Josie Jurczenia Online Feature

Past, Present, and Future —

The the work done during this past year and included in this show reflects some of my feelings and practices during these crazy times. In the large wall piece, “Intersection”, 5 individual vases share a 1” stripe motif, connecting/not connecting, creating a “pod” in this time of isolation. In “Shadow Stripe” and “Momento" silhouetted or painted floral backgrounds fill vases suggesting memories of times past. The softened vase outline on the wall paper background of “Ghost Remnant” makes the vase become almost invisible, wall and piece become one, something that feels familiar when one reaches a certain age. In “Unraveling” the long fringes cradling the tippy ceramic vase form relate to a sense of unbalance during this past year. Reading has always been a go to entertainment for me but this year it provided much needed opportunities for escape. After being inspired by the novel Circe by Madeline Miller I created Greek Goddess Head Vases on Pedestals. Figuring when you can’t drink with your friends you might as well drink with a goddess I created the Goddess Head Yunomis.. With the faintest bit of hope on the horizon, there is Rebirth. The stark whiteness of the flowers on a woven clay grid begin exploding with color and lushness and make believing in the vibrance of the future possible.

 —Josie Jurczenia