We were lucky to catch up with JAN RENTENAAR recently and have shared our conversation below.

JAN, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?

I love working with clay. It can imitate any texture or shape . No power tools necessary to form the sculpture. Many ceramic artist are intrigued by the science of firing the clay, the formulations of glazes. I am not. I see it as a huge risk. I was fortunate to meet a group of people who spent years building and learning how to fire a kiln that uses wood called a “Anagama”. Each firing of this kiln is a seven day challenge. For seven days the crew discuss the merit of this wood over that wood, controlled reduction, and atmospheric conditions. I go fill up the wheelbarrow with wood (we use 3-4 cords of wood per firing) and wait for a decision. Stories are also shared of kilns that collapsed during firing, large pots that fell over and that time the rain flooded the kiln. I’ve unloaded pots stuck together, pots that got knocked off the shelf by a wood stoke. My sculptures of horses that lean to the side, sculpture of fox with a drip of soda down its face. BUT if the wood was dry, they guessed right on the reduction and soda we will unload something you will never see out of an electric kiln. I’ll take the risk but only with the best crew and finest kiln Hiroshi Ogawa’s Anagama Elkton Oregon.

JAN, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I am an artist that works with clay. I get my inspiration from legends from around the world and nature. My body of work includes figurative “Coyote and meadowlark create Willamette falls”, horses such as the “Tibetan Wind Horse” and containers for Bonsai trees. My work is hand built, including my bonsai containers. My bonsai pots are reflective of my Norhtwest environment, Not the traditional round and square containers. My containers are hand built with the natural environment of the tree influencing the design.
Firing/baking the containers in a kiln fueled by wood accents beautifully the natural look of the container and figurative work. It’s always a risk. The wood can knock over a piece, drop unexplained blue drips or bring a horse to its knees. My best work though comes from a wood fired kiln, a anagama buried in the hills of Elkton Oregon.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

I was fortunate to have alot of art education growing up. My mother was a sculptor and encouraged me and exposed me to many art forms. I went onto study art in college, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree. I graduated with a extensive technical skill set. I can draw a picture that people will love, a ceramic animal that will sell well (foxes and owls are very popular). The challenge is to just doodle, turn off the voice that says this has to be great, impressive marketable. It is true you learn the most from the ones that didnt turn out. It’s easy for me to make “pretty, clever” items. I know real growth comes from not relying on technical, trendy or what you know works, but giving myself the space to create the good and the bad the pretty and the ugly.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

Time seems to jump around for me. Numbers tumble and collide making no sense. I get overwhelmed and find it hard to break projects into steps. Give me 25 pounds of clay and I will create “Coyote and Meadowlark” from the NW Native American legend of “The Willamette falls in Oregon” I can’t tell you whats in my bank account, but I can tell you 10001 legends from around the world. Being a successful artist reassures me when I’ve messed my dates up showed up on the wrong day…. that I’m not an idiot I just live in another “time zone” as my family would say. When asked what my husband and I do? Don replies he is “Inspector for the City” I reply that I am an Artist. “You are!!? Wow what do you do? My husband is often offended he is rarely asked to elaborate.     

Contact Info:

• Website: www.JanRentenaar
• Instagram: JAN RENTENAAR
• Facebook: JAN RENTENAAR
• Linkedin: JAN RENTENAAR