Made With a Bailey Interview Featuring Janelle Gramling
Website: www.janellegramling.com
Instagram: @janelle_gramling
Tell us about yourself, how did you begin working in clay?
I am a sculptor who works in several mediums. After focusing on fiber for many years, I was first introduced to ceramics in 2012 when a family member dusted off her old kiln to pick up her pottery practice again. I joined her in building out her garage studio and dabbled with hand-building jewelry and air plant pots. It didn’t take long to get completely hooked. I’ve never had any formal education in ceramics, I’m self-taught and community-taught.
What inspires your work?
The inspiration behind my work is usually materiality and formal play. I simply want to find out what happens when I mix one material with another, rough with smooth, hard with soft, organic with geometric. I am usually mixing ceramics with fiber. Most of my work collaborates with gravity, as wall-hung or ceiling- hung sculptures. The form doesn’t emerge until it is suspended by one hanging point.
What are some of your favorite things about clay as a medium?
My biggest passion is exploring material, and clay is such a versatile and challenging one. It carries real strong aesthetic contexts and cultural narratives.
Can you tell us about your Bailey equipment and how it helps you create your work?
My Bailey slab roller is at the center of my sculpture practice. Most of my work starts with a slab. It’s vital that my clay, no matter how thick, thin, or large, always gets rolled and compressed evenly to avoid warpage in my final sculpture components. My Bailey does the job every time.
What are you most excited to work on or try next in the studio?
My newest experiments in the studio are ceramic shelves. They are strange little sculptural nooks for displaying special personal items on the wall. I’ve started small so far, but eventually hope to get real big and weird with them!
Do you use Bailey equipment to create your work? When posting your work on social media, remember to tag your post with #madewithabailey so we can continue to grow our Bailey clay community!
About the Author
