Studio FraJas

Studio FraJas is our collaboration between artists Francisco Rocha Salazar and Jasper Isaac Johns, bringing together painting and sculpture in a shared ceramic language. We merge Francisco’s background in painting with Jasper’s training in ceramics, creating vessels that operate simultaneously as functional objects, sculptural forms, and lyrical paintings in three dimensions. 

We come from different backgrounds as well as disciplines yet met at the Rhode Island School of Design. Francisco grew up in San Luis Potosí, Mexico, and Jasper grew up in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Our differences allow us to question conventions taken for granted in each other's medium. Still, we connect over shared passions like dancing, literature, and especially our strong beliefs about art. We regularly visit museums and galleries together, discussing what we see at length—conversations that spark new ideas and fuel our collaboration. 

In the studio, our roles follow the two stages inherent to the ceramic process. First, Jasper sculpts the form in clay and fires it. He throws geometric shapes such as domes, cylinders, and spheres, combining them to create graceful vessels. Then, Francisco draws patterns on the bisqueware surface and paints them with glaze. These start as small motifs inspired by the vessel’s architecture and are multiplied, interlocked, and often distorted. While these stages are distinct enough that we often work independently, there’s constant communication between us. Meals turn into impromptu meetings, and progress updates lead to new approaches. As Francisco sketches in colored pencil and watercolor, Jasper refines glaze formulas, adjusting them to achieve just the right effect. 

We collaborate most closely when choosing glazes. At this point, we come together to evaluate the overall composition and its impact. Patterns are often revised like editing a paragraph—shifting a line, trimming a flourish, starting over. Working from a broad repertoire of glaze recipes developed over years of experimentation, we select combinations that complement Jasper’s forms and Francisco’s patterns. Our favorite glazes are those that drip, pool, or react with underlying slips, introducing organic, unpredictable textures to otherwise structured surfaces. We design our forms and patterns to guide these effects, while allowing the materials to follow their own lyrical rhythm. 

What we achieve through methodical craftsmanship is ultimately shaped by the unpredictable behavior of clay and glaze in the kiln. The finished work reflects the nature of our collaboration: a dialogue between structure and spontaneity, independence and exchange.