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    Featured Art: Lichen Series

    The Lichen Series Installation is composed of 9 vertical stalk shaped structures that are segmented into 9 pieces, three from the series are pictured here. Each of the parts has a variety of ceramic lichen pieces emerging from and fused to them that contrast with the dark stalk structures.

    Featured Art: Lichen Series | the dirt | Jenni Ward ceramic sculpture
    This installation was originally showcased at the Ceramics Annual of America exhibit in San Francisco and now are on display in my studio. The work conjures up images of a forest after a fire when the green and lushness is gone but life is still present. This series plays with ideas of death and regrowth, the power of negative space and the contrast of dark and light.

    These pieces are hand-built and hand-carved from high fired stoneware and each piece is original and unique. For more images of this installation…

    Lichen Series, 81 piece wall mounted ceramic installation, 84″ x 120″ x 9″, 2013, $2000/stalk. Contact Jenni for purchase & installation details

    More Clay, Less Plastic

    More Clay, Less Plastic | the dirt | Jenni Ward ceramic sculptureWhile I am not a potter, I truly appreciate a well made mug or slurping soup out of a perfectly formed bowl and with all of the disposable plastic products out in the world now, ceramics is of even greater importance for use in our daily lives. The More Clay, Less Plastic movement is something that I can really get behind. After all, clay is the original container for all the needs of kitchen life, why can’t it be that again?

    Check out this article about the Italian artist Lauren Moreira who started this movement and next time you need a new container, consider clay!

    More Clay, Less Plastic by Shelly Davis

    Ceramics in the News

    These 20 Artists Are Shaping the Future of Ceramics

    ARTSY EDITORIAL  BY CASEY LESSER
    Ceramics in the News | the dirt | Jenni Ward ceramic sculpture
    Artists and artisans working with ceramics have steadily contributed to the art world for centuries. From prehistoric pottery to ancient Greek amphoras, from the rise of porcelain in Asia and Europe to the Arts and Crafts movement in England and the U.S., ceramic traditions have long fascinated artists and infiltrated their practices. In the contemporary art world, this was never more clear than in 2014, when ceramics arguably achieved peak popularity. Read more…

    Process of an Idea

    I always get the question, “How long did it take to make that?” and it’s a fair question, with a complicated answer…

    The other day, I started building intuitively, meaning that I really didn’t know what I was doing or where I was going with this idea but I kept building anyway. I tried to document the process as I went, taking time to step back and look at what I was working on. This went on for about half a day, then I let this piece sit in my studio and we stared at each other over the course of the next few days after which I promptly threw it in the recycle bin.

    Process of an Idea | the dirt | Jenni Ward ceramic sculptureFor me, this is all a part of the process of creating. The ability to let go so that you can refine it in your head and in it’s physical form is crucial to this process. I don’t think of this piece as being gone forever, I think of it as not being ready to be out in the world yet. I also know that there are parts of this form that are very familiar to me and parts that are new, it takes time for these ideas to come together. I like to ask myself questions about the content of my work, “Why am I making this?”, “What did I see that inspired it?” and “Are there other ways to express this concept?”.  All these questions need to have at least some start of answer to them if I’m going to continue investing time into making the work and if I don’t have those answers yet, that’s ok. These questions and these forms don’t go away, they hibernate until they are shaped into something I can verbalize, at least to myself. It may be another decade before this comes to fruition but that’s ok too.

    So when you buy a piece of art from an artist and you ask “How long did it take to make that?” remember that you are asking about the hours of experimentation, the hours of failures and the hours of refining that went into the process until the artist was able to make the piece that you are holding.

    Lichen Series at PVAC

    Lichen at PVAC | the dirt | Jenni Ward ceramic sculpture‘Take Aways: Art to Go’ at PVAC Gallery in Watsonville is up until March 19th and is showcasing over sixty of the county’s most notable artists. I’m so thrilled to be included on this roster of talented artists for the third year. This exhibit is a major annual fundraiser for the gallery and all work is priced to be affordable for every budget.

