I enrolled in the Clay Program run by Guide Dogs Queensland in January 2020. I had never done clay work before and was excited to play with the medium and learn.
This initial excitement has never waned and in fact has grown to be a passion, along with my writing and speaking. Since starting I have learnt, and continue to learn, a variety of hand building skills and techniques. I constantly explore my creativity and am developing my unique voice.
I have made a variety of bowls, plates, vases and the like, but my favourite pieces are my display art. I particularly love my faces.
In 2020, I was given the opportunity to display a few of my face pieces in the Alterations Exhibition at the Art from the Margins Gallery in Brisbane. My two for sale pieces sold within 15 minutes of the opening. I was given a lot of positive feedback which surprised me. This feedback told me that my art was liked and people wanted to own it, and I should continue with my faces theme.
I continued exhibiting and in 2022 took lessons in wheel throwing. Wheel throwing was hard to master but extremely enjoyable. Waiting for the kiln to open, to see what the glazes have done, is similar to opening presents on Christmas morning when you’re a child. Since 2022 I have been dabbling in more hand building and exploring texture and form. I’ve enjoyed playing with glazes and sculpting a range of figures. I have been fortunate to be exhibited at Et al Gallery and Studio at Sandgate, and sold my works at many markets.
I sell my pieces around Moreton Bay City. Follow my Facebook page /jennywoolseypotter or Instagram /jennywoolseypotter to follow where I will be.
Artist Statement — Jenny WoolseyMy art begins with touch. As a potter with low vision, I navigate the world through texture, form, and the quiet language of my hands. Clay offers me a place where difference is not a barrier but a strength — a medium that welcomes imperfection, resilience, and the unexpected.
My life has been shaped by disability, advocacy for myself and my children, and the courage to be visibly different and neurodivergent. These experiences flow into every vessel and sculpture I create. I work intuitively, letting the clay guide me. I am a lover of nature – it’s where I find my peace – so, beaches, forests, flowers and animals appear prominently in my work: each piece handbuilt and one of a kind. I also weave my love of writing, with poetry and words into my claywork.
At the heart of my art is my invitation to you to find beauty and happiness in colour, texture and imperfection.
