Working across ceramics and fibre, Jamila creates sculptural vessels that explore material, place and our relationship with the natural world.
Clay is often combined with foraged and found materials, bringing traditional ceramic processes into conversation with contemporary basketry.
Each body of work begins with a close attention to material and landscape, considering what the land holds, how it changes, and the traces we leave behind.
Sculptural Vessels
Functional Pottery
Paper Twine, Hemp Cord, Natural Jute, Milkweed.
16x5x5”
Contemporary basketry inspired by the winter milkweed pods that stand in the windswept fields behind my home on the Niagara Escarpment. In their weathered elegance, I see both fragility and endurance — sculptural forms that hold the promise of renewal. These pods shelter the seeds of spring and carry the hope for the Monarch butterfly’s return, their cycle of life continuing against all odds. Through my work, I seek to honour these quiet forms as symbols of resilience, transformation, and the interconnection between land, species, and seasons.
8”x11”
White Pine and Red Pine needles; Waxed Linen thread; Barbed Wire (ethically foraged)
Deeply drawn to natural materials, these mediums allowed me to reconnect with my creativity through a sense of place, while learning to slow down and engage with the world in a new way. Through my art, I aim to inspire others to reflect on our relationship with the natural world and our shared place within it.
The resilience of the natural world is a continual source of wonder for me. This work explores the ways in which nature adapts to the intrusions of humankind—embracing, transforming, and ultimately encompassing what is left behind. Where we leave obstacles, nature sees opportunities: to shift, to grow, and to weave beauty around the detritus of our presence. In its quiet persistence, it teaches me to listen more deeply and to attend with greater care.
As a someone who lives with chronic pain, this piece also reflects the adaptation and resilience required to work with it. The structural barbed wire can be seen to represent my skeletal pain and the pine needles the softening and fine balance needed to live with it. Each stitch a perseverance to live fully and creatively.
Wheel Thrown Stoneware, Glaze, Foraged Willow, Naturally Dyed Hemp Cord
20" x 6"
$1100
Carved Stoneware Clay base, Reed and Wild Grass weaving with Hand-spun Nettle Cordage.
17”x19”
“Dancing over the earth,
Seeds whispered to us all,
Just listen closely”.
~unknown
Hand-formed Stoneware Clay base, food safe quail egg glaze, locally foraged Red Osier Dogwood and Wild Willow, Canadian Arctic Driftwood.
10x10x19”
This piece draws inspiration from the landscapes of the Yukon and the natural materials that root us to place. Its organic form recalls the movement of rivers—channels that carve through the land and through our lives, shaping terrain while carrying and holding what is left behind.
Driftwood collected from Atlin Lake, on the Yukon–British Columbia border, serves as both material and marker of place, becoming a vessel of memory that connects the work to the landscape from which it was gathered. Dogwood and Wild Willow, ethically foraged closer to home, extend this dialogue with nature, while the stoneware base draws influence from both the bedrock of the Niagara Escarpment and the delicate markings of quail eggs from my homestead.
Sculptural yet functional, the work reflects the duality inherent in nature itself: enduring and ever-changing, rooted and in motion.
Naturally Dyed Reed with Black Tea, Dried curly grasses from my home and Paper string.
H20"xW17"
This work rises like a forest—five clusters of uprights, uneven at their base yet converging into a natural geometry at the crown. They defy the rules of traditional basketry, much like trees themselves defy order, bending and reaching toward light. In their asymmetry, a new harmony is born.
The making was a meditation, a puzzle without an answer, a form that revealed itself only through surrender. It carried me into the deep silence of old-growth forests, where even in death, trees nurture life. Their presence endures in every stage: seed and seedling, sapling, towering trunk, standing ghost, fallen elder. Each phase offers shelter, nourishment, renewal.
The purple hues recall the hills of Creemore on the Niagara Escarpment, grounding the work in place while speaking to the cycles of growth and decay. This piece is a reminder that in the forest—as in life—every ending feeds a beginning, and all flourishing is mutual.
Wheel-thrown Stoneware Clay base, Twined Cordage made from Southeast Asian Newspaper and Rattan Peel.
H5.5'"xW8.5”
Blood, sweat, and tears. This work, in a ‘Study of Losses’, reflects on the cyclical nature of the fast fashion industry—its erosion of craftsmanship, its exploitation of cheap overseas labour, and the human cost woven into every seam.
At first glance, the vessel presents harmony and beauty, yet closer inspection reveals its fractures. Red glaze seeps through the stitching at the base, evoking countless pinpricks of blood. Wrapped within the collar, newspaper fragments speak of unrest, echoing the voices of labour movements and the struggle against unjust working conditions.
