Ways to Sign

March 18, 2024Jenny Dowd

I make a variety of work, part of that variety is reflected in the details of my signature. This might seem an odd thing to highlight, but I had an exchange once that I still wonder about.

Several years ago, during an art fair, a person came into my booth which was filled with pottery made by me and Sam. Each piece that was picked up and turned over brought a shake of the head. Eventually they told me that I should be using a stamp to sign my name and informed me that they never purchased pottery unless the potter used a stamp as this was a sign of a true professional. After mentioning that they wanted to purchase my work but just couldn’t because I chose to sign my name, they huffed away and I stammered out a strangely cheery “Thanks for coming by!”

Since that exchange I have considered my signature a little more. I did actually try to make a stamp, but just couldn’t settle on what it should be.

Many years ago Sam pointed out that I was misspelling my name on my pots. Sometimes the 2 n’s would run into each other and turn into a long m… so without my eyes noticing, I suppose my hand just adapted and Jenny turned into Jeny. (I just tell the n’s to work it out, as long as one is there to hold down the name the other is free to make mischief, take a nap, run errands…)

In the end I’ve dug in to signing my name, no mater the material. This is in line with what I teach to my students - a clear marking. Name, initials, drawing, whatever, just make it clear and consistent.

The signature that I have landed on is something that reflects the decoration on the form. I use several decoration techniques: sgraffito, inlay, carving, underglaze pencil, sometimes I add an extra little design or decal (the watermelon.) In the end I’m trying not to spend too much time on the bottom of the pot but also trying to give it a special feel.

The frustration from my potential customer did not shake me. It made me think but has added confidence to my style. (Obviously they didn’t like my work that much!)

categories Problem Solving, Process

Little Pocket

November 09, 2023Jenny Dowd

Several months ago I was invited to make a piece for a show at Mystery Print Gallery in Pinedale, WY and I think the prompt was one of my all-time favorites: Tiny Vacant Spaces.

I had so many ideas right from the start, but also completely discounted each one of them as they didn’t fully fit the theme.

I thought about the pocket my mom made for me that I would put under my pillow at night with a tooth for the tooth fairy.

I thought about my school desk in 2nd, 3rd, and 4th grade when I was convinced a mouse lived in there at night. Before leaving every afternoon I would arrange my books and school supplies to create little stairs, hallways, and nooks for the mouse. In the morning I would wonder at what antics it got up to while the school was quiet.

I thought about envelopes and hollow mushrooms and clouds and ladders and how the moon appears so tiny.

At the absolute last minute, the day before the final shipping deadline I came back to the pocket.

I found a tiny 4x4 inch frame and created a stack of fabric to fill the space, and then made a teeny tiny pocket for the top of the stack. The thick frame means the piece can hang on the wall or stand up in a nook.

These are my thoughts on pockets, and specifically - Little Pocket:

Too often there are no pockets where there should be pockets. All the possibilities of the myriad of things that could go in those pockets are lost. Little Pocket is a shadowy ghost of the pocket that should be.

As much as I enjoy coming up with ideas, I also like a good challenge in packing and shipping my art - so here was my solution -

After placing a protective front over the open frame the whole thing was wrapped in foam, and held in place with not only strawberry tape but also a rubber band. Then I popped it into a little box. Pretty easy compared to some!

The exhibition will be on display at Mystery Print Gallery until December 30, 2023 - if you are in the area stop by and see how all the artists interpreted this theme. And keep an eye on the Mystery Print FaceBook page for photos of the show!

categories Art Exhibitions, Process
tags fabric art, little pocket, tiny vacant spaces, tiny art

Ghosts & Pumpkins

October 30, 2022Jenny Dowd

OOOooooOOOOOOOOOooOOOOOOooooooohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

Well, here it is, Happy Halloween Weekend!

I’m always a bit late on this, but really, ghosts are for all year. I made a small series of ghost tea cups last year, after Halloween, oops, and sold all of them last month during September sales. So, I made some more… but again a little too late. Oh well, they are some of my favorites…

It was a spooky day in the studio when I was decorating the cups, Sam was working on something with the lights, so I was working with the moody natural light through the window. (Yup, our studio is still very much a work in progress, more on that in a few weeks.)

I draw on the bisque fired porcelain using an underglaze pencil, and then brush on a watered down underglaze, a lot like ink drawing. This batch turned out etherial and definitely more spooky than my last batch!

Sam, on the other hand, starts making pumpkins and jack-o-lanterns in August! This year he used the Raku kiln he built to add a spooky finish to his pumpkins.

Our porch is covered with pumpkins and of course we lit them up one night to see how they glow! Many of the pumpkins that we took to September markets found new porches to live on, and the rest will fill up our porch for Halloween and into November.

We really like the idea of a pumpkin on the porch that does not rot! Plus, it can hang out inside and add a spooky element wherever you like.

Pumpkins and ghost cups are still available on our webshop, and will stay there past Halloween… because spooky can be anytime!

Ghosts and Pumpkins

categories New Ideas, Process
tags ceramic jack-o-lantern, ghost cups, ghost drawing, halloween wine cup, halloween decorations, spooky jack o lantern, pumpkin luminary, drawing on pottery, raku pumpkins

Finishing Touches

August 07, 2022Jenny Dowd

It’s been awhile since the last update, it’s been an overwhelming few months. Things seem to be smoothing out and suddenly the studio is making sense.

