JENNY SOUTHAM
/Jenny Southam lives in Exeter and works from a studio above the Art Gallery Spacex and also from a studio at home. She works in the medium of terracotta specializing in individual hand-built figurative sculptures. She is continually evolving new ideas, most of which reference her fascination with Etruscan tomb sculptures and Staffordshire mantelpiece figures. The sculptures explore mythic and domestic themes and many are inspired by working in the garden and on her allotment.
Small man offering a love token
Bears dancing in the moonlight
Small man offering a bowl of cherries
The works are celebratory, though in a quiet and contemplative way, the oxides and the slips decorating the sculptures used in an intuitive manner to echo the works emotional rhythm. She returns to rework her subjects over and over again, although each piece has its own striking individual character. The exploration of scale is an important part of Jenny's practice; some sculptures are only a few inches high whilst others are imposing figures two feet tall.
Jenny’s new collection, the Small Narrative Works evolved whilst making maquettes in the search for new ideas and directions. Jenny came to realise that these small works were satisfyingly finished items in their own right. They allow for a more adventurous and playful approach and compliment the larger works.
Big Cats
Man wolf
Big Yellow arch
Many of these pieces include an architectural element. Some are classical edifices, others industrial or domestic structures, whilst a few balance precariously on stilts. Some are peopled by sightseers or anonymous walkers, in others the buildings and structures stand alone. Many feature statues, arches, piazzas or small trees which break up the angularity of the compositions.
Within these small vignettes there is an unsettling play of perspective, scale and colour. Looming shadows connect components together in theatrical scenes, the narratives of which are not fully explained.
Jenny’s new work isn’t for sale at the Crafts Study Centre but we hope by the time we re-open we will have a few pieces to share with you.
