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    work in progress: lichen series spore patterns

    Now that the ceramic parts for this site specific installation are completed, it’s time to start working on the infrastructure. Each of the ceramic pieces will be epoxied to a steel rod that will be anchored into the ground supporting the pieces and also allowing them to float off the ground about a foot. This will give an ethereal vibe to the piece while also allowing the forest floor room to regrow beneath the work.

    There are over 300 parts but about half of them are large enough that they require two rods to support them, so that totals to approximately 450 rods that need to be fabricated, plus some extras of course. I ordered 1300′ of steel rod that needs to be cut into 30″ lengths, the ends are ground so they are not sharp and then I’m welding on a washer to the end of each rod where the ceramic piece will rest and be epoxied to the rod. It’s simple, but it is A LOT of parts to make.

    I’ve also started to pack up all the parts and make lists of everything I’ll need to bring with me for the installation. And trying to prepare and plan for all the ‘what ifs’ that might happen. Luckily, I can already tell that I’ve got a great team meeting me on site and that even if all doesn’t go as planned, we’re going to make it work and make it beautiful!

    Installation is now officially scheduled for early August, and I’ll be posting the progress on my Instagram feed if you want to follow along.

    Artists Sharing Artists: Sally Walk

    I had been a fan of Sally’s work long before I got to meet her in Taiwan during our residency at the Yingge Ceramic Museum. It was impressive to see her in action, she was only at the residency for one month and I think she created more work in that month than I had in the three months I’d been there, she’s amazingly productive!

    I love how animated her forms are, it feels like they will just get up and start walking or swimming through the studio. Her use of pattern, color and carved textures only adds to the movement in her work. I also had no idea that she threw all her forms on the wheel, I had assumed everything was hand-built, so it was great to be able to watch and learn about her process. Not only is she an impressive sculptor with excellent craftsmanship but she is also the sweetest person, a stellar karaoke singer and she made me laugh until it hurt.

    Check out the video below to see more images of her work…

    Sally at her studio space at the Yingge Ceramics Museum

    About Sally Walk’s Work: My sculptural works are often on the edge, balanced, uneasy and restless, contrasting with a delicate prettiness that presents a sense of determination. They reference the illusions we create, how we present ourselves and what we determine as truth. Our outer shell is a façade, a beautiful illusion, but who we are is unclear. Our very existence is constructed, carefully controlled, meticulously edited. Only the edited version is apparent. What lies within or beyond the beautiful façade is lost, as reality teeters on the edge. This imbalance between what is real and what is not, is unnerving, and my ceramic sculptures explore this concept.

    The shape of the forms are inspired by marine animals and microscopic imagery. I became interested in microscopic images after my mum was diagnosed with cancer, and unlikely positive to come from the situation. The virus-like rounded spikes were actually from some research I did into viruses that were being used to cure cancer. Oh how quickly that imagery has become linked to a pandemic.

    You can follow Sally on Instagram and Facebook or visit her website to view more of her work.

    Artists Sharing Artists: is a series of posts where I share some of my favorite artists who are also inspired by nature and use their art to protect what they love. More artists coming soon…

    new commission finished!

    Just wanted to share this brand new custom Umbel flower in its happy home. I love how perfectly it fits into the owners landscaping choices while still standing out and making a statement.

    Check out those shadows too!

    Interested in a custom piece for your home? Contact me for a free consult at jw@jenniward.com

    exciting studio news!

    Our exhibition proposal for the next NCECA was accepted! The NCECA (National Council on Education in the Ceramic Arts) conference will be held in Sacramento in March of 2022. If you are unfamiliar with the conference, the 3 day event hosts lectures, panels, demos and exhibitions all related to the field of ceramics. This will be the first time in 2 years that the conference is planned to be in person once again – so exciting to have this happening in our backyard.

    Cynthia Siegel, Jenni Ward
    Shannon Sullivan, Wesley Wright, Sue Whitmore

    NCECA accepts proposals for concurrent exhibits to happen during the conference at neighboring galleries and art spaces and this year I’m thrilled to be co-curating and exhibiting my own work in one of those exhibits. Fellow ceramic artist Cynthia Siegel and I proposed an exhibit entitled, ‘This Is The Anthropocene.’ which aims to discuss the environmental crisis we are currently in through a variety of styles and approaches all using clay as the primary medium. We invited three other artists; Shannon Sullivan, Wesley Wright and Sue Whitmore to join us in exploring this concept. All of our work is so different in style, but will be tied together with the common thread of the status of our environment, I can’t wait to see it all in the same space.

