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

FoundSpace 2020: A Very Shaky Translation

October 14, 2020Jenny Dowd

I have been excited to share this project, but my excitement was delayed by a series of unfortunate events.

Earlier this summer, Matt Daly and I were invited by the JH Land Trust and JH Public Art to create a FoundSpace experience along the Wildflower Trail in Jackson. We have collaborated on projects for FoundSpace in the past (read about them here: 2019 & 2018 & 2017) and were excited to engage this popular hiking trail in town. FoundSpace is a yearly program that commissions artists to interpret conservation spaces, and I have enjoyed adding a different view to these places.

Matt and I decided to create a story about the inhabitants of this area, the story would be illustrated with words on one side and images on the other, each from the perspective of the being - animal, plant, or other. The physical inspiration came from the aspens along the trail, how their leaves shake and flutter in the wind. We also felt that we were interpreting what these creatures would be saying, so the translation might be a bit shaky.

I collected old signs to repurpose and Matt wrote poems about 12 different creatures or objects that can be found in this area. I then told the story through images, trying to keep it simple.

I hate to pick a favorite, but I think that the Shaky Translation of the aspens might be my favorite. It makes me laugh every time. I tried to reflect the conversation between aspens in my drawing through dots around the roots. They are a fascinating organism and I imagine a little gossipy, as reflected in Matt’s poem: You won’t believe what I heard. You won’t believe what I heard. You won’t believe what I heard…

Some of the Shaky Translations are in English, some in Spanish, and some a mix of the two. We hoped that the image could tell some of the story, and that maybe it was just fine to only get part of the Shaky Translation if you only speak one of those languages (like me.)

Cicada

All that time

under the ground

and now this.

This! What’s not

to buzz & buzz about!

Cloud

The way to go is by and large __________

pretty easy __________ just find

your rhythm __________ your habits

of change and drift along __________

It’ll get tough don’t worry don’t worry

__________ when you hit or the air

you’re riding hits something hard, like

__________ __________ a mountain

First Frost

Let’s wait. We wait.

For so long we let

the soft leaves speak softly

to the soft leaves,

the soft petals to the soft

wings. But now let’s come in

and make all the voices

crackle and also crackle.

Osprey

There it is There It

Is Hover And

Now Now Nownownow

Feet First Through

Water And Into

Longhorn Beetle

Whoa! How

do I stop?

I guess I’m headed

straight for that

that, so that’s what

I’ll hit and hope

I can cling

to that thing

I can’t help but

whoa hit.

And that’s it. Just over a week ago we found that 9 out of 12 Shaky Translations were removed from the trail. I don’t even have images of all of them. The day we found them missing was the day I was planned to photograph the work. I completely realize that I should have photographed them as soon as they were installed. But, really?? This temporary art was supposed to be in place until October 30.

The theft really hurt. I like to think that I’m prepared for anything to happen to my art and that I have no control once it leaves my studio. But I wasn’t prepared.

Check out the article in the JH News & Guide about the project, here, it is a wonderful story about our inspiration and process.

And we would like to invite you to make your own Shaky Translation. The image in the video is of Arrowleaf Balsamroot (which I call Field Daisies) the poem and image was inspired by the crab spider which likes to sun itself on the flower. (Painting by me, words by Matt Daly, and music by Frank Daly.)

Hey there little spider with your

outstretched little arms. I can’t do much

to hold you like you look like you want

to be held. I can however hold the sun

so firmly to the leaf you climb

to warm yourself that the face

of the sun becomes many faces, becomes

my many faces like arms to warm you

Did you see and happen to photograph any of the others? I would seriously appreciate any photos for my records, please email them to hello@dowdhousestudios.com

Here are the rest of Matt’s poems, without images of the Shaky Translations:

Moose

Mama? Yes. Mama? Yes.

Mama? Come here. Mama? Yes.

Mama? I’m here. I see you. I’m here

Mama? I’m going. Mama? Follow.

Mama? Lie down. Lie down? Here.

Here? Here. Mama? Here.

Cutthroat Trout

Eddy to riffle and upstream to the cutbank

shimmer to shadow shadow to shimmer sip the surface

emerging emergers the strange taste of air

all the sharp things that fall from up there

Mountain Lion

Soon enough the snow will fall

and all but prey will go

away. Soon enough, I’ll trade this

quiet slinking (which is only a moving

form of hiding) for another slinking

the kind that tastes like deer.

