Art and Art History

Jessica Sanders

Title: Adjunct Instructor
Department: Art and Art History
Building: ARC 139
Email: jsanders@uttyler.edu
Phone: 903.566.7250

Degrees

B.F.A. Studio Art, University of Texas at Tyler
M.A./M.F.A. Studio Art, University of Texas at Tyler

Biography

Jessica Sanders is a ceramic artist based in Tyler, TX. Sanders work is made up of ceramic pieces that are wired together to create flexible sculptures. She received her Associates in Art at Tyler Junior College in 2015, her B.F.A at the University of Texas at Tyler in 2017, and her M.F.A and M.A. at the University of Texas at Tyler in 2020. She is currently a member at Inbetween Studios, in Tyler, TX, where she has a studio space. She is also apart of a four woman ceramic art collective called The ASGs . Some recent shows include Behind the Pine Curtain at Mighty Fine Gallery in Dallas TX, Same Sky: An ASG Exhibition and solo exhibitions at Tyler Junior College and Bossier Parish Community College.

Research Statement
My work is a building of shape. How shape stacks and interacts with itself, and how it can be pushed beyond that. A square can be stacked or tessellated infinitely, but the perception of it being stacked is changed when it becomes three-dimensional, and then when it has been folded or bunched up, or layered. Color, texture, and surface patterns help to break up the repetition of the shape being tessellated. It stops being just a pattern and becomes an object.

These tessellations are made from small ceramic pieces that are wired together making flexible sheets, that I then manipulate. Color is a very prominent part of the work: color play, color combination, and in some instances an over stimulation of color. I find these colors by using a variety of clay bodies including porcelain, stoneware, and terra cotta, and also using colored stains. 

The use of clay is important to me in my work, for several reasons, it is sturdy and will hopefully hold up over the years. I am also really intrigued by the concept of vitrification. Clay starts out as this malleable substance that can be formed into something, then when fired it becomes that thing. It is stone and unchangeable, the closest thing you can do to reform it is to break it. Knowing that, I am even more interested in these vitrified pieces I have made that I have now found a way to make moveable again.

Curriculum Vitae Jessica Sanders