Member Spotlight: Fanny Jasper

Specializing in sculpting and hand building, studio member Fanny Jasper answered our questions about her detailed creative process and interesting background.

“I guess, I am simply fascinated by looking at the world, especially anything alive - people, animals, plants.”

MudWorks: Your human body sculptures are so emotive, and yet so simple. Talk me through the process of building and decorating them.

Fanny Jasper: I build these sculptures “from outside in.” I started with long chunks of clay (LB6) that I pressed/cut/bent until I roughly had the shapes of human figures. When they had dried a bit and would stand up on their own, I carved them more and more until the amount of detail felt “right.” When the sculptures were leather hard, I cut each in half lengthwise, hollowed them out, and put them back together. I went over all the surfaces with a carving knife again, to get a rough, open grain texture (that type of clay is great for that). After bisque firing, I brushed the sculptures with a red iron oxide wash that I wiped off with a cloth again, to highlight all the irregularities of the surface. In the glaze firing, the red iron oxide turned black on the LB6 clay.

MW: What projects are you working on right now in the studio?

FJ: Right now I am making sets of painted plates and bowls, for a friend... but can't wait to get back to sculpting.

MW: You mention on your Instagram that you grew up in Berlin. What was that like, and what brought you to the Bay Area?

FJ: That was in the 70's and 80's, when the city was still cut in half by the Berlin Wall. We were East-West refugees, so I first lived in East Berlin, and later in West Berlin, which felt like two very different worlds at that time. Thankfully, the city has changed a lot since then... It was my husband's work that brought us first to the East Coast, and then to the Bay Area.

MW: When did you first start creating with clay?

FJ: At some point during my college time in Germany, a friend dragged me away from my drawing pads and pencils, and into a clay sculpting class that she was attending. It felt like the perfect fit right away - working in 3D, and directly with my hands.

MW: Where do you find inspiration?

FJ: That's a tough question, I don't have a designated source of inspiration. I guess, I am simply fascinated by looking at the world, especially anything alive - people, animals, plants... There are thousands of images that float into your brain each day - and then some images get stuck, because they are unusual, or irregular, or have beautiful lines, or are disturbing ... and that's what you start creating with.

MW: What excites you as an artist?

FJ: Experiencing the process of creating something unfold. My happiest projects are definitely the ones when I start only with a rough idea, and then "step back" and let my creation develop a life of its own. It is very exciting to then just follow the flow, not overthink it, and just see where it takes you. 

Thanks to Fanny Jasper for her support of the studio, and for taking time to tell us about her process!