Jane Eddy local studio potter

Author: Catherine Ahearn

Jane Eddy, a local studio potter, connects local, small town ideals and international curiosity with her bursting creativity. Her studio, tucked away on Main Street, is an eclectic space filled with Eddy's different creative undertakings. In fact, Eddy built the studio herself with the help of her family, friends and other Vermont artists.

"You build slowly," said Eddy. "I've been doing it since I was 40, so it's a long process. I've built the building one floor at a time."

A tour of her studio started off in the Kiln Room, where Eddy keeps a downdraft kiln that she built herself.

"I taught myself. I actually went around and saw a dozen different kilns around the state of Vermont and took notes," said Eddy. "I had help from other potters who gave me hints about one thing or another. I bought the kiln over a six- or eight- year period of time. Different bricks are from other kilns that were taken apart."

The time, patience and precision that Eddy put into making her studio has clearly gone into all aspects of her work.

"I poured a slab one year. My husband and I built the building the next year. So there's a lot of sweat equity in this."

Recently, the lower level of her studio has been used for pottery classes run by Frog Hollow. Here, children and adults of all ages attend classes and use the machinery and resources available to them in Eddy's creative space. Eddy started her own career as an artist through a class she took at Frog Hollow in 1974.

"I think you can call me a product of Frog Hollow," said Eddy. "I worked for them and they gave me workshops and classes with famous potters."

Although she did not begin building her studio until she was 40, Eddy's artistic inclinations existed long before she had the time to nurture them.

"I've been an artist since I was a little child, not that I was professional," said Eddy. "But that painting behind you - I did that on my honeymoon when I was 20. I couldn't help it."

Today, Eddy finds inspiration from local and international sources, ranging from the students she teaches to Picasso and Japanese turn-of-the-century artists.

"I'm searching for my cultural identity," said Eddy. "I sort of felt a-cultural because I didn't study art. Who owns culture? I'm just participating in my interpretation of others."

The shelves of Eddy's tri-level studio are filled with finished and unfinished "domestic ware," or objects that can be hung on the wall or used at the dining room table. Decorating the walls are Eddy's own wood etchings, paintings, prints and clay creations.

Eddy's friends support her international focus by bringing back materials from around the world, which Eddy makes her own by combining local materials with those from abroad. Her focus on exploring the boundaries of culture and creativity is apparent in her versatility of style.

"It's like a recipe," Eddy explained. "I'm kind of like an author. I author this one and that one."

The books in her office attest to her wide range of interests, especially in Japanese art.

"I like the earthiness of it. If you go to the museums, you'll see that Japanese art is not symmetrical, there's the gesture of the human hand where it left off - I like that. Let the materials speak for the process. Don't hide the process. That's all right."

Eddy's own creative process includes precisely selecting pieces of different images to convey exactly what she wants.

"My next block print is going to be about Martin Houses, birdhouses," said Eddy. "I'll keep sketches and steep myself in the images and then select pieces of different images before I put it on the block. I really like to look for motion on the block."

Also on her repertoire of interests is the early work of Picasso, on which she has assembled a visual journal following Picasso's work during his time in Coru