the dirt

RSS feed

    Busiest Art Show Time of the Year

    Busiest Art Show Time of the Year | the dirt | Jenni Ward ceramic sculptureI feel like I have been running a marathon of art shows this past few months and it’s finally slowing down with almost all the shows coming to a close. From the the Spring Studio Sale way back in May, to the launch of the Annieglass Craftbar, the Umbel Installation at the UCSC Arboretum, Sculpture IS: 2017 exhibit at Sierra Azul Nursery, The Church Street Fair downtown, Sculpture SLAM in San Luis Obispo, JCO’s Affordable Art Fair in Los Gatos, 2 weekends of Open Studios in Santa Cruz and rounding it out with The Bioneers Conference in San Rafael and that was just the past 6 months.

    Nine major shows in 6 months is a little bit crazy but it’s been fun too. I am definitely  looking forward to the slow down. That said, I’ve been conjuring up new ideas and will probably be hitting the studio hard making new work this winter. I look forward to sharing the work with you as it comes out of the kiln. In the meantime, you can always shop online for your creative holiday gift needs!

    And if you happened to miss alllll of those exhibits but you still want to see me and my work in person, the only show on the schedule through the end of the year is a fantastic group exhibit with the LOOK collective, be sure to join me at that one for all your gift giving needs! I’m so looking forward to wrapping up the year with these talented folks in their beautiful coastal community. Click here for details on this one day show…

    Save the Date: Look Collective

    Look | Made by Hand

    Save the Date: Look Collective | the dirt | Jenni Ward ceramic sculpture

    Sunday December 10th, 2017 11 – 5

    Nora Dougherty
    Dave Gardner
    Felicia Gilman
    Bridget Henry
    Christina Mac Coll
    Mariclare Mc Knight
    Beth Sherman
    Jenni Ward

    5221 Coast Rd Santa Cruz (5 miles north of Western Dr)
    *Watch for Signage

    Thank You Gift!

    jenni ward ceramic sculpture | a relationship with earthThank you to everyone who came out to Open Studios this year, it was so fun catching up, saying hi and meeting new faces!

    For all of you new to getting my email blasts, I want to welcome you and thank you for coming to the studio during my 14th (or15th?!?) Open Studios Art Tour. If you signed up on my mailing list, you’ll be getting a once a week email with all of my blog posts for the week AND you’ll get a once a month email with a wrap up of everything going on in the studio; events, classes, new work etc. If you want to adjust your settings and only get the once a month email from me, you can click the link here to do that or click the link at the bottom of any email from me and adjust your email preferences.

    As a thank you gift for joining this creative community, please click the link below to download your free PDF book of my work ‘a relationship with earth’. Enjoy!

    DOWNLOAD FREE PDF BOOK 

    b cr8iv,

    -j

    My Art Your Space: Have You Collected Art From Me?

    I’m reposting this because I’ve loved seeing images of my art in your space come in! Keep um coming!

    When you come to the studio to buy art or order art online at the shop, I pack it up and happily send it on its way to you but rarely do I get to see where my art ends up and lives out the rest of its life. Will you show me?

    Jenni Ward ceramic sculpture | the dirt | have you collected art from me?If you’ve collected my art, this is a call for you to send me photos of where you’ve put my art in your home or garden space. I would love to share your photos here on a future blog post. I’m hoping to inspire others to see how art can enhance their space and make everything just feel good. I know that we don’t need art in the same way that we need food and clothing but I really believe that we need art to help us feel connected to others and the world at large. The pieces I’ve collected are some of the most important things that I own. Surrounding myself with art instead of stuff, means that everything has a story, a place or a person attached to it and I love that. I hope that my work gives you the same feeling and becomes a connected part of your home and life.  I’m looking forward to seeing our photos of my work in their new homes!

    A few photo specs:
    Take a minute to look at your lighting and shadows and try to capture your shot at the best timing for lighting. Please make sure your photos are in focus. Move extraneous stuff (water bottle, tv remote etc…) out of the shot. I will resize and edit the photos for you, so just send me what you’ve got (original size) and also let me know if its ok to use your name along with your photos in my future posts and any other info you want to share about the pieces you’ve collected. Please email your photos to: jw(at)jenniward(dot)com

    Selling AND Buying Art at Open Studios

    I was so fortunate to have many pieces of art find new happy homes during Open Studios Art Tour this year. Thank you so much to all of you who put your money where you mouth is and supported your local artists!

    Selling AND Buying Art at Open Studios | the dirt | Jenni Ward ceramic sculptureWhen you are a participating artist in the tour it’s really hard to make your way around to see other artists studios but this year, my husband and I were able to sneak in a few studio visits one afternoon. While we don’t have the biggest budget to buy art, let alone the space to put it in, we also believe in supporting local artists. So many people think that art is out of their price range so I wanted to share the gems that we bought, all for under $200. Seriously. Under $200.

    The koi fish and coral original painting was done by muralist Elijah Pfotenhauer, the rabbit print was done by muralist Taylor Reinhold and the small bowl was done by ceramic artist Liz Crain. I love the color and energy that each of these pieces add to my collection of local and global artists.

    What did you collect this year at Open Studios?

    Two-For Art Weekend!

    Two-For Art Weekend! | the dirt | Jenni Ward ceramic sculptureSometimes it would be really convenient to clone myself and be at multiple art events all at the same time but unfortunately I can only be in one place this weekend. So here’s the line up of art events you can hit… and if you want to see me in person, I’ll be at the studio!

    Open Studios Encore Weekend
    OCTOBER 21 & 22 FROM 11 – 5 | ARTIST #17 IN THE CATALOG
    MISSION INDUSTRIAL ART STUDIOS | 2523 C MISSION ST SANTA CRUZ

    Bioneers Conference
    UPRISING BIONEERS 2017 | OCTOBER 20 – 22
    MARIN CENTER | SAN RAFAEL

    To learn more about Art at the Bioneers….

    Sculpture IS: 2017 is coming to a close!

    Sculpture IS: 2017 is coming to a close! | the dirt | Jenni Ward ceramic sculpture

     

    If you’ve been planning on getting out to Sierra Azul Gardens to walk among the sculptures included in the 11th annual Sculpture IS: exhibit but you just haven’t made it out there yet, your time is running short! This exhibit closes Oct 31st!

    I have two exhibits from my Umbel Series included in this show along with over 90 other amazing sculptures from California artists in all mediums. Check it out!!

    Sierra Azul Nursery and Gardens
    2660 East Lake Avenue | Watsonville California

    Packing Up for the Bioneers

    This Thursday I’ll be heading up to the north bay to install my Hive Series at the Bioneers Conference. This piece might be my most traveled piece of art, it has been installed in Grand Rapids Michigan, Portland Oregon and in multiple shows all over California as well as in the redwood forests and now it is headed to the north San Francisco Bay area. I’m honored to be showing my work alongside a number amazingly talented artists, check it out if you can!Jenni Ward ceramic sculpture | in the field | hive series

    See this piece in person at the conference October 20 – 22 at the Marin Center in San Rafael CA, tickets available here…

    About the Hive Series:
    The Hive series is inspired by the natural balance between strength and fragility, curiosity and avoidance, security and vulnerability. These concepts are explored using a geometric configuration of multiple ceramic forms. The combination of these elements create an abstract interpretation of a hive structure both physically and conceptually that creates a dynamic visual for the viewer. This installation is comprised of almost 200 individual diamond shaped forms of clay with holes cut and carved into one half of them.