Jackie Head

Artist Statement

Through my slip cast wall tile installations, I create environments that envelop the viewer. My wall installations invite elements of handmade mosaics and floor tiles into the domestic setting. I draw inspiration from the geometric patterns found in Islamic art, and am specifically interested in tessellated patterns and penrose tiling. Their bold shapes and carefully crafted designs are at the forefront of my mind while sculpting my original forms.

Through educated surface selection, I am able to introduce color concepts to my audience. Color choice, in combination with the minimal realist tiles, creates layers and depth. Through these decisions, my work considers visual planes both individually and as a whole. Amassing individual tiles on the wall that connect to construct a larger pattern can develop either a sense of comfort or tension for the viewer, creating an environment that resonates differently with each person. In a nod to historical Islamic art, my wall installations break away from the mass-produced world we live in today and bring the consideration of craft back into the places we inhabit.

-- Jackie Head

Bio

Jackie Head’s interest in ceramics began in high school. She received a Bachelor of Fine Arts, with an emphasis in ceramics, and a Bachelor of Science in Arts Management from Indiana University Bloomington in December 2014. In the summer of 2014, Jackie had the opportunity to study abroad in China and worked at the Pottery Workshop in Jingdezhen. During her three-week stay, she began her exploration in creating slip cast wall tiles and working with tessellations. Jackie completed an internship at Penland School of Crafts in North Carolina in 2015. She was an Artist in Residence at the Morean Center for Clay in St. Petersburg, Florida from 2015-2017. In 2018, Jackie was a summer resident at the Archie Bray Foundation in Helena, MT. She currently resides in Indianapolis, Indiana where she maintains a private studio.