekends and whenever I could carve out the time.

The Desert Dragon Pottery studio was (and still is) a great studio home base for me. There is a lot of freedom there and opportunities to explore. I learned to test and mix glazes, I learned to load and fire kilns – certainly I learned the basics about these activities in college, but there is no teacher like experience!

I think it was 2007 when I moved in with my now husband in Goodyear. Since then I’ve built up a nice studio of my own at our house. I have a few electric kilns, but I’ve continued glazing and glaze firing much of my work at the Desert Dragon studio, where they have a gas kiln and now a Wood kiln as well.

In the Winter of 2017 a group of us built the Wood Kiln (lovingly named ‘Puff’) at the Desert Dragon studio. It has been such a fantastic learning experience, building and then learning to load and fire that kiln (and I am still learning). Wood firing is difficult and risky, even a little dangerous, but it creates gorgeous surfaces!

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?
I’ve always been drawn to the utilitarian aspect of ceramics, so my work is primarily functional. Like most people I also love to eat, and I find that a handmade pottery can really enhance the experience of having a meal or a snack or a drink.

I want my pieces to convey a sense of easy movement and warmth. I want it to enhance the users lives in a subtle but intimate way. I want observes to feel the urge to pick up my pieces and turn them around in their hands, to really feel their weight and shape. I want them to look inviting, and I want them to work well too!

As far as surface is concerned, until maybe 3 or 4 years ago I had always focused on cone 10 reduction glazes and firing. I love the rich deep surface, and this was what I had primarily done in college so it was kind of my comfort zone. I still do quite a bit of this type of work, but I began doing some cone 6 oxidation firing at my house (this requires no real ‘fire’ and can be done with an electric kiln). I’ve realized that certain looks I was after could be achieved more easily in a cone 6 oxidation firing than in a cone 10 reduction firing. Though I am still nailing down just which cone 6 glazes I like well enough to keep in my home studio. Then In 2017 we built our Wood Kiln ‘Puff’ at the Desert Dragon studio and I began my incredible wood firing adventures.

I do spread myself a bit thin in terms of firing and glazing methods. I really try to think about my color palette, about which clays and glazes I use with each firing technique, and how all the pieces fit together in my body of work.

What do you know now that you wished you had learned earlier?
I alluded to a big one in the last question -be true to yourself as an artist. The real art is the art that expresses you. Now of course if you are trying to make your living as an artist, at times you may have to accept orders or make work that doesn’t quite fall in that category, but every artist has to figure out where they can afford to draw that line. I guess the simple lesson is: learn when to say no. If you want to be able to make the things you imagine, you’ll need to work on your craft. And that means practice – just keep making work. As you develop a body of work, analyze what’s working and what’s not and learn from that.

Stretch yourself, don’t get too comfortable making the same things over and over. Try something new, learn something new. Don’t wait for someone to offer to teach you, or for the perfect workshop to come to town. Devote a little time to this each year. Every artist is vastly different in their approach and attitudes to all of the above. So, if some (or all) of my advice doesn’t resonate with you at all, it’s OK. Do you, whatever that means.

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 have a site on Etsy called Jill Spots, and I am on Instagram and Facebook under the same name. I also have a website www.jillspots.com. Of course, purchases are wonderful, but it’s also lovely getting feedback and attention on social media!

I do take on some custom orders throughout the year, but I’ve learned to be a little cautious about what kind of projects I will except, and how much time I need to complete them. Part of my journey as an artist has been in identifying what kinds of shapes and techniques I want to explore. Over the years I’ve been fortunate enough to find customers that like my approach to form and surface, and who will come to me with requests that I am excited to take on.

Contact Info:

• Address: Goodyear Arizona
• Website: http://www.jillspots.com
• Email: jillspots@cox.net
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jillspots
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JillSPots

Image Credit:
Mishy Katz for the wood firing images. Phil Kerkhoff for the picture of me in my studio. The rest were taken by me.

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