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    Put Open Studios 2021 on the Calendar!

    February Studio News | the dirt | Jenni Ward ceramic sculpture

    I’m excited to announce that I’ve been accepted into the 2021 Santa Cruz County Open Studios Art Tour!

    It’s been two years since participating in the tour for me and I’m thrilled to welcome you back into my studio again! I’ll have lots of new work to share with you.

    Join me October 9th, 10th, 16th & 17th at the Studio

    For more information about the Art Tour visit:

    The Arts Council of Santa Cruz County

    updates from baja…

    updates from baja... | the dirt | Jenni Ward ceramic sculpture

    As much as I love my studio in Santa Cruz, it has been such a calming and restorative experience to spend a few weeks at our property in Baja Sur by myself. I’ve been sleeping outside under the stars and waking with the sun and the birds.

    I’ve been able to take care of some projects like getting out solar system up and running and have been organizing and upgrading our glamping situation here. As a bonus, I’ve had visits with my friends and clay people down here and am making plans for some clay workshops and studio time here in the future.

    I was even able to get my little Umbel flower which was fired in the last multi-fuel firing at Taller de Terreno and planted it in my cactus garden where it seems very much at home.

    I’ll return to my studio soon, but until then, I’m very much enjoying some time in the desert finding inspiration through exploration.

    Artists Sharing Artists: Ruth Ju-Shih Li

    I met Ruth when she and I were both artists-in-residence in Taiwan and I was so lucky to have her as my studio mate for those three months! Being Taiwanese-Australian, and having had spent time in Taiwan, she knew all the fun places to go and could speak and read the language; without her, I would of missed a lot of cultural opportunities that I’m so grateful I was able to experience. Even simply ordering dinner at a restaurant would of been a different (read: challenging!) experience without her.

    In addition to being studio mates for those three months, she happened to also have a solo exhibition during our residency. I was able to help her install her works, learning more about her concepts and process along the way. Her fired porcelain works with imagined flower forms and bird parts are intimidatingly delicate and alluringly gorgeous all at the same time. But I really loved watching her build her ephemeral flower arrangements on antique planter tables over the course of a few days, after which they had water slowly dripping on them for the course of the exhibition, slowly letting them disintegrate. Her work is all about life, time and death taking inspiration from the natural world and the Garden of Eden. I really encourage you to watch the video below about her process of creating these time based pieces, it’s simply beautiful.

    Artists Sharing Artists: Ruth Ju-Shih Li | the dirt | Jenni Ward ceramic sculpture

    About Ruth Ju-Shih Li’s Work: Autobiographical in nature, Li’s ephemeral installations act as a metaphorical meditation on the fragile paradox of life and death in relation to the self, extending onwards to consider the transitory nature of the human condition. Drawing on her personal narrative, diverse cultural and spiritual heritage, Li’s creations partake in the very living creative thought that underlies nature itself and sounds a note of the metaphysical, linking the individual and the universal on the bridge of the spiritual.

    You can follow Ruth on Instagram and Facebook or visit May Space Gallery to view more of her work.

    Artists Sharing Artists: is a series of posts where I share some of my favorite artists who are also inspired by nature and use their art to protect what they love. More artists coming soon…

    closing up shop…but just for a little bit!

    Just a heads up that the studio will be closed for just a few weeks!

    I’ll be heading south to work on some projects on our property in Baja. Looking forward to some desert adventures, warm ocean waters and catching up with my south of the border friends.

    I’ll still be available via email if you need me, the online shop is open 24/7 (shipments will go out when I return but local pickup can be arranged sooner) and all in process projects will still finish on time- promise! I’ll post here on the dirt occasionally to keep you updated.

    hasta luego amigos!

    Picking Flowers!

    umbel series | shop

    PICK SOME UMBELS FOR YOUR GARDEN!

    These fun and funky flowers have been flying out of the studio, but there are just a few left in the online shop, order yours today!

    MAY 7TH IS THE LAST DAY OF THE UMBEL SALE

    use coupon code: FLOWERPOWER for 30% off discount on your order

    SHOP NOW

    flower power umbel sale!

    umbel series | shop

    April Showers bring Umbel Flowers!

    A fresh batch of brand new Umbel flowers are up in the online shop now! Add some color to your garden with these drought resistant varieties!

    Join the monthly mailing list before May 1st and get a COUPON CODE for a 30% off discount on these babies!

    why i work on five million things at once

    It’s really about a dozen different things but sometimes it feels like five million.

    When I shared three work-in-progress posts in a row and they were all on different projects, I realized that it might be hard for y’all to keep up with what’s been going on in the studio. Sorry about that. I really like to use my blog, emails and social media accounts to share all the behind the scenes triumphs and failures of life in the studio, but it doesn’t work well when I’m all over the place.

    It made me start thinking about my process and why I work like this. And for better or worse, I realized that there’s a few reasons for the madness.

    a portion of my 8’x8′ studio table with parts for four different projects in all stages of design and fabrication

    One, I get bored easily. I like challenges, problem solving and trying new ideas out. But, that is only one part of studio life and the art making process. So, I have to mix it up and keep moving from task to task.

    Two, I like to work. I will gladly spend all day, every day in my studio. (But don’t worry, I play just as hard as I work!)

    Three, clay can be slow. It seems like I’m always waiting for something to dry, something to be fired or a kiln to cool off. So it’s good to have different projects to bounce between while you’re waiting for another.

    Four, I get excited about new projects. Which kind of means I’ll almost always say yes to a collaboration, exhibition, or project. But I’m good with follow through too, so it doesn’t mean other projects get dropped from the roster, the to-do list just gets longer….and longer.

    And five, sometimes, I just get inspired to make something that’s not on the list of projects. And I have to follow that inspiration, trust it, and make time for it.

    Is this good for my art practice? I don’t know. Maybe I’d make better work if I focused on one thing at a time. I just don’t know, this is just how I roll. Yet, I will also try my best to slow down and share as much as I can with you. Thanks for being along on the journey with me.