ArchiveDesign
Ceramic Work by Ann Jansson
Archive image note: these three photographs are representative images from Ann Jansson’s own website. The original selection and its positions have not been recovered. Photographs © Gerry Johansson; artwork by Ann Jansson.
It’s not easy for me to get blown away by design work anymore, I’m extremely picky with what I like and an object has to have a real story behind it for me to be enticed.
I’m sort of bucking that trend today as I don’t have much information on this talented artist but I know her name and I’m equipped with some fantastic imagery, so I’m going to to try my best to convey what I think about these pieces. Hopefully afterwards you can make your way towards her website to see more, you’re sure to get inspired.
As you can imagine, visually I was drawn to these forms and shapes since they followed my taste for minimal and simplistic design. As far as I know Ann Jansson resides in her studio in Höganäs, Sweden and has showcased her works in a variety of galleries throughout Europe. I think her items are a border between everyday objects and sculpture, for example most of these vessels are actually functional but some are a lot bigger than your normal so could be placed on a sideboard or windowsill as more of a decorative piece. I’m also a fan of the unglazed look as I think it brings out the real characteristics of the clay, all the details and intricacies. This can be seen as you look closer at the objects, often there are subtle colour changes and gradients, in the photograph of three cylinders the textures are more apparent on the side of the pots. It’s almost like she’s carved these in to the exterior layer and it creates a fantastic creative pattern that’s definitely one of a kind. You can view the surface pattern on the left cylinder in the photograph of three vessels; the last photograph shows smooth rims and faceted surfaces. In all honesty the work reminds me of plastering and how it’s been smoothed on round the sides with real precision and skill.
I’ve tried my best to collect an interesting selection of imagery but there are plenty more to be found on the Ann Jansson website, it’s just a matter of searching through. I also came across a book that she created back in 2006 with Gerry Johansson titled “Cylinders’, it seems like a real winner, I’m going to go hunting for it now across the web. Hopefully there’s one left for me to purchase somewhere!
