Jan Lewin-Cadogan

Jan is a ceramic artist based in Carmarthenshire, Wales. She obtained a First Class BA Hons degree in Ceramics from West Wales School of the Arts, Carmarthenshire in 2008 and undertook a throwing course with Roger Guy-Young at Aberystwyth Arts Centre in August 2012.

The landscape of the countryside and coastline in west Wales, where she moved to in 2004, motivated Jan to pursue a career in ceramics. She lives and works in the Gwendraeth Valley. Jan enjoys making a wide variety of work, ranging from hand built sculptural pieces to stoneware thrown vessels in an array of different forms.

Inspiration and influences come from watching crashing waves against volcanic rocks that push their way up through the sea, crunching the sea foam left behind on sand, looking at barnacles glistening in the sun, peering into the smooth mirrors of rock pools, sitting in sandy bays whilst looking at the amazing colours the sea has to offer and walks along the rugged cliff tops of the coastal path of Pembrokeshire. 

Jan enjoys experimenting with form, lava glazes, and reactive slips, often comparing patterns and surfaces through multiple firings to compliment the simple forms and clean lines. The firing of the work starts with a bisque firing to 1000/1160c which is followed by a further firing of 1160 or 1240-60 to vitrify the clay. Subsequent firings are to take on the oxides/multiple glazing to give further colour.

Jan's work is in private collections in New Zealand, Australia, Canada, Cyprus, Israel, France, Belgium, Peurto Rico,  USA and the UK.

"I like to think of my pots as pieces of art you can hold in your hands, with some of the serenity and peace that I find when walking along the shores and coastal path."