The electric is finished, no water yet, but it’ll happen. We added insulation to the walls and sure, we still need to finish the walls but it just feels crazy not to make pots and work in our new space. The projects (studio, house, yard, pottery orders) keep piling up, so the strategy has been to work on a little of each at a time.

And oh it feels so very good to enjoy a cup of coffee in the morning in the studio!

One thing we did a little too early was move our small kiln over to the kiln patio. It was fine, it was great to run a load of bisque and feel like we are starting to get something accomplished again. But it rained that night and without any weather proofing we knew the kiln was likely to get very wet. Right before the rain started we scrambled and put together this make-shift guard, which totally worked but wasn’t really the plan.

So here’s the real solution - a greenhouse plastic sheeting. Sam built a frame and we attached the sheets, then moved the other kiln over. I’m sure we will need to tweak things a bit after the next rain, but everything feels much more protected for now.

Notice there is a ton of room in this kiln patio / greenhouse? Well, we’ve got another electric kiln on the way and plans to build a gas kiln in this area too. Plus storage for shelves, kiln furniture, a grinding wheel… pretty soon this won’t seem like much space!

categories New Ideas, Problem Solving, Process, Projects, Studio
tags dowd house studios, studio build, studio life, arkansas potter

Class Examples

February 19, 2022Jenny Dowd

The spring class schedule is out at the Community Creative Center and I’m pretty excited about some new classes I’ll be teaching! To get ready for each class I made an example piece:

First up, on Tuesday February 22nd, I’ll be teaching a short 2 hour handbuilding with clay session for Seniors. In this workshop we will be making hollow boxes. I like this technique because it is so different from all other forms of handbuilding. It’s also a very satisfying process.

This project can be made in a variety of shapes, for this example I went with a box. After cutting a solid clay chunk out of the bag, I paddled and patted the clay into a cube.

Next, I cut the top or lid off of the cube using a wire tool. When cutting I made a “key” or notch in the middle, this will help the lid to stay in place once the pieces are finished.

Now for the fun part - hollowing out the base and lid. I scooped out the clay using a loop trimming tool and was careful to not make the walls too thin.

Finally, I smoothed out the insides and went over the rim of the lid and base to make sure they had a good fit.

In class we will add texture by carving into the outside of the box and add color with underglaze.

Starting at the end of March, I’ll be teaching a 6-week slab building class. We will work with wet slabs to create cylinders and use stiff slabs to create boxes, or in this case - a flower pot. Slab building can be quick, so we will also use a bold quick decorating process.

To make my example flower pot, I first made a cardboard template and then rolled out several slabs of clay. I used the template to cut 4 sides and then let them dry until they were stiff enough to support themselves but not actually dry.

I attached each side to the base, smoothed the sides and top, added feet, and drilled some holes in the bottom for drainage.

To decorate the red stoneware, I placed torn ribbons of newsprint around the sides of the pot, then brushed over the whole thing with yellow slip. The fun part was peeling off the newsprint and revealing the clay below!

Just to play around I added some green, black, and red stamps using slip. I started thinking about how I didn’t really have a plan, which made me realize that I should spend a little time with my class sketching on paper with pencils to develop pattern and design.

And finally, I’m teaching a 6-week class specifically about applying glaze.

We will cover application processes, troubleshoot glaze flaws, explore ways to find your voice and style through decoration, and also answer the question - is glaze affected by the type of clay it is applied to? (Spoiler - Yes!)

Pictured here along with the studio glaze test tiles, are 4 cups made from 4 different types of clay (porcelain, buff stoneware, red stoneware, black stoneware) They have each been glazed with the same glaze, but not yet fired.

Find out the results in my glaze class, or on the Dowd House Studios Facebook page (I’ll post once they are out of the kiln)

Check out the whole schedule here!

categories Education, Process, Workshops & Classes
tags jenny dowd clay classes, nwa art classes, handbuilding with clay, community creative center

Flower Stand 2.0

January 29, 2022Jenny Dowd

The Flower Stand is back!

The first time the flower stand showed up was in 2016. The original was made for a tiny art show, every piece included was required to be less than 12x12 inches. Since the show was at a farmer’s market I decided my art should reflect the vibe. (Check out the story here)

Since then the flower stand has had a few evolutions - a concessioner’s tray in 2017 and a full size flower cart in 2019 (that story is here)

Now I need a small portable flower stand that can sit on a table or a shelf and can accompany me to street fairs.

I love working with corrugated cardboard! I just dug through my recycle bin to find the right box to tear up. This flower stand has a little stage for vases and bouquets as well as a front area with blue foam for single flowers to be stuck into.

This time I decided to make nicer tiny vases, so I threw some on the wheel. These tiny forms were tough! That’s the first time I’ve thrown that small, for scale the cylinder to the right of the vases will be an espresso mug.

After making additional white flowers - porcelain flowers with wire stems get dipped in a powdery white solution with an acrylic medium - the fun part begins!

Each bunch of flowers gets wrapped up in scraps of colorful fabric with a bit of ribbon. Looks like this flower stand will be just right!

