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Ochre Dreams

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Opening Reception: July 5, 2025, Piper J Gallery 4-7 pm

A Celebration of “Ochre Dreams” brings me once again to the Piper J Gallery in Truckee, CA. I am preparing for an exhibition with an Opening reception on July 5, from 4 pm – 7pm. This is also the time for the new Truckee Summer Art Walk. I will be demonstrating the mixing of natural minerals into paints at 3:30 pm and painting on site followed by an Art Talk at 5 pm inside the gallery. The evenings are pleasant here and a relief from the heat in the valley and Sacramento. It is a nice stroll down Donner Pass Rd. with lovely places to eat or have a cool drink in outdoor and indoor settings. Have an enjoyable evening.

If you are planning to head to the State Fair this July, Cal Expo 2025, be sure to take time to see the Art Exhibition in Building 7.  “Imagination’s Light,” a 60 x 48″ painting of three ancient reindeer “beside waters” is on display in mixed media. Yes, of course, the paints and materials used in this beauty are all eco-friendly.

On another note, the gentle sleeping deer sculpture “Ochre Rest” won a people’s choice award at the prestigious “Feats of Clay” exhibition in Lincoln, CA, a show that ran through May and June at the Art League of Lincoln.

Coming up:  Open Studios Art Tour 2025, Nevada County West, in Grass Valley/Nevada City will be taking place in October. Tour Exhibition runs September 26 – October 19 at the Center for the Arts, Grass Valley on Main Street. Tour dates for Open Studios are October 11, 12, 18 & 19, 11 am – 5 pm. I will be demonstrating the processes I use to make and use natural mineral paints. Hope to see you at our gallery space, 12811 Spring Rd. Nevada City, #39 on the studio tour. I will have guide books available and these are also available at the Center for the Arts.

Enjoy, Jennifer

Correction!

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Due to unforeseen circumstances, the June show at the Piper J Gallery has been canceled!!! It is being rescheduled and when I have better information and details I will send them on to you.

Sorry, for any inconveniences. The Nevada County West Open Studios Tour is coming up in October and more information on that event will be sent out too.

Enjoy, stay cool this summer, Jennifer

Spirit of Ochre

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June 7 marks the date of a solo Art Exhibition featuring my Art at the Piper J Gallery in Truckee, CA.

The reception opens at the first Art Walk of the Summer for the Truckee Businesses. I will be giving a short talk about my work and processes at the gallery beginning at 5 pm. All Art work featured in this exhibition is new and alive with new ways of incorporating brighter colors and different animals. Yes, the popular bears and Reindeer will also be there. Come join us for a pleasant cool evening, wine, treats and a walk about town.

It is the “Spirit of Ochre” that brings color and meaning to Art; it breathes in the life and mystery of the ancient past exhaling the curiosity and wonder of it today.

Enjoy! Jennifer

We are just entering the half way mark of the year and ready to embrace another half year still ahead. For all of us time passes differently, yet there are new beginnings, ideas and opportunities rising. I had hoped to set dates for workshops but have found that this was too much to plan while the Piper J Gallery in Truckee set sights on opening a second gallery in Truckee, Ridgeline Gallery, in the center of town. Lots of energy and preparations are still in progress with the hope of opening this wonderful space by the end of June. Here more Art and artists along with photography will be on display.

Anyone interested in taking a workshop in July and/or August, please don’t hesitate to let me know. Please email me with your interest.

Enjoy the summer days!

New Work, New Ideas, New Beginnings

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The past year had its challenges, but we worked hard to see through them, to keep moving forward.  Now we turn our gaze to higher goals and ideas that bring inspiration, hope and joy.  I enjoy seeing the “new beginnings” as I play with familiar shapes and figures across my canvases using different colors, textures and themes that bring delight; inscribing and embedding new pictographic messages to uplift and challenge ways of old thinking into new ways and ideas, therefore, creating new beginnings.

This year I am offering two pigment paint workshops. In these workshops I teach the processes I use from collecting minerals to using them to paint on a canvas or a clay surface.  One is possible at the end of March and the other in June. Both are to be held at the Piper J Gallery in Truckee.  I hope to finalize the dates soon.  Also, please contact me with questions or considerations of possible private group workshops or pigment collecting hikes here in Nevada City or other places nearby.

On another note, the Wild and Scenic Film Festival begins next week, Thursday February 13, at Center for the Arts in Grass Valley, CA to kick off the festival with its annual Art Exhibition and Reception, “Wild at Heart” 4:30 – 6:30.  Come join us! You are very welcome! The Festival runs Feb 13 – 23.

