Hey there. I'm Bethany Jewel, the sole person behind hag ceramics.
I am a multi-media artist working in ceramics, painting, quilting, and printmaking. My work explores the small moments that make up our shared global experience: breaking bread with friends, looking out for our neighbors, and the magic only found in solitude and quiet reflection. I believe above all that our purpose on earth is to try our best to understand each other, so that our bonds are strengthened energetically beyond this life.
The persistent frog motif in my work is symbolic of the necessity of adaptation and willingness to change. As tadpoles sprout legs and crawl upon the shore in search of new horizons, each chapter of human life requires effort and the drive to leave behind what no longer suits or serves.
My brain does not accept the inability to figure something out. I am formally self-taught and left my stable career at 39 to pursue fulfillment through creative work full-time.
hag ceramics
hag ceramics is a collection of unique handmade pieces. Each piece was either thrown on the wheel or sculpted by me. I will never mass-produce my pottery; the joy is in the making, and the time and love poured into each piece is what makes them worth cherishing.
The philosophy behind my ceramics practice revolves around the value that good things take time, and each finished piece contains a little bit of magic.✨Working with clay can be unforgiving. Ceramics might take weeks to produce, and even if you have mastery over the craft, some pieces won't come out. When they do, it's a little miracle.
After a twenty year career in tech user experience and company culture ended in burnout, I found purpose and belonging in slower living, spending my time taking care of my loved ones and in my artistic practice. I spend most of my time in my garage studio, making functional and decorative objects from natural materials.
A hag is a lady who has been around the block a few times, is older and wiser, and has the power and magic of mother earth on her side. A true hag is a friend and an ally to ALL.