Ochre Dreams

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

New Work, New Ideas, New Beginnings

Uncategorized

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

Chalkin’ It Up: Street Art Challenge Response

Features & Fanfare, New Works

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.

I mix natural minerals from the earth with walnut oil along with softened natural beeswax.
It is applied by using different tools: paintbrush, eco-friendly thinner, palette knife, or rib.
In this painting, handmade and recycled papers are applied with a hand mixed plant based glue and left to dry thoroughly.
The charcoal pencil is used to create a basic sketch of images on the surface.
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: