Clay and Wood Art by Jacob Jackson
About Makai
Makai is a Hawaiian word that means towards the sea or seaward. For as long as I can remember I have been obsessed with the ocean. I was born and raised in Hawaii on the Northeast shore of the island of Oahu. I have a deep love for the ocean and land in Hawaii. I surf and swim as often as I can and when I'm too tired to get into the ocean I love to sit and watch the water. I also spend a lot of time in the mountains. To say that all of my work is inspired exclusively by the ocean and mountains of Hawaii would be putting it too simply, but the beach and forest are the single biggest influences on my aesthetic choices. I love it when the glaze and clay interact with each other the way water and land do. I'm not always interested in literally reproducing what I see in nature; photography is better for that. I want to find colors, textures and forms that capture those elements of the natural world that are compelling to me. I love philosophy, aesthetics, art history, and theology but I leave that out of most of the work I sell because I want to keep my expressions simple and accessible. With the work that I sell my aim is to share what I think is beautiful with you. I want to preserve an uncomplicated appreciation for beauty in my work.
This piece was propped sideways on top of sea shells during the glaze firing. I glazed it extra thick so that the melted glaze would run when it got hot. It's exciting to open the kiln and see what happened during the firing.
About me
Hi, I'm Jake. My full name is Jacob Keoki Jackson, but everyone calls me Jake so that's how I sign my art. I try to keep my work as close to who I really am as I can and that's why I sign it with the name my friends call me. I live in Laie, Hawaii with my wife Mariah and my four kids Amaya, Mozely, Taiyo and Harmon. We spend a lot of time in the mountains and ocean here.
I earned an MFA in ceramics from the University of Hawaii in 2004 and have taught ceramics and sculpture at several different schools around here ever since then. Right now I teach art full time at BYU-Hawaii. I've been doing ceramics since I was a freshman in high school back in the early 90s. I've been working with wood for a while too, but not quite as long. While I can identify the dates when I first started learning particular techniques in ceramics or wood working, my fascination with wood and clay goes back as far as I can remember. That earliest fascination is still what drives me the most when I'm making art today.
The copper green rings around the spots on this plate are crystals that grew during the firing. Planned crystal growth often plays a big role in my designs.
Koa gets more attention than the other Hawaiian hard woods even though there are others that are at least equally beautiful. The bowl above was made with Kamani wood and the one below is made from Milo. Milo and Kamani are hard wood trees that grow closer to the ocean than Koa.
We found this old piano while exploring and taking pictures on the North Shore.
This is me and my son Taiyo. We love hiking and swimming together.
This is my son Mozely as a newborn.
It's worth ditching the plastic stuff that most people have and replacing it with useable art because functional art turns the mundane activities in your life into aesthetic experiences. I think it's important to take small moments each day and appreciate beauty. I want my work to help you do that.
