I fell in love with pottery in high school, where I spent most of my time hiding in the art room from math class. While I experimented with different mediums, I already had a connection to pottery; as a child I spent time helping my mom prepare unfired pottery for dialysis patients to paint.
My art teacher started a ceramics competition with other high schools called “Feats of Clay.” We did wheel throwing, and silly events like stacking clay as high as we could. These experiences inspired me and created a lingering love of pottery and sculpture.
I went to SUNY Purchase for a BFA. The ceramics program was non-existent,  I ended up concentrating on metal sculpture and photography while ceramics fell by the wayside.
Since then I have had a full career as a chef, food stylist, cookbook author, and spokesperson while being a wife and mom. I’ve worked and played in many different areas of art and design. I have always needed a creative outlet, and the meditative peaceful quality of pottery quiets my overactive mind. In 2001 I married a photographer and we started a family. Now that my daughter has moved to London for her own creative journey, coming back to ceramics has allowed me to satisfy the artist in me.
In late 2019 we left California for the East Coast to escape the wildfires and pandemic. My husband suggested I get a pottery wheel while we were there, and I never looked back! Once I returned home I quickly set up a micro studio in a camper I bought on Craigslist. The next few years hit hard; on top of the ongoing pandemic, our daughter spent weeks in the hospital having surgeries while battling an autoimmune disease and many months recovering.
The “fuck pots” were my response to the dumpster fire of the past few years. I needed a creative outlet to find a way to deal with the trauma of everything happening around me. I returned to clay because the feeling of creating something out of nothing gave me immense joy in a place of darkness.
Recently I have been developing the skills to formulate my own glazes through chemistry. I never imagined I’d be drawn back to a subject containing math because it all started with me hiding in the art room to avoid it. Making my own glazes allows me to get the specific results I imagine while also ensuring that my pieces are functional. I am interested in the colors and textures of moss and ferns in the damp forest. Living in Northern California we are surrounded by redwoods, and I have unlimited access to the inspiration of the forest. I’m working on translating those textures and colors into glazes. I am also interested in the modern, smooth look of metallics. My goal is to incorporate the two into works of functional and sculptural pottery.

Jennifer lives in San Rafael, California with her talented photographer husband Matthew. Their daughter is honing her own creative pursuit studying costume construction at London’s Royal Central School of Speech and Drama. When not covered in clay, Jennifer practices yoga, and loves being on the water. She travels as much as possible but always misses her dogs! She is passionate about interior design, flower arranging, the latest fashion, and always makes time for good coffee.