Rock Candy Series Up for Raffle!

The Rock Candy Series has been installed In the Field at Joshua Tree, at the Pacific Edge Climbing Gym and encrusted on found driftwood as seen here. There are only a few of these pieces left in this series but I’ll be raffling this one off at this years Spring Studio Sale. All you have to do is sign up on my mailing list during the studio sale and you’re entered to win!

Looking forward to seeing you at the studio May 6th & 7th and maybe this beauty with my favorite red glaze could be yours!

Rock Candy Series Up For Raffle | the dirt | Jenni Ward ceramic sculptureAbout the Series:
The Rock Candy Series are inspired by the flow of water and how it shapes the land. The hard angled ceramic shapes juxtapose the curvy flow of natural forms to create a dynamic visual engagement. These colorful ceramic rock forms are intriguing objects whether mounted on the wall, in the garden or in small compositions on driftwood.

New Installation Is In!

I’ve been posting a lot of photos about my upcoming installation of Umbel Series at the UCSC Arboretum for Art in the Arboretum but what I haven’t shared is that I’m also doing another installation as a part of this same exhibit- SURPRISE!

It went in yesterday and it’s pretty amazing!

New Installation Is In! | the dirt | Jenni Ward ceramic sculptureHere’s a sneak peek at my new piece titled Tree Pools, it consists of 387 seed pod shaped ceramic pieces nestled around the trunks of a small grove of trees in rings. The rings mimic the ripples of water and the rings within a tree, tying earth and water together. Both of my installations are inspired by structures in nature and I’m excited to see how the installations change throughout the duration of the exhibit as the landscape changes seasonally.

New Installation Is In! | the dirt | Jenni Ward ceramic sculpture

This exhibit, curated by Susana Arias has 11 environmental installations and is going to be beautiful! The exhibit will be open from May 20th – Nov 17th with an opening reception for the artists May 20th from 3 – 6- join us in the garden to find where art & nature meet.

 

Hearts for Your Momma!

Hey, so y’all know Mother’s Day is right around the corner and chances are you’re going to get your mom some flowers or maybe a bottle of her favorite wine. Why not add in an Art Heart to that gift, so that long after the flowers have wilted and the wine bottle is in the recycling bin, she’ll still have your heart?

Hearts for Your Momma! | the dirt | Jenni Ward ceramic sculpture

Ceramic art hearts are the perfect gift for the loves in your life. Each one is hand-made and uniquely designed by sculptor Jenni Ward. They are available on metal stems or as ornaments with twine loops and make beautiful additions to any bouquet of flowers, plant or wine bottle. Each heart is unique and will have slight variations in color and style. You can pick one up at the Spring Studio Sale May 6 & 7 or order directly from our online shop. SHOP NOW…

Hearts for Your Momma! | the dirt | Jenni Ward ceramic sculpture

Have a retail shop and want to order Art Hearts Wholesale? Contact Jenni for our wholesale linesheet.

Umbel Update

I’m starting to see the very yellow light at the end of this umbel tunnel! The pile of finished Umbel Flowers has gotten drastically larger than the unfinished pile and I’m getting ready to install them in a few weeks- I’m very excited about this installation. I’ve had some help from my studio assistants Nina and Sequoia with getting through the glazing process and helping load and unload the kilns which has been extremely helpful in making progress. Below is a current panorama shot of my studio table, I know, it’s a little crazy.

Umbel Update | the dirt | Jenni Ward ceramic sculpture

The other part of this project that had to be taken care of was cutting all the steel rods that will be the stems for each flower. Local metal artist Roy Holmberg helped me order the right materials, curator Susana Arias loaned me her brand new saw and my husband Nate took the better part of a day to cut the 800′ of steel rod into 2.5′ pieces and grind the cut ends of each one. Now they are all piled up neatly waiting to be hammered into the ground. I am so grateful for all of this help, it truly takes a village to raise an artist.

Umbel Update | the dirt | Jenni Ward ceramic sculpture

Slow and steady, this project is really starting to take shape! The exhibition opens May 20th with a reception for the artists and will run through late November. I’m really looking forward to seeing how the installation changes as the landscape makes its own seasonal changes. The Umbel Flower installation will close with a ‘picking day’ where visitors can purchase and pick the flowers from the field to transplant into their own gardens.

Reminder: Spring Studio Sale is Coming Up!

We are so excited to be coming up on our 1 year anniversary at the new studio. We took over the space in May of 2016 and this year we are celebrating with an over the top of our Annual Spring Studio Sale! There are a million reasons why you should mark your calendars for this year’s event…

If you missed visiting the studio during Open Studios this past fall, this is your chance to check out the space, see new work by owner & artist Jenni Ward, Ceramic Art Hearts will be available and we will raffle off a small sculpture to a lucky winner!

Reminder: Spring Studio Sale is Coming Up! | the dirt | Jenni Ward ceramic sculpture

Talented students from Earth Art Studio will be displaying work for sale, with a special green theme to this years group project. You can also sign up for a Summer Clay Workshop while you’re here! A self guided Seed Bomb making station will be set up to make a take home gift for Mother’s Day.

