Jenni Ward ceramic sculpture

Goodbye California, Hello Iceland!

August 30, 2018

And I’m off!

I board a red-eye flight bound for Reykjavik tonight and probably by the time you read this I will have officially landed on Icelandic soil. After an overnight in the big city, I will be making my way across the island to the eastern side and eventually arrive in the small village of Stoovarfjordur.

I have everything I need for lots of hiking and exploring plus my studio tools packed and ready to go. I decided to bring clay with me in my checked luggage – which I’m sure will trigger a bag search- but since I’ve been working with a beautiful translucent porcelain, I wanted to make sure that I had the right materials to work with at the Fish Factory. If you want to follow along on a daily basis, I’ll be posting to my Instagram account regularly and I’ll be writing once a week posts right here on ‘the dirt’, so be sure to keep in touch while I’m gone!

I look forward to this amazing five week art adventure and thank everyone who donated to my residency with all my heart! You guys are the best!

Going back to Nevada…

August 28, 2018

In order to squeeze in just one more art event before I flee the country, this past weekend we headed back out to the Buffalo Creek Art Center in Gardnerville Nevada for an end of summer bbq art show. I brought my three Lichen Trees with me and a few pieces from the Bone Series | Medusas that I had made while I was an artist in residence there this past June. It was so nice to be back, meet some of the other artists and enjoy the beauty of the eastern sierras again.

The event had nearly 100 visitors come to the ranch and meet the artists and their work. It was great to talk about my time there and the process of making my work with everyone. I can’t say enough about the owners Steve & Lana and the caretakers Bill & Mel, they welcomed me with open arms from day one and I’m so grateful for the opportunity I had in working there this summer.

New Installations at Cin-Cin Wine Bar in Los Gatos!

August 24, 2018

In the midst of getting ready to leave for Iceland, prepping for Open Studios and having a slew of little pop up art events going on, I’ve also been getting ready for an installation at Cin-Cin Wine Bar & Restaurant in Los Gatos. This show will be up for about six months and includes work from the framed Bone Series pieces and a site specific installation of the Relic Series.

This space came with it’s own set of challenges but I think that I was able to over come them to create a really nice exhibit. Here’s a sneak peek of the work, but make sure to get down there and grab a glass of vino while you check out the art! And if you’re interested in purchasing any of these pieces for your own space, you can contact JCO’s Art Haus for details…

Cin-Cin Wine Bar & Restaurant
368 Village Lane | Los Gatos CA
Exhibit Reception: October 24th, 6-8pm

Affordable Art Fair 2018!

August 22, 2018 August 21, 2018

The Very Very Rare Affordable Art Fair!

You can pick some of my smaller works at JCO’s Art Haus in Los Gatos along with other notable bay area artists for their annual Affordable Art Fair!

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 11 – SUNDAY, OCTOBER 14, 2018
805 University Avenue #E • Los Gatos CA 95032

The studio is coming together!

August 21, 2018

Did you notice there were no blog posts on ‘the dirt’ last week?? What?!?

Well, with the big news that we ARE allowed to have Open Studios in our studios at Mission Industrial this year, I got super busy getting the studio ready. If you’re not sure what I’m talking about, you can read more here and here. I know it seems a little early, but by the time I come back from my Iceland residency, I will have about 6 days before Open Studios, so I’m going to just have the studio ready to go!

This year I will have a ton of work on display- new work, old work and I’m including photos of my outdoor installations. There are some series (like the Nest series) that only have a few pieces left – so this is the last chance to add them to your collection! Plus I will have some seconds for sale at super low prices and Art Hearts will be available too!

So please join me October 13, 14, 20 & 21st from 11 – 5 at 2523 C Mission St Santa Cruz, artist #307 in the catalog!

BIGGEST NEWS OF THE YEAR!

August 10, 2018 August 7, 2018

Just a few days ago, the artists at Mission Industrial Art Studios got word from the powers-that-be that we WILL be allowed to have our studios open for this years Open Studios event in October! YAY!!

If you’re unsure why this is the BIGGEST NEWS OF THE YEAR, then read this post first about all the changes at Mission Industrial. Then this post about what I had planned to do for this years Open Studios.

With this new exception in place, I will now be showing my work in my own space, 2523 C Mission St, Artist #307 in the catalog and I can’t wait to see you all there! Now that you’re all caught up, aren’t you excited!?!?

I should also note, that none of the other changes at Mission Industrial have been revoked, so we are still unable to hold classes or have other events and as it stands now, this could be the last Open Studios at Mission Industrial, so make sure that you get over here to check out the eight artists participating.

October 13, 14, 20 & 21 | 11 – 5

Rock Candy gems are rocking the online shop!

August 7, 2018

The Rock Candy Series colorful ceramic gem-like forms are now available in the online shop! They are intriguing objects mounted on the wall or placed in the garden as colorful eye candy.