Janet Jacquin Clifford
Bio
Janet is a multidisciplinary/ ceramic artist based in Parkville, Missouri, whose work explores the intersection of memory, emotion, and the natural world. With a background in both fine art and pharmacy, she blends traditional techniques with contemporary experimentation to create pieces that are both intimate and evocative.
Her visual language is rooted in texture, color, and storytelling-often drawing inspiration from Midwest values, personal histories, and the quiet tension between stillness and movement. Primarily working in clay, but also exploring mixed media and fabric, Janet creates faces and shapes that invite viewers to pause, reflect and connect.
Janet’s education in pharmacy informs her artistic process with a unique sensitivity to detail, balance, and the human experience. Her visual arts practice continues to evolve, embracing imperfection and spontaneity as essential elements of creation. She believes art can brighten the day and offer joy without the burden of making a statement. To enjoy the moment is enough.
Her work is found in private collections and continues to resonate with those seeking beauty in the everyday.
Artist Statement
Clay is my language of transformation. As a ceramic sculptor, I begin with a blank surface—an untouched plane of possibility. But unlike other mediums, I don’t just design on the surface—I create the surface itself. Every curve, texture, and contour is shaped by hand, built from nothing into something that holds presence and meaning.
My work often centers around faces and geometric forms—archetypes that feel both universal and intimate. I’m especially drawn to the element of concealment: lids that aren’t immediately obvious. A hat might lift to reveal a hidden chamber, a cheekbone might mask a hollow. These sculptural secrets invite viewers to look closer, to engage with the piece beyond its surface. What can be hidden in plain sight, under a lid? A memory, a message, a mystery waiting to be discovered.
Clay remembers every touch, every hesitation, every intention. It begins soft and yielding, yet demands commitment—once fired, it holds its final form with quiet authority. I’m drawn to this tension between fragility and permanence, chaos and control.
I often leave surfaces raw or imperfect, allowing cracks, fingerprints, and asymmetry to speak. These marks are not flaws—they are evidence of process, of presence, of time. Each piece is a meditation on resilience. I’m fascinated by how clay, like people, can be shaped by pressure, fractured by heat, and still emerge whole.
Through my work, I invite viewers to engage not just with the object, but with the story it carries: one of transformation, vulnerability, and quiet strength.
Exhibitions
