Featured Work: Specimen Series

Featured Work: Specimen Series | the dirt | Jenni Ward ceramic sculptureRemember collecting shells on the beach as a kid?

You would collect hundreds but have to whittle down your collection to a few special ones because your parents wouldn’t let you bring the whole beach home with you. So you’d get home with your prized finds and keep them in some kind of box or container that would showcase them but also keep them safe.

They would always be a reminder of the day, the quiet focus, the search and the excitement of finding something special.

The Specimen Series is inspired by the memory of those finds, unique pieces organized and boxed for display. The online shop has only 9 pieces from the Specimen Series left. These bento box style works are small enough to fit in nearly any space making them a great gift for the collector on your list.

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B Cr8iv

B Cr8iv | the dirt | Jenni Ward ceramic sculptureI am at a loss for words today, so I’m leaning on someone else to speak for me.

Artists will have a role in how we move forward and deal with the changes in our country and the world even if we don’t know what our role is yet. We will definitely need to B Cr8iv as we find our place in the world. This quote is from an article at Hyperallergic by Hrag Vartanian, link to the full article is below.

“We will still create, write, perform, sing, dance, and anything else we can, because that’s what we do. We will react and generate, we will reinvent and challenge, and we will fight, because we can, and not just for ourselves but others too.”

The Trump Nightmare, Hrag Vartanian, Hyperallergic

Featured Work: Rock Candy

These brightly colored gems started off in the desert for an In the Field photo shoot. Wedged in the crack of a large boulder in Joshua Tree, the Rock Candy pieces glowed with color contrasting against the smooth natural rock formations. They appear to belong to the space and yet to be completely foreign all at the same time.
Rock Candy | the dirt | Jenni Ward ceramic sculptureThe pieces were originally inspired by my time climbing the walls at the rock gym. Brightly colored plastic hand and foot holds scattered across the walls in seemingly random patterns, but are composed into routes that provide unique challenges for the climber. The Rock Candy River was installed on the gym walls as a temporary installation. The curving movement of the form is contrasted by the angular formations of the ceramic rocks while mimicking the bright colors of the climbing holds on the walls.

Rock Candy | the dirt | Jenni Ward ceramic sculpture

Finally the Rock Candy pieces were transformed once more into small wall sculptures that bring the inspiration of nature into your home. Carefully selected driftwood pieces combined with the ceramic rock forms find where art & nature truly meet. These pieces are designed to be wall mounted but they can also be placed on a flat surface as a unique table centerpiece. The organic design of these pieces allow them to fit into small spaces while still creating an impact making them versatile for any home. There are only five pieces left in this series, priced at $125 each, they make a perfect gift for the climber, rock collector or nature lover in your life.

Select your Rock Candy sculpture here…

Featured Work: Rock Candy Series | the dirt | Jenni Ward ceramic sculpture

The Gift of Sharing Art

 

The Gift of Sharing Art | the dirt | Jenni Ward ceramic sculptureI love getting and giving art as a gift, it’s always unique and very personal for the giver and receiver. Next best thing to getting actual artwork is a book about an artist and their work.

Art books are a great way to share an artist you love with your friends and family. They make the perfect gift and also help support the artists too.

My hardcover book ‘where art & nature meet’ can be ordered directly from my Blurb bookstore. This book chronicles all of my In the Field photoshoots from 2012 – 2015 and makes a unique gift for the art and nature lover in your life!

Don’t forget that you can also download a PDF version of my first book ‘a relationship with earth’ for FREE just by joining the mailing list.

Order your copy today and thanks for supporting independent artists!

Last chance for the small Nest Series

This is it! These are the last four of the small size from my Nest Series, out of 100+ that I’ve made. I’m not making anymore, so this is it- your last chance to get one for yourself!

Last Chance for Small Nest Series | the dirt | Jenni Ward ceramic sculpture

Only $45 each in my online shop and they make a very unique gift for the art & nature lover in your life.To learn more about the Nest Series and to order yours today, click the link below…

Shop: Small Nest Series 

Need a Gift?

Need a Gift? | the dirt | Jenni Ward ceramic sculpture

Ceramic Art Hearts are the perfect gift for the loves in your life! Tying up a bouquet of flowers with an art heart on a stem makes a great housewarming gift that they can keep forever. And a portion of all art heart sales are donated to philanthropic art projects locally and abroad.

To order your hearts today:

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Own a retail store and want start a wholesale account?

Contact Jenni for details…

Last Piece of the Tide Pool Series Available!

Last of the Tide Pool Series Available | the dirt | Jenni Ward ceramic sculpture

 

This is the very last piece from my fastest selling series ever! The Tide Pool Series started as an In The Field installation that evolved into compositions of the ceramic forms mounted onto reclaimed wood wall pieces. The series explores the flow of water in tidal zones mimicking the  shapes of mussel shells often found in these tidepools.

 

The reclaimed wood is 28″ L X 8″ W X 4″D and comes with a hanger mounted on the back. It’s compact size makes it suitable for most wall spaces while also making an impact with the striking blue glazes.

 

If you were at the studio for Open Studios this weekend and missed out on buying one of these pieces, now’s your chance. This piece was hiding out at the preview exhibit and is now back at my studio. If you are local and you’d like to buy this piece, choose local pickup and you’ll skip the shipping charges. Click the link for details about this particular piece…

Gratitude

gratitude | the dirt | Jenni Ward ceramic sculptureI spend a lot of time sharing new work, events and ideas with you, but I want to take a moment to share my gratitude. This year Open Studios was unbelievable. From the masses of people the first weekend to braving the rain the second weekend, it was really an incredible year. Thank you, thank you, thank you to ALL of the patrons, students, friends, family and fellow artists who came to the studio to see my studio, who bought art and who brought me gifts and good wishes. I can’t do this event without you!

If you came to the studio on the first weekend, you probably met my parents who flew out from the east coast just to help me with the event. The shopped for me, set up art, cleaned, put up signs and worked both days of the event all day long. I overheard someone ask my mom is she had ever worried about me being an artist and the answer was ‘Never!’ Can’t get more supportive than that- thanks mom & dad!

You probably also met my amazing husband who despite being a just a week past a minor surgery and having to get up early to go to his real job the next day, was at the studio all day greeting you as you came in on sunny days and on the second weekend was running around fixing signs in the rain. His unbelievable support for my art and business is really what makes it all happen and I’m so grateful.

with much gratitude for all of you,

-j

 

BUY ART

BUY ART | the dirt | Jenni Ward ceramic sculptureThere is a notion that buying art is only for the elite, those with large enough spaces to house art and that you must be educated in the field in order to make good purchases. All of that is wrong. One of the best lessons I learned wine tasting is that it doesn’t matter what the bottle costs or whose top ten list it’s on. What matters is that I like the way it tastes. Duh, right?

The same applies to art. If you like it, you like it. Maybe you can go deeper into figuring out why you like it, whether it’s an emotional connection to a piece or a connection to the material it’s made out of. Whatever the reason, if you connect with a piece you want to surround yourself with it, just like a wine you enjoy can round out a meal, a piece of art can round out your space.

Maybe you can’t afford the piece you connect with or you don’t have a wall big enough to hang it on, this happens to me all the time, but the good thing is that most artists make work in a variety of size and price ranges which can make taking home a piece of their work affordable to nearly everyone.

You are of course welcome to just come and look but for my Open Studios event this year, I have work priced from $15. and up, affordable for every budget. Thanks for supporting independent artists and buying art!