Jessica Wertz
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Jessica Wertz is a ceramic artist creating functional pottery and fine porcelain jewelry outside of Portland, OR. Originally from Pennsylvania, Jessica studied at Moore College of Art & Design in Philadelphia before graduating from Penn State University in 2010 with a BFA in Ceramics. Following school Jessica apprenticed a master potter for two years in Floyd, VA. During the apprenticeship she simultaneously found work for a jeweler. Her idea for porcelain jewelry was birthed from these combined skills. Jessica’s strong work ethic and her appreciation of the natural world comes through her years growing up in the family’s landscaping business. She spent many hours exploring the alchemy of things that grow, and cultivating a love for the rich earth. Drawn to develop her tactile skills in the arts, Jessica combined her appreciation for the elemental world with her relationship to home and was called to the work of a studio potter and jeweler.
All of Jessica’s work is hand thrown on a wheel or hand built using stoneware & porcelain clays. Her work captures the energy of a lively yet soothing mood which is essential to her creative self. Jessica’s forms are visually proud and welcoming to touch, her glaze palette uses cooling shades of blues, yellows, greens, and whites to engage the calm mind. “Pots embody our sacred commonalities such as family, food, and self expression- feeding the body as well as the soul. My family’s tradition of eating meals together has taught me the importance that pots facilitate in bringing people together. Pots offer a unique tactile relationship and I elevate them to the ideal that a culture is rich when it can (visually and emotionally) coalesce engaging art with an everyday purpose and function.”
