Jessica McCartney
Jessica McCartney (b.1972, Chicago) is an artist that manages to capture the seasonal Zeitgeist with new and innovative series each year.
McCartney’s childhood formed her current day nostalgic aesthetic. Her mother took great pleasure in fully immersing her family into each holiday. Every season was filled with copious decorations, each lovingly unboxed and displayed. As a kid, she often spent time daydreaming and spinning stories about the ornaments on her family’s Christmas Tree- imagining who lived there and what their lives were like.
In high school, McCartney was a theater kid. She took sculpture, drawing, and a bit of interior design. Writing was always a constant thread from the time she was young, and it wove into multiple parts of her life. Bowling Green University in Ohio (BA in Theater ’94) launched her acting career (as well as meeting a fellow theater lover who became her future husband).
A strategic move to Chicago after university was to pursue its famous theater culture. McCartney performed in a variety of productions (more than 15!) and did some improve. She was even encouraged to write an adaptation of her favorite book “The Collector”. She contacted the author, John Fowles, who gave his blessing for the stage piece. Although he was too old to attend the play she produced and acted in, she received type-written letters from him which she cherishes to this day!
Theater work took a lot of networking and schmoozing, and McCartney just didn’t enjoy that side of the businesses. She embraced her artistic side by baking, decorating and entertaining- offsetting her work in accounting. At age 34 she tried pottery for the first time. She found it extremely therapeutic. The concentration and focus on a single lump of clay blocked out many outside stressors. The birth of her daughter Charlotte (artist, guitarist and actor!) shifted her creativity. McCartney worked and raised her daughter along with her partner, and waited until her child was established in school before refocusing on creating artwork. She was able to get a coveted spot at Lincoln Square Pottery Studio - Learning Center in 2017.
McCartney got back in the swing of things by starting out with bowls and vases. Her Pinterest browsing lead to some fun ideas including hand-built floral elements. She added vines, branches, leaves and organic textures. Her creative life became more flexible after being able to work from home. Finishing her work efficiently meant she could run to the studio in the afternoons. Often she’ll be found bent over the pottery wheel with earbuds in (podcasts), churning out a steady array of pieces being prepped for additional elements. A solid three hour stint at LSPS-LC lets her switch between the time-consuming aspects of a prolific potter; throwing, trimming, hand-building, sculpting and glazing. The satisfaction of completing so much in a single sitting usually makes her day.
McCartney’s hope for her future creative self is to participate in more art festivals, shows and pop-ups. The artist has made steady headway in sales by participating in LSPS-LC’s holiday shows and art fest booths. She’s looking to branch out and travel to different spots in the Midwest to see which festival fits her work the best, along with finding small artisan boutiques to feature her work.
McCartney hopes to expand her architectural themes. She’ll be working on a larger variety of her house ornaments, vases as well as planters. More carving and painting details on the outside of her work would make her happy as well. Working on imaginative designs and tiny details take her right back to the same childhood state of wonder and story telling. Whatever new series she comes up with next will surely have that universal nostalgia that makes everyone smile.
A few of McCartney’s Series
McCartney is an ever-evolving artists who really taps into the seasons and events that make life more enjoyable. Springtime often brings out hand-built floral elements onto her vases, bowls and cups. Summertime features sprouting veggies while Autumn brings out mushrooms and leaves. Pumpkin-inspired pieces as well as fairy houses also pop up this time of year.
McCartney took special notice of the Brood 17 Cicadas early this summer. Probably due to the fact that whenever she visited family in Palos Heights, Illinois, it was like stepping into a biblical plague. The critters held a spot in her heart before they emerged in 2024, because the last round in 2007 was the year her daughter was born. And the cycle prior, she was a kid enjoying summers at her grandparents' house. The artist hand built the cicadas and used studio glazes to accurately capture their beady little red eyes. The quirky sculptures started migrating onto vessels as decoration, and standing ones took on human-like qualities. Some hold suitcases (we’re here!), while others wear Fez hats and equally absurd items. We’re excited to see what the artist comes up with for this evolving series in 2041!
McCartney’s holiday ornaments and decorations often tap into a similar silly and charming vibe as her cicadas. Little woodland animals feature scarves, hats and hold little presents. They are often arranged to interact with each other- which makes the whole scene look almost alive. Easter animals (mostly bunnies) also sport spring flowers, and burst out of eggs. The items are meant to be tucked onto shelves, tables and anywhere that needs a little holiday cheer. McCartney’s miniature grotto/nativity scenes (inspired by a Germanic one from her childhood) are filled with sweet details the closer you get. They are purposely humble and simple, to quickly connect the viewer with the symbolism.
A lot of McCartney’s creative spark comes from her grandparents' house in the Chicago suburbs. The home, which was a wonderful Mid-Century Modern design, inspired the start of tiny, snow-covered ornaments that snowballed into holiday homes from around the country (think abodes with cacti from Arizona). Now the artist spends her time glued to the car window whenever she’s out with her family- looking for new architectural house designs and the perfect slanted roof to incorporate into her series. After her grandparents passed, the family had to tearfully sell the home that had created so many memories. The couple that bought the house were Mid-Mod fanatics, and keep a framed picture of McCartney’s grandparents in their living room!
The artist’s interest in creating architecture-based pieces has expanded to include Chicago landmarks and skyscrapers. The Bean, Willis Tower and Centennial Wheel all feature metallic glazes, to tap into their industrial spirit. Midwestern barns and old-fashioned grain silos use stains to create old looking surfaces. McCartney keeps looking for more examples of these historic farm bedrocks.
Check out Jessica McCartney:
Instagram: @happydonkeypottery
Etsy: Happy Donkey Pottery
Article and images by Mieke Zuiderweg