by Christina Xan
Jasper Galleries has been entering the new year with a bang, seeing openings and transitions at all six of its locations. The first show went up on the morn of the very first day of 2025: Betsy Kaemmerlen’s show on Jasper’s virtual space, Tiny Gallery.
Above Kaemmerlen’s home studio is the phrase “We exist to revere the great spirit of life and enjoy all the beauty of its expression,” and her work truly encapsulates this. Working with clay since 1994, her pottery is a marriage of imagery from the natural world and her own invented organic patterns.
Having studied gardens in Kyoto, Japan, for five months in the late 70s, Asian motifs proliferate her work—like the ginkgo leaves often seen on her pottery—alongside Celtic motifs pressed through hand-carved roller stamps. Much of this comes from her own experience as a landscape architect as well as pottery workshops taken with figures including Amy Sanders and Elaine Coleman.
To create her rich textures and decorations, Kaemmerlen uses a variety of clay types but prefers porcelain, which she says beautifully shows the color of glazes like celadon. Much of her inspiration comes from the origins of pottery itself when clay was used to protect cooking baskets and the baskets’ weaving impression remained after being placed in the fire. This “gives a piece both tactile and visual interest” with “transparent glazes pooling in the depths.”
This richness can be seen throughout this Tiny Gallery show, from wood-grain vases and wrapped clay appearing like cloth to crested bugs and bejeweled cups. Jewel-toned ceruleans, jades, and vermillion swirl across this collection of pieces.
Kaemmerlen’s show will be online until the final day of January, and the works are available for local pickup at the artist’s Columbia home. Peruse the work via Tiny Gallery online.