Merlin may be a studio cat, but he doesn’t like everything made in the studio. He hates these flowers. I have to store them far out of reach or he will destroy them. But I did let him sniff a bouquet. He was not impressed.

Bouquets will be available at street fairs and are also available on my web shop! They make a fun gift to send by mail, plus these flowers will last forever!

Flower Shop

categories New Ideas, Process
tags tiny flowers, tiny art, tiny bouquet, ceramic flowers, flower stand

Storytelling

January 22, 2022Jenny Dowd

Sometimes custom orders and funny stories turn into illustrated pottery. These are a few projects from recent months:

These mugs were custom ordered from an Aunt who wanted to celebrate and surprise her twin nieces, they grew up in Idaho and had just moved to New York to attend college on a hockey scholarship. Something to remind them of home but also where they were headed!

For these porcelain mugs I used an inlay technique to create the drawing in the damp clay. Each of the tiny black lines were drawn with an x-acto blade, filled in with black underglaze, and then wiped clean. The crisp black lines look like an ink drawing on the white porcelain clay. Two mugs, similar but different, just like the sisters.

Chainsaw mugs! A friend recently became certified to assist in disaster related tree removal as well as fire mitigation. WOW! To celebrate she commissioned mugs for her instructors.

This time I drew the chainsaws on bisque-fired clay with an underglaze pencil, this makes these awkward chainsaws just a little more comical. I filled in the drawing with red glaze and grey underglaze.

This one was unsolicited… I had an idea to turn a scary story into a sweet comforting gift. And it’s a long story, so let’s just hit the main points: house sitting + bomb cyclones & closed highways, mix in some tick infested dogs during a peak in lyme disease season and suddenly a tent pitched in the middle of the living room to sleep in at night doesn’t seem so weird.

This design was also drawn on the clay with underglaze pencils and filled in with layers of watered down underglaze. This time I used a clear glaze that I had not applied to this type of surface before and didn’t realize that some of the underglaze pencil lines would run. After waves of initial disappointment, I realized that the soft lines fit in more with my vision of a dark sky around the edge of the bowl, and perhaps the bunting on the outside is just wet from all that rain.

These are a few projects currently in progress, or in the case of the little 5-legged octopus (quintopus?) just starting to percolate. The octopus was my example made during the surface design class I am teaching at the Community Creative Center. While demonstrating sgraffito I started to draw a ghost and then mid-draw thought that might be boring and started adding legs. Of course there was not enough room! But this cute little mollusc came to life and now I’m considering adding it to my cast of characters.

The porcelain cups are in preparation for that quickly approaching February day. These lamps might be some of my favorite characters, especially when one finally leans in to admit a secret to the other. (Psst. I really like you.)

categories Custom Design, Illustration, New Ideas, Process
tags illustrated pottery, drawing on clay, drawing on pottery, arkansas potter, made in arkansas, jenny dowd pottery, dowd house studios, sgraffito, underglaze inlay, chainsaw mugs

New Studios

September 10, 2021Jenny Dowd

We knew we would be taking on a huge project with this plan of moving to a new state and building a studio. The thought of both being full time potters and artists has kept our spirits high though!

While each day feels as though not much has been accomplished, that’s not really the case. We started a big huge list / flow chart of what needs to be done, adding to it as we go. The visual helps - it helps to see tasks added - small and large - and to check them off. Tree removal, marking property lines, building design, business license… it’s a start!

While we work though the realities of building, and projects around the house, Sam and I have started using studio space in Fayetteville at the Community Creative Center. I’ve been making work for Workshop in Jackson, it does feel a bit strange to make mugs that say “Jackson Hole” when I’m nowhere near Jackson… but I do love making these mugs and I am happy to be part of stores that I absolutely love (and miss shopping in!) More on what Sam has been making later!

But what about Studio Cat Merlin? He still has a job, we have a room in the house that we are using for studio storage and sometimes do a little work in there too. He keeps a close eye on decorating (in this case - ring cones) and also oversees the packing of online orders.

categories Process, Studio, Studio Cat
tags dowd house studios, new studio space, community creative center, studio cat

An Easter Egg Hunt

April 02, 2021Jenny Dowd

This weekend a very special Easter Egg Hunt is happening at R Park hosted by the Jackson Hole Land Trust.

Visit R Park between April 2nd - 5th and you will find art installations created by 4 local artists. Within each a letter has been hidden and will spell out a word that unlocks a trunk full of Easter Eggs.

I’m super excited to be part of this project, and while my art is not specifically egg themed, you will still have to hunt for it.

I started out making several small elements: unfired porcelain mushrooms, tiny flowers, plus strands of fabric circles strung with buttons. My vague idea before installation day was mostly formed by the shadows cast on the white on white snowy landscape.

Installation day was a beautiful clear yet cold day, I tucked mushrooms and tiny flowers into the leaves, snow, and dirt below a grove of trees.

After spending a lot of time walking around and looking at this spot, strands of fabric were hung in an arch over the grove of mushrooms. Laying on the warm ground and looking up was the best view! The fabric seemed to mimic the fluffy clouds above.

This was hard to photograph, so if you are in the area I hope you stop by to find all the details.

Happy spring!

I’m sure we will have many more chilly days in Wyoming over the next few months, but spring is finally here!

categories Community Projects, Process, Projects, public art, Sculpture
tags Rendezvous Park, jackson hole land trust, public art, temporary art, tiny sculpture, outdoor art, installation

Whodunnit??

