Journal

News from Dowd House Studios: places to find our pottery, exhibitions, classes & workshops, new forms and exciting projects.

Filtering by Tag: Central Wyoming College

1 week, 2 shows

October 27, 2018Jenny Dowd

Sometimes it works out this way, I have work in 2 exhibitions and they both have receptions this week…

Animal Shelter opens on November 1st at Mystery Print Gallery in Pinedale, WY. For this invitational exhibition artists were tasked with interpreting the theme of animal shelter - how do animals find shelter, especially in the shared spaces occupied by humans, other animals, etc?

I focused on the tiny: snake, spider, bird, mouse. These critters can be seen as pests or pets, and I like the idea of them having flexible found shelter - each has an indoor option and an outdoor option.

The little critters are made from porcelain, multiples were made in case someone lost a tail or beak. The little drawings were done in a local coffee shop- another reason I like to work small!

4 tiny sculptures resulted. I’m looking forward to seeing how the other artists interpreted the theme. This show will be on display until the end of the year, so check it out if you are in the area.

The cookbook project, a year in the making, is now an actual printed cookbook! (Check out my past post Illustration project sneak peek for some behind the scenes.) The cookbook is available to purchase in the Jackson CWC office in the Center for the Arts.

I never imagined that my sketch - how to butcher an onion - would make the cover! (I took a knife skills class a few years ago, a short evening class through CWC. Learning how to chop an onion blew my mind! Plus… I’ve only cut myself in the kitchen a few times since this class.)

All of the original illustrations are on display and available for purchase in the Theater Gallery located in the Center for the Arts in Jackson until November 5th.

This Friday November 3rd, from 5:30 - 7:30, the culinary arts students will be serving tastes from the cookbook at the reception. Come by to see (and taste) the recipes that inspired drawings by me, Jocelyn Slack, and Cal Brackin.

categories Art Exhibitions
tags center for the arts jackson hole, wyoming artists, Central Wyoming College, CWC Culinary Arts Program Jackson WY, Cookbook Illustrations, Jocelyn Slack, Cal Brackin, local artists, how to chop an onion, Mystery Print Gallery, animal shelter exhibition, pinedale WY art show

Illustration project sneak peek

September 21, 2018Jenny Dowd

I’m excited to share a peek into a project that has been in the works since late last year…

In collaboration with the Culinary Arts Program at Central Wyoming College, located at the Jackson campus and illustrators Jocelyn Slack and Cal Brackin, I’ve been working on a cookbook! The three of us have been illustrating a collection of recipes developed by the culinary arts students.

The end result will be a published cookbook and an exhibition with some of the original illustrations as well as actual recipes made and served during the opening by the students.

Wrapping my head around how to create illustrations for the recipes was a challenge. It didn’t take long to realize that composing the image right there on a piece of paper was causing me to stall out and I would be more confident if working dimensionally.

I thought about the story each recipe told and how to best give visual instructions, then drew the components. After cutting the pieces out I was able to play with the composition and relationship of each object. Some images came from memory, while some- the 1950’s pink convertible- needed a source image.

After the initial composition on scrap paper, I moved onto ink on drawing paper. The next part seemed the most scary- I don’t usually use much color and rarely use watercolor. I had a few drawing drafts that didn’t work out, so they became confidence building practice pieces.

Pictured here- how to chop lemongrass for Thai Masala Squash Soup, Taco Soup, and Asparagus Soup with Cream- for that one I imagined a budding romance between asparagus and a pitcher of cream. (I got sick of my brushes rolling around on the table and making a wet mess, so I made a quick brush holder with foam and push pins. I made a sea monster brush holder out of clay earlier in the summer, but haven’t glazed it yet.)

For some recipes, I picked out a few key ingredients, like a shallot and mint for the Cucumber Mint Salad. Some are more visual how-to’s, like the middle illustration- Winter Vegetable Hash (Scrub veggies before peeling, do not rinse after!) and some are about telling a story- Thai Coconut Rice- gateway to the taste of another country.

The Cuban Chicken recipe was influenced by the grandmother of the chef… so I couldn’t resist a 1950’s pink caddy being driven by a chicken on a mission! The Singapore Fruit Salad made me think of a market full of exotic fruits which led to fruit eager to travel the world. Mixing pasta dough like a volcano of flour filled with eggs… well, that’s my visual definition anyway.

Some recipes got more color than others, I still love the simple black line of pen on paper, so I highlighted that in a few of these drawings. Especially the Meatball Sub- the meatballs are waiting for the toast to be perfect.

I still have several more illustrations to finish, so stay tuned for an update! And if you are in Jackson, be sure to stop by the Theater Gallery in the Center for the Arts to see the exhibition. The work will be on display from October 20 - November 5. The opening reception will be November 2 from 5:30 - 7:30pm. And the cookbook will be available at that time too!

categories Art Exhibitions, Community Projects, Problem Solving
tags Cookbook Illustrations, Central Wyoming College, illustration, Jocelyn Slack, Cal Brackin, CWC Culinary Arts Program Jackson WY, Storytellig, storytelling

Professional Practice in the Arts

March 19, 2016Jenny Dowd

Good business is the best art. -Andy Warhol

In just a few weeks I will be teaching Professional Practice in the Arts for Central Wyoming College at the Jackson campus.

I am looking forward to this class more and more as it approaches. While helping my students set short and longterm goals, learn the process of portfolio and application preparation, brush up resumes, statements, learn about social media tools... I need to be sharp! I keep thinking about all those things I thought I'd get to over the winter, computer file organization / streamlining, editing and organizing images... I even have boxes of old slides to weed through and digitize.

As with all classes I teach, I have the opportunity to learn along with my students. So, I'll be setting goals for myself while brushing up on all the topics we will cover. I'm excited for the questions that will be brought to the class and I have high hopes for my students (and myself) during the 5-week crash course.

I picked up a great book that I think might help form part of my approach: Better Living Through Criticism: How to think about Art, Beauty, Pleasure and Truth by A.O. Scott

My first goal is to finish this book before the class starts. So far, I don't think that will be a problem!

The class will be meeting from 5 - 7:30pm for 5 Mondays: April 11 - May 9 at the Center for the Arts. For more information, send me an email or contact CWC: 307.733.7425

categories Education
tags Professional Practice for Artists, Central Wyoming College, Dowd House Studios, Continuing Education

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