About Jess

I am an Adelaide based emerging artist working with blown glass. I have recently completed a Master’s in Design (Contemporary Art) from the University of South Australia, and my practice is based out of JamFactory Contemporary Craft and Design.  My arts practice leans heavily on illustration, using sandblasting and engraving techniques to create imagery and narratives on glass. I predominantly make vessels, both functional and sculptural, ranging from vibrant and dramatic to subdued. I draw inspiration from both the natural world, capturing in glass both the calm and destructive beauty of nature, as well as classical artefacts that are contrasted with contemporary themes.

My narrative work is inspired by antiquities from past societies such as the ancient Athenians. Artefacts made of stone, ceramic, metal and glass give glimpses into the stories of their lives, from godly deeds to tableaus depicting everyday moments. These illustrations of the common, mundane scenes of ordinary people I find to be the most inspiring and have been very influential to my work. My fascination with history and ancient relics has led me to explore the idea of what future artefacts could be, and to question what our contemporary culture will one day leave behind.

I have exhibited in numerous prizes and exhibitions around Australia. I was recently a finalist in the Woollhara Small Sculpture prize (NSW) and the Tom Malone Glass prize at the Art Gallery of Western Australia. In 2021 I was awarded Highly Commended in the Waterhouse Natural Science prize, and in 2019 I was awarded the Vicki Torr Emerging Artist Prize. My work is held in a number of private collections and was recently collected by the Museum of Applied Arts & Sciences (Powerhouse), the National Gallery of Victoria and the Parliament House Art Collection. Upcoming in April, 2023, I will be presenting my first solo exhibition with Grainger Gallery, Canberra.

Awards and grants

2022  Finalist, Woollahra Small Sculpture Prize, Sydney, NSW
2022  Finalist, The Waterhouse Natural Science Art Prize, SA Museum
2022  Finalist, Tom Malone prize, Art Gallery of Western Australia
2020  Highly Commended, The Waterhouse Natural Science Art Prize, SA Museum
2020  USASA Leadership Grant for Thomas Foundation Residency at Canberra Glassworks
2020  Highly Commended, Wagga Wagga National Emerging Glass Prize, Wagga Wagga Art Gallery, NSW
2020  Thomas Foundation Artist in Residence, Canberra Glassworks, ACT
2020  National assistance program for the arts grant, Sidney Myer Fund & The Myer Foundation, Sydney
2020  Finalist, MilanoVetro -35 prize, Sforza Castle – Museum of Decorative Arts, Milan, Italy
2020  Finalist, Heysen Prize for landscape, Hahndorf Academy, SA
2019  Winner, Vicki Torr Emerging Artist Art Prize, Ausglass, www.ausglass.com.au
2020  Finalist, Tom Bass Figurative Sculpture Prize, Juniper Hall, Paddington, NSW
2019  Finalist, Gallery M Contemporary Art Prize, Gallery M, SA
2019  Finalist, Pro Hart Art Prize, Broken Hill Regional Art Gallery, Broken Hill, NSW
2019  Carclew Project and Development grant to attend international glass conference     in Whanganui, New Zealand

Selected Group Exhibitions

2022  Trust: A generous legacy, Hamilton Regional Gallery, VIC
2022  Glass Chrysalis, Wagga Wagga Art Gallery, Wagga Wagga, NSW
2022  Spring Song, Grainger Gallery, Canberra, ACT
2022  Modern Antiquity, Fletcher Arts, Melbourne, Victoria
2022  Nascent Glass, JamFactory, Adelaide, South Australia
2022  Melbourne Design Fair (Craft Victoria) as part of Melbourne Design Week, Victoria
2021  Shaped, Craft Victoria, Melbourne, Victoria
2021  Future Inheritance: 20 Speculative objects for a time to come, Melbourne Design Week, VIC
2020  This is now, Grainger Gallery, Canberra, ACT
2020  Vi Naturae, joint exhibition with Rita Kellaway, Urban Cow Gallery, SA

Education & Professional development

2022  Master of Design (Contemporary Art), University of South Australia
2021  Pattern making and bowls with Ben Edols, Jamfactory, South Australia
2019  Form + Color with Boyd Sugiki and Lisa Zerkowitz, Corning Museum of Glass, USA
2018  Graduate Diploma of Design (Contemporary Art), University of South Australia
2018  Colouring in the fundamentals with Lewis Batchelar and Madeline Prowd, Pilchuck Glass School, Washington, USA
2018  Tumblers: simple perfection with Powell Scott Corning Museum of Glass, New York, USA
2014  Master of Marketing, University of South Australia

Public & private collections

2022  The Museum of Applied Arts & Sciences (Powerhouse)
2022  National Gallery of Victoria
2022  Hamilton Regional Art Gallery
2022  Parliament House Art Collection
2022  Australia Catholic University collection
2021 National Gallery of Victoria

Publications

2022  New Glass Review 42 magazine, Corning Museum of Glass, New York
2022  Contemporary Australian Glass, The Tom Malone Prize 2018-2022, AGWA, WA
2021  National Gallery of Victoria Magazine Nov-Dec issue
2020  New Glass Review 41 magazine, Corning Museum of Glass, New York