Joan Clare Brown Juxtaposes Anatomy and Memories in Poignant Porcelain Sculptures

Depending on how you look at them, the tendrils seemingly growing from Joan Clare Brown’s porcelain bases could be perceived as soft and delicate or spiny, defensive, and slightly unsettling. Dualities lie at the heart of the artist’s approach to ceramics, especially in her ongoing series Ed, which takes personal experience and human anatomy as starting points for a poignant study of grief.

“I started this series as a response to my father’s sudden passing,” Brown tells Colossal. “He was diagnosed with widespread pancreatic cancer and passed away the same day, ultimately of sepsis from complications of a perforated bowel.” In the Ed works, the cinched base, which mimics a frilly-edged textile cushion or pouch, represents a perforated organ, and the long, growing blades or tendrils emblematize infection.

a porcelain sculpture that resembles a bundle of white-and-brown textile with frills, with blue plant-like textured spikes or fronds emerging from it — “Ed #5” (2023), porcelain and mason stain, 6 x 4 x 5 inches

The inherent hardness and brittleness of porcelain juxtapose with the softness of textile-like surfaces and organic, plant-like fronds. Each color reflects specific childhood memories of Brown’s father, like the blue and green hues drawn from his favorite flannel shirt or light pinks and purples redolent of a tablecloth used at her family dinners.

“Through the permanence of the ceramic form, my hope was to turn something menacing and insidious into a nostalgic and meaningful reminder,” Brown says. “And by making these pieces, in a way, I feel that he is still present.”

Explore more on the artist’s website and Instagram.

a porcelain sculpture that resembles a bundle of textile with frills, with blue grass-like spikes or fronds emerging from it — “Ed #16” (2023), porcelain, mason stain, glaze, and luster, 7 x 6 x 4 inches

a detail of a porcelain sculpture that resembles a bundle of textile with frills, with blue grass-like spikes or fronds emerging from it — Detail of “Ed #13”

a porcelain sculpture that resembles a bundle of white-and-green textile with frills, with blue plant-like textured spikes or fronds emerging from it — “Ed #10” (2023), porcelain and mason stain, 7 x 5 x 5 inches

a porcelain sculpture that resembles a bundle of white-and-red textile with frills, with orange plant-like textured spikes or fronds emerging from it — “Ed #11” (2023), porcelain and mason stain, 7 x 8 x 7 inches

a detail of a porcelain sculpture that resembles a bundle of white-and-red textile with frills, with orange plant-like textured spikes or fronds emerging from it — Detail of “Ed #11”

a porcelain sculpture that resembles a bundle of white textile with frills, with dark green plant-like textured spikes or fronds emerging from it — “Ed #4” (2022), porcelain and mason stain, 7 x 4 x 4 inches

a porcelain sculpture that resembles a bundle of white textile with pink frills, with dark orange plant-like textured spikes or fronds emerging from it — “Ed #3” (2022), porcelain, mason stain, glaze, and luster, 8 x 6 x 4 inches

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