The use of rattan—a fast-growing material native to Southeast Asia—ties the work back to its origins, circling us through the story again. Like fast fashion itself, the cycle is unrelenting: desire, consumption, loss. This piece asks us to confront what is hidden beneath the surface and to question the fleeting fulfillment we seek in what cannot last.
Smoked Reed random weave embellished with wild grasses from my homestead.
15”x13”x11”
A nod to the traditional and the random. The functional and the sculptural. The essence of what a vessel holds and a look into vessels as memory keepers.
Wheel-thrown and Hand Altered Grey Stoneware clay:Double Fired- Highfired and then Smoke Fired with raw natural materials
14"x8"
This piece was born from big feelings. Created during the devastating ice storm of spring 2025, the scene and sounds outside my studio echoed like a war zone—trees breaking, branches shattering, the landscape transformed. Inside, working in the semi-darkness with only the hum of a generator for power, I felt compelled to throw something large on the wheel. Big clay, big gestures, big emotion.
I began documenting the process without knowing where the clay would lead. As the form emerged, it revealed itself as a tree—first a tall trunk, then fractured, bulbous, and altered. Like the storm-ravaged landscape outside my home, the piece became a reflection of brokenness and resilience.
This work is an ode to the beauty of imperfection, to the wabi-sabi spirit that lives in both the natural world and the act of creation. It honors the trees—broken yet enduring—that continue to stand as witnesses to loss and renewal
Smoke Fired Raku Clay using Wild Foraged Clay for Terra Sigillata, Kurinuki Technique
A Smoke Fired Series from the Study of Losses Exhibition
Fault Line
What is Left Behind
Below the Surface
Overburden
Ledge- 13” x 7” x 3”
My work investigates material memory, environmental erosion, and our evolving relationship with the land. Fracture Lines consists of hand-carved vessels created through Kurinuki, a traditional Japanese technique of hollowing solid clay blocks. Each form began as 25–50 pounds of Raku clay, slowly excavated into being, echoing the landscapes and geologic shifts I reference.
The surfaces are layered with Terra Sigillatas made from foraged and local clays, embedding the mineral signatures of place. Copper, steel wool, and native plants were introduced during firing, producing chemical reactions that left unpredictable marks. A final 24-hour smoke firing completed the transformation, embracing chance and the alchemy of fire.
The series reflects on fractures—geologic, ecological, and human-made. It speaks to the visible and invisible disruptions we impose on ecosystems, particularly the fragile balance of water and stone within the Canadian Shield and Niagara Escarpment. These vessels serve as both artifact and witness, holding space for the fractures we can no longer ignore.
Smoke Fired Raku Clay using Wild Foraged Clay for Terra Sigillata, Kurinuki Technique
A Smoke Fired Series from the Study of Losses Exhibition
Fault Line
What is Left Behind
Below the Surface
Overburden
Ledge
My work investigates material memory, environmental erosion, and our evolving relationship with the land. Fracture Lines consists of hand-carved vessels created through Kurinuki, a traditional Japanese technique of hollowing solid clay blocks. Each form began as 25–50 pounds of Raku clay, slowly excavated into being, echoing the landscapes and geologic shifts I reference.
The surfaces are layered with Terra Sigillatas made from foraged and local clays, embedding the mineral signatures of place. Copper, steel wool, and native plants were introduced during firing, producing chemical reactions that left unpredictable marks. A final 24-hour smoke firing completed the transformation, embracing chance and the alchemy of fire.
The series reflects on fractures—geologic, ecological, and human-made. It speaks to the visible and invisible disruptions we impose on ecosystems, particularly the fragile balance of water and stone within the Canadian Shield and Niagara Escarpment. These vessels serve as both artifact and witness, holding space for the fractures we can no longer ignore.
Smoke Fired Raku using Wild Foraged Clay for Terra Sigillata
Kurinuki Technique
My work is rooted in the rhythms and transformations of the natural world. For this exhibition, I explored the elemental force of fire—its power to both destroy and renew—through a sculptural piece that reflects on regeneration after forest fires, a growing presence across Canada.
This work also honours clay as a material deeply tied to the earth and human history. Formed over time through natural weathering, clay is essential to both soil health and centuries of craft.
Using a 25lb block of Raku clay, I employed Kurinuki, a traditional Japanese carving technique, to shape the form by hand, evoking geological erosion. Foraged wild clays from my land on the Niagara Escarpment were refined into Terra Sigillata for surface finishing, connecting the work to place. The final transformation occurred through a smoke firing process using invasive and native plant matter, metals, and salt—an alchemical finish that reveals the quiet beauty left by fire.
