- Date started working in metal clay:
- 1997
- Certified: (what clay, year and with whom)
- Not certified
- Accomplished at what media in addition to metal clay:
- Metal fabrication
- Website and short bio:
http://www.hadarjacobson.com
http://www.artinsilver.com - I grew up in Israel. Graduated with a master’s degree in literature. For 15 years I worked in a distance-learning university where I acquired some writing and publishing skills. Metal fabrication was my hobby, although with no formal education in that area. In 1997 I moved with my husband and 3 kids to the San Francisco Bay Area. While looking for new metal and tool suppliers I found out about silver clay from a catalog. Both coming to a new country and finding a new medium started a new life for me. It’s true that life begins at forty (and then again at fifty).
- Do you have a muse?
- Not a muse exactly, but something that Martha Graham said is always posted on my bulletin board.
- “You do not even have to believe in yourself or your work. You have to keep open and aware directly to the urges that motivate you. Keep the channel open… no artist is pleased… There is no satisfaction whatever at anytime… only a blessed unrest that keeps us marching and makes us more alive…”
- What is currently on your bench/workspace?
- I have three main work spaces: my bench, my photography setup, and my computer. Over the years, making jewelry and teaching have become inseparable. I got used to taking photos of every step in every project that I do. Sometimes the photos turn into a teaching project; sometimes they don’t. At my computer space I process the photos, and write the projects and my books. I also spend about 2 hours a day there answering emails. This is the “tech support” part of my work, which I regard as a very important part of my job. It also gives me a chance to reconnect with people that I meet at workshops.
- What project/direction are you working on now?
- When only silver clay was available, I was fascinated by textures and architecture. The main page of my website shows a “city” of rings, which I had completed over a a period of five months. When base metal clay became available, I got distracted with color patterns. I am now trying to combine architectural structures with patterns of color. All my work spaces are filled with sample pieces that I am about to teach in the coming year.
- I have also started to make bigger pieces, as the “room” in the photo. I am intrigued by the idea of making pieces other then jewelry.
- How much time do you average at the bench per week?
- I usually work 10-12 hours a day. Sometimes I don’t leave the bench for days, and sometimes I am more pre-occupied with writing. I am often asked “Do you ever sleep?”, and the answer is yes, actually I sleep a lot.
- What’s the average time you spend on a piece?
- It depends on how complex it is. It could be hours, with firing time in between, or days. I love working on pieces that involve a long process. I so enjoy the feel and the colors of the clays, both wet and dry, that sometimes I just take my time. And sometimes they look so pretty before they are fired that I leave them unfired for a few days so I can look at them some more. This is the only medium that makes me feel satisfied with both the process and the end result.
- Do you sell your work? and where?
- I used to sell it at arts and crafts fairs and at galleries. I am pretty much burnt out with that. Most of you know how hard it is. Now my work is mostly on my online store, but I don’t do anything to promote sales. Being a teacher became such a dominant part of me that I regard my pieces mostly as samples and candidates for projects. It makes me very happy and proud, though, to hear from people who succeed in selling pieces that were inspired by my teaching.
- Where do you get your new ideas?
- It could be anything. Sometimes it’s an image, and sometimes it’s weird stuff that I find in recycle stores – objects that I have no idea what they are or what they are used for, but they seem to have some potential as shapes, molds, or just inspiration. Junk is what I collect. It can sit at my studio for years until I find a use for it. I am also addicted to browsing through catalogs. I discover tools that teach me techniques I’ve never known about, and that can end up with an idea for a piece.
- Do you keep a sketchbook and how do you organize it?
- I keep many sketch books and they are all over the place. No order whatsoever. I sketch something as soon as I think of it since I already know that the next moment it’s going to slip my mind, so I use whatever is close at hand – a notebook, a post-it note, or a tissue. You should see the desktop of my computer. Hardly anything is filed, everything is on there so I can find it.
- How do you rejuvenate your creativity?
- Creativity takes many forms. Sometimes the availability of a certain material makes me think of a piece of art, and sometimes the idea of a certain piece drives me to create the material. This is how I got into manufacturing metal clay. I’ve always loved mixed metals, and as much as I love silver, I always wanted to combine it with other metals. So I tried to figure it out. And most of what I do in my work is trying to figure things out. Making materials and tools, finding techniques, turning a design into a tangible object – they all involve a never-ending process of problem solving. That’s what keep my mind working. And I must say that my ongoing dialogue with students is a precious source of inspiration.
- What would your perfect creative day be like?
- A perfect creative day would start with having been able to solve someone’s firing problem; it would continue with working on a favorite piece, and end with some pieces in the kiln and an idea for another piece. I would then go to sleep looking forward to the morning, to see the fired pieces and start the new project.
I have been working with copper clay with Lara in Australia. Lara talks about Hadar a lot, so it was so good to have more information about Hadar and her work.
it is good to read that someone can be so accomplished and respected and not certified. I love Hadar’s work. Her website is one in my Favorites list.
Martha Graham was among my earliest artistic muses. Therefore, chancing upon Hadar Jacobsen’s “muse-quotation” was particularly meaningful to me. To think that an artist so undenyably talented and prolific could doubt herself –indeed, knew she would always doubt herself, but forged on in spite of doubt– was at once nearly unbelievable and then, of course, entirely comforting. Thank you, Ms. Jacobsen. You, too, are an inspiration to many of us.
This is such an insight into Hadar and her process. Her organic approach to her work and her work space is encouraging. After taking a workshop from her in Dallas, I fell in love with her giving heart and gentle soul. This just reinforces my feelings. Thanks to Hadar for her personal sharing and to Tonya for passing it along to all of us.
Thank you Tonya,
I can’t wait to do Hadar’s class. Wish you were there too!
Sandi
Wow! What a talented lady. i had wanted to try PMC for quite awhile and finally got to try it last month. it was love at first sight. i hope to be able to play with it more this year.
Hadar is the real deal! I spent a week in her studio last year, and she lives and breathes all aspects of metal clay. She does amazing work.