– CATALOGUE ESSAY: JANET FIELDHOUSE – HARVEST

In Zenadth Kes/Torres Strait Islands cultural charms had many traditional uses, most were very personal and made for ceremony or religious use. Sculptured garden charms were one type popularly carved out of wood in the shape of male human figures in profile. Painted with bright natural pigments they were used to encourage good plant growth when lodged nearby. Other smaller individual charms were made to ward off and repel evil spirits or for love to draw in affections. For Kala Lagaw Ya and Meriam Mer artist Janet Fieldhouse her new ceramic full bodied, genderless charms are made only for good and positivity.

Janet Fieldhouse |
Little Sister
2023
buff raku trachyte, cool ice, raffia, wire
48 x 51 x 30 cm
Image by Simon Anderson Photography
Janet Fieldhouse portrait
Image courtesy of Jacquie Manning

As a woman of clay, Janet’s cultural knowledge, connection and representation in her earthly works are deeply personal and strongly connected to her identity. Her masterly use and combination of buff raku and cool ice ceramics combined with different firing techniques and adornment, position her works uniquely as her own. Since 2020 she has been exploring a different human charm form with some early versions shown in the long water: fibre stories exhibition at the IMA in Meanjin/Brisbane and the RITUAL: the past in the present exhibition at Cairns Art Gallery, Gimuy/Cairns in 2021. Also, in 2021 her Never the Same exhibition at Vivien Anderson Gallery alluded to the individualism of the new charm works she created for it. In this showing she improved the form again and added feathers to her woven headdress or skirt adornments, thereby culturally rendering her contemporary forms.

Janet Fieldhouse |
Fish Charm
2023
buff raku trachyte, raffia, wire
95 x 47 x 35 cm
Image by Mick Bell Photography
$18,000
Janet Fieldhouse |
Digging Tools Basket
2023
buff raku trachyte, cool ice, raffia, wire
43 x 36 x 12 cm
Image by Mick Bell Photography
$7,500
Janet Fieldhouse |
Fish Basket
2023
buff raku trachyte, raffia, wire
53 x 42 x 12 cm
Image by Mick Bell Photography
$7,500
Janet Fieldhouse |
Wild Honey Basket
2023
buff raku trachyte, raffia, wire
49 x 30 x 12 cm
Image by Mick Bell Photography
$7,000
Janet Fieldhouse |
Yam Basket
2023
buff raku trachyte, feathers, raffia, wire, wood
87 x 40 x 47 cm
Image by Mick Bell Photography
$9,000
Janet Fieldhouse |
Pendant
2023
buff raku trachyte, feathers, raffia
106 x 71 x 23.5 cm
Image by Mick Bell Photography
$6,000
Janet Fieldhouse |
Clam
2023
buff raku trachyte, raffia
83 x 40 x 13.5 cm
Image by Mick Bell Photography
$4,800
Janet Fieldhouse |
Sea
2023
buff raku trachyte, raffia
135 x 67 x 34 cm
Image by Mick Bell Photography
$6,000
Janet Fieldhouse |
Fishing Net
2023
buff raku trachyte, feathers, raffia, wire
82 x 53 x 14 cm
Image by Mick Bell Photography
$4,200
Janet Fieldhouse |
Shark Dance
2023
buff raku trachyte, raffia, wood, feathers
51 x 53 x 3 cm
Image by Mick Bell Photography
$2,800
Janet Fieldhouse |
Shark Dance 2
2023
buff raku trachyte, raffia, wood, feathers
50 x 53 x 3 cm
Image by Mick Bell Photography
$2,800
Janet Fieldhouse |
Dancing
2023
buff raku trachyte, raffia, wood, feathers
50 x 50 x 3 cm
Image by Mick Bell Photography
$2,800
Janet Fieldhouse |
Dancing 2
2023
buff raku trachyte, raffia, wood, feathers
50 x 50 x 3 cm
Image by Mick Bell Photography
$2,800
Janet Fieldhouse |
Dancing 3
2023
buff raku trachyte, cool ice, chocolate brown, raffia, wood, feathers
50 x 50 x 3 cm
Image by Mick Bell Photography
$2,800
Janet Fieldhouse |
Dancing 4
2023
buff raku trachyte, raffia, wood, feathers
50 x 50 x 3 cm
Image by Mick Bell Photography
$2,800
Janet Fieldhouse |
Dancing 5
2023
buff raku trachyte, cool ice, chocolate brown, raffia, wood, feathers
56 x 56 x 3 cm
Image by Mick Bell Photography
$2,800
Janet Fieldhouse |
Dancing 6
2023
buff raku trachyte, cool ice, raffia, wood, feathers
56 x 56 x 3 cm
Image by Mick Bell Photography
$2,800
Janet Fieldhouse |
Turtle Dance 1
2023
buff raku trachyte, raffia, feathers
80 x 80 x 3 cm
Image by Amy Boyd
$2,800
Janet Fieldhouse |
Turtle Dance 2
2023
buff raku trachyte, raffia, feathers
60 x 60 x 3 cm
Image by Amy Boyd
$2,000
Janet Fieldhouse |
Bird Dance 1
2023
buff raku trachyte, raffia, feathers
80 x 34 x 2.5 cm
Image by Amy Boyd
$2,800
Janet Fieldhouse |
Bird Dance 2
2023
buff raku trachyte, raffia, feathers
70 x 69 x 4 cm
Image by Amy Boyd
$2,800
Janet Fieldhouse |
Shark Teeth Dance 1
2023
buff raku trachyte, cool ice
24 x 23 x 2 cm
Image by Amy Boyd
$2,000
Janet Fieldhouse |
Shark Teeth Dance 2
2023
buff raku trachyte, cool ice
21 x 14.5 x 2 cm
Image by Amy Boyd
$1,800

My work is an expression of my Torres Strait Islander Strait Islander heritage: the material culture, rituals of social and religious life, and artefacts which are created to fulfil the functional and spiritual needs of the peoples of the Torres Straits.”

— Janet Fieldhouse

Early in her practice abstract form and balance focussing on baskets, bowls, scarification and pendants were key to her creations. Since then, she has continued to explore, experiment, and refine different representations of these works. In her latest ceramic charm explorations, she has been working with a paired back, more minimalist but fuller-bodied larger human body shape. For these she again physically and conceptually pushed and pulled the new figures, completing them with culturally inspired but newly imagined woven basket and chest pendant adornments. Accompanying them in the show are other dark baskets with white woven handles and additionally some paler coloured, felt embellished, engraved flat tile wall hangings that look at the environment, the landscape, mangroves, and trees. These new tile wall hangings are a return to her early TAFE lino carving days.

From the beginning the body and head shapes of her figures along with bespoke adornment of feathers and weavings have provided Janet with innumerable possible charms configurations, each individualised and unique. These personable and endearing charms honour their cultural intent through exceptional contemporary representations. These new works elevate her cultural knowledge and connection, reinforce her identity and re-imagine traditional practice.

Collectively these goodwill charms, traditional basketry forms and contemporary tile storyboards showcase the richness of Janet’s masterly ceramic practice.

 

TINA BAUM

Janet Fieldhouse |
Little Sister (Verso)
2023
buff raku trachyte, cool ice, raffia, wire
48 x 51 x 30 cm
Image by Simon Anderson Photography
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