Ceramic Witch & Altar

Stoneware clay, various glazes

This body of work was created over the course of several months in 2017-2018. The clay, glazes, witch and altar were all hand-made, hand-mixed and hand-built by Jane. It began with a totally different idea in mind but soon evolved into a project of exploration. As the clay slumped and moved in the ways it wanted to, it became clear that the form in mind was not what was meant to be, but something much greater. 

In the past, powerful women have been demonized, categorized as witches, suppressed, tortured and controlled. Witches are not evil, nor vengeful, as they are traditionally portrayed. A witch is a woman in her power, in touch with herself, the earth, and the universe. This witch is a protector, she is rebuilt, and she is strong.

Yiara | Issue 7

Written by Céline Cardineau

Emerging from the shadows, the ceramic witch captivates and confronts viewers with her commanding presence and fierce expression. Her intense gaze refuses her torso to be objectified as a classical bust or a fragmented object of feminine beauty. 

Throughout history, the term “witch” has been used to demonize and suppress childless, husbandless, elderly or educated women. McWhirter, however, defines “witch” as a woman in touch with herself and the universe. Indeed, the materiality of these ceramic objects evokes an intimate manipulation of earth, water, and fire to create strong and long-lasting objects.

A skull protrudes from the witch’s chest, an antithesis to the gentle, fertile image of feminity. The aging female body is often seen as grotesque, monstrous and obsolete. This embracing of mortality interrupts the viewer’s gaze as it travels over her body. The skill acts as a form of armour for navigating social power dynamics, similar to some women’s use of makeup or other performances of femininity. 

An archaeological display of ceramic teeth speaks to a repetitive hand-making process, resulting in peculiar objects with unique, expressive characters. Teeth not only symbolize mortality but also markers of wealth and class, referencing the economic history of witch hunts as a method of suppressing women.

McWhirter reclaims occult imagery and its associations with the body, death, darkness, sensual pleasure, powerful woman and the grotesque. Her altar creates a serene, isolating space of focus and intimate confrontation with the material and symbolic weight of these powerful opbjects.