February 28, 2021Jenny Dowd

The Art Association’s annual anonymous art show kicked off a few days ago, did you guess which piece was mine? This year the pieces are all on display at the Art Association Gallery and Center for the Arts Gallery with purchasing and viewing online. Some pieces are still available and a heated silent auction is also in process, check it all out here: https://whodunnit.afrogs.org/#/index All sales benefit the art education programs at the Art Association.

I was asked to make a 12 x 12 canvas, and since I still don’t know how to deal with a canvas surface I made my own support. But first, a ladder…

For some reason I just wanted to make a small porcelain ladder and when it came out of the kiln I knew what my piece would look like. I was thinking of all the helpful but slightly awkward tools I like to draw on mugs, but what if I made them 3D? (See them here)

Ladder, hammer, scissors, staple gun, wrench, carpenters pencil, and tape measure. Each tool got its own pocket and I embroidered the pocket with clues or an outline of the object.

I also made sure to test the scissors.

So here it is, The Basics. Just enough to start any project! The piece ended up like a pillow for the wall with little pockets for the tools. It was pretty exciting to see my piece in the gallery with a red dot before it got picked up by the purchaser!

The sale & auction is open until March 4th at 6pm MST check it out here

categories Art Exhibitions, New Ideas, Process
tags Art Association of Jackson Hole, whodunnit, small sculpture

Cards

February 20, 2021Jenny Dowd

This past year has been a reminder of the importance of the care package, even if it’s just a note that says “hello.” I love to send cards, though I don’t do it as often as I should. When sending a card I want it to be special.

During college a friend taught me how to make cards with scraps of paper from the fibers studio. I found this to be a creative outlet as well as justification for my piles of scrap paper and collections of interesting paper. I still make these cards and use them for just about everything. I love sending a tiny piece of art with a thank you or birthday or just because note.

Here is a peek behind the scenes of my process:

Not pictured here is the absolute first step, making the paper! This is something I don’t do very often, it takes over my life and my house for a few days so I tend to make a ridiculous amount of paper all at once. These sheets of abaca (from the banana tree family) are a creamy ivory color and the perfect canvas for each collage.

Each piece of paper will produce 2 cards, so I cut the sheets down to make an A4 card.

Now things start to get fun! My paper bins consist of interesting scraps, handmade papers, discarded prints, and sometimes patterns from shopping bags or scraps of fabric. This also takes over and I have to contain it to one room so the door can be closed and studio cat Merlin cannot interfere.

I cut and tear the paper to make interesting collages all the while thinking about the next step.

This is the main use of my sewing machine. Instead of gluing, the paper is sewn into place. An additional texture and line is created, sometimes the pop of color from a contrasting thread is what makes the whole collage.

One more step to make the card feel more finished. I try to find recycled paper for the inside. Currently I’m working my way through an old box of resume paper since these things are rarely printed out anymore. I cut the paper to size and hand stitch it into place. No card is ever alike, even if the papers are the same.

More often than you might think, I’m told that no one wants to purchase a blank card. I agree, sometimes it is hard to know what to say, but I do love the versatility of a blank card. A simple “hello” or “happy day” or a silly note, complete with my grammatical errors and lots of PS’s because there’s always something I’m forgetting.

So with the “no one will buy a blank card” philosophy in mind, I started making cards from my line drawings. These are for those in-between sentiments, and I hope can bring about a smile or laugh.

Individual and sets of collage cards and also the funny drawing cards are all available on my page at Wyoming Artist Collective:

Wyoming Artist Collective

categories Process
tags handmade cards, collage cards, cardmaking, jenny dowd, handmade paper

Just in case

November 08, 2020Jenny Dowd

Early this year I created a prototype artwork for Art-o-Mat. This is something that I have wanted to do for years, probably since I first heard about this project. Art-o-Mat machines are retired cigarette vending machines that have been refurbished and now dispense tiny artworks.

Before realizing how wild this year would be, I came up with an idea to use the billions of porcelain teeth I had carved for past projects. (See some here) I always get a kick out of reactions to these teeth, it’s either a laugh or a cringe, never anything in-between. Last fall I started making little cards, similar to a spare button card, with “just in case.” I gave these to a few friends to see how they reacted.

A few prototypes later, I was ready to test my idea for Art-o-Mat (if you are interested in submitting a prototype check out the info here) In late January I found out that my prototype was accepted, so I put together 50 boxes for my first delivery. Each tooth is numbered and packed in a cigarette sized box. I decorated the boxes and wrapped them in acetate so they will vend.

The neat thing is not knowing where my tooth-filled boxes will end up. There are Art-o-Mat machines all over the country and each host decides what artwork they would like to fill their machine with. When everything shut down this summer I lost the drive to post about my new artwork and the excitement of being part of this project.

But just a few weeks ago I got my very first Green Card! This card shows how many Helpful Objects have been sold and where the machines are.

So, when you are out traveling again, keep an eye out for an Art-o-Mat, who knows what you will find!

categories Process, Projects, Sculpture, New Ideas
tags art-o-mat, tiny art, tooth, tooth sculpture, Helpful Objects

Flat Foods & Helpful Objects

May 22, 2020Jenny Dowd

Some sort of crazy combination has happened in the studio over the past few months. Something like stay-at-home-covid-19 + delayed shop orders + reassessing my own cupboard needs + ideas that have been rattling around in my head for awhile = this!

