Perched on the edge of the Darling Scarp, in the Perth hills area of Kalamunda, is the home and studio of ceramic artist Britta Stolle Jacob. The buildings are situated on a large block surrounded by natural bush and gardens. Through gaps in the trees you can just make out the city’s towers on the distant horizon. A mid-morning winter sun filters through the foliage onto gravel pathways. There is a feeling of space and serenity about the place. Nature is the focus. This is what attracted Britta to Perth, one of the world’s most isolated cities. Western Australia is certainly the antithesis of Germany where she grew up. After travelling all over the world with her husband Jürg, Perth, with its wide-open spaces, beautiful weather and its connection to nature, is the place she chose to live.

Kiel, on Germany’s northern coast, is Britta’s hometown. She remembers exploring the beach, being fascinated by the tide and swimming in the ocean. This was where focusing on nature began. The culture and aesthetics of this part of northern Europe is influenced by Scandinavia and, as a result, Britta grew up with a love of clean lines and simplicity of form. Her interest in art came from her mother’s side of the family and she was taught to look for detail. Perhaps this is also where she learnt to appreciate good food and the art of preparing it.

Above: Kimono Series, 2005, raku fired, h.19cm, w.38cm, d.7cm, photo: artist

Ice on fire, 2006, (Top-Detail) naked raku and terra sigillata, h.6cm, d.25cm, photo: Victor France. Britta Stolle Jacob, photo: Jürg Jacob

Whilst working as a radiographer in Switzerland, Britta started exploring with clay. She met a pottery teacher who motivated and encouraged her to research the raku technique. Britta attended several workshops, one of which was in Tuscany, Italy. People came together from all over the world to make pottery and try out different raku firing techniques. This became a turning point, and convinced Britta of the pathway she wanted to take.

The raku technique has provided a way for Britta to explore contrasts of rough and smooth, of dark with light. She uses the Yin Yang symbol as her potters mark, because it is about balance and harmony. Her pots are hand-built, using slab construction methods. She has chosen a limited palette of black body and white glaze although she may also include small amounts of red (lifeline/blood/fire) or turquoise (water) to add emphasis and meaning.

When asked about the ideas behind her work she talks about the tower pieces referencing architecture, the double-walled bowls being about the Southern Hemisphere and the curved vessels like the shapes of kimonos.
On arrival in Western Australia Britta studied at Central TAFE - it was a good place to meet people and get an idea of the local art scene - then set up her studio in 2000 at Kalamunda where she and Jürg were renovating their home. It is a place that has the best of both worlds. Close enough to the city to see it and enjoy all the culture and amenities it offers, and yet far enough away to give a sense of distance and space. From a European viewpoint, Perth offers an enviable and desirable lifestyle.

Britta’s studio is a good-sized brick building with north facing windows that overlook a turquoise swimming pool. One section of the studio is screened off to allow for a small gallery space. A potbelly stove is set up in a corner. The stove and the pool outside give a hint of the extremes of temperatures expected in this area - cold in winter and very hot in summer. Shelves and works in progress line the walls and there are the usual simple and often improvised tools common to every ceramics studio.

Above: Couple, 2005, raku fired, h.25cm, w.32cm, d.8cm, photo: artist

An early riser, Britta is typically in her studio by 5am. After breakfast she will work until 11am, returning to the studio again in the evening. This cycle is particularly suitable in summer when the heat can fast track the drying out of clay vessels.

Britta brought her kiln with her from Switzerland and, with minor adjustments to its European fittings, soon had it attached to gas bottles and ready for firing in a courtyard outside the studio. Typically she fires several times a week in the round, mid-sized top loader. Surrounding the kiln are lidded drums of sawdust (indigenous jarrah) into which the hot pots are plunged for carbonisation after their removal from the 980°C kiln. This is the time when risk, chance, chaos and mystery play a part in the raku process and Britta feels that she gives over some control of her work to the fire. The blackened surfaces that result reference the Australian landscape after bushfire and the glossy white glazed areas snow-covered Europe. She believes that in the creation of her pots she is using all the natural elements of earth, fire, wind and water. She is aware of working with powerful forces of nature and this brings with it the knowledge of the smallness of herself in the universe.

Hand building gives her the opportunity to connect with each piece. Many hours of work go into construction, texturing surfaces and applying terrasigillata to selected areas of the clay body. These pieces have very sensual, tactile surfaces. Her edges are clearly defined.

The hemispherical bowl is one of Britta’s favourite forms because the flat top provides a surface that has great potential for the expression of ideas. Designs may be scratched on to form a variety of textures which evoke both natural and man-made surfaces. These textured areas will ultimately show up as the black parts of the pot.

In recent work Britta has begun to explore negative spaces carved into the sides of her tower vessels, and also the space that exists between works placed in groups. New wall-mounted plaques work with layers of clay built up over abstract shapes, which give these pieces depth.

In August and September this year, Britta travelled to Europe for a holiday and returned to her childhood home for the first time in many years. It will be interesting to see what influences this journey to revisit old haunts will have on her new work in her adopted country.

Above image: Disrupted Integration, 2006, wallhanging raku-fired tiles mounted on board, h.40cm, w.60cm, photo: artist

Myra Staffa is a WA artist and teacher who works in clay and glass.
Britta Stolle Jacob, E: brittastolle@yahoo.com