We were lucky to catch up with Deborah Jaffe recently and have shared our conversation below.
Deborah, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.
I’ve been making objects out of clay ever since my mother enrolled me in a pottery class at the age of five. From that early age I knew clay would always be a part of my life. My father was a photographer, and unlike many parents, his greatest hope for me and my brother was for us to become artists. Growing up in New York City, I was exposed to so many creative places and people. I attended a middle school that emphasized the arts, and then went on to Laguardia High School of Music and Art, where art-making was a primary part of every day. I went on to major in Art History in college and eventually got a dream job working at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in the Education department. During all of this time, I continued developing my ceramic skills and artistic expression at Greenwich House Pottery, working with many extremely accomplished ceramic artists. It wasn’t until 2012 when circumstances allowed me to open my own studio in the Hudson Valley. Songbird Studio was the realization of a life-long dream.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
(I answered how I got into this in the previous section).
As a ceramic artist, I’ve always been particularly interested in creating functional pieces. I want my work to be used and enjoyed. I make mugs, bowls, plates, teapots, pitchers, vases, cake stands and tiles. I use three different clays- earthenware, white stoneware and porcelain, bouncing among them as different ideas and techniques excite me.
Earthenware, or “terracotta” is a clay that fires at lower temperatures and therefore allows for bright colors, which often disappear at higher temperatures. Porcelain and white stoneware offer me a canvas for my imagery. As a life-long animal and nature lover, I have always photographed the natural world. I convert my photographs to ceramic decals, which are permanently adhered to my porcelain and white stoneware pieces through the firing process.
My interest in the natural world has influenced my travels and I’ve been privileged to travel widely. Many of the photographs I use in my work are from my trips to Africa. Fascinated by zebra stripes, I have incorporated them into my recent work. Through a photo-editing program, I isolate and manipulate the stripes, stretching them, squeezing them, and flipping them to create satisfying designs that relate to the pieces to which they are applied. They become very abstract. Discovering a way to combine my love of nature, my photography and functional ceramics has been a joy.
In addition to the work described above, I offer personalized commissions. Customers send me photos (mostly) of their pets which I convert to ceramic decals and then put on their choice of object. I’ve recently created an urn for the ashes of a beloved dog.
How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?
After leaving my full-time museum job, I knew I wanted to develop my ceramic practice/business. I needed time. I received a lot of advice and encouragement from friends and family. In a way, it felt like pressure. I know myself, and I needed to take it slowly and figure it out as I went. I needed to build up product, become familiar with the runnings of a studio, design an Etsy Shop, and acquire retail outlets. All of this took several years.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
Simply put, being able to do what I love everyday. It is such a privilege and I do not take it for granted.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.etsy.com/shop/djdesignsbrooklyn
- Instagram: @djdesignsbrooklyn
Image Credits
Taken by me, Deborah Jaffe.