The ceramic craftsmanship of Jan Hoyman and Douglas Browe immediately transcends one’s imagination from allusions of Old World Europe to the impressions of the Ukiah Valley in Northern California. Their work is a creative collaboration that includes all the aspects of creating functional earthenware. “My work with Doug is collaborative. I am a decorator at this time but our work is based on interaction between two potters and clay,” says Jan Hoyman. The two artists have a long history of working together including apprenticeships and work extending across the Atlantic to Great Britain and beyond.
The three pieces of earthenware that are displayed here at the office exhibit the essential forms of the Hoyman-Browe studio. Doug Browe explains what intrigues him about creating their works of art, “What seduced me originally was the power of their presence juxtaposed with the simple humanity of their decoration. What has held me is the generosity of information, that free honest offering of emotion, by use of easily accessible imagery and form.”
The Hoyman-Browe Studio is centered on functional art. Not only do the artists find joy in seeing their pottery used in the act of serving food, but they also take inspiration for their decorative pieces from the joyful interaction of giving. The culmination is a celebration of food, wine, and the people who enjoy their work.
Congressman Thompson has three large plates in his DC office, which he uses for display as well as serving. For more information about Hoyman-Browe Studio, visit their Web site. Return to Art Collection.
