Bio

Jessica Steinhauser (Steinhäuser) was raised in Germany but since 1988 has lived permanently in Canada. Many of her designs are inspired by the medieval castles and buildings that surrounded her as a child. Jessica apprenticed for three years at the State School for Ceramics in Landshut, Germany, obtaining her graduate journeyman potter designation.

With a deftness and mastery borne of over twenty years' experience, Jessica creates work that ranges from the purely functional to the purely whimsical. Jessica's pottery is among the finest in the country and can be found at the Canadian Clay and Glass Gallery in Waterloo.

A respected and vital member of the Guelph artistic community, Jessica has been commissioned to produce several public mosaics and is the co-founder of the now biannual Guelph Potters Market. She sells her work from her studio and retail outlet, Stonehouse Pottery, in Guelph, the city where she resides with her husband, photographer Dean Palmer, and their two children. Information about upcoming exhibits can be found at www.stonehousepottery.com.

Artist Statement

My work is a reflection of my German heritage and my Canadian sense of possibility. I was born in Canada to German and Swiss parents who returned to Germany when I was very young. My training is all German. I rely on its thoroughness: I am disciplined, I have high standards. My life in Canada however, has given me a sense of space, openness and potential, and at this point I am at a stage in my career and have honed my technical abilities so that I can do whatever I want. I create bowls and mugs that are very traditionally European, I also take classical elements and transplant them on new and different forms. Just like I can choose whether to speak in English or German, I can also choose the language - in the form of material, style, colour and decoration - of the pieces I create. I am continually taking European ideas and modifying them for use in a Canadian context. I am finally at peace with both cultures.

I like working with all types of clay - porcelain, stoneware and earthenware. Each clay has its own limitations and special qualities. I love traditional decoration on simple forms. I also like the challenge of not decorating. The throwing has to be strong to be able to hold a shape without any form of decoration. I am a master thrower. I like production work. I am happy sitting at my wheel making twenty mugs at a time. This is to me what practicing scales is for a violinist. In my mind, I am first and foremost a tradesperson. Art comes or does not come, but it shouldn't come first.

Stonehouse Pottery is my storefront studio in downtown Guelph. People come and chat with me. I am open. Perhaps this public presence is part of why I have been commissioned to do several mosaics for public buildings in Guelph. I am awed by the level of respect my community has for me.

In Europe there are potters markets, and I had always dreamed of initiating one in Canada. In 2005, the first Potters' Market was held in Guelph, a two-day display and sale of over 60 potters' work. It was so successful that it is now going to happen twice a year. Another current project also has a European base. Kachelofens are decorative masonry heaters for homes - like woodstoves - but they only require two or three logs to heat a home for a day. I went to Austria in 2005 and worked aside two master Ovenbuilders. It is my absolute dream to build these ovens in Canada.

I enjoy painting and also long distance running. I carry a sketchbook with me wherever I go: Ideas abound. Who knows what will be next.