Jackie Warmelink

j.warmelink@southsimcoeartscouncil.com

Born in the United Kingdom, Jackie Warmelink has lived in the Mulmer hills for over 35 years. Originally trained as a Home Economist and Cordon Bleu Chef, Jackie started collecting pottery while working in South Africa in the late 1970's. She was drawn to the organic colours and shapes and loved how they showcased her food creations. She took her first pottery lessons in Africa, working with clays from the Masai Mara plains.

When she settled in Canada in the early 1980's Jackie continued studying pottery with several local potters as she found working with clay a relaxing escape from the stress of her job as a Food Stylist for advertising commercials in Toronto.

While living in Belleville in the early 2000's she studied at Loyalist College Pottery Studio. It was there that she developed her current Stoneware designs which are the product of her years of experience. She was also introduced to Raku pottery which has become a passion because of the unpredictability and uniqueness of the results.

Jackie has completed several courses in Raku at Haliburton college of Arts and also a course in glaze technology and continues to build on her knowledge and techniques to create new and interesting designs and glazes.
She also completed a wood-firing workshop and hopes to develop more skills with wood-firing in the future.
More recently she has been working with a potter in Florida studying Copper Matt Raku glaze. The glaze is temperature sensitive and difficult to perfect but produces a rainbow of colours on each piece : from copper through purples reds and blues. She has a selection of pieces now in this glaze

Jackie currently works in both Stoneware and Raku in her studio on the family farm in Mulmur.

In Stoneware she works mainly with slabs, sometimes combining them with thrown work to create hand built pieces which are both unique and functional. She uses organic shapes and often incorporates textures into the surface of the clay using laces leaves and netting. Mixing her own glazes she uses 2 or more glazes on each piece to create unusual colour combinations which "break" on the folds and texture making each piece unique. She makes a variety of serving dishes including her signature "folded" bowls, divided platters and popular berry bowls. Other designs include wine holders, chip and dip dishes and soap dishes.

Jackie's Raku work is truly "one of a kind" .
Her pieces are all hand built and she draws her inspiration from the nature surrounding her studio imprinting her platters with leaves and shells
Her birds, fish and trees are mounted in driftwood and her popular Christmas ornaments feature birds snowmen and animals.
The iridescent and white crackle Raku glazes enhance these designs
The new copper matt glaze produces a rainbow of colours on bowls vases and pendants
Each Raku piece is uniquely different