Jessica Steel
Jessica Steel is a ceramic artist exploring the history and future potential of ceramics. She graduated with distinction from the Royal College of Art in 2017 and has received the Charlotte Fraiser Prize for glaze chemistry. Nowadays, Jessica develops exciting new clay and glaze recipes from her studio.
If you are interested in Jessica’s work, please visit her store or Instagram.
About:
Jessica was born in Hull. She grew up on the edges of a council estate. Her childhood home had views of wheat, pea and strawberry fields to the north, which were occasionally dotted with horses. Jessica says that while it was indeed a rough place to grow up in, it was also a dreamy place surrounded by fields.
Eris, 2020, porcelain and crystal glaze, 6 x 4 cm.
Jessica always knew she wanted to study art. For a long time, she was excited by the possibilities of every medium equally. In college she studied every art course except for fashion. She studied everything from fine art to design and textiles to photography. She then began a multidisciplinary BA in Nottingham. During her final year there, she began to experiment with clay. Suddenly, everything felt natural.
Jessica tells MadeInBed, ‘clay offered me exactly what I thought I had to mature away from, variety and a never-ending string of unknowns.’ She had found a medium in which she did not have to compromise, a medium that allowed her to explore all her artistic interests. She says; working with clay allowed her to find an expressive voice. Everything she did before clay, today pales in comparison.
Nowadays, Jessica uses clay, glass and plaster in her work-practice. She likes each medium for distinct reasons. Although, her particular fondness for clay remains, due to its versatility; being a challenging medium – an artist can make anything they can imagine, but they must respect the clay’s rules.
With clay, the artist does not have to compromise or pair back her aesthetic sensibilities. According to Jessica, clay can channel ideas, collate, and make sense of her imagination. It is also an unending source of inspiration and experimentation. Jessica says that because the world of clay is so vast, she can experiment and experiment her entire life and still not try every technique or recipe.
Jessica finds working with plaster to be therapeutic and soothing. Carving on the lathe and producing a smooth, refined form from a chunk of cast plaster is satisfying. Occasionally, she will carve plaster just to relax.
Lastly, Jessica enjoys working with porcelain because of its reputation of a pure and delicate material. A material long sought after for its ‘purity’ and translucence, porcelain is best known for its shades of white, pale cream and ice blue. However Jessica, and other artists like her, are pushing against this reputation and reframing the narrative. She gives porcelain the opportunity to be ‘dirty’ and experimental.
Paros Mons Drum, 2021, fizzy parian porcelain, 12 x 15 cm.
Finding inspiration in the history and future of ceramics as a medium, she is interested in how ceramics has always helped humankind; from its first uses to aid civilisation, to the significant role it plays in the modern space industry.
Jessica credits her move to London and time at the RCA as the biggest influence on her artistic practice. The highs and the lows of this experience forever changed her. London was harsh, massive and expensive. The academics were difficult at first. Yet, London offered amazing opportunities and confidence. An aspect that made her grow stronger. By graduation, she was flourishing in her courses. A time of her life which taught the artist to take herself seriously, and to focus.
Recently, Jessica opened her studio where she makes her own recipes for clay and glaze. She is making a micro crystal glaze which frosts when applied thickly, and a self-glazing porcelain which can fizz or change shape upon firing. She is continuing to experiment with new recipes, and each collection she produces is a celebration, showcasing new recipes.
Jessica was recently featured in a group exhibition curated by designer Fay Toogood as well as the Trade Show exhibition at London Design Festival. At Trade Show, the artist takes great pride in being featured amongst notable designers like Max Lamb and Martino Gamper.
Selected Exhibitions:
2018 - Talente’ 2018 Trade fair, Munich, Germany
2017 - Trade Show | Group exhibition curated by Faye Toogood London Design Week, South Kensington
2017 - The Royal College of Art | Graduate Show 2017 Battersea, London
2017 - Private Show with ceramics collector Sarah Griffin London Craft Week
2017 - Christie’s | The Emerging & the Established South Kensington, London