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. ”

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.