Jane is a local potter and works from her studio on the family farm in Dyffryn Ardudwy. She works on the wheel to produce both functional and sculptural home wares. Her work is inspired by the local shoreline and landscape, as well as being influenced by vintage patterns. 

 

Jane has been making pots since graduating from university more than twenty years ago. During this time Jane has worked in several potteries including Winchcombe Pottery, Whichford Pottery and Hook Norton Pottery. For the past ten years Jane has focused on her own designs alongside teaching ceramics. Some of her inspiration has come from artists such as Ray Finch, Eddie Hopkins, Jack Doherty, Alistair Young, Toff Milway, Jim Keeling and Victor Hugo to name but a few!

 

In preparing for this exhibition Jane has followed in the footsteps of pilgrims. She has researched Saint Cadfan himself and looked at pilgrims’ tokens and ampullae (pilgrims flasks) that were so popular in the Middle Ages. 

 

Thought to either be born in Brittany or South Wales Sain Cadfan founded the first monastery on Ynys Enlli in 516 and throughout the Middle Ages pilgrims visited the holy island “believing that physical closeness to the host of saints who had dwelt there would somehow contribute to their salvation” (OrthoChristian.com) 

 

It was traditional for pilgrims to purchase ‘tokens’ or ‘ampullae’ (which contained oil or holy water) as proof that a holy site had been visited. It is these artefacts that Jane will be reimagining for this exhibition. She has found no evidence of Pilgrim badges or pilgrim flasks specifically associated with Sain Cadfan himself, so she has used her research to design both.

 

She is going to be using fish motifs (fisherman regarded Cadfan as their ‘holy protector’ up until recent times) and apples (referencing the Bardsey 1,000-year-old apple tree) to decorate her work.