Jesse and Kinsey Lane met at high school over lunch! Now married, and together for 16 years, they have developed their independent passions, and both are actively teaching and creating in their unique artistic fields.
I met with Jesse and Kinsey in their palatial “Woodland Lane Ceramics” studio, a purpose-built space where Kinsey works on her signature stoneware creations, as well as teaching around 60 students per week. Her work consists of wheel-thrown ceramics, which she demonstrated during my visit, making something I know to be difficult, look incredibly easy!
Kinsey’s luminary work is exceptional, after throwing the vessel on the wheel, she meticulously cuts and removes sections of the “walls” creating open shapes for light to shine through. She tells me, “A lot of my work is about nature, especially trees, my luminary pieces are about light and shadow. What’s cool about these is that when you put a candle inside, they cast a shadow, they cast a shape all around, and it stems from the artwork.”
Saggar work is another favorite, saggar is a finishing method for ceramic pieces using unexpected materials which make shapes and marks on the surface of the pot. In these pieces, Kinsey uses various materials, including steel wool, peanut butter, coffee grounds, seaweed and salt. “I use peanut butter, applied in a spiral”, the spiral is a constant in her work, and it can usually be found on the base.
Kinseys ceramic works are available for purchase at Tartaglia Gallery in The Woodlands.
Classes and information are available at www.woodlandlaneceramics.com.
Where Kinsey, loves the experimentation and science of her process, Jesse works in 2D and has a different approach to his practice.
Working in colored pencil, his work is methodical, intricately detailed and concise. After completing his first piece, a water portrait of Kinsey, in what is now his defining look, he has become known for his water-inspired portraits of intimate moments pertaining to the self and romantic relationships. The movement of water flowing across faces and figures results in trickles, drips and planes of contrasting light across the body, Jesse also draws figures completely immersed in the ocean, cocooned in their love for each other and oblivious to everything else. Working in a realistic, hyperrealistic style, Jesse's work has a dreamlike quality which he describes as imaginative realism, concluding in a blend of imagination and realism.
“I’m always trying to create private moments, where the person is within their own thoughts….In my ocean pieces, a lot of them are about falling in love, and I’ve referenced the ocean as it’s like this fantasy place, this magical place, it’s weightless, it’s kind of the one fantasy place in the world that we all know exists, there’s no gravity, on the other hand, it’s very dangerous, and we’re out of our element, we’re stepping out into the unknown, it’s very dangerous and very magical simultaneously, and whatever it is, you’re in it. You’re in it, over your head, and so that’s how I parallel love with the ocean.” He tells me.
Holbein and Prismacolor colored pencils are among the brands that Jesse uses, as they are wax-based. He has also worked with Derwent and two drawings of Kinsey adorn the boxes for Derwent Lightfast Colored Pencils.
The winner of countless awards recognized nationally and internationally, Jesse is represented exclusively by RJD Gallery in Michigan, who offer original pieces and prints of his work for purchase.
If you are interested in learning his techniques, he teaches workshops around the country as well as providing a wide selection of tutorials on his website –
https://www.jesselaneart.com
When asked about their creative mantra, both Jesse and Kinsey said “Never, ever, ever give up”.
"I’m always trying to create private moments, where the person is within their own thoughts"
