Jeanie Rogers—ceramics

Pottery lured Jeanie Rogers to Denman Island. For years, she visited the island annually from her home in Vancouver to take part in the epic wood firings at Gordon Hutchen’s anagama kiln. In 2017, she moved to the island. Since then, she’s been pursuing pottery full-time in her picturesque ocean-view studio, Gilded Petunia Pottery.

The studio itself and many of the pots that line its interior walls are vibrant turquoise, a colour Jeanie has loved since childhood. “When I was growing up, turquoise was a very fab colour. My grandfather’s car was turquoise and white, all the kitchen chairs were turquoise, and so many nice things that I loved were turquoise. It kind of imprinted on me.”

Another aesthetic passion for Jeanie is lusterware, a type of pottery uses complex firing methods and glazes rich in metallic oxides to create an iridescent, lustrous glow. Jeanie loves sparkle. “I am a bit of a magpie, attracted to beautiful shiny objects. I work mainly with a rich,dark brown terra cotta clay that has mica added to it for an extra glint.”

Luster arose as a phenomenon at the turn of the 20^th Century as part of the Art Nouveau movement, explains Jeanie. “There was iridescence in stained glass and in ceramics. There are a whole bunch of notable artists from that period—Tiffany and the Mougin brothers, for instance—who made unbelievably gorgeous pieces. I love everything about them—not just the luster but also the shapes, the inclusion of natural forms and animals, and the colours.”

Jeanie also makes ceramic murals and more recently has been exploring sculptural pieces, with a focus on sculpture for gardens.

See Jeanie’s work on Denman Island: At her studio and often at Denman events like the Craft Fair, Pottery Tour, and Studio Tour. Also, check out her ceramic mural on the exterior wall of the Denman Island Activity Centre, 1111 Northwest Rd.