Kingfisher

Here I come over clear water up to a perch.

There I go down the stream again. I zigzag down-

stream to perch. There I stare into a quiet place in clear

water. Here I cackle and flap but this time back upstream.

Flat Creek

run along along way

to run along

a tumbled

down run of tumbled

along stones

alone and because

you run

along not at all alone

categories Community Projects, Collaboration, Illustration
tags found space, FoundSpace, Jackson Hole Public Art, JH Land Trust, shaky translations, poetry, drawing

A Poetry Apothecary

September 19, 2020Jenny Dowd

This entry should probably be titled “An attempt to begin to get caught up.” I haven’t posted since May, but there has been plenty going on. I’m starting out with a project from early June because it really set the tone for the summer, it’s also one of my favorites.

Early this year, poet Matt Daly invited poets and artists to collaborate in A Poetry Apothecary with the prompt: A collaborative collection of original poems written by local poets who acknowledge the power of poetry to serve as a balm, a poultice, a splint, a placebo, a treatment, a remedy, a prescription, or perhaps even a cure for some of what ails us in our times of need for healing.

Matt and I have collaborated on projects in the past few years and decided to work together this time as well. We started with the idea of tiny poems and tiny drawings that may or may not be helpful for different emotions or problems. Something like - the problem is ___ so the cure is ___ . It also took on the feel of a game of Memory.

Our piece is titled “Sticky Situations” partly because I kept drawing tiny sticky objects - glue, tape, cinnamon roll - and also it seemed a way to define the current pandemic situation.

The process was fun, I drew a bunch of little drawings and gave them to Matt, he responded to the images with a malady and a poem. And we switched, he gave me a list of poems and I drew an image in response. I love how they make sense and yet don’t. I giggled so much in my studio while drawing these helpful little objects!

The exhibition was installed at the Center for the Arts, and our piece was in the Conference room. In response to Covid-19 we mounted the text and image onto small paper plates and encouraged viewers to flip the plates with a bamboo skewer. Seriously one of the first funny inventive moments of this time.

Check out this link to a tour of the show with poetry read aloud: https://vimeo.com/430154010

Also this review on WyoFile

Below are each pair, the drawing is above the poem it applies to. Click each image to enlarge.

I hope you feel better after visiting this Poetry Apothecary.

Or at least had a good laugh.

categories Art Exhibitions, Projects, Illustration, Collaboration
tags A poetry apothecary, poetry and art, tiny drawings, ink drawing, sticky situations, poems by Matt Daly, 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

QuaraTea Party

April 30, 2020Jenny Dowd

One of the first things I missed when we started social distancing in March, was meeting up with friends for tea. Something that I didn’t do that often, maybe only once or twice a month, suddenly turned into a massive void in my life.

While texting a friend, she mentioned the same thing, and asked how can we show togetherness while apart? We brainstormed ideas for cards, ways to send a little love by mail, and she coined the term QuaraTea. That night when I woke up full of worry, that conversation popped into my mind. The worry suddenly shifted to thinking about how to illustrate this idea of a safe distance tea party. (Because, you know, Safe-Tea First)

In the morning, I sketched it out, and sent her the photo:

This idea rattled around in my brain for the next week or so, was there some way I could offer a sweet gift for friends? I also kept thinking about people who were adjusting to working from home, were they reassessing their coffee / tea mug collection?

Meanwhile, I received a grant from Teton ArtLab designed to provide financial help to local artists. That was a big piece of the puzzle, and helped me to pursue QuaraTea Parties.

My next step was to contact Tea Hive. I felt that their line of Teton Teas would be the final piece in this puzzle. A mug is nice, but a mug with tea is an actual party! I wanted to support another small business and keep the origin of my project local while also offering handmade love from my little corner of Wyoming to people anywhere.

And so, the QuaraTea Parties came out of my dreams and onto the table.

A QuaraTea Party for 1 is a mug + 2 Teton Teas, or to really enhance the tea ritual - a teapot & cup. Perhaps a sweet self-care gift, or something to send to a friend who needs a little pick-me-up.

