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    Installation in Progress for Sculpture IS:

    Sculpture IS: turns 10 and there are lots of events planned to celebrate!

    Yesterday, I installed 3 pieces from the Vine Series at Pajaro Valley Arts Council Gallery for the “In the Gallery” exhibit of Sculpture IS, co-curated by the amazing and talented Susana Arias and Hedwig Heerschop. Ironically, made in 2006, these vines are also celebrating their 10 year anniversary too! I love the way these guys seem to crawl across the walls of the gallery.

    This show is going to be incredible with over 80 unique sculptures making their way into the gallery. The show opens May 4 with a reception for the artists and demos on May 15th at the gallery.  But you don’t have to wait that long, come to the Artist Demos & Talks at Cabrillo Gallery on May 5th  12:30 – 3:30 to learn more about some of the incredible sculptors participating in this exhibit.

    Demos by Jaime Abbott, Ingrid Marianne, Payson McNett, Cynthia Siegel, Victoria May, Angela Gleason and Beverly Rayner with artist talks by Rose Sellery, Cynthia Siegel, Roy Holmberg and myself. I’ll be giving a talk about my work, my inspiration and using nature as my gallery space. I hope to see you there!

    Installation in Progress for Sculpture IS: | the dirt | Jenni Ward ceramic sculpture

    “Inky chose liberty over security.”

    This may be my most favorite line from any NPR article, “Inky chose liberty over security.”

    The article chronicles the great escape of an octopus named Inky from its tank at the National Aquarium of New Zealand to the open ocean. I have always thought octopus were beautiful and engaging creatures. I’ve loved seeing them used as imagery from early Greek pottery to modern artwork produced today. There is something alluring and arcane about these creatures that seems to of spanned time and cultures. Learning how intelligent and sensitive they are only adds to their mystery.
    Inky chose liberty over security | the dirt | Jenni Ward ceramic sculpture
    The reason that I’m bringing this article to your attention beyond my own fascination with these creatures is because of the words ‘liberty over security’ used in the article. Those concepts are exactly the theme explored in my Nest Series and this particular piece came to mind. I imagined Inky squeezing his way one tentacle at a time from the safety and security of his tank towards the freedom the open ocean brings just as these fragile ceramic forms wiggle outside their shell and risk breakage. But there is a beauty that comes from the vulnerable moments in these chances we take to live beyond the walls and limits of our own world.

    Hopefully Inky is out there enjoying his freedom and has taught us a lesson to not be afraid to leave the safety of the tank for a taste of adventure and liberty.

    To learn more about the Nest Series…

    To learn more about Inky and The National Aquarium of New Zealand…

    Art at the Arboretum

    I got the opportunity to visit the UCSC Arboretum last week. I’ll be selling a few small works and lots of Art Hearts in the gift shop soon. There are plans in the works for a sculpture exhibition on the grounds. I’ll be creating a large installation as a part of this exhibit, details to follow soon – very excited about this!
    Art at the Arboretum | the dirt | Jenni Ward ceramic sculpture

    While I was there, I had one of my Nest Series pieces with me and couldn’t resist the opportunity to take this snapshot of it with the red flowering plant in the background. I hadn’t been to the Arboretum in years and it was such a lovely spot, I’m going to make a point to go there more often and to bring out of town guests there. Sometimes the best exploring is in our own backyards.

    Students at Work

    Students at Work | the dirt | Jenni Ward ceramic sculpture

     

    Our Spring Create with Clay Workshop for kids is in its final weeks, but that just means that we are gearing up for our student exhibit at the Spring Studio Sale. My students have sold there work at this exhibit for years and they are always so excited to set their prices and invite their families to come. We talk about the business of art, how to set fair prices, and I charge them a small commission to show their work (which I then donate to a local organization).

    The students can show and/or sell a few select pieces that they’ve made and then we do a group project for a larger display. Last year we made Van Gogh Sunflowers and then recreated a 3-D version of his famous painting on the wall of the studio. This photo was taken as we were setting up before I got their name tags on each flower which of course were in the shape of leaves. I love how unique each flower is and yet how well they work in this grouping.

    I’m not revealing what our group project is this year, but I promise that you’ll want to take a bite out of it!

    Join us at the studio to see this years group project and other talented student work at the Spring Studio Sale!

    APRIL 30th 11 – 4 | earth art studio | 767 Cathedral Dr | one mile from the Aptos PO

     

    Line Up for Sculpture IS: Demos and Talks

    Line Up for Sculpture IS: Demos and Talks

    My artist talk is coming up Thursday May 5th at the Cabrillo College Gallery!