What does that all that mean?

At the beginning of this year I was actively preparing myself to apply for a residency with the hope for time and space to work on new pottery designs. I love what I do, but haven’t felt that I’ve had the time to really pursue something new and just because in awhile. I’ve been slowly figuring out how to combine drawing with pottery for years, and want to link these loves.

And then bam! COVID-19. Suddenly I thought, for lots of reasons, maybe this isn’t the best time to try for a residency.

So I did the next best thing. Focused a little extra time (which suddenly I had plenty of) on some of these new ideas.

A few years ago I made a game / drawing / book arts piece for the Laramie County Library and haven’t forgotten how much I enjoyed working with ink while drawing random objects. (Check out the project here)

I wanted to draw random helpful objects onto mugs to start, and while I’ve drawn designs on my pottery in the past (pottery for Market) suddenly I was staring at a truly blank canvas. I thought about tools and how helpless we are all feeling in this pandemic.

The first mug I made was truly random and it even has a title: “Sometimes you need a hammer. Sometimes butter.” I think that just about sums up how I’ve been feeling.

The butter / hammer mug became my glaze test. I was pretty excited with how the butter stick turned out, slightly melty. This mug is now available in the 2020 NCECA Cup Auction, which is online this year. I have donated this mug because it is such a good cause. NCECA will use all the proceeds to support ceramic artists through fellowships and scholarships. Check out my mug here, it will be available until May 31st. And check out all of the other amazing cups & mugs here!

All the decoration happens after the bisque fire. I draw onto the clay with an underglaze pencil, then use a “wash” of watery underglaze to color in areas of the object. Then I carefully layer glaze / wax / glaze to get color where needed.

Next up: espresso and coffee mugs with tools. It’s hard to know what tools we’ll need to get through the day, so I figured why not just include a bunch with the morning coffee?

These mugs represent helpful objects - the top 2 mugs are ideas on how to keep it together. The mug on the bottom is “Measure twice, cut twice.”

Plus I learned how to make lemonade!

Meanwhile, Sam suggested that I make some more of the “good noodle bowls.” We only had 1 in the cupboard and it was both of our favorites for noodle dishes, nachos, and basically everything.

After making the bowls I realized I had no idea how to decorate them. So I went with “flat foods” or food that is probably usually served on plates. I love eating out of bowls, and will seriously put anything in a bowl.

We have tested all 4 of my new bowls: taco, burger, cake, pizza. Happily, they work.

I can’t remember the last time I made something specifically for myself. Usually I just keep extras from orders or seconds, if it’s something we need or I like it, so this is a pretty big deal.

I’m definitely going to keep making more of these designs. I am excited that these pots will have stories to tell and will also be extra helpful, even after these strange and scary days.

categories New Ideas, Pottery In Use, Process
tags Helpful Objects, Mugs, noodle bowls, drawing on clay, pottery in use

Merlin & Friends

May 16, 2020Jenny Dowd

Well, it happened. Merlin the Cat finally got his own book.

Earlier this year I was invited to participate in the 2020 Laramie County Library Book Arts Invitational, Imagination: Inspiration and the Artist Book. This year the theme called to imagine your story, inspired by fairy tales. (I have participated in past invitationals at the Laramie County Library, read about the process behind those projects here: 2018, 2017, 2016)

As usual, I was a bit stumped by the theme. It seemed a nice escape to imagine my way out of our current COVID-19 pandemic… but was still hard to latch onto an idea. Each year my dad asks me about the theme for the show and helps me brainstorm an idea, but we were both stumped.

The story behind this story is a winding one, but stick with me…

One gloomy, rainy day I took some funny photos of Merlin and his “friends.” I emailed them to my parents one photo/page at a time, like a slowly unfolding story. A warning - while true, this story is a little gory:

Once upon a time, Puppy, Moose, & Rat were relaxing in front of the fireplace. They thought nothing could destroy their peace and warmth.

Suddenly, next to that warm fire with his friends, Moose felt a chill. Could danger be lurking? Rat felt the hair on her back bristle and Puppy held his breath. Something was coming.

The attack was swift. Moose and Puppy carefully looked for their friend, Rat. She tried to hold her breath while trapped under the paw of the monster.

But it wasn't over. The monster suddenly grabbed Moose and tore into him. Puppy and Rat lay as still as possible.

When it was over, the fire went out, the 3 friends were strewn about. Meanwhile, Merlin the Monster turned his back and prepared for a nap.

The End.

So, about a week later my dad texted me suggesting that this story could be made into my project. But he warned that it needed to be sanitized, because it was just too mean and might scare little kids. We texted back and forth a bit, and it turned into a tale of friends working together to find a spot for a nap.

I wrote up a quick draft of the story and sent it to my parents who both had some suggestions. We even met up for a FaceTime chat to go over it. My parents chimed in as I worked on the story and illustrations. My mom had the idea to include a pillow on each page (like the hidden mouse in Goodnight Moon)

I suddenly felt like this was a huge project and decided to break it down into 2 or 3 cells per page. I took photos for reference. The part about Merlin liking to nap or at least pretend to while we cook in the kitchen is as true as it is annoying.

