Artists

Since completing her ceramics training at East Sydney Technical College in 1971 Janet has taught in various institutions in Australia and overseas (most recently as Head of the Ceramics Workshop, ANU School of Art). She has also run a production pottery, written/co-authored three books on ceramic glazes, worked within the industry in China & Italy and has written numerous articles for Australian and international ceramics journals on ceramic art practice, education and glaze technology.

Janet DeBoos has lectured and conducted workshops nationally and internationally and is represented in many major public collections including the National Gallery of Australia and the National Museum of China in Beijing. She is an Australasian and South African representative of the International Academy of Ceramics Council, Geneva.

We normally talk about how meaning is ‘lost in translation’, but there is a strong case for the opposite- how meaning can be enhanced through translation, and how the hybrids that result from cultural mixing can have more relevance and promise than a mere replication of culturally ‘pure’ forms. Both working in a traditional medium like celadon, or using Qinghua (traditional blue & white) when one is not Chinese, nor trained in their use is not ‘pure’. To then combine it with materials like terra sigillatas won from Australian soil is challenging traditions. But rather than the disruption of being ‘lost in translation’, an enhanced studio experience occurred, and a new appreciation of the iconic ‘pure’ forms developed.

Janet DeBoos, 2020