Sonoma County Artist and Ceramicist Jane McDonald's exquisite work is fired in the raku process, in which the shock of sudden cooling and reduction cracks the surface and allows smoke to penetrate glazes and clay, evoking a "rawness and unrefined quality on the surface of the fired clay."
What Jane loves about the raku process is: "the element of surprise with the finished glazed surface. A bit of mystery that leaves room for the imagination to see subtle nuances along the mottled and smoked surfaces."
This February, I stopped in at the artist's downtown Petaluma Studio Clay Gallery, a space she shares with another talented local artist Sharon Auley, at 314 B St., next door to B Street Mercantile, opposite Rex Hardware.
I'd been on the hunt for a birthday gift for a discerning friend. Jane's range of stunning pottery fit the bill and my selection of a beautiful turquoise colored vase (not pictured) sealed the deal with a swift and satisfying purchase!
If you're a last minute shopper, on the hunt for a Valentine's token of the meaningful, quality kind, you might still make it down to Studio Clay Gallery in time to pick out one of Jane's lovely little heart-shaped bowls.
As one of the most respected instructors in small class Wheel & Handbuilding Raku and Low-Fire in the region, Jane's renowned ceramic classes fill up fast.
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