Sharing Photos And People’s Choice in Art

The Truckee Opening was a full evening. I had the opportunity to share both Paintings and sculptures. I am so grateful for the interest despite the thunderstorms. There was a nice turnout for the talk at 6 pm and questions during the demonstration of the processing of pigments and raw clays. I was able to introduce the audience to the set of sculptured reindeer, each representing an aspect of a working community. For example, “The watcher”, a tall white sculpture with highly textured clay body and dotted with pigment colors, represents the reindeer that watches over the herd while they graze or drink from a stream. Another, a tall black ochre reindeer carries the wisdom of the community. A small red reindeer rests peacefully surrounded by the sacred red ochre. Each reindeer carries a different story with an opening at the back of their heads where cave art and signs are painted inside. Here are some photos of the event.

On another note: I entered a “People’s Choice” online voting for Art. I hadn’t realized what this fully meant but now I am a part of it. Apparently it is sponsored by Johnny Depp. Anyway, if you are so moved, click the link below to add your vote to my Art. Thank you in advance. I appreciate the support. I see that the link connects with Face Book. Enjoy as always, each new day. Jennifer

https://peoplesartist.org/2026/jennifer-rugge

Spirit of Ochre

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

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

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

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

Wild and Scenic 2021

As you know, my theme for this year and what I have been creatively contemplating while I paint, sculpt, or envision a new art piece come alive is ‘Resilience’. Three of my works grounded in this theme were chosen for Nevada County’s famous film festival and exhibition, The Wild and Scenic Film Festival 2021 Virtual Art Exhibition. I am honored that not only was one chosen to be featured, but three! This is a time of true resilience.

Featured Works in Wild and Scenic 2021

Resilience, A Call to Rise
Guardians of Resilience
Bear Carries Stories of Resilience

View The Wild and Scenic Gallery

I'm curious if this theme resonates with you, or even, what your own definition of it is? How does the word resilience call to you? How do you envision it? What comes alive?

Resilience,
A Call to Rise

It is remarkable and indeed wonderful how the reindeer, elk, and deer have survived throughout history. Amazing art found hidden on cave walls in Europe show that these animals lived and thrived so long ago as well as still exist today. This is “Resilience by Nature”. Can we learn from this example and not only protect their continued existence but be able to self-examine how we can rise to the call of resilience now?

Guardians of Resilience

Can we sincerely learn and be willing to seek eco-friendly and earth-awareness means from the intelligent beings and elements that guard the nature surrounding us? We must look to the guardians already existing, humbly listen, learn, and put into practice in order to thrive together.

Bear Carries Stories
of Resilience

Roots
“Resilience,” said Bear, “That’s a great story!” Throughout time I have collected stories, stories of the people, stories of the land, stories of the heavens. That’s what I do. A long, long time ago when days were considered ancient, I traveled the earth tirelessly collecting these stories…How the waters ran freely, the wind whispered whimsically, and the trees danced magically while the heavens smiled and its light guided. 

Power and the Forgotten Time
The people had wonderful and imaginative stories! Some were very comical, others taught lessons and some were scary. They new their roots, cultivated and loved them. They cooperated and collaborated building homes into villages, and villages into towns, and some into great cities and civilizations. Soon they forgot their roots; these faded into preoccupation with working more to make many things and have many things. They became separate beings disconnected from their origins and their cooperative acceptable selves. Stories of origins and roots were forgotten. Instead these became beliefs in disease, starvation, destruction and confusion. Such ideas fell over the people who began to live isolated lives. 

Resilience
The tales grew heavy, and heavier. The weight of them were a burden. Yet, the Bear that I am is wise. I know that the stories were valuable because of what new understandings can be gained. There is only the need to humble the heart, recall our roots, to glory in the origins of people and of all nature… to remember how everyone is connected, always has been and even still are. So, we shook ourselves free from the weights of belief tales and their myths. We saw everything still, gently remembering, being, and resting in a deeper sense of connection. Now we move to resilience, into embracing different stories and fresh ideas, holding to the roots, once sewn with ancient seeds, no longer forgotten, but give life to new directions, as we gain innovative bearings.

