Tedious Tasks

Sometimes you start something that you know is crazy tedious and will drive you insane to make and it may not even survive the kiln process but you try it anyways…
Tedious Tasks | the dirt | Jenni Ward ceramic sculpture

I am making some progress but I find that staring at the tiny wires and carefully placing them actually makes me bit nauseous… so I’m only doing a few per day. It will be interesting to see when it’s completed if the clay and wire version has that same fuzzy glow that a real dandelion does. Will keep you posted as it progresses…

Lucky Number 17!

Lucky Number 17 | the dirt | Jenni Ward ceramic sculptureJoin me my at my studio for my 13th year participating in the Santa Cruz County Open Studios Art Tour! I’ll be lucky number 17 in the catalog and will be showing along with 6 other studio mates in the same building.

Mark your calendars for October 7th, 8th, 21st & 22nd, 2017
Studios are open 11 – 5

Earth Art Studio
2523 C Mission St
Santa Cruz

To learn more about the event…

One Year Later…

It’s hard to believe that a year has passed since we moved to the new studio space but this time last year we were painting the new studio while at the same time finishing up the last summer workshops at the old studio. While it will always be a work in progress, here’s a throwback to a year ago…

One Year Later | the dirt | Jenni Ward ceramic sculpture

And a look at the studio today…

One Year Later | the dirt | Jenni Ward ceramic sculpture

I also love that the timing worked out so that this move was documented in Ceramics Monthly’s Studio Visit article in the October issue. Sometimes, things fall into place when you least expect it. Moving can be hard and change can be challenging but we wouldn’t change a thing about moving to Mission Industrial Art Studios. Cheers to another year of being CR8IV!

Hives for your Garden are Available in the Online Shop!

Hive Series | Shop | Jenni Ward ceramic sculpture

This dynamic installation from the Hive Series is now available for your home, garden or commercial space. There are 31 individual diamond shaped cone pieces with holes cut and carved into one half of them, each piece is nested into the previous layer to form the starburst composition. Each individual piece is approximately 9″ in length and 4″ wide and are 22″ x 22″ 9″ when assembled together. The Hives are 750. each with only 6 available!

All of the pieces are hand-built from high fired stoneware and is original and unique. Instructions on assembling your Hive will be included in your order- but don’t worry it’s super simple!

This piece qualifies for FREE SHIPPING!

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With a little help from my friends…

I’ve been creating site specific installations of my Bone Series for exhibits and in my own studio and they’ve gotten a really positive response from viewers but they are a little hard to imagine in your own space. So I’ve been trying to think up a way to make them easier to place and the other day with A LOT of help from my friends/talented studio neighbors I think I’ve got a prototype in the works. The plan was to create a metal frame with hidden welded loops for connecting the Bone Series webs to and also to hang it on the wall. The hope is that the pieces will still float off the wall, cast beautiful shadows and create a dynamic visual contrast of organic ceramic forms with geometric negative space shapes from the cables.

Here’s the first attempt and while it’s just a prototype and there are still things to tweak, I’m pretty darn happy with the results!

With a little help from my friends... | the dirt | Jenni Ward ceramic sculpture

Much thanks to Lucia Bruer who welded all the parts together and talked through the plan with me, to Jamie Abbott for the use of his studio, equipment and patient teaching and to Roy Holmberg for his skillful eye on the whole process.

It seriously takes a village to raise an artist. So grateful.

Work in Progress: Lichen Series

Things have been very busy around here with show, installations and summer classes starting soon but despite all that, I’ve been poking away at some new work in the studio. My studio neighbor Kochlacs Wood had these beautiful live edge slabs of California Black Walnut that he had salvaged from a downed tree and I thought it would be really nice to contour the wood grain patterns with small layered mushroom/fungus growth forms. I’m thinking that these pieces will eventually be wall mounted, but we’ll have to wait and see. Here’s what I’ve got going so far…
Work in Progress: Lichen Series | the dirt | Jenni Ward ceramic sculpture

Art Hearts for Dads & Grads!

Need a sweet gift for the Dad or Grad in your life this spring?

You can order Art Hearts from the online shop an pick them up at the studio in Santa Cruz. Art Hearts on stems are a beautiful addition to any bouquet or potted plant and the ornaments hang on a bottle of celebratory champagne like a charm!

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Art Hearts for Dads & Grads | the dirt | Jenni Ward ceramic sculpture

New Work is Up in the SHOP!

Lichen Series | shop | Jenni Ward ceramic sculpture

I’m excited to announce that NEW sculptures are available in the online shop!

Hive Series These Mini-Hives are dynamic to look at and will fit beautifully into your garden space. There are only 6 available!

Lichen Series The Lichen Series has evolved into Spore Patterns on reclaimed wood as wall sculptures for indoor or outdoor placement.

Umbel Series The 230 Umbel Flowers are on display at the Environmental Installations Exhibit but they are available for pre-sale now and are selling fast!

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