About

“I create hand-sized female torsos in a sketch-like way using only my hands to add, remove, hold, push, pull and turn the clay. This making process reflects the recurrent themes of human connection and fragmented memories and feelings.

In my sculpture, I try to capture small, quiet moments of movement, beauty and emotion. My work is influenced by Bronze and Ice Age sculptures of the female form, the permanence of bronze casting capturing a moment of intimacy. I aim for my torsos to have strength, honesty and fragility.

My work embraces two core themes. On the one hand, my work is about the display of vulnerabilities and fragilities, how these can sometimes make us want to hide away and feel small, as well as the fragmented memories associated with such experiences. This fragility and fragmentation is embodied in the texture and surface of the pieces with its tears and ‘imperfections’ – reflecting how the clay has been pushed, pulled and manipulated – as well as the poses of the torsos, which are themselves fragments of the whole.

On the other hand, each sculpture expresses an inner resilience through the use of bronze and patinas that provide a quiet strength and permanence  to each piece. The juxtaposition of these two elements creates a tension that gives an energy, capturing a moment in time that hopefully reflects and resonates with the viewer’s own experiences of being fragile and strong, vulnerable and resilient, being visible and not seen.

Another important aspect of my work is their hand size scale, which is used intentionally to draw the viewer in to have a closer look, creating an intimacy between the viewer and the sculpture. This scale works well with my quick, intuitive way of working; not overthinking or over planning each torso, enabling them to evolve and develop. From certain angles it is harder to tell that the sculpture is figurative because of the intentional abstraction.

 

Bio

Janice was born and raised in Glasgow and earned a BA (Hons) in Fine Art from The Glasgow School of Art. With a background in Art Therapy, she has worked with adults with mental health issues and Alzheimer’s disease, using art as a tool for emotional expression and healing.

Working with air-dry clay in a quick, intuitive manner gives the sculptor’s hand-sized female torsos an immediacy, movement, and texture; fingerprints, pulls, scratches, and tears are left in the clay. Instinctively making from imagination until the torsos ‘look right’, the torsos draw the viewer in to have a closer look at a very human moment in time.

In 2024, Janice was awarded a DYCP (Developing Your Creative Process) Arts Council award, enabling her to create a series of bronze figures that explore ongoing themes of being held and holding. This award has allowed her to continue developing her practice and explore new directions within her sculptural work.

Janice’s sculptures are traditional in look and technique but are given a contemporary feel through the use of different patina colours and effects: reds, whites, and ‘dripping’ effects.

Based in Manchester, Janice is currently involved with several ongoing networking initiatives, including Mothers Who Make, The Lowry Artist Development Programme, and the Whitworth Gallery.