I spent the first half of my life worrying
about what other people thought.

About me, about anything.

Then two things happened:

I turned fifty
and my mother died

And I stopped giving a damn.

It’s about this time that I started to create my figures in clay.

I did still care
what my husband might think
about these creepy and weird things I was making.

So I remember saying to him:

Don’t ask me what they are, because I don’t know yet.

I didn’t want anyone’s opinion
to effect what I was making.

It was in this freedom
that I began to fill the shelves of my studio
with figures.

We called them ‘my guys’
back then.

I didn’t know what they were.

What they all meant,
funny how that is.

Slowly I began to realize
they illustrated my everyday.

My happy times and sad ones.

Memories were captured in clay
as they bubbled up
from long forgotten places
hidden deep in my mind.

I began to understand my connection to the work.

Once I did, stories began to occur to me.
I began to write them down
and to see more clearly the relationship
between me and my work.

And once you see it, you can’t unsee it.

You can see more of my work and the stories they inspire here on my Blog

You can see my figures in person at
Gallery Piquel in New Hope, PA

If you want to stay connected I send out a weekly email
with a piece of art and a story that goes with it.
You can sign up for that email here

If you have any questions about my work or my process,
I would love to hear from you.
Feel free to contact me.

Jeanine Pennell Briant

908-797-9356