Mixing natural earth minerals into paints, I explore the world of the Ancients in my art.  Integrated into my artworks are the mysteries surrounding their art, techniques and early language roots in signs and pictographs.

Great appreciation and gratitude to Alexandra Carelli for permission to use her song for this video. Beautifully written and sung that brings out the importance of praising our ancient and original roots. 

“Roots”© from Livelli, 2020 – written by Alexandra Carelli

Vocals by Alexandra Carelli & Delaney Albright produced by Basel Khoury

Resilience with our Ancient Ancestors

Resilience with our Ancient Ancestors from JENNIFER RUGGE on Vimeo.

 Resilience is the ability to recover.  We travel through life seemingly alone, but we are like others, thinking we know the self we are.  Our ancient ancestors experienced this same road. The appearances of difficult times speak loudly to gain our attentions and intentions as throughout history as we continue to uncover its depth, truth and reality.  

So I asked myself, “What do these times tell me about the self I believe to be?  What can I do or change within myself first to find resilience and a future?”  

Beginning with my individual self is the first step to any needed change.  For me it is an awareness of love, a deeper love for my sense of self asking to feel comfort and protection.  To share this with others comes through my art; it influences and directs the internal desire.  I hold this as the basis of resilience for my attentions and intentions and hope that others may find it, see it and connect in some way.  This is where our ability to recover grows.  Tracing the resilience of our ancient ancestors has enabled all of us to be here today, to move forward together.  

This path as an artist has shown me alternative ways to understanding our original roots through my own ancestral DNA trail, the study of Cave Art and artifacts, and the early knowledge of language expressed in signs and pictographs.  Because of my deep interest in historical roots, my digging into the ancient past has led me on an intriguing journey.  It began with the early Italian fresco painters.  The preparations of minerals into paints, writing in the illuminated style, and gold leaf applications that were used to capture the customs, symbols, and stories of the time.  This, then opened my sense of self to another dimension of spiritual perspectives in life as well as the curiosity of our ancestral cave dwellers and sojourners.  Together, these speak through my art along with creating an eco-friendly studio, using natural mineral paints and earth friendly products. 

From my Studio

Another update is underway during these stay-at-home orders —

The Art council here in Nevada County has asked for photos, videos, or poetry/stories of where you spend most of your time during this “stay at home” policy in California. In my studio, at home is where I spend most of my time…preparing, thinking, creating inspirationally… in paintings, writing and sculpting. Enjoy the journey life sets before you. Enjoy!

Chalkin’ It Up: Street Art Challenge Response

I put the challenge out there and YOU have answered! From Coast-to-Coast, street art has been flowing-in as folks all over are taking on the Street-Art-Challenge I put out last month. It’s been such a joy watching all the clips, photos, and videos of your artwork come in over the last month from YOUR STREET to MY STREET, offering such meaningful connection during this strange time. BIG Thank you to all who participated…here’s a compilation of a bit of what I received:

In more news…

Here is a video showing how I begin the process of a painting with mineral paints and gold leaf.

  1. I mix natural minerals from the earth with walnut oil along with softened natural beeswax.
  2. It is applied by using different tools: paintbrush, eco-friendly thinner, palette knife, or rib.
  3. In this painting, handmade and recycled papers are applied with a hand mixed plant based glue and left to dry thoroughly.
  4. The charcoal pencil is used to create a basic sketch of images on the surface.
  5. From here the background and foreground areas are worked with paints to create varying thicknesses of richness in color.

Finished Work is up at this online gallery:

Home Project, Osborn Woods Gallery, Nevada City, Ca. 

Home is Within: Home are the Stories from Within;
who I think and believe I am. 

RuggeJ_StoriesfromHome

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

Meet Me in Italy!

I’ve been invited to teach in Italy!

This June,
join me for an Earth Art Immersion at

Cascina Rodiani – Green Hospitality

Click to Download form for Details

REGISTER on ‘Workshops’