Storyteller Jan Blake and Ceramic Artist Carren Clarke explore their mutual fascination with African folklore.

In April 2018, Jan received a FB message from ceramic artist Carren Clarke. “I love your storytelling! You have inspired me in my studio. Thank you so much.” Aside from feeling honoured to have received such a message, Jan was curious to see what kind of work she was inspiring.

Artwork: Carren Clarke

Carren Carke’s work is beautiful and powerful. Drawing on African myth and legends and African American folklore, she has produced a dazzling array of ceramic pieces. From vessels to crockery, stand alone sculptures, pendants and brooches, her work is breathtaking, her methodology, rooted in the ceramic traditions of West Africa and the African Diaspora.

A friendship developed (some might say a mutual appreciation) and as a result of their mutual love of African Folktales , they are joining up to have a conversation about the routes of Carren’s work and where their paths cross as Sculptor and Storyteller.

Jan Blake: Adverse Camber Productions

Jan Blake is a storyteller of African Caribbean origin. Born and raised in Manchester UK and specialising in stories from Africa, the Caribbean and Arabia. She believes that the folktales and myths which she tells, particularly those from the African continent, invite us all to engage with another way of being in the world, to immerse ourselves in cultures which have all too often been dismissed as having nothing to offer the dominant culture.

“I want to take these stories, dive deep into their wisdom and offer them as a healing balm.”

Artwork: Carren Clarke

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Header Image: Carren Clarke courtesy of Woodland Heights Studio