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    Classes Start Soon!

    Classes Start Soon! | the dirt | Jenni Ward ceramic sculptureClay classes at the new studio start up again in a few weeks, are you signed up?

    Adult Clay Classes:

    October 4, 2016 – December 15, 2016
    (no class Thanksgiving week)
    Tuesdays 7 – 9pm
    Thursdays 10am – 12pm

    Click here for more details…

    Private/Semi-private Kids Classes:

    October 4, 2016 – December 15, 2016
    (no class Thanksgiving week)
    Tuesday | 12:30 – 2, 2:30 – 4 or 4:30 – 6
    Wednesday | FULL
    Thursday | 12:30 – 2, 2:30 – 4 or 4:30 – 6

    Click here for more details…

    Classes are located at:
    Earth Art Studio 2523 C Mission St Santa Cruz CA 95060

    Ceramics Monthly: Studio Visit

    Ceramics Monthly: Studio Visit | the dirt | Jenni Ward ceramic sculpture

    I am thrilled to share that my Studio Visit article has been published in the October issue of Ceramics Monthly. This article is a regular portion of the magazine and features an in depth look into a different artist’s studio life each month. Artists discuss where they work, how they take care of their mind and body, how they market and sell their work as well as advice to younger artists. It is such an honor to be selected especially at such a transitional time in my studio life. Read on here…

    Studio Visit: Jenni Ward, Santa Cruz California

    Open Studios 2016 is coming!

    Jenni Ward ceramic sculpture | the dirt | Open Studios 2016 is coming

    I’m so excited for my 12th year participating in the Santa Cruz County Open Studios Art Tour. On typical years it is a huge effort to prepare for this event, but this year, building out the new studio space and getting everything set up has been a monstrous undertaking. But, it’s really starting to come together and I can start to imagine making work in this space.

    I hope you can join me on October 8, 9, 15 & 16 from 11 – 5 at the new studio location:
    2523 C Mission St Santa Cruz, Artist #228

    Keep an eye out for these postcards around town and be sure to pick one up at the Santa Cruz Art League preview exhibit.

    For more information about Open Studios visit: Arts Council of SCC

    Studio is Closed for Moving!

    August is our normal break time from classes and we usually plan an epic trip somewhere but this year, our epic trip will be to the other side of the county! We will be very busy moving the whole studio to our new westside location, so The Dirt will go on hiatus while we move but you can still keep in touch over the next few weeks:

    Add yourself to the mailing list so you get updates on reopening of the studio & upcoming classes and events

    Follow my Instagram account @JenniWardArt

    BUY ART! The online shop is open 24/7 with discounts on the Specimen Series for just a few more days!

    Join me August 5th for First Friday at the UCSC Arboretum

    Visit my Bone Installation at the Healdsburg Center for the Arts

    Studio is Closed for Moving | the dirt | Jenni Ward ceramic sculpture

    Thanks so much to all the students, visitors and art patrons for 12 years of creativity at Earth Art Studio in Aptos. See ya in September on the Westside!

    Bone Installation Portfolio

    A new portfolio page of my Bone Series Wall Installation at the Healdsburg Art Center has been posted to the website. Here’s a teaser, but check out more images here…

    Bone Installation Portfolio | the dirt | Jenni Ward ceramic sculpture

     

    First ‘First Friday’ at the Arboretum

    Mark Your Calendar: August 5 is ‘First Friday’ at the Arboretum!

    The Arboretum will host its first ‘First Friday’ free event on August 5 from 2:00 pm–7:00 pm. Visitors can meander the paths of the Aroma Garden to view the beautiful, one-of-a-kind outdoor sculptures by nine local artists: Jamie Abbott, Jeff Arnett, Jennifer Henning, Coeleen Kiebert, Marilyn Kuksht, Anna Martin, Kirk McNeill, Cristie Thomas/Scott Lindberg, and Jenni Ward. Two of these artists will offer workshops or demonstrations.

    WORKSHOP:

    artistJamie Abbott’s sculptures are inspired by biomorphic forms, which he encapsulates with organic elements. Using thin gauge wire and wire tools, Abbott will guide participants in the wrapping and connecting of branches, pods, leaves, and many other materials collected from the Arboretum gardens.

