Janis Wilson Hughes - The Artist

Artist's Statement

My current focus centers around a handful of forms. The first theme is rooted in my long standing interest in bottle forms. These pieces vary from decanters and flasks that hold the spirits that sooth everyday life, olive oil bottles to enhance the cooking experience and bring nourishment, and decorative bottle sets that brighten personal spaces and pose the silent question of what might be inside. The second theme of my focus is purely decorative and sculptural despite being derived from a functional form. My pod forms begin as bowls and are transformed to wall hanging pieces with organic references. My initial interest in the form grew out of childhood memories of stumbling through an overgrown meadow to discover a stand of milkweed bushes laden with rough pods bursting with feathery seeds, and it has evolved to include associations with delicate, pale shells formed deep in clear, Polynesian waters and used by ancient cultures for adornment. These pod sculptures which are equally interesting as solitary pieces or in groups are meant to bring allusions to Mother Nature into the spaces they adorn. My newest design theme is in the form of my voluptuous, undulating Dali pots. These puffy mugs, cups, bottles, and jars look as if they have an undulating belt line wrapped around them several times like a garland on a tree causing bulges to spill over in relaxed folds. Similarly my Punctuated pots use indentions from the outside to accentuate the curves and angles of the forms. These designs invite you to experience the volume of the pot through the outer surface. I intend for these shapely and well nourished forms to cultivate feelings of comfort.