You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles
YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.
ON THIS MONTH: ART<br />
Focus on: Madrugada jug<br />
by Paul Jackson, 40x40cm, £1500<br />
Madrugada means ‘early morning’ in Spanish,<br />
doesn’t it? Yes, it’s the early morning light you get<br />
as dawn breaks. I adopted the name for a fresh new<br />
body of work I started three years ago. I think the<br />
word has a lovely sound to it. People ask about it<br />
and it helps lead me into talking about my work.<br />
Is there a Spanish look to it? Can I see Picasso<br />
in there? Of course I’m aware of the free energetic,<br />
lively nature of Picasso’s work, though funnily<br />
enough he didn’t use such vibrant colours in his<br />
ceramics. And I’m happy for people to make whatever<br />
connections they like about my work. But the<br />
abstract designs are influenced more by what I see<br />
around me in Cornwall [where he lives]: the sea,<br />
the boat hulls, the sails. Even the form – it’s a rocking<br />
jug – suggests the movement of a boat.<br />
You don’t see many rocking jugs. How did it<br />
come about? Everything starts on the wheel as a<br />
thrown pot. This was just a shape that emerged,<br />
almost by happenstance. It’s become somewhat<br />
iconic: the rocking jug has begun to take on a life<br />
of its own, and people associate the form with me.<br />
Has it got a practical purpose? It’s still hard for<br />
me to dispense with the sense of containership<br />
that pottery necessarily embraces. But after that, it<br />
becomes a piece of whimsy. To be honest, the practical<br />
use of my work isn’t my paramount concern.<br />
I’m more concerned in creating something that is<br />
fun, vibrant and exciting, with a happy, energetic<br />
feel to it. Quite a lot of sculpting goes into it.<br />
Are there any artists that have directly influenced<br />
this work? I’m sure a lot of people’s work<br />
has crept in. When I first saw Sonia Delaunay’s<br />
work, or Russian revolutionary posters of 1917, the<br />
skill and energy sparked a need to try myself and<br />
I strove to assimilate the techniques into my repertoire.<br />
The St Ives School has been an influence;<br />
the simplicity of Terry Frost’s forms. Art is, after<br />
all, other people’s work, recycled. I’ve seen my<br />
ideas in other people’s work, too: it’s very flattering<br />
when that happens.<br />
Take me to a gallery… I’ve been to so many I<br />
can’t remember them all. Let’s go to the V&A. Or<br />
to Tate Britain, which always makes me feel right<br />
at home. Alex Leith<br />
Paul’s Madrugada series will be shown as a solo<br />
show at St Anne’s Galleries, open weekends from<br />
16th Sept - 6th Oct, or by appointment<br />
59
Change language