In South-African born Jane du Rand’s 27 years of practicing as an artist, her versatility has extended to the decadent walls of an Irish castle, the urban buildings of Bondi Junction and the columns of a primary school in Queensland. Formerly trained as an architect, her brilliantly-hued ceramic and mosaic pieces merge seamlessly into their residential and commercial backdrops. du Rand captures the diversity of scale in her art best – “my largest installation on the side of a building was 400 square metres… while I am also happy making tiny bird sculptures.”
First introduced to ceramics at the Michaelis School of Art at the University of Cape Town, du Rand has since mastered her medium from her Brisbane studio, exploring innovative approaches to working with ceramics. “I do not work with ceramics in a traditional way, but rather make up pieces and assemble them, often including glass mosaic or using fibreglass or fibre cement structural elements,” she explains.
The global acclaim she has garnered for her art is no doubt reflective of her range and expansive skillset. “I work primarily with clay, and glass mosaics, but I also draw and paint.” du Rand approaches commissioned artwork by interpreting the brief provided by her clients before planning the design. “I produce detailed drawings for approval,” she describes. “These are mostly hand drawn watercolours, but sometimes I produce a computer rendering if the project calls for the approach.”
The process is lengthy and meticulous. “I will source the colours and textures of ceramic and glass mosaic tiles that work for the project and then hundreds and thousands of small mosaic pieces then need to be cut and stuck into place,” she says. Each of the ceramic pieces are handmade, glazed, fired, and strategically placed before the work is installed.
Whether it’s her smaller-scale ceramic sculptural work and lively underglazed birds for Artisans in the Gardens at the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney, or lustrous murals abroad, du Rand’s pieces are rich with natural iconography. “I am inspired by the world around me, especially by the natural world. When I am not in the studio my passion is bushwalking and hiking.”
Her immersion in the flora and fauna of distinct landscapes around her is reflected in her work, which is sculpturally evocative of early natural history illustrations and diorama displays in museums during the Victorian era.
du Rand is currently working on multiple projects, including an expansive ceramic and mosaic mural for a private home, a design proposal for a public art project in Ipswich, a ceramic sculpture for a competition and a large solo exhibition at the Ipswich Art Gallery, Brisbane set to open on 4 March 2023.
Featured image: Artist Jane du Rand in her studio. photo: Kalyanii Holden. Courtesy: the artist.