A Week in the Life… Christina Jansen

After a super busy Meet the Artist event in The Gallery with Janise Yntema and Adrian McCurdy, my colleague Elin stepped in for the last half hour to allow me to catch the 1.30pm train to London.  I booked a seat on the left side of the train so I could enjoy the Berwickshire coast and left a beautiful day in Edinburgh to arrive in freezing fog in London, 4 ½ hours uninterrupted time to spend working ahead on future gallery projects and publications.  I was lucky to be staying with a friend who lives in one of the flats beside the Tate Modern at Blackfriars – a stunning position to take in St Paul’s and the unique skyline of London by the Thames.

Walked to Somerset House to catch the last day of Collect; an international showcase of craft and applied art and a wonderful opportunity to catch up with artists and peers in the field.  One of my favourite stands was Women Made: Lucie Rie and the Rise of Britain’s Female Ceramicists.  The Scottish Gallery held shows of Lucie Rie and Hans Coper in the 1970s. Jennifer Lee held her first one-person exhibition at The Gallery in 1981, and we have represented Akiko Hirai for nearly twenty years.

You can read more about this presentation here.

I managed to catch the Cezanne exhibition before it closed, caught up with a former colleague and enjoyed tea overlooking St Paul’s.

Akiko Hirai

When planning a trip to London, I have to work out what the priority is and then work out a geographical route, so I headed to North London for my first studio visit: Akiko Hirai.  Despite the cold, her studio was a welcome furnace of heat and she was busy finishing glazing her iconic moon jars – in two days these would be collected to make way for her forthcoming exhibition at Goldmark Art.  We talked whilst she worked.  Akiko is a Japanese artist who studied studio ceramics in London and her work is extraordinarily expressive.  Visiting an artist in person is essential as there is so much to learn about how an artist works and you can watch in wonder at new developments. It is important to have a human relationship.  We shared a cup of coffee and discussed her forthcoming show at The Gallery which is due in November 2023.  Akiko reminded me that she has been represented by our gallery for nearly 20 years, just shortly after she graduated from Central St Martins.  Her last solo exhibition with The Gallery in 2020 saw her largest moon jar to date being acquired by the Victoria & Albert Museum, London.

Hitomi Hosono

My next studio visit was with Hitomi Hosono, who is another outstanding world class ceramicist from Japan, currently represented by Adrian Sassoon, London.  Her work has been included in two exhibitions at The Scottish Gallery.  A Large Pine Tree Pool was acquired for the National Museums Scotland in 2019 and was a wonderful way to honour her work being in The Scottish Gallery.  It was an honour to be able to look inside the kiln and view the next new work… Her work is currently on display at TEFAF, Maastricht.

Lachlan Goudie

My last studio visit of the day was to gallery artist Lachlan Goudie, who carefully guided me through the years of work he has poured into an industrial landscapes project.  He was working on a huge work on paper (which sadly I cannot share with you today).  Without a studio visit to see the work in progress and in person, it is much harder to really engage with the breadth of a project. Lachlan also discussed his next book project with me too.  And time for a cup of tea.  Some of our projects are planned years in advance so this was a good opportunity to talk ideas and plans…

The Barbican

I spent the evening with a friend and collector at The Barbican.  I have come to know this building over the years – a brutalist gem in the heart of medieval London.  I still get lost every time and I am still amazed by the design, structure and views.  However, the highlight was being shown a very special collection of jewellery.  I am always learning from both artists and collectors which adds to my knowledge and appreciation for the field.  Understanding a collection from a wearer’s point of view is also insightful and always a reminder that objects reflect the person and describe a fully lived life.

Walked to Goldsmiths’ Company as I am on the selection panel for the prestigious Goldsmiths’ Fair.  This is a fantastic opportunity to catch up with my peers and not only take in the trends and developments within the field of jewellery and silversmithing, but also what is happening in a broad business sense as well as across the art schools and colleges in the UK.  Last year the fair celebrated its 40^th anniversary.  Craftsman and Creativity is key to Goldsmiths’ Company.

From sleet and snow, back to freezing cold and clear Edinburgh. 4 hours on the train and time to catch up – back into The Gallery. Supper with family!

We were invited to the Royal Collection at the Palace of Holyroodhouse and it felt like a good way to see out the week bookended by very different portraits of King Charles… King Charles II by John Michael Wright (1617-94) is an enduring image of monarchy restored.  The artist was the son of a tailor who had strong Scottish connections.  For me, this is a portrait of art and craftsmanship.