After discovering Jane Ponsford’s work in the Collect online exhibition I was really intrigued by Ponsfords work. These are quite organic and her work seems to resonate heavily with my interests, process and materials. I wanted to find out more about her field and what drives her work, as well as her audience.
The work above explores the imperfections and vulnerabilities of nature, this is often the case for much of Ponsford’s work, the inspiration taken from sight and naturals collected materials and translated into process driven outcomes.
In Ponsford’s artist statement she describes herself as a paper maker who uses repetitive processes to form sculptures and bookworks, the paper allows for both a focus on both surface and form. often responding to place to explore the fragility of paper when exposed to weather. She is interested in working with sight specific materials, unique to the surroundings she finds herself working in.
These are the key words she uses to describe her work: respond, trace, collect, accumulate, mark, these I found to be evident in some of her works below.
As well as working independently she belongs to IAPMA, the International Association of Hand Papermakers and Paper Artists. I have previously come across this association but I think it is work me revisiting to explore other artists and find inspiration that could inform my work.
she also received a grant from Crafts Council England for a 12 month project where she explored and developed making work in response to a landscape, which she says has informed her work ever since.
Alongside this she also runs paper making workshops at West Dean College, this is something I would be extremely interested to attend to gain first hand experience of working within a designated paper making workshop, but to also widen my papermaking skills to a more professional standard using traditional machinery and expanding my knowledge of material.
Lara Hoad Artist Designer: Maker 