Untitled No.36, Contour

About Untitled No.36, Contour

This abstract ceramic indoor sculpture was inspired by nature.

The enigmatic and compelling ceramics by Canadian artist Jana Osterman are influenced in form, pattern, texture, and colour by the natural world. This bodacious sculpture is reminiscent of a shell with its organic rounded shape, swirling rhythmic pattern, and unglazed textured white surface. Osterman, highly regarded for her masterful, intuitive and imaginative sense of form creates abstract biomorphic shapes that are handbuilt and carved. She worked for years as a professional artistic fabricator; an experience that ‘grounded her in three-dimensional thinking, diverse materials, and techniques for an array of demanding projects - from grand museum exhibitions, to theatre, to artists’ projects.’

“…living next to one of the Great Lakes, Jana’s formative lexicon begins with forms such as washed-up bones on the beach, snow drifts, unusual ice formations, and bodily contours.” Artist’s statement

Jana Osterman was born in Slovenia and moved to Holland where she studied at the Royal Academy of Art in The Hague. She continued with printmaking studies in England. For more than 20 years, Osterman has worked as a full-time artist and fabricator in Canada, first in Toronto and now in Prince Edward County, Ontario. Using a variety of materials including cast aluminum, copper, and plaster, the artist creates biomorphic-themed sculptural pieces.
Osterman’s artworks, including public commissions, are held in collections in Canada, Slovenia, Germany, England, and Dubai.