Jemma Gowland

Jemma first trained for a BSc in Engineering Product Design, and worked in the fields of industrial design, production, and architectural model making before becoming a teacher of Design and Technology. With experience in making using a very broad range of materials, for a wide range of purposes, ceramics has become the abiding interest with its unique versatility and surface possibilities, the technical challenges and opportunities seem endless.

jemma gowland - balloon girls

Having long been interested in the work of Banksy, this body of work gave Jemma the opportunity to further explore her own practice which is often a subtle subversion or interpretation of the traditional porcelain figurine, using familiar imagery to make a point. 

The girl as an object of beauty, the symbolism of the red balloon, and the contrasting colour, are themes that greatly appeal.  The mask cast from a doll face is another symbol - we learn to wear a mask as we grow up, to fit us into our world, but whether we see that as a strength or an issue is a fluid point; like the work of Banksy, much of the meaning only exists in the reaction of the viewer. 

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Selected works

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