    I am showing 3 brand new pieces from my Lichen Series. These works are ceramic pieces mounted on reclaimed wood, inspired by mushroom spore patterns and designed to add a piece of nature to your wall space.

    PVAC Gallery | 37 Sudden St | Watsonville
    February 8 – March 19, 2017
    Opening Reception February 12th from 2-4
    Closing Reception March 19th from 2- 4

    Winter/Spring Classes Have Started

    This week launched our 10 week winter/spring session of classes at the studio, but don’t worry, it’s not too late for you to join in and B CR8IV!

    Winter/Spring Classes Have Started | the dirt | Jenni Ward ceramic sculptureThere are a few spots left in our private/semi-private classes and there is still space to join in on our adult create with clay classes to. All levels are welcome!

    For more details…

    Featured Work: Bone Series

    Did you know these pieces qualify for FREE SHIPPING?

    The Bone Series has manifested itself in many variations, from small wearables to large installations. Pieces from this series have been exhibited In the Field and in gallery settings. But regardless of the environment they are displayed in, The Bone Series explores the remains of a form or a forms underlying structures. In turn, the exploration of decaying forms also discusses renewal or new growth.

    Featured Work: Bone Series | the dirt | Jenni Ward ceramic sculpture

    These three pieces from this series are unique in that they have wire forms growing around the ceramic ‘bones’. They are reminiscent of aquatic creatures finding protection in a rock or coral allowing for new life to thrive in these structures.

    250. each | free shipping available until February 28th

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    Feeling the Love!

    Feeling the Love | the dirt | Jenni Ward ceramic sculpture

    Thank you to everyone who came out to our Pop Up Art Show at Santa Cruz Mountain Brewery yesterday! Drinking beer and buying art was a great way to spend a sunny Sunday afternoon with you all!

    If you couldn’t make it out to pick up some art hearts for your sweeties, you can always order from our online shop or swing by the studio and pick some up.

    Happy Valentines!

    SHOP NOW

     

    Two Art Show Weekend!

    This Sunday is a day of art opportunities!

    Two Art Show Weekend! | the dirt | Jenni Ward ceramic sculpture

    Take Aways: Art to Go at the PVAC Gallery opens from 2- 4 with a plethora of affordable artwork by local artists and A Pop Up Art Show at Santa Cruz Mountain Brewery from 4 – 8 will showcase 4 local artists selling creative gifts just in time for Valentines. You can find my work at both locations!

    At PVAC, I will be showing 3 brand new pieces from my Lichen Series. These works are ceramic pieces mounted on reclaimed wood, inspired by mushroom spore patterns and designed to add a piece of nature to your wall space.

    At A Pop Up Art Show, I will be showing small sculptures from my Nest Series, seed pods, Bone Series Necklaces and lots and lots of Art Hearts. I will be showing alongside the talented Nora Dougherty, Mariclare McKnight of Cadette and Claudia Stevens.

     

    Join UsDrink Beer! Buy Art! Pop Up Show! | the dirt | Jenni Ward ceramic sculpture:

    Take Aways: Art to Go
    PVAC Gallery
    37 Sudden St | Watsonville
    Sunday 2 – 4

    Pop Up Art Show
    Santa Cruz Mountain Brewery
    402 Ingalls St | Santa Cruz
    Sunday 4 – 8

    Nest with Blue Pods

    Did you know that this piece qualifies for FREE SHIPPING?

    After making dozens of ceramic nests, there are only two large nests left available in this limited series. This once greets me as I walk into my studio and casts the most beautiful shadows when the morning sun comes through my studio door.

    Nest with Blue Pods | the dirt | Jenni Ward ceramic sculpture

    This nest has three blue slate colored pods that are fused to the bottom of the outer shell, the pods are visible but also shielded by the outer webbing.

    All of the pieces in this series are hand-built, hand-carved and created with a unique process that fuses the inner pieces to the outer. They are made from high fired stoneware and each piece is original and unique.

    $425. Free Shipping available until February 28th

    ADD TO YOUR COLLECTION