    • Sessions at 2:00-3:15 pm and 3:45-5:00 pm;
    • Limited to 20 persons per session; to sign up, call the Arboretum office at 831.502.2998;
    • $10 for Arboretum members; $20 for non-members;
    • Participants are welcome to take their sculpture home or have it installed in the Art in the Arboretum exhibition until it ends October 10.

    artistDEMONSTRATION:

    Kirk McNeill is the artist-blacksmith of Freedom Forge, located on Santa Cruz’s West Side; McNeill works with hot forged iron, bronze, and copper, creating unique sculptures, in both modern and historical designs, to enhance buildings and landscapes. He will bring his portable forge to give blacksmithing displays.

    • Demonstrations from 3:00-5:00 pm; visitors will be able to watch how an artist uses his skills and tools to create pieces of art.

    Susana Arias, the curator of the exhibit, will be on hand to answer questions about Art in the Arboretum, an on-going event showcasing local sculptors and their work.

    Last Week of Classes at the Aptos Studio!

    This is it! The last week of classes are really happening…

    All summer I’ve been hanging out making sculptures with these goofballs. We’ve been working with clay, wire, metal, paper and anything else we can get our hands on to be creative. Every student will have one piece of art on display at the Santa Cruz County Fair in the Fine Arts Building this September, so be sure to keep an eye out for our sculptures!

    Last Week of Classes at the Aptos Studio! | the dirt | Jenni Ward ceramic sculpture

    Adults and Kids, want to join in when we reopen at the westside studio? Join the mailing list to find out when we will be restarting classes.

    Transitions are Tough

    Anyone who has moved homes, changed schools, left one phase of their life for the next knows, transitions are tough.

    As I type this post, I’m thinking of the 500 other things that need to be done after hitting publish. I know that this is a temporary situation and I’m SO excited for what the future brings as we shake up our whole lives but in the meantime, I’m tired.

    Shuffling between two studio spaces, while still running a business out of one of them and fixing up the other has become exhausting. We’ve been in this mode for a few months now and I can feel my body responding to it. Waking up sore and exhausted from carrying boxes at the same time feeling weak from a lack of exercise. My daily 2 hour dog hikes have turned into 30 minute dog walks, my weekly visits to the climbing gym have turned into a once a month event. I find myself dreaming of time for yoga classes and long backpacking trips.

    Transitions are Tough | the dirt | Jenni Ward ceramic sculptureAt the same time, we are also getting our home ready to sell. A place that we’ve lived for over 12 years, a place where we built our marriage, and a place that I built my business. That’s a lot to leave behind. We’ve spent weeks touching up cracks and painting over stains that we’ve lived with forever but now seem like eyesores. Throughout this process, we’ve also realized that the heart of our home has not been so much about the living space as much as the creative space. It’s the art on the walls, the well used work tables in the studio and the plants thriving in the garden that hold the highest value in our hearts.

    All of this packing, planning, organizing and sorting has left little time for making new art, traveling or adventuring. Last year we left the country 3 times and made multiple trips to the east coast, not to mention dozens of camping and backpacking trips around California. This year, not so much. We’ve been on a self imposed travel ban so we could focus on making this big life transition. Now we have itchy feet and adventures piling up on the to-do list. We hope that letting go of the responsibilities of home ownership and being a little more nomadic about where we sleep while using our new studio (aka: Base Camp) as a touchstone will give us the freedoms for more art making, traveling and adventuring.

    I’m normally not a very nostalgic person, but as I head into the final week of classes at my home studio, say goodbye to students and sign the papers to officially put our house on the market, I’m flooded with memories. The physical and emotional exhaustion of all of this change happening at the same time is very, very real. So yeah, transitions are tough but the knowledge that we have purposefully chosen this path tells me that it will all be worth it and that we are very ready for the adventures that lie ahead.

    Looking forward to sharing those adventures with you…

    REPOST: Specimen Series ON SALE!

    The specimen series are small wall mounted sculptures inspired by biological specimen collections often seen in museums. They are abstracted version of seeds, fungi, shells and bones made entirely of clay and arranged in an intriguing compositions. Reminiscent of beautifully arranged sushi in bento boxes, these pieces are designed to intrigue. The ceramic boxes create frames which both restrict and enhance the pieces that they contain. The forms in each box have been fused into place through the kiln firing process.

    REPOST: Specimen Series ON SALE | the dirt | Jenni Ward ceramic sculpture

    Each box has a simple wire loop on the back and is ready to hang. These pieces are small enough to fit anywhere and bold enough to make a statement in your space. Originally priced at $225, these pieces are now available for $195 through the end of July, browse the available pieces from this series in the online shop.

    SHOP NOW