Clay and Wood Art by Jacob Jackson
About Makai
Makai is a Hawaiian word that means the ocean or by the sea. 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 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. To say that all of my work is inspired exclusively by the ocean would be putting too simply, but the beach is the single biggest influence 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 interested in literally reproducing what I see at the beach; photography is better for that. I want to find colors, textures and forms that capture those elements of the beach 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 work. 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 Hawaii with my three kids Amaya, Mozely and Taiyo. 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. I've been doing ceramics since high school. I won't tell you what year that was, but lets just say MC Hammer had his second big hit when I started doing ceramics. 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.
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.
