Call it destiny: Small-town girl or boy seeks
fame and fortune in the big city and falls for an uptown opposite
number, and the couple lives happily ever after. Lady Luck dealt a
different hand to Gloria and Jerry Josserand, and they’ve
parlayed that hand into considerable success as one of the most
prolific partnerships in central Illinois.
“He was the art teacher on the third
floor of Edison Junior High, and I was the seventh-grade
social-studies teacher in the basement,” Gloria recalls.
“He knew I was interested in art, and one day he asked me if
I was going to take the U of I Extension watercolor course that was
being offered. I said, ‘I’ll take it if you take
it.’” From that class grew a partnership that has
lasted 40 years.
Both artists are from RFD, Illinois: Jerry
from Oakland, Gloria from Gerlaw.
“In college, I concentrated on
painting,” Jerry says.
“I knew I was going to be an artist
when I was a child. I remember telling my friends this,”
Gloria says. “In college, I had three minors — art,
English, and social studies — because I couldn’t settle
on a major.”
When Jerry was asked to teach
three-dimensional art at Lanphier High School and had to brush up
on that medium, he took a class from Margie Emerson at the
Springfield Art Association. “I probably learned more about
throwing from her than anybody,” he says. “Bob Dixon at
Sangamon State took me from just surface glazing to more decorative
pieces, painting with clay.”
The Josserands work in separate studios that
occupy a large part of their home’s basement.
“Initially I did fabric-appliqué
wall hangings,” Gloria says. “I had done only one clay
project in college. Jerry kept coming home from Margie’s
class telling me how much I’d like clay, and I took the next
class. Now I work exclusively in bas-relief.” Her art is
essentially flat handwork from stoneware clay rolled out like
cookie dough, only thicker and not as tasty. Subjects include
buildings and homes, usually produced on commission, as well as fish and other subjects drawn from
nature.
Jerry throws on a wheel. Early on, he
developed a style that resembles what has become known as Prairie
style of design. Several Jerry Josserand pieces have been purchased
by the management of the Frank Lloyd Wright–designed
Dana-Thomas Home. “When an official photographer comes
around, my pieces are usually removed since, though they resemble
the style of art when the Dana-Thomas House was in its prime, they
were not produced during that period,” says Jerry. Even so,
at least one book about the home shows his art in the background.
“I do several different techniques: wax
resistance, stamping, incising,” Jerry says. “Some
potters prefer a more defined specialty because they can become
proficient at it and turn out more art in a given amount of
time.”
The Josserands mix all their own glazes. As
dry powder, the color is a far cry from the hue of the fired glaze,
so when a new color of glaze is mixed, it’s fired on test
tiles before being used on a project. “Where you position the
piece in the kiln also affects the appearance after firing,”
Gloria says.
Each piece is given a bisque firing at
1,700°F for about seven hours to bring out the chemically bound
water. After cooling, the objects receive glazes and a second
firing at 2,300°F, hot enough to melt aluminum, for about 10
hours. “Some potters do multiple firings, but we do only
two.” Gloria says. “There’s not a great advantage
to stoneware — it’s just what we learned. Many artists
are working in earthenware because of the lower firing temperature
and the need to conserve energy.”
“Colors aren’t as bright with
stoneware because the chemicals can’t withstand the high
temperatures,” Jerry adds.
Two years ago, Gloria began
“painting” with pastels and sold her first pastel in
spite of her best efforts to keep it. “Prairie Art Alliance
requires that unless you’re the featured artist, anything you
show there has to be for sale, so she added a little something to
the price and it sold anyway,” Jerry says, smiling.
“With glazing, your colors are really
limited,” Gloria says. “With pastels, it’s like
getting a new pair of glasses. I’m using a new
vocabulary.” She adds that she’s still committed to
bas-relief.
“We make more work in fall through
spring because firing down here in the summer really gets
hot,” Jerry says. “We go to workshops, conventions, and
classes. Some of what we learn, we incorporate into our work. A lot
of it is just good to know.”
Gloria notes, “Art is a full-time
activity with us.”
For many years, the Josserands spent a lot of
time on the road attending art fairs. Today, with their names
established, the Josserands offer their work at selected galleries
and gift shops and galleries. They also accept commissions.
A confluence of two enthusiastic people who
came together 40 years ago has transformed dedicated teachers into
dedicated artists who tend to finish each other’s sentences
when talking shop. Both have found unique niches, grooves, and a
public that cherishes what they do.
For more information about the
Josserands’ art, call 217-787-2467.
This article appears in Jan 27 – Feb 2, 2005.
