the dirt

The Rock Candy Series has been installed In the Field at Joshua Tree, at the Pacific Edge Climbing Gym and encrusted on found driftwood as seen here. There are only a few of these pieces left in this series but I’ll be raffling this one off at this years Spring Studio Sale. All you have to do is sign up on my mailing list during the studio sale and you’re entered to win!

Looking forward to seeing you at the studio May 6th & 7th and maybe this beauty with my favorite red glaze could be yours!

About the Series:
The Rock Candy Series are inspired by the flow of water and how it shapes the land. The hard angled ceramic shapes juxtapose the curvy flow of natural forms to create a dynamic visual engagement. These colorful ceramic rock forms are intriguing objects whether mounted on the wall, in the garden or in small compositions on driftwood.

Hey, so y’all know Mother’s Day is right around the corner and chances are you’re going to get your mom some flowers or maybe a bottle of her favorite wine. Why not add in an Art Heart to that gift, so that long after the flowers have wilted and the wine bottle is in the recycling bin, she’ll still have your heart?

Ceramic art hearts are the perfect gift for the loves in your life. Each one is hand-made and uniquely designed by sculptor Jenni Ward. They are available on metal stems or as ornaments with twine loops and make beautiful additions to any bouquet of flowers, plant or wine bottle. Each heart is unique and will have slight variations in color and style. You can pick one up at the Spring Studio Sale May 6 & 7 or order directly from our online shop. SHOP NOW…

Have a retail shop and want to order Art Hearts Wholesale? Contact Jenni for our wholesale linesheet.

I’m starting to see the very yellow light at the end of this umbel tunnel! The pile of finished Umbel Flowers has gotten drastically larger than the unfinished pile and I’m getting ready to install them in a few weeks- I’m very excited about this installation. I’ve had some help from my studio assistants Nina and Sequoia with getting through the glazing process and helping load and unload the kilns which has been extremely helpful in making progress. Below is a current panorama shot of my studio table, I know, it’s a little crazy.

The other part of this project that had to be taken care of was cutting all the steel rods that will be the stems for each flower. Local metal artist Roy Holmberg helped me order the right materials, curator Susana Arias loaned me her brand new saw and my husband Nate took the better part of a day to cut the 800′ of steel rod into 2.5′ pieces and grind the cut ends of each one. Now they are all piled up neatly waiting to be hammered into the ground. I am so grateful for all of this help, it truly takes a village to raise an artist.

Slow and steady, this project is really starting to take shape! The exhibition opens May 20th with a reception for the artists and will run through late November. I’m really looking forward to seeing how the installation changes as the landscape makes its own seasonal changes. The Umbel Flower installation will close with a ‘picking day’ where visitors can purchase and pick the flowers from the field to transplant into their own gardens.

Ceramics Monthly magazine graciously posted a photo of my work on their Facebook page the other day of one of my In the Field installations from the Bone Series. These pieces were from a few years ago, but it reminded me to take another look back. I love how these pieces truly seem at home on the beach, like the tide has just revealed them to us.

About the Bone Series:
The Bone Series is a new series of work that is focused on the remains of a form. The pieces imply what is left after the flesh is gone. I see them as an abstract interpretation of biological creatures that may have had fleshy fins or other appendages and these bone structures are all that remains. I imagine that these pieces might be discovered in the natural world as the only clues to the past of what this creature might have been. These pieces are comprised of flanges of clay attached at a center point with holes cut and carved into them, ranging in size from 6″x 5″ x 5″ to 15″x 6″x 6″. Each piece is hand-built from high fired stoneware and is original and unique.

Select pieces from this series are available in the online shop.