Also available are QuaraTea Parties for 2. This is 2 sets: 1 mug + 2 Teton Teas. I send 1 to you and 1 to your friend. Then you can meet up for a video chat / tea party!

Sam thought the bunting in my photos was extra fun and that they should be included in each set. So we spent a cloudy afternoon making colorful party buntings!

This project has been a happy one. The first connection I missed was tea with friends, and now I feel like I get to enable long-distance tea parties!

A variety of QuaraTea Parties is available at Wyoming Artists Collective and also my Etsy shop. Sets start at $48 and all include the cost of shipping - although, if you live in the Jackson, WY area, I’m happy to leave a box on your porch!

categories New Ideas, Pottery In Use, Pottery Sales, Problem Solving, Shops with Pottery, Projects
tags teton teas, tea hive, tea party, gifts for tea lovers, tea sets, teapots and mugs, dowd house studios, jenny dowd, QuaraTea, quara tea

More Flowers

April 23, 2020Jenny Dowd

Well, this year really took a turn.

I also haven’t updated my journal since December. It’s not like I haven’t been doing anything, there are actually a lot of interesting things going on in the studio, but it just didn’t seem appropriate.

It’s been tough to stay motivated in the middle of the COVID-19 Pandemic, but it’s also forced me to really focus and dig into studio work. Suddenly I’m surrounded with virtual collaborations and am connecting with friends more than ever.

So, I’m going to start regular-ish posts again. And as my last post (from December which seems so so so far away) was about my tiny flowers, I think it is only appropriate to check in on what is going on with these flowers now.

On a rather gloomy day a few weeks ago, I pulled out all the little bins of flowers in my studio and made a bunch of bouquets. That turned into such a happy afternoon! Surrounded with scraps of pretty fabric and ribbons, I trimmed stems and wrapped up bunches of flowers.

My work is now featured at Wyoming Artists Collective and it’s the only place where the flowers are available online. Each bouquet is $30, which includes shipping. It seems the perfect way to send a little love to friends and family.

Flower shop

Of course if it’s local I’m always happy to drop the package on the porch and run away…

And I love seeing the bouquets in their new homes. They add little bits of color and smiles to our days of quarantine!

categories Projects, Shops with Pottery, Problem Solving, New Ideas
tags wyoming artist, wyoming artists collective, online art shopping, tiny flowers, jenny dowd flowers, mothers day gift

A New Flower Stand

December 22, 2019Jenny Dowd

My flower stand has a new home with a yard full of flowers!

The flower stand has had many evolutions since its first appearance at a Tiny Art Show in 2016. Now I’m happy to announce that it lives in Market, a shop inside of Vertical Harvest in Jackson.

I picked a few icy cold blue flowers and made a little yard with a white picket fence to grow extra flowers.

There are lots of tiny vases available and visitors can make their own bouquets or just select a few blooms.

This is a great gift for those of us who are not so great at keeping house plants alive (or out of the mouths of our pets.) And a nice way to brighten these snowy days!

categories Sculpture, Shops with Pottery, Studio
tags tiny art, sculpture, cardboard sculpture, tiny flowers, flower stand, Market Jackson Hole, Vertical Harvest

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 2

September 07, 2019Jenny Dowd

Clouds & Cupcakes opened this past week at Mystery Print Gallery and Frame in Pinedale, WY. I was so excited about the show that I completely forgot to take any photos - so thank you to everyone who photographed the work and posted it on Facebook! Now I have another excuse to travel back to the gallery and see the work… next time I’ll remember to photograph it.

In my last post, Clouds & Cupcakes: Part 1, I showed some process behind my work for the show. Here, all the work by Shannon Troxler, Matt Daly, and Connie Wieneke come together and for sweet and cloudy conversations.

I turned the window into a bake shop, plus covered another gallery table with porcelain sweets - cakes, petit fours, cherries, and fortune cookies. Scattered in are a few small paintings of sweets and clouds by Shannon.

Shannon captured the fleeting nature of clouds with oils, which also look as if they will change any second.

Matt projected cloud fortunes onto layers of silk hanging in the middle of the space, the projected words and light passing through the layers and onto the walls with cloud-like ripples. The fortunes are the type he imagines clouds would receive if they went out to dinner together and received fortune cookies at the end of the meal.

As a bonus, the light caused extra shadows in the cloud studies that hang below.

