Jan Alexander

Acknowledgement of Country

I respectfully acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of the lands and waters upon which I live, work and create, the Wadawurrung and Dja Dja Wurrung peoples of the Kulin Nation. I value their inherent, abiding connection to country, community, and their cultural and artistic expression. I pay my respects to Elders past, present and emerging, and extend this to all Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander and First Nation peoples.

Melbourne-born ceramic artist Jan draws on the history, philosophy, and aesthetics of East Asian ceramics, deeply rooted in her connection to the natural world. Her work explores rhythm, movement, and the ripple effect, tracing the subtle interplay between human gesture, material response, and environment.

Working from her home studio and as an Honorary Alumni Artist in Association at Federation University, Jan engages with form, structure, surface, firing, and glaze, creating nuanced, unrepeatable results. Each piece is meticulously shaped over time, embodying a dialogue between reflection and expression that invites thoughtful connection.

She completed a Graduate Diploma of Ceramics under mentors Peter Pilven and Koji Hoashi at Federation University, Ballarat.

Image “Spirit” stoneware vessel, H19 x W10 cm

“Waves of silence” (left) hand sculpted vessel, stoneware, cobalt glaze, H26 x W11 x D11 cm

“Silent tides” (right) hand sculpted vessel, stoneware, cobalt glaze, H23 x W10 x D10 cm SOLD

Abundance I & II
Stoneware vessels, heavy-reduction fired, Shino glazes, H32 × D10 cm each.

Shaped through a thoughtful exploration of process, these vessels mark a continuing evolution in my approach to layered Shino surfaces. Subtle shifts in tone and texture emerge through sustained engagement with form, firing, and the possibilities revealed in reduction.

Brunswick Street Gallery
Level 1 & 2, 322 Brunswick Street
Wurundjeri Country, Fitzroy VIC 3065 Australia

Tue–Sat 10am–5pm
Sun 11am–4pm
Closed Mondays

It was an honour to participate in Craft Lab 25, a beautifully curated event by Creative City Ballarat, celebrating traditional artisanal skills through contemporary expression. As part of Deep Listening — a First Nations led exploration of Ballarat’s layered histories - I was commissioned to create hand-crafted dining plates for The Great Takeaway: Dine and Take, a sensory dining experience where craft and cuisine converged, and also contributed ceramic artworks for the display.

“As It Was Meant” stoneware vessels, hand-sculpted, Shino and oxide, heavy reduction fired

Stoneware dining plates for The Great Takeaway, themed “Story” and “Yellow”

Fired in heavy reduction, their surfaces reveal a rich interplay of warm, earthy hues and subtle markings that speak to the alchemy of the kiln. These quietly expressive forms invite close contemplation of texture, form, and process.

Vale Peter Pilven
28th April 1956 – 18th December 2024

Peter Pilven was an inspiring artist and generous mentor whose guidance profoundly shaped my practice. I remain deeply grateful for the opportunity to learn from him. My thoughts are with his family, friends, and the creative community who carry his memory forward.

Beasts opening Gallery 10, May 2024

photo Linda Franklin

Jan Alexander, hand built and painted bowl, white and pale blue, gloss glaze, mid fired stoneware

Jan Alexander, "Sapphire" SOLD sculpted stoneware bowl with four feet, ultramarine gloss glazes

Jan Alexander, large round, elevated stoneware bowl, hand formed, white glaze with blue markings Diam28 x H11 cm

Jan Alexander, large round, elevated stoneware bowl, hand formed, white glaze with blue design

Jan Alexander, wheel and hand built, sculpted rounded vessel with four feet. Blue gloss glaze mid fired stoneware

Jan Alexander, sm dish with three feet, stoneware, blue + white glaze

Jan Alexander, three conical vessels/vases, one large, two small, Shino glazes, high fired stoneware. Two small are Sold.

Jan Alexander, stoneware vase, sculpted and patterned, blue gloss glazes, mid fired stoneware

Jan Alexander, hand sculpted vessel, Shino glaze, high fired stoneware

Jan Alexander, vase/sculpture, hand manipulated stoneware, blue gloss glazes

Jan Alexander, three sculpted conical vessels/vases, Shino glazed, two dark/mirrored with copper tones, third orange clay tones, high fired stoneware

Jan Alexander, two rippled vases, ultramarine gloss glazes

Jan Alexander, hand formed vessel, Shino glazes

Jan Alexander, hand formed stoneware vase, sculpted and patterned, blue gloss glazes, mid fired stoneware. Sold

Jan Alexander two tall hand built/sculpted vessels, Shino glaze, high fired stoneware

Jan Alexander, "homeless" stoneware vase, hand formed & patterned, blue gloss glazes

Alexander, Jan Two carved, squared vessels Shino glazes, one has carved arched feet and is Sold.

Jan Alexander, stoneware vases , sculpted and patterned, blue gloss glazes

Jan Alexander, small, thrown bowl, blue with white glaze, stoneware

Jan Alexander, small bowls, matching small cup: black/white; blue/white

Jan Alexander, two decorated, dark clay conical vessels, one with lid, stoneware

Jan Alexander, high fired cups, multiple Shino glazes.

FINALIST – 2024 Infuse Art Prize Ross Creek Gallery | December 2024

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FINALIST – 2024 Infuse Art Prize Ross Creek Gallery | December 2024 *

Textile artist Jem Olsen and I were honoured to be finalists for the 2024 Infuse Art Prize with Reclaimed, a collaborative work exploring identity, belonging, and societal change. My fractured ceramic bowl embodies transformation and resilience, while Jem’s textile work critiques the commodification of home. Together, Reclaimed invites reflection on personal identity, societal values, and the ethical dimensions of home and connection.

Ceramic blue bowl repaired with copper wire & found quartz + textile quilted discarded tea towel with local property guide. Collaboration with Jem Olsen speaking to societal shifts impacting sense of place, connection & self.

Mid fired stoneware, tall, hand built, ripple pattern/carved vessel x 2, squared base, green, blue, black glazes. Left is sold

Medium vessel, mid fire stoneware, black gloss + gold glazes. Sold

"Formation" lidded vessel, high fire reduction stoneware, Shino glazes

"Ambient" vessel series, mid fire stoneware gloss glazes. Sold

Tall carved, rippled vessels, mid fire stoneware, blue gloss glazes. Right is sold.

"Ambient" vessel series, mid fire stoneware gloss glazes

Vessel with lid, shino glazes white exterior + black interior, heavy reduction. Sold.

Round vessel, gloss glazes, mid fire stoneware. Federation University DVC Art Acquisition Award

Elevated bowl, white + oxides, stoneware mid fire. Sold.

Ripple dish with three feet, white gloss glaze with gold leaf, mid fire stoneware. NFS

Vessels, black gloss glaze, stoneware mid fire

Vessels, blue/green gloss glazes, mid fire stoneware. Sold

Vessels, blue + jade green gloss glaze, earthenware. NFS

The work alludes to Earth’s inherent temporary and permanent undulations created by the movement of wind, and or, water currents. These currents become visible within the ocean, across its surface, upon it’s floor; in cloud formations, geological structures and sand dunes - to name a few.

The patterns formed by these currents are mesmerising, distinguished by their own unique, rhythmic beauty of balance, uniformity of flow and the juxtaposition where ornamental repetition breaks, or simply falls away.

The forms are meant to be touched, to be held, and visually imply a subjective invitation for the mind to rest.