I have one large painting in the show, “In A Purple Universe” and three sculpture pieces from an installation, “Echoes of Wonder: A Reindeer Garden,” showcased at the Piper J Gallery, Truckee CA, in September 2024 and in the Open Studios Tour here in Nevada County West, October 2024

Ochre Rest: 12.5×9.5×5″
Taking Flight: “Dragonfly Dreams”24x10x7”

Lastly, included in this blog is a link to a video, a short trailer to a longer film, made this past year.  It is introduced by my daughter, Ashley, and shows a glimpse of how we work together to hike, collect minerals and process them.  The film, “Nature to Art” was produced by Jayanti Sakar, Graduate student at UNR.

Keep In Touch! Enjoy and Kind regards,

Jennifer

Open Studios Tour 2024

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October 12, 13, 19 & 20 11 am – 5pm, Saturday and Sunday for two weekends to enjoy Art.

Studio number 39; 12811 Spring Rd, Nevada City, CA

Two talks and demonstrations of mixing minerals into paints for use on clay and on paintings daily at 11:30 am and at 3:00 pm. Enjoy a gallery atmosphere where you can stroll quietly or sit undisturbed to view paintings and sculpture inspired by the ancient ways of the cave artists from northern Europe to South Africa, Indonesia and Australia.

You can visit the Art Studio upstairs to see where I paint, mix minerals and clays, and create sculptures. You can also view the ancient pictographs I use in my artwork. These are in the paintings as well as appearing on sculptures. The meanings of the pictographs are explained and the early languages that these appear in, including ten found in the caves etched or painted from long ago.

Be inspired. Ask questions. Enjoy the Open Studios Tour, 2024.

Hope to see you! Enjoy!

Jennifer

Ochre Rest: Red clay mid-fire with ochre and underglaze; ancient reindeer connected to earth and Spirit; 2024 “Echoes Of Wonder” Installation piece 12.5×9.5×5″
“Reindeer Wisdom” with gold leaf

“Echoes of Wonder”

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New Ceramic Installation featuring new work! (Music: From the Earth)

Opening reception Sept. 6, 2024, 5-7pm. Exhibition runs through to Sept. 30 at the Piper J Gallery in Truckee, California. All are welcome. Come enjoy Art reflecting the inspirations of our ancient ancestors.

As an Earth Artist, I endeavor to create eco-friendly Art using and making natural earth paints and clay slips from collected minerals and clays. The ancient methods and styles of early cave painters from Europe, Africa and Australia along with their motivations to paint animals and symbols are what influence my Art. I am particularly intrigued with their use of ochres and their processes. I also enjoy studying the ancient signs and symbols and how these compare to early pictographs and languages. This installation explores the possibilities, the stories and the wonder that echoes from our ancient past yet with a contemporary flair that resonates today.

Enjoy the video. It captures a bit of the entire show. Be kind to our earth. Enjoy always. kind regards, Jennifer

More Workshops! More Art!

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I LOVE to share my processes and I ENJOY seeing how others make them their own!

Mark your calendars! 

New workshop at Piper J Gallery, Sunday April 28, 11 am until 3:30 pm. 

I’ll take you through step-by-step to create a painting of your own. You will engage in learning to collect and process minerals into paints using different binders.  You will design a composition onto a wood surface covered with handmade papers. All materials are supplied, but you are welcome to bring any special brushes you would like to use, small jars for paints, and any up-cycled papers you may want to try. Bring a lunch and drinks.

Martis Camp in Truckee is hosting a Mineral Paints workshop in July so the residents can gain knowledge of painting with natural minerals and creating an eco-friendly Art studio space. I look forward to these events and hope to be able to do more. July 15, 2024 10 am -all day.

September brings new Art to Piper J Gallery! They are hosting a Sculpture exhibition with my clay sculptures. This will be a display inspired by nature and the ancient cave dwellers with a contemporary twist. Pictographs and signs of the ancients are also integrated into these works.

Come enter the domain of the Deer People. Opening Reception September 7, 2024 5-7 pm at the Piper J Gallery: 10250 Donnor Pass Rd. Truckee, CA.

(Piece in process of resting reindeer)

Enjoy Natural Art! Be inspired by the Nature that surrounds you.

Jennifer

YAy!!! Jumping into a New Year

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Already a fun busy time! The year opened with two shows, one at the Truckee Airport and one at Martis Camp in Truckee along with dates set for WORKSHOPS and a Mineral Hunting date! (below)

“Wild Women” Art Exhibition features 6 women artists from the region sponsored by the Nevada County Cultural District, the Truckee Alliance, the Nevada County Art Council and displayed by the Piper J Gallery. A new and featured piece is “Mountain Home” at this exhibition up until April 2024.

“Mountain Home” 40×50″ with white gold leaf, natural mineral paints and charcoal on handmade papers over 3-d reliefs and wood panel.

