GALLERY

JENNY READING

Jenny was born in 1957 in rural Buckinghamshire. A farmer's daughter, Jenny had a very free childhood and close contact with nature and animals, particularly dogs and horses.

Jenny learned to draw and paint at an early age and on leaving school completed a Foundation course in Art & Design, intending to apply to Cheltenham Art School to study Fine Art painting and sculpture. But due to family circumstances she was delayed in taking up a full time ceramics course until 1999. She has now completed a National Diploma in ceramics and in June 2003 will complete an HND in Fine Art.

After this Jenny intends to take a year out to build up her own ceramics business, after which she is planning to return to the College of West Anglia for a further year to obtain a degree in Fine Art.

Jenny's small animal sculptures are slab-built, and her large animals are coil built. To construct her sculptures Jenny uses a strong crank craft clay, and sometimes a stoneware slip to obtain a smooth finish. The animals are fired to biscuit ware, then metal oxides, mostly copper, are applied before firing to a stoneware temperature.

Jenny currently lives in a Norfolk village with a number of dogs, mostly Lurchers, cats, two ponies and her 19-year-old daughter who is studying Photography.