​Working from her backyard studio in Mount Colah, NSW, ceramic artist Jel Jansen creates vessels that celebrate both nature’s textures and human craft traditions. Clay is her foundation, but she often brings other materials into her work—feathers, wool, textiles and basketry techniques—exploring how each element can enrich form and meaning. The result is ceramics that are at once tactile, functional and evocative.

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Born in the Netherlands and living in Australia since 1998, Jen draws inspiration from both landscapes: the earthy colours and raw textures of Australia, and the cultural threads of her Dutch Frisian heritage. 

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For her, a found feather can spark the creation of a vessel that honours that “little treasure,” while a loaned spinning wheel leads to experiments with combining fibres and clay. She embraces the small imperfections of handwork, seeing them as part of each object’s individuality.

 

“These vessels reflect my journey into using more and more local materials,” Jel notes. “It started with found feathers and has grown to include wild local clay, as well as ethically sourced wood ashes and animal fibres.”

 

Alongside her studio practice, Jel shares her passion for clay through teaching both adults and young people at different venues and occasional private classes in both wheel throwing and hand building. Her work has been exhibited widely, including during previous Sydney Craft Week exhibitions, at The Shop Gallery, Glebe, and the Gosford Community Art Gallery.​