Veneda "Hayley" Jane is an experimental ceramics artist based in Hamilton, Ontario. She found ceramics after the death of her father and has used it to express her grief, pain, and hope ever since. She looks to the methods and function of early civilization pottery to inspire her modern pieces. Currently working with incorporating her crochet ability into her ceramic work, she strives to infuse her style with significant parts of her past. There is one adjective that the artist strives to express through everything she makes and that adjective is "weird."
As a sufferer of early-onset major depressive disorder Veneda has struggled with conventional education institutions that weren't equipped to handle her disability. Because of this, she is passionate about merging education with art, exploration, and play in a relaxed and positive environment. She hopes to become an advocate for children that learn in different ways and need encouragement and support to thrive. A lack of formal education in art has not stopped her from pursuing it. She is currently working on a project inspired by her rescue dog, Frankie, that she hopes will entertain people of all ages and foster an early love of sculpture and ceramics.
A few of the artists that inspire her are Hitomi Hosono, Christopher Reid Flock, Yayoi Kusama, Shary Boyle, Claire Curneen, Porky Heffer and Bethany Krull.
Profile pic by Marta Hewson Photography