current status 2.0

The studio has gone through many transitions over the past few weeks, sometimes you can see the floor and sometimes you can’t. Sometimes there’s a place to sit and sometimes there’s not. Sometimes the place to sit is in a box.

We are exhausted by all the sorting and packing but slowly everything seems to be getting organized and boxed up. We’ve spent days hunting for the perfectly sized pallet, loaded up boxes only to unload them again because we forgot to photograph them for the inventory list and gratefully closed the lid on a box knowing it was for the last time. Most of the big items, like my kilns are ready to go to the international shipper, and the little things will follow. Trusting that we’ve got this even though it doesn’t always feel like it!

current status 2.0 | the dirt | Jenni Ward ceramic sculpture

Believe it or not, this flat-packed pile of wood is my ginormous 7’x 7′ studio table with two huge shelves under it. I can’t believe that I’m shipping a load of lumber to Baja, but I love this table and I know it’s the first thing I’m going to want to have when I’m setting up my new space. Hundreds of students and studio visitors have gathered around this table over the past 15+ years, so it’s full of positive vibes and I think it’d be a sin to not bring it with me.

current status 2.0 | the dirt | Jenni Ward ceramic sculpture

current status

It’s been a crazy time in the studio as we rode out the wave of Open Studios excitement and then dug in deep packing up the studio. It has kicked up fun random finds, some bittersweet emotions and a lot of dust. Some days I feel like I just keep moving the same things to new piles and nothing is actually getting accomplished but after a solid week of seemingly moving things in circles, there are actually some changes in the studio and some spaces are getting cleared. Thank you to everyone who took or has agreed to take some sort of random treasure with them, I love keeping things out of the landfill and the reality is that we just can’t take everything with us.

Meanwhile, 1500 hundred miles south of here, things are being created. My new studio on our property in Todos Santos, Baja Sur has really started to take shape. I’m really looking forward to seeing it in person very, very soon! Excited for all the changes but definitely feeling the exhaustion of it all too. Thanks to everyone who keeps checking in on us and cheering us on!

THANK YOU!!

A ginormous THANK YOU to everyone who came out and helped me celebrate my last Open Studios in Santa Cruz! We counted over 1000 people coming to the studio over both weekends and lots of art left the studio. I’m grateful for all the hugs, well wishes on our next adventure and art purchases! You guys are amazing!

Welcome to everyone who joined the mailing list for the first time, I look forward to keeping in touch with you as we make the move to Baja and set up the new studio there.

See y’all in Baja next time!

LAST CHANCE!

THE STUDIO OPENS TO THE PUBLIC FOR THE VERY LAST TIME THIS WEEKEND- DON’T MISS IT!

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY OPEN STUDIOS 2023

OCTOBER 21 & 22 | 10am – 5pm | ARTIST #297

2523 C MISSION ST SANTA CRUZ

AND if you’re on my mailing list be sure to bring your bonus coupon from your October email!

THIS IS IT! Open Studios 2023

Getting the studio ready! | the dirt | Jenni Ward ceramic sculpture

THE STUDIO OPENS TO THE PUBLIC FOR THE LAST TIME THIS WEEKEND- DON’T MISS IT!

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY OPEN STUDIOS 2023

OCTOBER 14, 15, 21 & 22 | 10am – 5pm | ARTIST #297

EARTH ART STUDIO | 2523 C MISSION ST | SANTA CRUZ

Please join me for my 18th and LAST year of participating in the Santa Cruz Open Studios Art Tour! The studio is going to be packed with art; new and old, big and small, so come find a treasure for your home or garden. Looking forward to seeing y’all soon!

AND if you’re on my mailing list be sure to bring your bonus coupon from your October email!

Getting the studio ready!

A few sneak peeks of the studio as we get ready for the last hurrah!

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY OPEN STUDIOS 2023

OCTOBER 14, 15, 21 & 22 | 10am – 5pm | ARTIST #297

EARTH ART STUDIO | 2523 C MISSION ST | SANTA CRUZ

Please join me for my 18th and LAST year of participating in the Santa Cruz Open Studios Art Tour! The studio is going to be packed with art; new and old, big and small, so come find a treasure for your home or garden. Looking forward to seeing y’all soon!

off to the galvy!

All of the metal parts for A Feast of Flowers have been fabricated and are now on a field trip to the galvanizer. Huge thanks to Kirk McNeill for helping load them up and to Fox Welding for transporting them for me. It was quite a puzzle getting them to fit onto the truck and arrange them to be safely transported. Although it may look like a daddy long leg spider convention on the back of the truck, we figured it out.

Now we just have to keep our fingers crossed that they make the journey to the zinc dip and back to the studio again without incident. I’m looking forward to seeing how they’ll look with the patina that will go over the zinc coating. Always an adventure making art!

This project is sponsored by:

A Feast of Flowers | Jenni Ward ceramic sculpture

nuevo estudio en el desierto!

I’ve shared that I’m moving my studio south of the border, but I haven’t shared pics of my new studio actually being built yet and some of you have been asking about the progress, so here ya go…

We worked with architect Kevin Wickham of Taller de Terreno Arquitectura to create this unique space. Here’s his model of the space, the big open windows will face our huge ocean views and look out over the small arroyo that runs through our property.

So far our builder has cleared the site, transplanted the trees that were in the way to another area of the property and has started building the footprint of the space, which will be a huge open space with a small baño and mini-kitchen with a long deck that runs the length of the building. We will also have a shipping container for more tools and storage alongside the building. Since we will be entirely off the grid here, we will add a solar system for power and a cistern for trucked in water added as well. I’m really excited to see this nearly 900 sq ft space take shape, here’s a few pics…

only 3 left in the shop

I’ve been busy getting the studio set up for Open Studios this October and wanted to share that there are only 3 framed Bone Series pieces left available. The two squares (seen in this photo) are 30″ x 30″ x 1″ and the last rectangle is 48″ x 24″ x 1″.

With their balance of organic and geometric shapes and amazing shadows these guys make really striking additions to any space. They can hang flush mounted on the wall or be suspended with cables to float off the wall.

Check out seeing them in situ, here, here and here for some ideas of what they can do to your space!

SHOP NOW

umbels are on the move

With the flower heads finished, they made the big move from Freedom Forge to Earth Art Studio which is really just a quick forklift trip from one end of our building to the other! When I thought the studio couldn’t get any fuller, we somehow squeezed in 6 gigantic flowers into my space so that Kirk has more room in his studio to work on the stems.

Everything still needs to be galvanized and given a patina, but I had to test out putting the ceramic elements onto the flowerhead forms to make sure the spacing was correct and that everything was looking good. Meanwhile Kirk started tacking the sections of the stems together. It took a few tries to get the angles just right but as soon as it started looking like a Dr Seuss tree, we knew we had it right. The final welds will create a smoother transition between each section. We’re so close to seeing what these guys are actually going to look like!

umbels are on the move | the dirt | Jenni Ward ceramic sculpture

This project is sponsored by:

A Feast of Flowers | Jenni Ward ceramic sculpture