Laura Jenels

Laura Jenels (she/her) is a ceramics artist  living and working in Asheville, North Carolina. Originally from Illinois. After completing her Bachelor’s degree in fine arts From Alfred University in 2022, Laura has continued to pursue her passion for creating pottery and exploring illustrations. Her work explores themes of identity, consumerism and nostalgia through the human figure and color.

Bright colors, busy patterns and figural drawings draw the eye in and around the surface of my pottery forms; the vessel is the vehicle that carries my narrative. References and symbols significant to my experience as a bi-racial woman, construct identity and inspire my illustrations. Often deeply personal I build a vocabulary of painted images inspired by lived experiences turned into dreamscapes. Themes of women's health, Catholicism, and food are recurrent. This work celebrates a return to a more optimistic and playful space.