And the show must come down

After a successful 10 week run, this past Sunday we deinstalled Bodies of Water. Hours and hours of installation was deinstalled and packed up in just a few hours- always amazing to see how fast it all comes down. Thanks so much to everyone who came out to see the show and especially to those that purchased pieces!

If you missed the show, please be sure to check out images of it here. Work from this show can still be purchased in the online shop.

Featured Art: In the Field Prints

A selection of prints from the In the Field ephemeral installations are available for sale. These are printed on aluminum and have a floating metal mount on the back for a clean and modern display. Perfect for the art + nature lover on your list!

Bodies of Water Exhibit | Shop | Jenni Ward ceramic sculpture

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Final Week for Bodies of Water

Bodies of Water | Installations | Jenni Ward ceramic sculpture

This is it! The show ends Dec 3rd!

This Art + Science based exhibit will sadly conclude this coming Saturday but there is still time to check it out! Best times to be up on the hill and get parking are Thursday evenings or Saturdays. Thank you to everyone who has made it up to see the show!


Eloise Pickard Smith Gallery | University of California Santa Cruz

September 20 – December 3, 2022

Gallery Hours: 12 – 5 Tues, Wed, Fri, Sat & 1:30 – 7 Thurs

A parking pass can be acquired from the kiosk at the Bay St. campus entrance or you can use the Parkmobile app.  Click here for a map.


To purchase work from this exhibit: SHOP HERE

Featured Art: Lichen Series Spore Patterns

This piece Spore Patterns from the Lichen Series originally debuted at the Grants Pass Museum of Art exhibit; ‘where art & nature meet’ as a site specific wall piece. Afterwards, all four hundred+ parts stayed in a box for a few years while I figured out what to do with them.

During this past years Open Studios event, this installation reemerged from the depths and onto the wall as an engaging, sometimes eye-tricking single piece. Your perception of the piece changes as you move around it and when the light moves, it plays with the sense of depth.

Inspired by shelf fungus forms, gill structures and dropping spore markings of mushrooms, this piece would be a statement in any room, and would make a striking display for a lobby or restaurant space. It is 48″ x 48″ x 3″, ceramic mounted on painted wood panel, hangs by metal cleats on the backside, $4000.

Due to shipping variations, this piece is not in the online shop, but is available for purchase and shipping as needed. Please contact me directly if you’re interested in this piece.

featured art: urchin holes

Bodies of Water Exhibit | Shop | Jenni Ward ceramic sculpture

Urchins Holes are hand built, perforated flanges of very thin, nearly translucent porcelain fused to a stoneware ring as it’s protector. Inspired by the sea urchins natural homes of holes in mudstone rocks visible at very low tides. The holes are actually formed by the urchins themselves, who bite away at the rock with their teeth and slowly sculpt their protected home around them.

Only 5 are available in the online shop and they make a perfect gift for the art + nature lover in your life!

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ArtAxis Fundraising Sale

Over 100 works donated by over 75 artists are now available on the Artaxis web shop and all sales support their mission, one of my Medusas is available too! The sale launches Tuesday November 15th at 11am (PST).

Artaxis is an all volunteer 501(c)3 non-profit arts organization that is guided by a simple principle – artists supporting artists. Featuring nearly 1000 artists from over 50 countries and all 50 States in the US, Artaxis engages the ceramics community through promotional, educational, and networking programs while celebrating diverse artistic practices and being a resource of aesthetic values.

SUPPORT ARTAXIS HERE

Last Water Droplet Available!

Bodies of Water Exhibit | Shop | Jenni Ward ceramic sculpture

Two of the three available Water Droplets have sold! Does anyone want to adopt the last in this series of work??

Inspired by viewing a drop of seawater under a microscope these porcelain plankton parts are trapped within multiple layers of clear resin. Each resin disc is set into a custom stoneware clay and copper holder that is mounted to the wall and lit with LED lighting.

600. | 8″ x 9″ x 5″ | ceramic, resin, copper, led lights | 2022

A portion of your purchase will be donated to the Eloise Pickard Smith Gallery and California Ocean Alliance.

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Art Fridays at the Gallery

Need a moment in the week to just zone out and make a little art?

Art Fridays happen every Friday at the Eloise Pickard Smith Gallery from 12-5 and they are open to anyone who wants to just stop in and be creative. I was invited to attend last week and we used polymer clay to create ocean inspired creatures which could then be painted with some acrylics.

It was so sweet to watch obviously really busy students, just stop and play with clay for a few minutes before continuing on with their day. During my exhibition, all the Art Friday projects are ocean related, from seashell and wire jewelry to mosaics with beach trash. If you’re planning a trip to see the show on a Friday afternoon, make sure you leave time to be creative too!

Work from the Relic Series added to the shop

relic series | shop | Jenni Ward ceramic sculpture

Only five mini Relics remain in the online shop and they are ON SALE now!

These small sculptures are simple and minimalist in style but create a striking negative spaces. They are iron washed ceramic, tied together with sinew and mounted on slate stone bases making them suitable for indoor and outdoor spaces.

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Local artists doing public art

In my last post I shared my installation at the new Kaiser building in downtown Santa Cruz but I also wanted to share a few of my favorites of the other local artists that were chosen for this space too. It’s so great to see large organizations or corporations prioritize local artists and unique work into their public spaces. Chandra Cerrito Art Advisors was given the task of presenting all of the works for potential selection and it was great working with them. Check out some of these great pieces…

Ethan Estess uses reclaiming fishing rope to create many of his pieces. John Maxon paints the great beauty that surrounds us. Laura Beach combines her love of science and printmaking to create her works. Lea de Wit creates large scale glass installations that swim, fly and flow across walls. Leslie Morgan creates work that is inspired by her time in the water.

There are many, many more pieces included in the building, so if you’re going to get your flu shot or booster be sure to keep an eye out as you pass through the halls. You’re sure to be inspired!