Jo Rowley ceramic sculptor

Jo Rowley ceramic sculptor

I was born in Seattle, Washington and moved to Hawaii in 1973. I received my BFA in Ceramics from the University of Hawaii at Manoa in 1999, and currently live with my husband and 2 cats and maintain my studio in East Honolulu. As a ceramic artist, I have participated in group and juried exhibitions in Hawaii and throughout the United States. My work is represented by galleries in Hawaii and is in various private and public collections.
Art reaches out and touches us in many ways – it makes us laugh, it makes us cry, it makes us think and question. We wonder at it, feel it, enjoy it and embrace it. We use it to remind us of our humanity, our connection to each other, our humor, our resiliency and of the fragility and magic of life.

I’m drawn to clay because of its tactile qualities – I love the way it feels and moves. I love the way you can take a handful of earth, and create something wonderful, special, interesting, thought provoking, amusing… I am inspired by all the strange and wonderful things that enter into my awareness.

One of the things that I try to instill in my work is a sense of where I come from, including my personal, my emotional, my spiritual, and my physical landscape. I like “unearthing things” buried deep below the surface of our consciousness, and I frequently use glazes and surface treatments that speak of Hawaii – earthy colors, fish skin and lava-like glazes. Lately, I have begun making marks, patterns and drawings on my surfaces. I find this process connects me to something archaic and meditative.