Martis Camp houses a relaxing atmosphere, a game room and an art workshop for residents. Featured works were spread out through the area, halls, stairwell and Art room.

Ancient Cave Bears: The Time Travelers 9×12″

Sacred Spirit of the Reindeer 9×12″

Workshops!

Natural Mineral Paints: Become an Earth Artist!

Welcome to participants of all levels and abilities! Mix and apply natural earth minerals into paints onto wood.  Learn how to use non-toxic and earth friendly processes to create a safe studio environment and artworks.  Visit ancestral roots that link Art to the Earth in this one day workshop.

Skill levels: All participants are able to create at their own comfort level of expertise.

Program description: Participants are introduced to earth paints, making pigments from natural minerals and mixing paints with different binders. Prepare wood canvas surfaces with the addition of handmade and up-cycled papers.  Design a composition using charcoal and/or pencil.  Patterns and templates are available to use for drawing and designing.  Participants will engage in processes that show how to integrate and use natural products to create earth-friendly Art, to explore ancient methods (to include early Italian processes to Paleolithic cave dwellers) and to transpose a studio space into an earth friendly environment.

1. March 16, Saturday 11 am-3:30 pm at Piper J Gallery, 10250 Donner Pass Rd. Truckee CA 96161  (775)220-0325 piperjgallery.com Price: $125, all supplies included

2. March 30, Saturday 11 am – 4 pm Blue Line Arts in Roseville, CA

Raw Mineral Paint Workshop with Jennifer Rugge
All supplies included: Members – $125; Non-members – $144

3. Small groups or private Workshops: contact Jennifer, email ruggej@aol.com to book a date on Thursdays, Fridays or Saturdays, 11 am – 3:30 pm for April and May. $125 per adult

4. Mineral Hunting: Friday, August 30, 2024, $50 per adult 11 – 2:30 pm.

Pack a lunch, water and a pack to carry collecting materials. We will meet here at my home and caravan to Scotts Flat Lake. The hike is light to moderate. Mud shoes and walking sticks are helpful when crossing over water and one steep, but short, incline. We will take time to learn about different ochres and clays, harvesting them and leaving a small or no footprint behind. Processing minerals with a brief demonstration along with a handout will be given.

Enjoy Art. Enjoy being inspired. Enjoy seeking alternatives for a health-conscious life. Jennifer

Natural Mineral Paint Workshops

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Workshop: Natural Mineral Painting with Jennifer Rugge, Earth Artist            $125

Become an Earth Artist! Welcome to participants of all levels and abilities! Mix and apply natural earth minerals into paints onto wood.  Learn how to use non-toxic and earth friendly processes to create a safe studio environment and artworks.  Visit ancestral roots that link Art to the Earth in this one day workshop, Sunday December 3, 2023, 11 am – 3:30 pm.

Program description: Participants are introduced to earth paints, making pigments from natural minerals and mixing paints with different binders. Prepare wood canvas surfaces with the addition of handmade and up-cycled papers.  Design a composition using charcoal and/or pencil.  Patterns and templates are available to use for drawing and designing.  Participants will engage in processes that show how to integrate and use natural products to create earth-friendly Art, to explore ancient methods (to include early Italian processes to Paleolithic cave dwellers) and to transform a studio space into an earth friendly environment.

Skill levels: All participants are able to create at their own comfort level of expertise. All workshop supplies are included. But you are welcome to bring any papers, special brushes and 2-4oz. jars (for paints). Please bring a lunch, drinks and wear comfortable clothes.

Piper J Gallery: : (530) 386-7735

10250 Donner Pass Rd. Truckee, CA 96161 

piperjgallery.com

Hope you can make a workshop and begin the journey to earth friendly Art! Enjoy! Jennifer

PS: As of today, mark March 30, 2024 to participate in a Natural minerals painting workshop at Blue Line Arts in Roseville, 11 am – 4 pm. More workshops may be scheduled after the New Year. January and February can bring weather and travel delays. Spring seems to be a better time.

OPEN STUDIO TOUR 2023

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Open Studio Tour 2023: Nevada County West

Open studio tour begins this weekend, October 14 & 15 and the following weekend, October 21 & 22 from 10 am – 5 pm.  I will be demonstrating the processes to make natural mineral paints and how to apply these to canvas and clay surfaces. It is an exciting time to enjoy Art, meet artists and see where they make magic happen in their studios. The gallery is set up ready for viewing and Art conversations. All are welcome to visit and enjoy the atmosphere of Art.

I am Art Studio #33 in the Guide: 12811 Spring Road, Nevada City, just off Banner Lava Cap.  I hope to see you this year! As always, Enjoy!