I love how Merlin can have this truly shocked expression, so I tried to capture that. I also borrowed his “friends” for reference. Merlin didn’t really like not having them around to chew on so I had to hide them in my drawing room.

And where was Merlin this whole time? Underfoot usually, or closely watching.

And here it is! I'm not super excited about using cardboard for the pages, but I needed the book to stand up for display and I’ve been trying to use materials I already have in my house. Plus, now that it’s finished I have a better idea of how to do this for real.

If you find yourself in Cheyenne, Wyoming this summer between June 11 - August 7th, stop by the library to see the show in person. (Check their website here first, to be sure of any limited hours or access due to the COVID-19 issue) A printed catalogue will be available from this show and I can’t wait to see how the other artists interpreted this theme!

And no, this was not an excuse to shamelessly share photos of my cat. But he does need a certain amount of attention for survival, so thank you for helping him out!

categories Art Exhibitions, Illustration, Process, Projects
tags Laramie County Library, Book Arts Invitational, illustration, Merlin the Cat, studio cat, Ink drawing

A Gingerbread Challenge

December 05, 2019Jenny Dowd

Sam and I accepted the challenge of making a gingerbread house for an exhibition and competition. The challenge includes 6 teams and the houses will be on display at the Old Wilson Schoolhouse during this Saturday’s Holiday Show and Sale from 10am - 3pm.

Sam immediately wanted a train station, and I just couldn’t visualize anything until we started. So, as usual, a week before the due date we started to plan. Sam had the idea to include some small businesses and that was where I got excited. And also made things more complicated.

First we drew out the plan. The rules stated that the house could not be any wider than 18” (good thing too - this could have taken over our house.) We made patterns for each building and started dreaming up what business our town should have next to the train station.

I have not worked with gingerbread in a long time, and when the recipe said “knead” I looked down and saw that I was actually wedging the dough. (That was the first and last time I compared this material to clay.) Before each tray went into the oven I photographed the shapes with their pattern so I could keep the buildings straight.

I tried to get fancy with melted candy in some windows. And found that some of the gingerbreads needed to be sanded to fit. At the point of sticking everything together with royal icing I was actually really glad not to be working with clay.

Sam made fondant animals for the small farm yard and our table filled up with sweets. I didn’t really think it was possible but I am so sick of the smell of sugar. When it came to really assembling the village things got too sticky to photograph. So here’s how it turned out:

Welcome to Flufftown (the locals pronounce it Fluf-ton)

Flufftown has a train that regularly delivers goods to the shops: The Pillows & Fluff Store is the proud founder of this town and does a brisk business alongside The Goldfish Monger, The Barber & Mustache Shop, and The 24-Hour Shoelace Store. If you head around to the back of the shops you can enjoy pizza or watermelon at the Slice Shops.

The train cars are full of fluff, pillows, shoelaces, and mustaches as these shops are stocking up for the holidays.

We planned to have a farmhouse and barn, but ran out of room. So if you need a barn we’ve got one.

In case you wondered, this is what happens when artists design a town. There were other things we ran out of room for - the Pillows & Fluff Store was supposed to have a conveyer belt taking fluff from the train to the stack on top. And a fence to keep the animals from getting too close to the train, but since they are all calmly laying down we figured they weren’t too daring.

We found a lot of fun candy at Mursell’s Sweet Shop, including cotton candy!

So if you are in the area, stop by the Old Wilson Schoolhouse on December 7th from 10am - 3pm to check these houses out in person!

categories Process, Problem Solving, New Ideas, Community Projects
tags gingerbread house, gingerbread village

Wyoming Art Drop

October 27, 2019Jenny Dowd

Something special will be delivered to 50 mailboxes, and I’m excited to be part of this project! Artists Dannine Donaho and Lori Hunter have created the first ever Wyoming Art Drop. The Drop is a box that arrives by mail in early December and contains artwork from 6 Wyoming artists.

For my contribution, I’ve made 50 small porcelain mugs. This is my favorite shape, perfect for a small coffee or tea.

After making the mugs - which seems like the easy part in retrospect - a white glaze is inlayed into black glaze. My inspiration comes from those clear, dark, Wyoming nights with bright, bright stars and maybe just a hint of snowy reflection from the mountains - or maybe that is part of my imagination.

The outside of the mug is dipped into white glaze, then coated with a brush-able wax where I want the white to show through. After drying overnight, the exposed glaze is washed away. After another night of drying, the whole mug is glazed in black - the wax resists this glaze so the white can show through. They look pretty different after firing:

Here is the first stack of mugs fresh from the kiln!

The Drop includes work from 6 Wyoming artists: Lori Hunter, Beth Ann Snesko, Dannine Donaho, Favian Hernandez, and the Low Water String Band. Drops are limited, so as long as they are available you can order until November 30th. Check out the details here

categories Projects, Process, Shops with Pottery
tags wyoming artists, wyoming art drop, handmade mugs

Park(ing) Day 2019

September 22, 2019Jenny Dowd

PARK(ing) Day happened on September 20th in Jackson. This is a day (all over the country) where artists reimagine parking spaces into places of possibility. This was the 5th year Jackson has been involved, organized by Jackson Hole Public Art, and my first year participating.

