Lichen Lassies by Jessica Bromley Bartram
Artist Statement
All of my personal artwork is in some way inspired by nature, and often specifically inspired by the ecosystem that surrounds my family’s cottage on Georgian Bay. We’re on a wild outer island and generally have a minimal impact on our surroundings, allowing the plants, fungi, and animals of the island to live their lives alongside ours. I’ve long been fascinated by the intricate structures of fungi and lichen, and wishing I was small enough to nestle into a mound of lush green moss or stroll amongst the gnome’s goblets is a recurring thought that’s turned into a recurring theme in my art.
These ceramic Lichen Lassies are the latest iteration of this wish, both decorating themselves with the beautiful structures of lichen, mushroom, mosses, and fungus, and being small enough to hunker down amongst the mosses for a serene nap. I started making them in my home studio in Ottawa this past late winter/early spring, which is usually when my longing to be up on the island and immersed in nature really starts to intensify.
It was a joyful experience to bring these pure expressions of my love and longing for this place, my heart’s home, up with me when we were finally able to travel there, photograph them in the place that inspired them, and see how perfectly they settled into the environment.
Jessica Bromley Bartram is an illustrator, graphic designer, potter, and writer (listed in no particular order) who lives in Ottawa with her partner Ian and beagle-esque dog Eleanor. She’s released a collection of illustrated short stories called Ghost Water Kiss with Popnoir Editions and has illustrated three picture books with Fitzhenry & Whiteside, her most recent being Water Water, which she also wrote and is yet another piece of art inspired by Georgian Bay. You can see more of her work at jessicabartram.ca and explore her new pottery/art shop at heywitch.bigcartel.com.