Surreal Ceramic Artworks By Jackson Shaner

Screaming faces, restless hands, and soul-like figures struggling to escape their vessels—these are the striking elements that first draw attention to Jackson Shaner's art. He is a ceramic artist whose work explores themes of emotional containment, monstrosity, and human connection through surreal and intricately crafted pieces.

Shaner’s artwork acts as a metaphor for how we hold in emotions, only letting them out in certain moments. He shows how emotions can become physical sensations of pain and restriction, often leading to feelings of vulnerability.

More info: Instagram | jacksonshaner.com

10 PHOTOS

#1 Large Raw Porcelain Escape Jar 2

Pictolic had the chance to interview Jackson Shaner to dive deeper into the inspiration behind his unique creations. The artist shared that he has been creating objects since he was a child. "I was lucky enough to have a small art project in the 4th grade that introduced me to clay as a medium. Since I live in South Carolina, and there is a tradition of face-jug pottery in the South, our teacher had us try our hand at coil-building small face jugs. I remember being extremely attracted to the immediacy in which you can alter clay using your hands. There is often no intermediary between hand and material like there is in painting (paintbrush), drawing (pencil), photography (camera), or graphic design (computer). There is a rawness in the creation process wherein you feel intimately connected with the material, transforming the clay through touch."

When asked what drew him to ceramics, Shaner explained that he is fascinated by clay's ability to be both additive and subtractive, allowing him to shape and mold it in unique ways. "I have always been inspired by classical and Hellenistic Greek sculpture, but to me, working only subtractively is accompanied by a heightened fear of failure: if you chip a bit too far, there’s no going back. Clay is not like that. In this way, clay can be very forgiving. If you make a mistake, you can pull off a nose, an ear, a finger...re-sculpt, and reattach. This forgiveness, while the clay is wet, also affords greater opportunity for playful experimentation in the building process. Playfulness is a very engaging part of how I work."

#2 Skin

#3 Centipede

Shaner shared that he is deeply engaged in the process of shaping something from a formless state into a finished piece. "I think that is one of the most magical things about ceramics. To create with clay is to work from chaos, using a soft base material and transforming it into anything you like. This means that, in theory, every detail can be controlled by the artist. There is something to be said about showing off clay’s raw materiality in looser sculpture, but in much of my work, I aim to address every detail of a three-dimensional object. Three-dimensionality is also important in my work both conceptually and aesthetically. I love the ability to create something that takes up real space. Sculptural artists are all out here 'holding space' for what we believe in (#wickedmovie ... lol)."

When discussing his passion for ceramics, Shaner mentioned permanence. "One of the reasons we can learn so much about ancient cultures is because we can examine their uses of ceramics. We can look at a culture’s sculptural forms to learn about its values. We can examine a culture’s pots to imagine its way of life. I am always aware when I create that whatever I make—if it is not destroyed—will very likely outlive me, perhaps even for thousands of years. In this way, each pot or sculpture can be viewed as a letter to the future: communicating intimate information across time and language barriers."

#4 Searching For Comfort

#5 Sublimate 2

Shaner’s work often revolves around themes of tension, discomfort, and the uncanny, reflecting his emotions and experiences. These themes play a key role in how he expresses complex feelings through ceramics. According to the artist, the uncanny is something he has been looking into recently. "I have been reading about Freud’s early work on the uncanny and the historical uses of monsters in literature and movies as symbols for those who have felt 'othered' (or for those that feel they lack belonging). Sometimes, I do strike a sense of community where I am, but growing up as a gay man in the South, I have always had social anxiety about expressing things in the wrong way: either too effeminately, or in an 'outing' nature. I remember feeling that anxiety even in middle school. I think the culture surrounding appropriate behavior for young boys in America can be incredibly stifling. And, learning to exist in that state of anxiety caused me to create many defense mechanisms against potential ridicule: often masking and mirroring."

#6 Tension

#7 Large Custom Escape Jar

Shaner explores themes of containment and monstrosity in his work as reflections of his personal experiences. Containment relates to his tendency to suppress parts of his personality for the sake of safety, a habit he still occasionally faces in situations like entering a hardware store or attending a sports event. Monstrosity represents his feelings of not fully belonging.

"As long as I can remember, I have almost always employed at least some degree of mirroring when interacting with someone to ensure I am accepted in the interaction. I guess it stems from a deep-seated fear of rejection. And I think every queer man has had the experience of 'putting on their straight voice' as a t**l for self-preservation in an unwelcoming environment. Although I can’t remember an outstanding hateful interaction, simply knowing that I exist in a hostile political environment filled with people who do not accept me and might like to harm me, leads to a sort of existential anxiety. (I am in no way the first queer artist to experience this.)"

#8 Xl Copper Escape Jar

#9 Panic

Shaner enjoys exploring the balance between attraction and aversion, drawing a fine line between beauty and horror in his work. "I think it’s a more faithful representation of what it means to be human. There is nothing that is solely beautiful. Even our bodies, which are often the objects of sexual desire, have elements that disgust us most.

"I also think people desire to experience confusion and fear in a safe space. I think that is why there is such a wide horror culture in movies and literature. I want to contribute to that stirring dichotomy between attraction and fear: wanting to move closer for a better look, but the tentative possibility that this creature could come alive and harm me. Something is exciting about it when one chooses to dive in and keep looking. There is a mischief: a feeling that one shouldn’t be looking at what they are seeing. And there is a reciprocal mischievousness on my part for surfacing something that addresses pain, anxiety, or disgust."

#10 Sublimate 1