    More details about the conference, these artists and this exhibition will be coming as things get closer, so stay tuned!

    video: work in progress: Spore Patterns Installation

    I ~think~ I have enough parts for my site specific Spore Patterns installation at the Price Sculpture Forest on Whidbey Island in Washington. I’ve lost the official count of parts but there’s definitely more than 300 pieces here, some are still raw clay, some glazed but not fired and most are finished. Next steps are to start working on the steel rods that will support the ceramic pieces to get them floating off the ground. Getting excited!

    BLING!

    Will you marry me???

    These fun, oversized rings were a collaboration with Lucia Bruer & Franco DiMajo and they have officially landed at Sierra Azul Sculpture Garden for the annual SCULPTURE IS: exhibit. Each ceramic gemstone is set in a steel bezel and mounted to the steel rings designed with shapes that mimic the planes of the gems. Be sure to check out Bling! 1 and Bling! 2 at Sierra Azul Gardens in Watsonville!

    Sierra Azul Nursery 2660 East Lake Ave (Hwy 152) Watsonville California 95076 | June 7 – October 31 2021 | Open Daily 10 – 5

    For more information: Pajaro Valley Arts

    Put Open Studios 2021 on the Calendar!

    February Studio News | the dirt | Jenni Ward ceramic sculpture

    I’m excited to announce that I’ve been accepted into the 2021 Santa Cruz County Open Studios Art Tour!

    It’s been two years since participating in the tour for me and I’m thrilled to welcome you back into my studio again! I’ll have lots of new work to share with you.

    Join me October 9th, 10th, 16th & 17th at the Studio

    For more information about the Art Tour visit:

    The Arts Council of Santa Cruz County

    updates from baja…

    updates from baja... | the dirt | Jenni Ward ceramic sculpture

    As much as I love my studio in Santa Cruz, it has been such a calming and restorative experience to spend a few weeks at our property in Baja Sur by myself. I’ve been sleeping outside under the stars and waking with the sun and the birds.

    I’ve been able to take care of some projects like getting out solar system up and running and have been organizing and upgrading our glamping situation here. As a bonus, I’ve had visits with my friends and clay people down here and am making plans for some clay workshops and studio time here in the future.

    I was even able to get my little Umbel flower which was fired in the last multi-fuel firing at Taller de Terreno and planted it in my cactus garden where it seems very much at home.

    I’ll return to my studio soon, but until then, I’m very much enjoying some time in the desert finding inspiration through exploration.

    Artists Sharing Artists: Ruth Ju-Shih Li

    I met Ruth when she and I were both artists-in-residence in Taiwan and I was so lucky to have her as my studio mate for those three months! Being Taiwanese-Australian, and having had spent time in Taiwan, she knew all the fun places to go and could speak and read the language; without her, I would of missed a lot of cultural opportunities that I’m so grateful I was able to experience. Even simply ordering dinner at a restaurant would of been a different (read: challenging!) experience without her.

    In addition to being studio mates for those three months, she happened to also have a solo exhibition during our residency. I was able to help her install her works, learning more about her concepts and process along the way. Her fired porcelain works with imagined flower forms and bird parts are intimidatingly delicate and alluringly gorgeous all at the same time. But I really loved watching her build her ephemeral flower arrangements on antique planter tables over the course of a few days, after which they had water slowly dripping on them for the course of the exhibition, slowly letting them disintegrate. Her work is all about life, time and death taking inspiration from the natural world and the Garden of Eden. I really encourage you to watch the video below about her process of creating these time based pieces, it’s simply beautiful.

    Artists Sharing Artists: Ruth Ju-Shih Li | the dirt | Jenni Ward ceramic sculpture

    About Ruth Ju-Shih Li’s Work: Autobiographical in nature, Li’s ephemeral installations act as a metaphorical meditation on the fragile paradox of life and death in relation to the self, extending onwards to consider the transitory nature of the human condition. Drawing on her personal narrative, diverse cultural and spiritual heritage, Li’s creations partake in the very living creative thought that underlies nature itself and sounds a note of the metaphysical, linking the individual and the universal on the bridge of the spiritual.

    You can follow Ruth on Instagram and Facebook or visit May Space Gallery to view more of her work.

    Artists Sharing Artists: is a series of posts where I share some of my favorite artists who are also inspired by nature and use their art to protect what they love. More artists coming soon…