Janet Stedman, Stoneware Dish, Signed And Dated 1981

Janet Stedman, an English ceramicist born in 1945 and deceased in 1987, left her mark on the history of contemporary ceramics with her work in La Borne, France. Arriving from England in 1967, she joined the workshops of Pierre Digan, where she participated in the production of functional and contemporary stoneware pieces, breaking with the traditional rustic style. Her ambition was to combine ancestral throwing techniques with a personal research on form and function, which profoundly influenced the workshop's production.

In 1980, after Pierre Digan's departure, Janet Stedman moved with Dominique Garet into a former barn, where she developed her own production, often characterized by blue glazes. Her work has been highlighted in exhibitions, such as "The Blues of Janet Stedman" in Paris in 1981, and she also pioneered the use of brightly colored industrial dyes, opening new avenues for stoneware.

Janet Stedman is now considered an emblematic figure of the stoneware revival in La Borne. Her studio and legacy are preserved and celebrated, notably at the Totem de La Borne, a museum and cultural space dedicated to her work and that of Pierre Digan, where her collections and her influence on local ceramics are exhibited.

Her commitment as a trainer and her dynamism within the pottery community of La Borne have also left their mark, making her a key artist in the history of La Borne.