the dirt

RSS feed

    yet another umbel update!

    The six umbel shaped flower heads are finished and will be moving to my studio very soon while they await a trip to the galvanizer!

    yet another umbel update! | the dirt | Jenni Ward ceramic sculpture
    yet another umbel update! | the dirt | Jenni Ward ceramic sculpture
    yet another umbel update! | the dirt | Jenni Ward ceramic sculpture

    My studio had the vibe of an alien invasion for a few days while I filled all the ceramic forms with expansion foam. The idea of the foam is to support the rods when they are epoxied together. The middle photo shows the washers where the ceramic elements will meet the metal and where the epoxy will seal them together.

    Preliminary work on the stems has begun and it will be really exciting to have the segments come together and see height of them take shape! Onward and Upward!

    This project is sponsored by:

    A Feast of Flowers | Jenni Ward ceramic sculpture

    outside scoop: 25

    This week, outside the studio…

    Bowie keep cool nearly falling asleep in the creek at one of our fav camping spots / some pinecrest lake time with the fam
    angelique kidjo concert at stern grove in sf this summer
    two new crochet projects, one chunky cozy and another set of dog jammies for Bowie’s cousin Junie
    helped Cynthia Siegel install her prince (who I named Henry) at Sierra Azul Gardens in Watsonville

    The Outside Scoop is a weekly blog series that shares a little bit of what’s going on in my life outside of the studio. Please feel free to leave comments, I look forward to chatting with you here!

    in the shop

    When was the last time that you checked out the online shop?

    There are lots of goodies in there looking for a happy home! Plus lots of great gifts for all of those upcoming birthdays. Choose FedEx Ground or Free Local Pick Up for your delivery options.

    SHOP NOW

    photoshoot in the studio

    I was lucky enough to get a studio visit from photographer Crystal Birns for a photoshoot of the current status of my studio. Be sure to come by the studio this October for my 18th and last Open Studios in Santa Cruz and see this crazy space for yourself!

    Here are a few of my favorites that she got…

    Awesome Santa Cruz gets some press!

    Awesome Foundation June Winner | the dirt | Jenni Ward ceramic sculpture

    Thank you to KION News 46 for including the Santa Cruz Awesome Foundation Chapter in their top news stories!

    SANTA CRUZ COUNTY, Calif. (KION_TV)- A group of 13 Santa Cruz County residents launched the first Central Coast chapter for the Awesome Foundation.

    ‘Awesome Santa Cruz’ is offering no-strings-attached $1000 micro-grants to fund a creative, community-minded project within the Santa Cruz County area. The group focuses on projects that bring people together, promoting compassion and opportunities for community-building that might not other wise exits.

    Read more here…

    another umbel update!

    Freedom Forge is going full steam ahead with umbel production! All of the flowerhead parts have been fabricated and now we’re tweaking the angles to adjust for just the right amount of organic movement in each flower, allowing them to be uniform and unique all at the same time. The big stems are coming up next and then there will be an adventure to the galvanizer in the very near future!

    This project is sponsored by:

    A Feast of Flowers | Jenni Ward ceramic sculpture

    metal fabrication is in full swing

    I’m loving seeing the process of making the metal parts for A Feast of Flowers and luckily Kirk McNeill’s studio is right around the corner from mine, so I can pop over to see what Kirk and his team are up to.

    In my last post, the flower head ‘arms’ were bent for the outer ring of flowers and now those arms are being riveted and welded to the base plate. Eventually the inner layers of flowers will be made the same way and stacked on top of this larger base plate. This is only one layer and they’re already looking so cool! More to come, stay tuned!

    This project is sponsored by:

    A Feast of Flowers | Jenni Ward ceramic sculpture

    mark your calendars!

    SANTA CRUZ COUNTY OPEN STUDIOS 2023

    OCTOBER 14, 15, 21 & 22 | 10am – 5pm

    ARTIST #297

    EARTH ART STUDIO

    2523 C MISSION ST | SANTA CRUZ

    Please join me for my 18th and LAST year of participating in the Santa Cruz Open Studios Art Tour! The studio is going to be packed with art; new and old, big and small, so come find a treasure for your home or garden. Looking forward to seeing y’all in a few months!

    photo: Crystal Birns

    umbel update

    I’m excited to announce I’ve finally finished fabrication of all of the ceramic elements for A Feast of Fennels and every surface of the studio is covered in parts. Scroll down to see the progress on the metal fabrication happening!

    Kirk McNeil and Franco Di Majo working on bending the rods that will create the flowerhead structures. Love the custom jig they made to get each curve just right. Can’t wait to see all these parts start to come together!

    This project is sponsored by:

    A Feast of Flowers | Jenni Ward ceramic sculpture