    This event is a special part of the 10th Anniversary of the Sculpture IS: exhibit held at Sierra Azul Gardens in Watsonville. This year there will be an indoor exhibition at Pajaro Valley Arts Council Gallery as well as the outdoor exhibit in the garden. A commemorating catalog of the event is also in the works!

    Join me and this amazing line up of artists for demos and talks all about sculpture! A big thank you to the talented and amazing sculptor Susana Arias for inviting me to participate!

    Thursday May 5th 2016
    Cabrillo College Gallery
    Aptos California
    Demos: 12:30 – 2:00
    Talks: 2:30 – 3:30

    Last Week for Discounts on Summer Workshops!

    This is it! You have until Friday April 15th to take advantage of early bird discounts on Summer Workshops for Kids!

    Join us at the studio this summer and B CR8IV!!!

    Last Week for Discounts on Summer Workshops! | the dirt | Jenni Ward ceramic sculpture

    Waves of clay, plaster play and wire wiggling is a part of life at Earth Art Studio!  Express your creativity in sculpting workshops for children ages 7 and up.  We will build with clay, paper mache, work with wire and experiment with a variety of other materials to create unique sculptures.  Every year we have an end of summer art show!

    8 One-Week Workshops Available:

    Mon – Fri,  12:30 – 4, starting June 6th thru July 29th
    Healthy snacks and all materials are included in class fees.
    SIGN UP TODAY

    Art Heart Reminder!

    I will have a slew of art hearts available for sale at the Spring Studio Sale  but you don’t have to wait that long to get some art hearts for your loves! Order a bouquet of hearts or heart ornaments from our online shop today!

    Art Heart Reminder | the dirt | Jenni Ward ceramic sculpture

    Each heart is individually designed, I will select a style or a bouquet of styles for you when you order. Special requests or color preferences are always welcome but they may take longer to ship depending on our stock. A portion of all art hearts sales benefit philanthropic arts projects, click the link to learn more and thank you for your support!

    Make Your Mark

    A few rebels have already done it. A few regulars are really tempted.

    Now, it’s time for everyone to TAG the TABLE!

    Join us at the Annual Spring Studio Sale and get a chance to make your mark!

    Saturday April 30th 11 – 4

    Make Your Mark | the dirt | Jenni Ward ceramic sculptureAbout the Studio Table aka: Joebob Mesa (yes, my studio table has a name):
    At 8′ square, this table dominates the space in my studio and has held up well considering all it has been through over 12 years of use. My husband Nate is over 6′ tall and he designed and built the studio table, which is why it is the perfect height for an over 6′ tall man. What he didn’t realize was that my 5 and 6 year old students were about eye level with the table top, (whoops!) so we ended up getting some very tall stools for these little guys to teeter on. Next time, a lower table is definitely in order!

    A few years ago we cut the table down to about 8′ x 7′ to make more walking room around the table. When we started to take it apart, I realized that the side boards had been burnished by hundreds of students hands running over them, it was honestly amazing to look at as a symbol of my time teaching art. And it actually inspired me to invite everyone to sign their name to the table as well. Hope to see you at the studio April 30th from 11 – 4!

    Fun Fact: It is very common for clay artists to name their kilns, ours is Fireball, but we also named the throwing wheels; Thing One and Thing Two, the slab roller; Slabby Mc Slabberson and as mentioned above the table is Joebob Mesa. We would’ve named the extruder when it joined the studio this past winter, but it came with the name Super Duper Clay Extruder written right on it and everyone agreed that it really didn’t get better than that.

    A Weekend in the Woods

    We have been working on house projects weekend after weekend for a few months and this time, we finally escaped!
    3 days in the woods… happy freakin’ camper!
    A Weekend in the Woods | the dirt | Jenni Ward ceramic sculpture

    I’m not used to a lot of down time, generally I go and go and go. But for a good hour, I sat on this rock and watched my dog sniff around, watched my husband attempt to build a rock bridge across the creek, watched the sun move across the sky.

    I’ve been working on an artist talk for an upcoming event, mainly explaining why I take my art outside. It’s hard to verbalize in a way that doesn’t seem silly but I think I feel the most connected here, the least lost. When I am connected to nature it inspires my work and when my work connects with nature, I find my place in the system. I’ll have to keep thinking about these concepts in order to really explain them for my talk but in the meantime, I’m just going to enjoy being here.
    A Weekend in the Woods | the dirt | Jenni Ward ceramic sculptureGot this photo of our camp as it was getting dark under the redwoods and we had just turned on our solar lights. Everyone asks us about these, and I try to give some away whenever we travel to places where I know we’ll meet people that don’t have reliable electricity in their homes. (See my page about bringing books and solar lights to an orphanage in Haiti.) We love them, they work great and the company that makes them does good philanthropic work, so get some Luci Lights for yourself, get outside and reconnect with nature!