Degree Work: On the magic of reproduction, disintegration and renewal.

“I was privileged enough to be there when my father died. I’d taken a year out from my degree to spend time with him. When I came back, my work had changed. This was the first series where I consciously worked with the ancestors. I was also in love with the man who would become my life long partner and father of my children.

I needed to find my place within generations passed and to come”

Jo completed her degree at Brighton University (BA Hons in Wood, Metal Ceramics and Plastics) in 1993. In her final two years she specialised in wood and ceramics, and the work she produced then set her course for the coming years. She explored themes around sacred sexuality, cell reproduction, reincarnation, prehistoric art and the impact of time and nature on human-made objects.

Her work for her final degree show was hand-sized and shaped to create animistic miniatures with multiple parts that fit together and can be configured in various ways. All her wooden pieces were made from objects she found on Brighton beach that were then carved into new incarnations. Most of her pieces were finished with gold, silver or mother-of-pearl in hidden and unexpected places, and every component was made by hand.

Many are now in private collections. Below are the ones that are still available.

All works circa 1993

Dimensions vary from 8 to 5 cm depending on configuration.