Smoke Fired Raku Clay using Wild Foraged Clay for Terra Sigillata, Kurinuki Technique
A Smoke Fired Series from the Study of Losses Exhibition
Fault Line
What is Left Behind
Below the Surface
Overburden - 7×11×5
Ledge
My work investigates material memory, environmental erosion, and our evolving relationship with the land. Fracture Lines consists of hand-carved vessels created through Kurinuki, a traditional Japanese technique of hollowing solid clay blocks. Each form began as 25–50 pounds of Raku clay, slowly excavated into being, echoing the landscapes and geologic shifts I reference.
The surfaces are layered with Terra Sigillatas made from foraged and local clays, embedding the mineral signatures of place. Copper, steel wool, and native plants were introduced during firing, producing chemical reactions that left unpredictable marks. A final 24-hour smoke firing completed the transformation, embracing chance and the alchemy of fire.
The series reflects on fractures—geologic, ecological, and human-made. It speaks to the visible and invisible disruptions we impose on ecosystems, particularly the fragile balance of water and stone within the Canadian Shield and Niagara Escarpment. These vessels serve as both artifact and witness, holding space for the fractures we can no longer ignore.
A stunning lidded jar made to display with pride. Dark brown stoneware clay with a subtle white interior. Perfect for storing tea, coffee, dog treats…anything. Turned Birch Knob is removable if required.
Pairs perfectly with the Dark Brown Teapot or Contemporary Coffee Mugs and Creamer.
Stands 17cm tall x 12 cm wide
As with all handmade items, variation in size, shape and colouration is inevitable and part of the inherent charm of the product.
Dishwasher, Microwave and Oven safe.
Made from luscious brown clay with a milky white glazed interior, this cylindrical vessel is perfect for storage. From pens and scissors to kitchen utensils, you’ll have endless possibilities.
11cm x 12cm
As with all handmade items, variation in size, shape and colouration is inevitable and part of the inherent charm of the product.
Dishwasher, Microwave and Oven safe.
Inspired by our hives, we needed to create the perfect vessel to store our natural honey and drizzle it into our tea and onto toast. Also perfect as a sugar bowl or salt keeper.
2 styles.
Exposed Speckled Stoneware clay exteriors and milky white glazed interiors. Simple, elegant and of course, functional.
~8cm x 11cm
As with all handmade items, variation in size, shape and colouration is inevitable and part of the inherent charm of the product.
Dishwasher, Microwave and Oven safe.
Wheel thrown from Speckled Stoneware and glazed with a farmhouse white interior. This One of a Kind vessel is functional and aesthetically stunning.
Display as a centrepiece on a shelf or use for everyday storage (think sugar bowl).
Topped with natural, foraged grapevine; an antique washer and ethically sourced leather cordage.
W10cm x H12cm
Handwash only.
Reconciliation
Smoke-fired Raku clay; Wild foraged clay for Terra Sigillatas; Invasive plant materials; Found and discarded metals and minerals.
22”L x 7”H x 7”W
This vessel carries the memory of place.
Its surface holds wild clays I personally harvested by canoe along the Yukon River, alongside clay gifted to me by Indigenous leaders of The Long Ago People’s Place—an honour I hold with profound gratitude and humility.
Within its fractured surface are layers of story: Tutchone First Nations knowledge of the land, my lived experience as a settler, and a shared responsibility to care for Turtle Island. The vessel becomes a meeting place between these experiences—not to speak for one another, but to acknowledge the relationships, histories, and responsibilities that connect us.
Smoke firing deepens this dialogue, transforming earth, fire, air, and time into a surface that cannot be entirely controlled. The marks left behind become evidence of process, place, and change.
Rocks are not just rocks. They are the Earth’s memory keepers—holding chemistry, history, and the conditions that sustain life.
Through clay, I seek to listen, remember, and participate in acts of reconciliation in action—where art becomes a way of honouring place, relationship, and responsibility.
[e(ART)h]
The Fracture Lines Collection
This collection explores material memory, environmental erosion, and the things we carry through life—both visible and invisible. Fracture Lines grew from a deep connection to the landscapes that have shaped me, and from a growing awareness of how much we hold within ourselves: memory, grief, love, loss, resilience, and hope.
Each hand-carved vessel was created through Kurinuki, a traditional Japanese technique of hollowing solid blocks of clay. Each form slowly excavated into being, echoing geological shifts and the landscapes that have shaped my sense of place.
The surfaces are layered with Terra Sigillatas made from foraged clays, allowing the land itself to become part of the work. Minerals, metals and invasive plants introduced during a 24-hour smoke firing then leave unpredictable marks, embracing chance, transformation, and the alchemy of fire.
These vessels hold more than form. They hold traces of place, process, and our enduring connection to the earth. Their fractures remind us that what breaks us, also shapes us—and that there can be beauty, strength, and tenderness in what we carry forward.