BUY ART and SHARE THE LOVE!
We donate 10% of all art sales at this event to The Homeless Garden Project of Santa Cruz!

As a special event this year, we will be hosting Nora Dougherty and her mobile art gallery, work.shop. at the studio. Nora will be showcasing her beautiful jewelry during the day and will be showing art movies around the campfire after sunset.

Save the Date: Annual Spring Studio Sale 2017 | the dirt | Jenni Ward ceramic sculpture

10 other artists in the complex will have their studios open to tour, ask questions and buy art! Some will be offering demos and hands on activities.

Food Trucks Agogo will have G’s Mexican Taco truck here with live music from The Dooners onsite Saturday afternoon from 5 – 7

The work.shop. trailer will have art movies and marshmallows around the campfire from 8 – 9

Join Us:
Saturday May 6 1 – 9
Sunday May 7th 1 – 6
2523 C Mission St | Mission Industrial Studios

Looking forward to seeing you there!

Throwback Thursday: Bone Series

Ceramics Monthly magazine graciously posted a photo of my work on their Facebook page the other day of one of my In the Field installations from the Bone Series. These pieces were from a few years ago, but it reminded me to take another look back. I love how these pieces truly seem at home on the beach, like the tide has just revealed them to us.Throwback Thursday: Bone Series | the dirt | jenni ward ceramic sculpture

About the Bone Series:
The Bone Series is a new series of work that is focused on the remains of a form. The pieces imply what is left after the flesh is gone. I see them as an abstract interpretation of biological creatures that may have had fleshy fins or other appendages and these bone structures are all that remains. I imagine that these pieces might be discovered in the natural world as the only clues to the past of what this creature might have been. These pieces are comprised of flanges of clay attached at a center point with holes cut and carved into them, ranging in size from 6″x 5″ x 5″ to 15″x 6″x 6″. Each piece is hand-built from high fired stoneware and is original and unique.

Throwback Thursday: Bone Series | the dirt | jenni ward ceramic sculpture

Select pieces from this series are available in the online shop.

Throwback Thursday: Bone Series | the dirt | jenni ward ceramic sculpture

 

Save the Date: Annual Spring Studio Sale 2017

Mission Industrial Studios Open for Spring Sale

May 6th & 7th | 1 – 6 with evening art activities May 6th from 6 -9

Eleven artists in the Mission Industrial Studio complex will open their studios to the public for a weekend of creativity. The artists will have works on display for sale and will be available to discuss their process, some will offer demos and have hands-on activities for visitors.

The eleven artists include, Jamie Abbott, Lucia Bruer, Barbara Downs, Nora Dougherty, Sefla Joseph, Joey Kochlacs, Majio, Kirk Mc Neill, Stacey Pollard, Susan Wagner & Jenni Ward. These studios are typically only open during the county wide Open Studios Art Tour in October and some rarely open to the public, making this weekend event a unique opportunity for the public to visit the artists in their work space. The artists range in medium from painting, to glass, to metal, wood and clay, offering something for everyone’s artistic taste. This event hopes to offer a creative experience for both locals and visitors to the Santa Cruz area.

Save the Date: Annual Spring Studio Sale 2017 | the dirt | Jenni Ward ceramic sculpture

The studios are located on the westside of Santa Cruz on Mission St extension between Swift St. and Natural Bridges Dr. and will be open on May 6 & 7, 2017 from 1 – 6 on Saturday and Sunday with additional art events from 6 – 9 on Saturday evening.

Highlights planned for the event include Nora Dougherty’s work.shop. trailer, a mobile art gallery on location, a clay seed bomb making activity at Jenni Ward’s earth art studio, and Kirk Mc Neill’s large scale sculpture the Sharky-Go-Round on display. Food Trucks AGoGo will be onsite in the late afternoon on Saturday offering tasty local tacos along with live music from The Dooners. After the sun sets, art movies around a campfire with marshmallows will round out Saturday’s activities.

NCECA 2017: The Evocative Garden

The Evocative Garden happened in Portland and it was a beautiful show! I am so humbled to be included among this list of talented and creative artists. Thank you so much to everyone who came to the show, supported me from afar and shared my work with others- I’m forever grateful!  Here are a few of my favorites (mostly detail shots) from The Evocative Garden exhibit from NCECA 2017 curated by Gail M Brown.

 

Call for Entries: Sculpture IS: 2017

Sculpture IS: 2017  Call for Entries:

Call for Entries: Sculpture IS: 2017 | the dirt | Jenni Ward ceramic sculpture

 

 

The Pajaro Valley Arts Center invites you to participate in the Eleventh annual Sculpture IS: exhibition, taking place in the beautiful two-acre Sierra Azul Nursery demonstration gardens, located at 2660 East Lake Avenue, Watsonville, California. We have enjoyed ten critically and financially successful exhibits, and look forward to including your sculpture in our eleventh exhibit.

Apply Here