the dirt

MISSION INDUSTRIAL SPRING STUDIO SALE

MAY 6th & 7th
11 Art Studios Open | 1 – 6 | Saturday & Sunday

Before I lived in Santa Cruz, I would visit my then boyfriend (now husband) on the weekends and I fell in love with Santa Cruz (and him) for its long walks along west cliff, hikes through the redwoods, the quirky fun of downtown and rides on the giant dipper. On one of my weekend visits, I was wandering around town by myself and couldn’t figure out what these bright green signs were all about. I followed the arrows which lead to a series of artist studios that were open to the public for the weekend. I didn’t know anything about the event but was so impressed with the artwork I saw and how many green signs were showing all over town. After asking around about the event, I realized that not only was Santa Cruz a beautiful, fun place to visit but it also had a serious art scene. Flash forward to what feels like a million years later and here I am with 12+ years of my own Open Studios Art Tour events under my belt and so proud to be part of the art community of Santa Cruz County.

So yes, Santa Cruz is about big waves and big trees and it’s about the accepting, compassionate community but a big part of the heart of Santa Cruz is about being an incredible art destination and that’s a reason to visit all in itself. The weekend of May 6 & 7th is no exception. It will be a beautiful weekend to visit Santa Cruz if you’re from out of town or to participate in your creative community if you’re a local. There are so many art events happening but still, there is enough time to take it all in.

Kick off the weekend at First Friday, with art events from Felton to Watsonville, many concentrated in the Santa Cruz downtown region. Saturday & Sunday you can join in on the fun at Ceram-A-Rama at the Santa Cruz Mountain Art Center, the Spring Art Market at the Tannery , the 17th Ave Artists Spring Art Show & Sale  AND you can join me at Mission Industrial Studios for our Spring Studio Sale.  There is A LOT of art to see, buy and share that weekend but I’m pretty sure that you can handle it!

Please click the links for details on each of these fantastic events and I hope to see you out there!

Thanks for supporting local artists and the arts!
#madeinsantacruz

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.