The Chatham Arts Council is investing in artists through our Meet This Artist series, introducing you to Chatham County artists each year in a big way. So, take a look. Meet your very inspiring neighbor.
Guest writer Rachel Flanagan penned this Meet This Artist feature.
Our Meet This Artist feature is made possible with support from the team at VRC, Ltd.
For Charline Jimenez Rojo, her love for pottery was born out of a simple art project in high school art class: creating beads out of clay. From that day forward, Charline dove into the world of pottery, looking up techniques and designs online and working closely with her supportive art teacher to work on her new craft. Read more to learn about this talented young potter from Jordan-Matthews High School!
Tell me about yourself.
I’m 17 years old, and I’m a senior at Jordan-Matthews High School. I started doing pottery at the end of my junior year. One day in art class, my teacher pulled out the clay and told us we were making beads. When I started playing with the clay, I realized how much I liked working with it, so I asked her if I could make a bigger piece. At that point, I was just building pieces by hand and trying new things. I really fell in love with it, and have been working on pottery ever since. I even bought a wheel to use at my house.
Are any of your family members artistic?
I would say my sister is artistic. She’s a nail artist, and she likes to use different colors, textures, and designs. She’s one of my biggest supporters — she’s always telling me to push myself to do what I want and not let anybody tell me otherwise, and that I should pursue what I want to do.
When you were younger, what type of art did you gravitate toward?
When I was younger, I would paint from time to time. I remember taking art classes in elementary and middle school, learning how to sew, print, and paint. When I got to high school, I took art classes, starting with Art 1, where we had a substitute teacher. Ms. Newman came to Jordan-Matthews during my sophomore year, so we finally had a full-time art teacher, which changed everything for me. She’s the best — she’s such a nice teacher, and she’s always putting in the work. She pushes kids to express themselves. I’ve never had a teacher like her, so I’m really grateful for her. If it wasn’t for her, I wouldn’t be doing pottery right now.
What do you think is special about your art teacher, Ms. Newman?
I think it’s a lot of things: her art, the way she expresses herself, and how she talks to people. Whenever I make a mistake, she’s always there to cheer me up. She’s always there to tell me that it’s okay and that I can always try again. She’s always helping me make my day better.
Ms. Newman also encouraged me to attend a summer camp. I’d never been to a camp, so that was a new experience for me. It was a one-week art summer camp at UNC-Greensboro, which was made possible by a scholarship from the Jordan-Matthews Arts Foundation. I took some painting classes, and I met a lot of cool artists there.
Tell me about how you got involved with Emerging Artists Program?
Ms. Newman was the one who encouraged me to join the Chatham Artists Guild’s Emerging Artists Program, which I was nervous about. I didn’t really know what I was getting myself into, but I’m glad she did because I wouldn’t have gotten the opportunity to show my pottery at the Pittsboro Gallery of Arts.
She helped me sign up and pushed me to make pieces that I could sell. She hasn’t taken ceramics class, so we’re basically both learning, but she’s also teaching me some things that I don’t know. It’s so nice that she’s helping me with all of it because I wouldn’t know how to do it myself.
I’d love to hear about the inspiration behind some of your pieces.
My most recent piece is a big vase with a lot of flowers. It’s meant to show how I’ve bloomed into a person who can really express herself. When I was younger, I couldn’t really express myself or my feelings at all. I didn’t know how to talk to people about things. When I got older, I started realizing that it’s okay to talk to people about how you feel. If you need help, you tell somebody. I realized that I need to start being more expressive with my feelings.
I’m also working on a lantern that has a moon and stars. It just shows how bright I think pottery is. Pottery just makes my day shine. I also really like looking at the night sky and at the moon – it’s just so peaceful. I get a lot of my inspiration from nature. Most of my pieces have nature themes.
When you’re at home, how do you unwind with your art?
Art has always helped me clear my thoughts and lower my stress. Whenever I feel stressed or whenever I’ve had a bad day, I like to go outside, get on my wheel, put music on my headphones, and just throw. I let everything go away in my head and I just focus on pottery. I’m so glad I got that wheel because if it wasn’t for the wheel, I wouldn’t be making anything at home. Just doing pottery outside, seeing nature, and feeling the air helps me unwind.
What do you think it is about pottery that draws you in, as opposed to other artistic mediums like painting or drawing?
I think it’s the ability to be able to create anything that you want and hold it in your hands. With painting, you can’t really grab it or hold it, and I like to grab something physical. I like to make things that you can hold and use.
Has anything that you’ve done turned out completely different than what you thought it was going to be like after its been fired in the kiln?
On my flower vase, I painted the base a silver color, but it came out mostly green. So I was a little surprised because I thought it was going to be shiny silver, but I still like how it came out. It looks really beautiful. You never know what’s going to happen until it comes out. Honestly, even if it doesn’t come out how I wanted it to, it doesn’t matter. It’s a beautiful piece of artwork. Even if I don’t like it, somebody else might appreciate it.
When you sit down at the wheel, do you usually have an idea of what you want to do or do you just let things flow?
Sometimes yes, sometimes no. Sometimes I just go on the wheel, and I just freestyle it. I let my hands do whatever they’re going to do. Sometimes if I see something that I like online, I try to recreate it, like the bubble plate. I’d never thrown a bubble plate before, but I wanted to try it. The first time that I tried it, it came out beautiful.
Did anybody teach you how to do the plate or did you teach yourself?
I taught myself how to replicate it. I looked at videos online, but nobody really taught me how to. But also, there’s a carpentry teacher at my school, Mr. Harmon, who also does pottery. He came to my class not too long ago and taught me how to throw. I somewhat knew how to throw already, but my pieces would come out crooked or too thick. I wanted help from somebody, so I asked him if he could help me. He ended up teaching me all these things on the wheel, such as how to center my clay, and how to build the walls a good thickness. It helped me get a lot better at throwing, and now my pieces look way better than they did before.
Where would you say you draw inspiration for your work?
I would say mostly nature, but also my art teacher. She’s mostly the one who gives me ideas. She likes to send me photos of pottery that she’s seen that she thinks I could replicate. She’s inspired me to push myself and create whatever I want. My mom also inspired me to pursue my passion and do what I wanted to do. It’s made me really happy that I have my family’s support.
What are you thinking of doing after you graduate this year in terms of your artwork and your art life?
I was thinking of taking business classes. My mom likes to cook, so I was thinking that we could start a family business where we could all work together, and I could have my art in there, too. I’m thinking about going to a community college and doing pottery on the side, and then maybe transferring to a university.
What would you say to a younger kid who wants to get into art or pottery?
I would say do it. Don’t let anybody tell you otherwise. If you want to do it, if you really like it, you should. Just try your best and practice every day to get better. It’s okay to make mistakes, and you will get better. Everybody learns at their own pace.
If you’d like to come see Charline’s work in person, she will be selling her pottery on Sunday, May 17 from 11-5 at the Chatham Artists Guild Spring Art Festival at The Plant!
Leave a Reply