Jenny Mendes

About Jenny Mendes

Jenny Mendes was born in Cleveland, Ohio. She received a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree from Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri and continued her education at Penland School of Crafts in North Carolina. Years later she returned to Penland School as both resident artist for three years and instructor. She has continued her education and exploration of the ceramic arts through participation in residencies in Paris, Macedonia, Slovenia, Turkey, Serbia, The Netherlands, Philippines and Latvia. Currently she lives and works in Chesterland, Ohio as a full time studio artist and occasional workshop leader.

Artist Statement

My ceramic work has always had a life of its own, separate from my desire to control it. If I look back at my ceramics over time, there is a continuous thread that runs through my work, a signature stylistic message from my unconscious to my conscious self. Always learning and relearning how to decipher and translate the special union I experience with this material, I find inspiration from deep connection to self and friends, from my relationships with nature, humans and animals, and from working with energy both tangible and intangible. My daily practice uses active imagination in conversation with the materiality of clay. I would like my work to offer a sense of being buoyed and comforted by love, hope, curiosity and the imagination.

Contact

Shop
Instagram: @misterclaudey
Facebook: Jenny Mendes Ceramics