Select a region
She might spend her days making sea-themed ceramic treats, but today one local artist is turning her creative eye to what cod be done batter in the island.
Jane James' dream was to have her own company and spend her days "playing with clay and making ceramics." After moving to Jersey in 2007, she was able to make it a reality, and has since crafted thousands of handmade fish, boats and birds.
This weekend she'll be sharing her new studio space at Commercial Buildings with fellow local artists and crafters for the Handmade Christmas Fair, where she promises "a wonderful Christmas feel with lots of decorations, Christmas tunes, free mulled wine and mince pies."
For Express, she left preparations for the fair aside long enough to consider how she would improve Jersey. She didn't find it easy, though. "I love Jersey and there isn’t much I would want to change about it. I feel incredibly lucky to have been able to move here so finding five things i want to change has been a thought provoking exercise. Here's what she had to say...
I love walking our beautiful beaches to collect driftwood and to get lots of inspiration for my coastal art. I believe our beaches are some of the cleanest in the UK but I do still find a fair amount of plastic and rubbish on the shore line when I am out hunting for driftwood.
Pictured: Jane says she very often finds litter on the beach while looking for driftwood.
As we are all now aware, this can have devastating effects on the ocean, so I would like to see a lot more effort put into keeping rubbish out of our seas and off our beaches.
There are too many cars causing too much air pollution on this small island. Because of our size, Jersey could be a world leader in the wide-scale adoption of electric cars and bicycles.
Pictured: Jane would like to see Jersey embrace electric cars.
I would love to see all motor vehicles become electric. Can you imagine the reduction in noise and pollution? It would be amazing.
As an artist and small business owner, I would like to see more support for small businesses from the government.
Pictured: Jane wishes the government did more to support and encourage entrepreneurs in Jersey.
Genuine Jersey and Jersey Business do a great job but things like Social Security contributions for self-employed people are very high. In the UK, self-employed people pay less contributions than employed encouraging entrepreneurism, in Jersey it is the opposite.
This year, it was wonderful to see St. Aubin's Bay not being as covered in green sea lettuce as it has been for the past few years. I would like to see the nitrate levels continue to fall and for St. Aubin's Bay to be clear every year.
Pictured: A little less sea lettuce and a little bit more sand in the bay, says Jane.
If we could keep the bay's sands as clean and beautiful as they are before the green sludge arrives in July, it would give Bondi a run for its money!
The Jersey Arts Centre, ArtHouse Jersey and the Jersey Opera House - to name a few - all rely on support from the public and government in order to support and promote local arts. Our culture and heritage come from our values and beliefs and help create Jersey's identity.
Pictured: Supporting the arts, culture and local heritage is good for everyone according to Jane.
It is vital that we preserve these and also encourage the development of new arts. By doing this, we would be giving something to locals and visitors alike and that is good for everyone.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and not Bailiwick Express.
Comments
Comments on this story express the views of the commentator only, not Bailiwick Publishing. We are unable to guarantee the accuracy of any of those comments.