Connie wrote a cloud ephemeris, inspired by the human need to pin things down, and to feel like we know what will happen - despite the nature of the ephemeral.

At the end of the gallery I hung a bulletin board with little drawings of photos of memories of clouds. More cloud studies in shadow boxes hang next to Shannon’s oil paintings of clouds - these float off the wall just above a silver leaf background.

The fortune cookies do contain fortunes - though most will have to be broken in order to be read. I see this as potential. A fortune cookie holds many possibilities, in this case, perhaps they will sit and wait, to be opened and read at just the right time.

I’ll be back to take more photographs soon. And the show is on display until November 1. Check it out if you are in the area, gallery details can be found at the Facebook page for Mystery Print Gallery & Frame

categories Art Exhibitions, Sculpture
tags clouds and cupcakes, pinedale WY art show, Mystery Print Gallery, matt daly, connie wieneke, shannon troxler, porcelain cake, porcelain fortune cookies

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

Chalky Characters & Helpful Objects

July 28, 2019Jenny Dowd

Last week I tackled my largest canvas yet… the Town Enclosure Pavilion on the lawn of the Center for the Arts in Jackson. This temporary structure was installed last year by Carney Logan Burke Architects with the intention to be a space for performances, gatherings, and also to offer creative space for visual artists.

Jackson Hole Public Art asked me to consider drawing on the panels using chalk. The pavilion can be walked around and through, with the panels changing with movement almost like an optical illusion, so this became an inspiration. I made a rough plan and then just decided to go for it.

Before starting the drawings I could not comprehend the size of the panels. Once a ladder was in place and I could only reach as far as my arms would stretch - I just had to go for it and make the shape fit the space. Suddenly I found it easy to run out of room and wishing the panels were larger!

It was an equally freeing and terrifying feeling to freehand draw these characters and objects. I used both hands to draw and went up and down the ladder and walked back and forth to the street to get a better view.

Some characters feature furniture acting out human scenarios (Bad lamp) and others are embracing their helpful nature - Super chair! (This chair swoops in just when you really need to sit down but there are no chairs nearby.) And the lamp saying “I really like you” to the other lamp. So careful and hesitant, ready to go out on that limb, just not quite ready for the other L-word.

Other helpful and awkward objects include the giant watering can and umbrella. The placement of the panels inspired the watering can and flowers, while walking past the water drops line up so the flowers are getting a good drink.

I’m inspired by the awkward feeling of ladders and nets, as if they are stretching and helping to reach that far-away object.

This was such a fun project! The chalk drawings will remain for a week or so - depends on rain. So if you are in the area be sure to walk by.

categories Art Exhibitions, Illustration, New Ideas, Process
tags chalk art, temporary art, center for the arts jackson hole, jackson hole public art, drawings

Making a puppet

July 21, 2019Jenny Dowd

It can be difficult to share process photos and explain projects that are still mostly living in my head. However, I’m finding that this is a helpful part of my process, plus I’m excited to share this project.

Sam and I are currently working on a huge project - we are making a pole puppet! In June we had the opportunity to work with Eric and Ines Bass from Sandglass Theater in a collaboration with Dancers’ Workshop. This project will culminate with a parade and performance on August 16. (Stay tuned!) Our puppet is 1 of 5 beasts, each based on one of the Chinese Five Elements: Earth, Water, Metal, Wood, Fire. Our beast is Metal, and is loosely based on an armadillo.

The Chinese Five Elements contain a lot of interesting layers; Metal also refers to the emotion: sadness, color: white, and flavor: pungent.

We spent 4 days working on the body structure, the tail and head will be added later.

The base of the creature was made out of cardboard, with the double layers helping to keep the reed armature in place. After shaping the vertical hoops, I attached the horizontal reeds with tightly tied bike tubes. I really wanted the puppet body to articulate in two directions - up and down and side to side. However, after attaching a fabric hinge and trying to move the creature, I discovered that it was too bulky to have that much movement. Up and down was more important, so the hinges were remade to easily shift the mass up and down - as seen in the bottom right image.

Poles were installed under the base - they are fitted to the backpack worn by the puppeteer. A pole was inserted into the front half so the body will articulate up and down. Both me and Sam tried on the backpack to make these adjustments.

