About Jeannine Marchand

• LOCATED: Spruce Pine, NC
• MATERIALS: Porcelain
• SURFACE: Natural Claybody
• PROCESS: Handbuilt, Electric Fired to Cone 6

Jeannine’s signature folded shapes were the product of a happy accident in college, when she rolled out clay and one piece broke off, creating a fold. “Instead of starting over, I spent two seconds looking at it - and I liked what I saw,” she remembers. Cynthia Bringle, her teacher at Penland, pushed her to keep experimenting with these forms, and during her MFA studies, she introduced new shapes and new sizes, into her repertoire.

Pieces can take months to create, and Jeannine works alone to stay focused. “The clay is fragile,” she says, “and if I’m distracted it could break. I need to be here mentally, really present.” She rolls her clay out twice before using her hands and arms to shape it. The clay dries in frames on her studio floor, then she sands and uses sponges to create the ultra-smooth finished surfaces.

Some forms emerge from wheel-thrown vessels while others are slab built. The products are monochromatic sculptures that are refined to achieve a smooth surface that is sensitive to light and shadows.