Jan Igaki

Jan Igaki

Ferally Normal Clayworks

“Why stay on the sidewalk when you can play barefoot in the grass?”

Jan Igaki loves clay - the moist, earthy smell, the silken, buttery texture of porcelain, the rough sandpapery feel of stoneware. She also loves pottery – the structure, and the science, but mostly the sheer joy of playing in the mud. Jan strives to be ferally normal, to keep inside the freedom of walking barefoot through rich mud after a rain. She tries to keep the wild, innocent, wonderstruck parts of her true self alive and well, while integrating what she’s learned as “sensible.” Jan takes her inspiration from day-to-day life: digging her toes in the mud of the foothills of the Rockies, studying the colors and patterns of the natural world, and the body language and facial expressions of her dogs and cats.

Jan Igaki grew up in Illinois, moved to southern California for graduate school, and then relocated to Loveland, Colorado where she and her husband currently reside. She and her husband Hideharu are professional clay artists. Jan Igaki has walked away from her profession as a scientist in an immunochemistry lab for a major biotech company to pursue life’s adventures and her passion for molding clay into works of art. Jan’s journey began with muddling around with several different artistic media only to settle on clay. The artist is inspired by the universe, family, friends and her pets…perhaps that’s why her clay creations are ferally normal.