SCG Workshop and Demonstration

Blue Line Arts hosts an Artist in Residence Program for local artists. It is a great opportunity to share Art, techniques and processes.

Blue Line Arts: “The Susan Cooley-Gilliom Artist in Residence and Teaching (SCG ART) Program is a remarkable gift to our community’s artists, arts educators, students, and arts enthusiasts. This program embodies Susan’s enduring legacy as a cherished local artist and passionate environmental advocate. The SCG ART program is dedicated to nurturing and elevating the visual arts through inspiring short-term residencies and workshops led by nationally acclaimed artists working in diverse media. Since 2023, we have expanded the program to provide artists with two annual opportunities to apply: one for Local Artists residing in Placer and surrounding counties, and another for National Artists across the United State.”

This year’s artist could not make it due to a family emergency. Instead, three local artists have been contacted to help fill in for the Program in a creative way. Yay! I was selected! Therefore, I will be giving a two day workshop on sgraffito using raw clays and pigments onto clay surfaces, along with two demonstration days. See the following information and link to Blue Line Arts for more information and sign up.

Open Studio Demonstration with Jennifer Rugge days and times:

Wednesday, September 9th, 2026 & Tuesday, September 25
12PM-2PM
All ages welcome
Free to attend! Registration encouraged.

Sgraffito with an Ancient Flair: Two Day Workshop September 10 & 11 (Thursday and Friday)

Connect with the earth through clay in this two-day, hands-on workshop inspired by the ancient art of Paleolithic cave painters from Europe, Australia, and South Africa. Sgraffito, meaning “to scratch,” is a decorative technique in which artists scratch through a layer of slip to reveal the clay beneath, creating expressive lines, patterns, and imagery.

Participants will explore natural earth minerals and clay slips while learning how ancient techniques can be adapted into a contemporary clay practice. Students will prepare their own clay slips and use them to decorate slab-built mugs and tiles, creating patterns and drawings on leather-hard surfaces. Sgraffito techniques and burnishing will then be used to enhance the finished pieces.

Designed for all skill levels and abilities, this workshop offers an opportunity to explore the connection between art, clay, and the Earth while creating unique, earth-inspired works of art.

Ray Gonzales is also part of the trio offering another two day workshop in ceramics and two demonstration days.

See what may interest you in a workshop or visiting a demonstration. All details are on the Blue Line Arts website. Hope to see you there! Come visit!

Enjoy,
Jennifer

More Workshops! More Art!

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

From out of the Fire

Working with the guidance of artist, Deborah Bridges, who creates phenomenal figurative sculptures in clay, I have taken up the endeavor to bring the images from my paintings into 3-d.

After many experiments with different clay bodies and mineral test tiles, I am creating these images through the process of pit firing. I dug a small pit into one of our raised beds for easy access. Then I built an enclosed space around this pit with fire bricks, stacking them to keep heat inside but a bit of air to breathe. I collected various materials from our surrounding forests for fuel. I waited for cold rainy days to set-in and prepared the pit along with the bisque clay figurines. I added different layers of combustibles under, around, and over each sculpture to encourage variations in the burn process. The fire was kindled. It burned all day, smoking nicely after I placed a metal cover over the top. It smoked throughout the night into the wee morning hours when only heat from the lower part of the pit still felt warm. Then carefully each figure was removed. Aww, the thrill of it all! Such magic!

Statue from the pit