Check out last week’s Journal entry to see how I built my cart…

Once the cart was finished, I could focus on the final touches. A fabric canopy was made to provide shade, I kept this simple by sewing a piece of fabric then drawing a little embellishment on the edge. It’s rather rickety - so at this point I started hoping for a day without wind.

I’ve been making flowers for the cart all summer, some even came from past projects. I put my dad to work cutting stems (wire) for the clay flowers. Each type of flower made from porcelain.

After bisque firing the flower, the stem is attached, then it gets bathed with color… I used a mix of acrylic and whiting (calcium carbonate) and then layers of watercolor.

The finished flowers were poked into the styrofoam inserts that line the cart, and after a test of the awning, plus the addition of signs, it was ready for a parking space!

On a wet, cold, rainy Friday morning Jeny’s Flower Cart opened! I had to set up a tent over my parking space so it wouldn’t melt. I was located in front of Hand Fire Pizza on a very busy Cache Street.

The gloomy, cold day was made cheerful as I invited people walking by to make flower bouquets for free! I have no idea how many flowers I made, and no idea how many I gave away, but I probably went home with less than half of what was started with.

For a little history on the flower cart…

In 2016 I was invited to create an artwork for a Tiny Art Show curated by JH Public Art. Since the show was featured at the People’s Market (a farm & art market in Jackson) I thought a tiny flower stand would be welcome. I made a little cardboard shelf that would hang on the wall and filled it with clay flowers, bouquets, and vases.

A year later after Penny Lane Cooperative opened on Scott Lane, the businesses on that block had a “Midtown Throw-Down” and invited artists to sell their work during the evening event. Since I was already selling my pottery in Penny Lane, I decided to make a concessioner’s tray full of flowers, and walked around during the event selling flowers.

It seemed that the next logical step would be a flower cart, it took me a few years to find the right venue and to plan and build the cart.

Not sure what’s next, but I’m looking forward to a break from making flowers!

categories Art Exhibitions, public art, Problem Solving, Process
tags parking day, jh public art, flower cart, flower factory, jenny dowd sculpture

Flower: Factory & Cart

September 14, 2019Jenny Dowd

I am working on a mound of pottery orders… but first, flowery public art events!

Last week I was invited to participate in a Town Square Takeover. This artist space was created by Wildly Creative Jackson Hole and the Center for the Arts. 6 artists showcased what they do during 3 afternoon takeovers on the Jackson Town Square. Read all about it here.

My takeover was on Friday September 6th and I invited people to participate in a Flower Factory.

I made lots of signs out of cardboard, and collected some safety equipment, since safety is a big concern in the Flower Factory.

7 stations explained how to make a crepe paper flower - the type of flower the factory was producing on that particular day. Many participants came by and safely made flowers, I’m happy to say there were no incidents of lost time and flowers were produced and distributed to nearby people.

Another type of flower factory is currently in the works - I am participating in PARKing Day on September 20th. For this event, artists and designers are invited to take over a parking space in Jackson (and all over the country!) from 10am - 6pm.

I am creating a flower cart that will be parked in my space where flowers and bundles of flowers will be distributed (free!) to all who would like them. So, to get ready for this event, I am making a flower cart out of cardboard. This project is currently taking over the clay studio… and Merlin is not a happy studio cat.

The start was pretty simple, then the wheels and handles got a bit tricky…

Each wheel does spin on an axle, but I just couldn’t figure out how to make this happen from the start in my small space. So each wheel is fitted on a short tube that allows it to spin and also provides a place to attach. To connect the wheel, I made a thick triangular shaped piece that the tube could fit through and is also connected to the base of the cart. Once the triangular shape was connected, the wheels spun but needed a little more support. A longer tube / axle was used to connect the wheels. Now the cart can move on the wheels… but I doubt it would hold up for much of a journey!

The handles also posed a small challenge. I didn’t want them to be flimsy and also wanted to avoid getting things hung up on them before the event. Deciding to make them somewhat detachable, shorter inserts were attached to the cart, allowing longer handles to slide over. It’s not a big difference, but it does take up a tiny bit less room in my space and offers more strength to the handle. This should make transporting the cart a little easier next week.

Tons of measuring yet still rather wonky. The inside is fitted with pieces of styrofoam that will hold the flowers. So hopefully the rest is the fun part… signs, an awning, and lots and lots of tiny flowers…

Visit me on September 20th, 10am - 6pm in front of Hand Fire Pizza on Cache Street in Jackson. And I’ll publish an update next weekend showing how the cart got finished!

categories Art Exhibitions, Community Projects, Process, Studio
tags flower factory, wildly creative jackson hole, town square takeover jackson hole, public art, jh public art, PARKing Day

Clouds & Cupcakes: Part 1

September 02, 2019Jenny Dowd

Clouds & Cupcakes has been in the works for over a year - and as usual, most of the physical work has happened in the past few months. I’m always happy to have a show deadline on the calendar, it seems so far off with endless possibilities. Even though the final few months is always a scramble - it’s actually a carefully controlled chaos of a scramble because there has been so much time to think, and plan, and test, and dream.

