Joanna Wakefield creates handcrafted clay sculptures in Poole, Dorset.

Who is Joanna Wakefield?

Joanna is a practising ceramic artist living in Poole, Dorset. She has been working with clay since she was 13 years old. She studied for a Diploma in Ceramics and has a B.A. in Arts Management.

Her work takes the form of zoomorphic and figurative sculptures. Intrinsic aspects are terracotta or raku clay and strong form. The decoration is applied in simple patterns, and the pieces are mainly hand-constructed. Glazing is kept to a minimum, using oxides. Most works are fired in a raku or primitive sawdust kiln.

Influence for Joanna’s work comes from prehistoric Middle Eastern and European ceramics as well as African art. She is especially interested in the ceramics of Mesopotamia (now Iraq), where one of the earliest civilizations of the “Old World” developed around the banks of the Euphrates River in the Persian Gulf. It is also the area where the beginnings of the first written language “cuneiform” were formed. Pots made in this era 2600-2400 BC often took the form of animal-shaped vessels or zoomorphic forms. Two characteristic features of the art of this time are a rough austerity and a delicate sense of humour, which is captured in her zoomorphic creatures. In addition, ancient civilizations were obsessed with the afterlife and we can be grateful that they were as they left so many treasures and artefacts behind.

Joanna’s work identifies with these ancient treasures – their heritage, rituals, myths and spirituality. Today is an age where science has defied religion and there is a falling and failing sense of community in society as well as loss of spiritual direction. Joanna’s work gives comfort and excitement with the aim of reproducing and connecting us to our spiritual past, giving a sense of wellbeing and security. The horse is frequently represented in her work. Joanna states “the horse to me is a symbol of great strength and beauty and independence and I like to combine this with quirkiness and humour, giving balance. I feel when I make these animals that they take on character as they are being formed”.