Through my vision and passion for art I express ideals that are significant to me: community, spirituality and personal transformation. In the act of creation, my experience of the world is given voice.

I have been personally touched and have grown through the privilege of living in and learning from diverse cultures all over this globe. From their lives, their values and their artist expression, I have been enriched and transformed. Their traditions inform my art and enhance my expression of my own experiences, struggles, and understanding. Interestingly, I am much attracted to Raku firing, which has been greatly influenced by the art of the Amazon River basin, Ethiopians, Fijians and Thai people, all land based cultures that I have lived in or visited. These people all use open pit firing with such skill, creating such beauty and challenging me in my own firing choices.

Art as a vehicle for personal transformation may be seen in my portfolio on the piece labeled Katrina. The metamorphosis of trauma, loss, and new beginnings is evident in my work of the period following the disaster. This wall hanging is composed of found objects from the rubble of my home. In this piece I was able to memorialize my home and life there.

I have also been privileged to create community through my art in a different way. My bridal and silk boutique in Jerusalem, Israel offered economically challenged people a way to have beautiful weddings through the lending of our products; including both wedding and hand crafted silk gowns for their ceremonies. While in New Orleans, the youth detention center allowed the incarcerated youths, many from deprived backgrounds, begin their journeys to self-esteem by coming to my studio to explore their own artistic expression through clay.

Most of my work is handbuilt clay sculptural and/or functional pieces. Each is individually crafted; a one-of-a-kind piece, and predominately raku glazed.

I am thankful for the reception and affirmation I and my art have received since being in Memphis. I am thankful that I can continue to rebuild, grow and express myself though my art.

BIO: After Jean's studies at Brooks Fine Arts Institute in the late 1960's, she left the States to travel and live in various countries and cultures for the next thirty years. She brings into her work the influences of the tribes in the Amazon, Ethiopians, Fijians, Thai and Middle East. Jean had a silk studio and boutique near the Old City in Israel for four years.

Since returning to the US in 1999 she has studied under Mark Derby and Evelyn Jordon, both well known ceramic artists in New Orleans, where she also had her studio. In addition to selling and teaching, she especially enjoyed bringing incarcerated youth to her studio to explore the possibilities of clay art. Jean has relocated in Memphis since the loss of her home and studio as a result of Katrina and is a member of the Memphis Potter's Guild.