Name: Jen Altman Strandline stoneware 063
Brand: Jen Altman
Price: 100.00 HKD
Availability: InStock

Background Information about Jen Altman

Lives and works in Todmorden

Mixed-media 3-D work

"Much of my art work reflects my life-long fascination with human beings. Throughout my long and diverse careers as a neurobiologist and a body therapist, I have explored the human body, mind and spirit and, as I get older, the cycle of life and death. Studying at Todmorden College of Art (Calderdale College) in my late 60s, I discovered a need and a gift for working three-dimensionally. The body-like forms I have been making in the past ten years hold many levels of experience, an interaction between memory, mood, imagination and what the material offers. The figures, often enigmatic, carry echoes of the prehistoric, the tribal, the shamanic, of votive figures, grave goods and ritual and of the elemental … the smaller ones, like talismans, could be carried In a pocket."

‘My career in biological research made me very aware of death as an essential part of the life cycle; as a therapist, I work with the meaning of death for individuals and families. My art practice draws these strand together. The smaller, body-like forms often arise spontaneously, an interaction between memory, mood, imagination and what the material offers. Other pieces are a long, slow, considered process of accretion, although still open to chance: tactile exploration of my face; mythical figures and masks; hollow forms that explore loss and decay.

Found objects, which I sometimes incorporate, and elements of the environment (rocks, trees, landforms, walls, old boats and ruined buildings) are other starting points. Many of my projects explore a theme through a series of related pieces. I like to make pieces that fit into my hand, often combining them into mini-installations, although I also work on larger scales. I use various media, including modified forms of papier maché, wire, cardboard and textiles, although in the past few years, I have worked mostly with clay – the elements of earth and water transformed by fire. Several types of clay body are used for modelling and carving, and delicate forms are built from thin sheets of paper clay. Various surface treatments bring subtle colour and texture, enhanced by a range of firing methods that include sager firing, raku and smoke firing, and the occasional use of a wood-fired kiln, all bringing further chance into the work. I am currently exploring ways of creating collages or assemblages that combine my ceramic pieces with other materials.

My work is informed by Amerta movement practice, which encourages a spontaneous response to the environment in which one is working. I also take photographs, both as notation/documentation and as an art practice. I occasionally write poetry or prose as a response to events in my life or to places that move me.

Selected Exhibitions

2007-2017 Work included in student shows at Todmorden College and summer exhibitions organised by Northlight Arts, Hebden Bridge 2010 ‘Green Art’ Open Exhibition, Artsmill, Hebden Bridge

2015 ‘Pushing Up Daisies’ open exhibition, Water Street Gallery, Todmorden Todmorden Artists’ Open Studios Winter Open Exhibition, Water Street Gallery, Todmorden Winter Open Arts Fair, Artsmill, Hebden Bridge

2016 Summer Exhibition, Creative with Nature, Todmorden Todmorden Open Studios ‘A Face to the World’ portrait exhibition, Water Street Gallery Winter Open Exhibition, Water Street Gallery, Todmorden Winter Open Arts Fair, Artsmill, Hebden Bridge

2017 ‘Life and Death’, Water Street Gallery, Todmorden Todmorden Open Studios