Five Minutes With... Frances Rogers
Frances Rogers clay Raku sculptures, on show as part of JamFactory’s Collect exhibition Links, Loops & Crossovers.
Ceramicist and sculptor Frances Rogers creates striking sculptural forms with a focus on Raku clay links. We spend five minutes with the Helpmann Academy Graduate, discussing her work in Links, Loops & Crossovers.
Photos by Tamara Mascarenhas.
Talk us through your first time using clay:
The first time I got stuck into clay was during a Cert IV Visual Arts class in 2010. I was seventeen and it felt like painting in 3D. I remember being captured by the malleability of the clay and the transformative behaviour during the firing process. I would relentlessly add more detail (probably too much) because I was obsessed with the ability to adapt and change forms right up to the moment before firing. I made a giant bust of my little brother's head which I covered in a black oxide. It’s the creepiest thing ever, Mum refuses to get rid of it so it’s still rolling around watching people from her garden.
Can you tell us a bit about your practice?
My practice is continuously changing, it transitions between technical and conceptual phases. I work with sculpture and painting as well as ceramics, but I feel most at home working with clay. I use these different mediums, to keep progressing and avoid feelings of stagnation.
Conceptually I explore deep time, circular patterns within the environment, and my relationship with the material world.
I’m studying geology to gain insight into the circular systems of Earth. Using this new knowledge, I hope to inspire and inform my ceramic practice, my concepts, and deepen my understanding of clay as medium.
Frances Rogers, photograph by Brianna Speight.
Last year you received the JamFactory Award at the Helpmann Academy Graduate Exhibition, can you tell us a bit about your time in the JamFactory studios?
It’s been such a rewarding experience creating in the JamFactory Ceramic Studio. My wheel throwing has improved leaps and bounds through participating in the short courses run by past associates. With their guidance I have simultaneously developed technical skills and corrected some strange habits. As a lefty, I’d been throwing ‘backwards’ which Hannah Vorrath-Pajak picked up on in my first short course. When practicing alone you don’t have anyone to point out faster, more efficient ways that come with experience. I realise how essential it is for artists to share amongst other creatives, and the importance of seeking guidance during the making process. All the tips and tricks I’ve learnt through demonstrations are so helpful, I’ll be using them for years to come.
Stephanie James-Manttan has kindly organised a short term studio space where I will practice what I’ve been learning. I’m really grateful for the opportunities I’ve been awarded through JamFactory and have gained further funding thanks to Helpmann Academy, supporting me through another term of intermediate throwing and glaze development courses. Being amongst a creative community every week keeps me motivated and validates my goal of sustaining a lifelong ceramic practice.
Frances Rogers, Morning Delight, 2021, gas fired Raku clay.
Chains, links and loops feature heavily in your ceramic work, what draws you to
this form?
I'm drawn to circular forms, they feel social, feminine and continuous. Links and loops are embedded within the patterns of biology which was a point of inspiration for me during the making process. Stitching clay together with simple repetitive movements was therapeutic and brought on a great sense of calm. To me, the way in which each loop of a chain holds up the next is a material representation of how each generation strings together and supports one another. Clay ties us all together through its ancient history, both in its raw form and in human adaptations.
Do you have any rituals for getting into the creative zone? How do you feel when you’re creating?
I like working with a lot of room, so removing clutter and clearing a space is important.
I often work with music and feel most creative in the afternoon or night. I’m not a morning person and this extends into my practice.
I think of myself as more of a spontaneous person rather than ritualistic. My favourite work has come from experimental processes when I’ve tried something new. I feel most creative after a new experience or a trip somewhere, using my practice to explore and process thoughts.
Being in a creative flow gives me a sense of freedom, there’s no rules or regulations to follow. In the current environment, making has given me a mental sanctuary to escape to. When I focus on the material in front of me I forget about time and all the noise of life.
Frances Rogers, Midnight, 2021, gas fired Raku clay.
Frances Rogers
Frances Rogers is a sculptural artist whose practice focuses on ceramics and found objects. Through her pieces she explores how we relate to the material world and the personification of objects, considering the multi sensual experience of each piece.
Graduating from UniSA with a Bachelor of Contemporary Arts Frances has since received the Harry P. Gill Memorial Medal for her ceramic body of work in the Graduate exhibition IN SITU, 2019. Her work Chain Series was selected for the Helpmann Academy Graduate exhibition where she received the JamFactory Award. She is currently completing a mentorship program with JamFactory and is an artist in residence at George Street Studios.
Link, Loops and Crossovers is exhibiting in Collect at JamFactory Adelaide until 5 September 2021.