Clouds & Cupcakes will open at Mystery Print Gallery & Frame in Pinedale on September 5 and will be on display until November 1. If you are in the area stop by for the opening reception from 5 - 7, with an artist talk at 6.

This is a show I’ve been turning over in the back of my head for close to 2 years and initially invited painter Shannon Troxler to tackle the space with me. The title didn’t emerge until this past very snowy cold January, and came from a specific feeling that I’ve found difficult to put into a few words. We started talking about this dreamy idea of clouds & cakes and that led to inviting poets Matt Daly and Connie Wieneke to join.

Today we are installing the show and I can’t wait to see all the work come together. I’ll publish the second half of this entry next Saturday with all the work in the gallery space. For now here is more on my process and how the show idea evolved…

I had an idea for prints, but something happened before I could even start them. While teaching a monotype class in the early spring I accidentally got a drop of white ink on my brayer that was already rolled up with blue ink. I proceeded with my demo - thinking this would be a good example of why you should keep a clean station - and ended up so excited and completely drawn down a tunnel of mark making. The small prints ended up with a lot of depth and wispy cloud-like forms. They were interesting on their own but also called for something more sculptural.

I like the idea of adding an element that can cast a shadow or move in a breeze, so after making a bunch of little porcelain clouds, I pinned them to the prints or hung them in the shadowbox frames.

While everything else was swirling around in my head, the prints anchored my thoughts for the show. Shannon and I met at Persephone Bakery one morning for sweet treats and brainstorming - which led to a desire to make the gallery window into a sweet shop.

Very flexible and thin porcelain paperclay was ideal for making fortune cookies. The paper here was just to help hold a side open during the firing. They fired an icy white and make a satisfying crunch when broken. Which, yes, you might just have to break the cookie to get to the fortune inside - each unique fortune written by Matt Daly.

My studio turned into a bakery as I made layer cakes that I could only dream of in a real kitchen. Each decorated with cloudy patterns and and perched atop handmade cardboard stands.

Another element came into place slowly over the summer while out walking. I started really noticing cloud shapes and tried to remember them.

You didn’t see that?

Oh. Well, since you missed it

I drew a photo

Stay tuned next week to see how the show comes together, I can’t wait to share the work created by the other artists!

What follows is my inspiration for this show and how the title came about…

Each year in the deepest moment of winter the same thing happens. Looking around, I think that I can’t stand one more day of the winter landscape. Too much white, too much snow, too much work and planning to get around. Within a few days this feverish feeling breaks. Suddenly the landscape is surreal; the clouds have combined forces with the snowy ground and I’m no longer sure where one begins and the other ends.

Indescribable shapes plus impossible shadows swirled with soft colors leave me unsure of what is concealed… and I’m reminded of frosty icing and the delicate sweetness of cake. Is the ground a cake and the sky frosting? Is it actually the other way around?

Conversely, in the middle of summer, the memory of winter is entirely out of place. The lush green plants growing as fast as possible in the short summer months, the river near my house that I ski over in the winter and paddleboard on in the summer - it’s just too much for me to comprehend. It’s odd, but somehow every summer I forget how high the snow piles and every winter I forget how green the land becomes.

Cupcakes & Clouds is an attempt to wrangle all those nebulous cloudy and wintery thoughts and memories into one space. Shannon Troxler, Matt Daly, and Connie Wieneke have joined me in describing the sweet cloudy mood of our skyscapes.

categories Art Exhibitions, New Ideas, Process, Sculpture, Studio
tags Mystery Print Gallery, clouds and cupcakes, porcelain sculpture, porcelain cake, cardboard sculpture, monotype, drawings

Making a Puppet: Part 2

August 24, 2019Jenny Dowd

More from behind the scenes of making a giant pole puppet, plus the puppet in action!

(Check out my past journal entry Making a puppet to see how this all started)

Trying to reduce added weight, we decided to make the scales for the armadillo-ish beast out of cardboard. Strategically painting the scales with silver, black, and white helped mimic metal. I also made some special scales that were covered in shiny, scaly looking fabrics.

The scales were stitched on with wire, directly onto the fabric covering the armature. After connecting the neck, head, and tail to the body, the shiny scales went on as a transition. I ran out of time while attaching the big sequins, or more accurately, underestimated how long everything would take. However, in this case I think less is more. It was good to constantly remind myself that this very large creature would be seen from a distance, a little sparkle was better than none.

I had a little help… my parents arrived for a visit and were promptly put to work on the final details of the beast. (Thanks!)

And finally! The beast all put together. We designed it to be operated by 3 people: 1 person at the head, 1 at the body, 1 at the tail. In the end only 2 people were needed, the tail was stuffed so it would flop around with the movement of the body.

The performance happened on the lawn at the Center for the Arts where dancers from Dancers’ Workshop were joined by visiting artists from David Dorfman Dance.

There were 5 beasts featuring the Chinese elements: Water, Wood, Fire, Earth, and Metal. I regret that I did not get great photos of them in action.

In a beautiful and touching performance, the beasts were compelled to work together in order to solve a problem.

What a process and what a performance! I’m honored to have been part of this, I learned a lot and hope this is not my first & last puppet. But next time I might go a tad smaller…

categories New Ideas, Problem Solving, Process, Sculpture, Projects
tags pole puppet, dancers workshop, lets make a parade, armadillo puppet

contact us

Journal