So, now that the structure is nearly complete, it’s time for the details! Although, these are still complicated and require a bit of engineering and careful thought. This is just the body of the puppet - the head and tail are still seperate at this point and will each have their own pole and puppeteer. Our beast will be operated by 3 people!

I’ve started covering the armature with fabric, including the soft underbelly of the beast, in silver and metallic blue. Next, the scaly armor will be attached, plus a neck, head, and tail.

Remember that the Chinese element Metal also includes the color white? My plan is for the colors to fade from deep metallic blue on the inside to silver and white as they progress from the body.

A few of the details here - Sam is gluing nostrils onto the head and I’ve started sewing the tip of the tail. I think we are over halfway finished, but there is still lots to be done.

Stay tuned for more updates and information on the performance and parade on August 16th in Jackson!

categories Process, Sculpture, Projects, Studio, Problem Solving
tags pole puppet, sculplture, dancers workshop

Made for MADE

June 30, 2019Jenny Dowd

Mugs, Mugs, Mugs! And one tuckered out studio cat…. because it’s tough work overseeing this kind of action.

So, what’s going on?

For the past few months I’ve been testing mugs for MADE in Jackson. This shop features handmade, unique goods from all over the country. The difficult part of the task: create a design to be produced exclusively for this shop, make it unique from the mugs I make for other shops in the area. Oh, and something I would not get sick of making.

To keep things simple, each mug has an outline of the Tetons - a striking landmark from this area. Each are filled with a variety of patterns, each a little similar yet different. This mug shape is also one that I have not made in awhile. My hope is that it will appeal to both men and women, making for a useful and perhaps, favorite gift.

Carving into the wet clay means that I’m left with a deep texture of the mountains and patterns. There are 2 versions of this mug, creamy ivory and black. For the black design the glaze is applied to the carved lines and wiped off - image on the above left. Then the mountains are coated with wax so that the color is protected when the whole mug gets dipped in the white glaze. (It looks totally different before firing!)

The wax burns off leaving the black glaze inlaid into the surface… here is a photo from a peek into the still hot kiln. And the black glaze is inlaid in the same way (minus the wax) on the bottom - to show off the “Made in Jackson Hole” stamp.

Finished mugs! The glazes, once wiped away around the mountains, leave a little halo of color. Something else that makes each one unique.

Find these mugs in Jackson at MADE or in their online shop!

categories Custom Design, Shops with Pottery, Studio
tags jackson hole mugs, MADE Jackson Hole, handmade pottery, studio life, studio cat

FoundSpace

June 19, 2019Jenny Dowd

For the past few years I’ve been a participant in FoundSpace - a public art initiative co-sponsored by the JH Land Trust and JH Public Art. This project invites artists to interact and activate public land, you can check out my projects from 2017 and 2018, each a collaboration with writer Matt Daly.

I thought it would be fun to check in on what is happening this year for FoundSpace at Rendezvous Park (or R Park)

After citing strange noises and sightings in the park, the staff of R Park brought in Observator R. Park to investigate.

Not much is known about Observator, however, their passion for discovery and documentation is apparent. Observator seems perfect for the job of discovering the secret lives of the imaginary creatures that call R Park home.

In order to aid in the task of documentation, Observator has set up a field station at the entrance to the park and is inviting visitors to help discover and catalogue the mysterious creatures inhabiting the park.

From the sounds of it, this field station will be at R Park all summer - so if you are in the area, check it out. Be sure to take a look at the field guide, located in one of the lockers, as it contains all notes and descriptions of creatures found so far in the park.

This Friday the 21st is a Solstice Celebration at R Park, this event will be from 5-8pm. I’m sure Observator will be eager to share some of their discoveries and will also recruit explorers to help throughout what looks to be a busy summer.

Observator R. Park seems to be easier to find online than in person - though, they are often at R Park studying specimens - the discoveries can be followed on Facebook and Instagram at @rparkobservator and also YouTube

Or send Observator an email with questions or information / images / video of your own discoveries in R Park: rparkobservator@gmail.com

Here are short videos of 2 creatures that have been found so far, I grabbed these off Observator’s YouTube channel - since they are busy out in the field I thought I’d help get the word out:

categories Community Projects
tags foundspace, JH Land Trust, Jackson Hole Public Art, observator r park, r park, Rendezvous Park, jackson hole

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