Birds, Bees, Flowers, and Trees - ceramic jewelry inspired by the natural world

Join me at C'ville Arts on the Downtown Mall in Charlottesville, VA on Friday, August 4th, 6-8pm, for the opening of my month-long show as featured artist. 

A Jewelry Affaire!

Join me at Crozet Artisan Depot this Saturday May 14th from 4-6pm to stock up on jewelry for the spring and summer! The show will feature jewelry from Laura Chatterson, Kathleen Mistry, Gillian Ruffa, Karen Yonovitz, and of course Jennifer Paxton in a month long show highlighting each artist's newest designs.


Here you can find more info about the event: "A Jewelry Affaire!"
Invite your friends!

"Put a bird on it"

--A classic Jennifer Paxton design circa the 80s and 90s

As always, you can expect plenty of bold and colorful pieces!
I hope to see you there!

GRAND OPENING: Crozet Artisan Depot

The end of the rains brings sunshine and good news: Crozet Artisan Depot is having its grand opening THIS FRIDAY the 9th of October from 5-8pm. You can find the Depot at 5791 Three Notch'd Road in Crozet, Virginia.

There will be refreshments, live music by The Front Porch String Band, and door prizes provided by the artists!

Don't miss it! More details here: Crozet Artisan Depot GRAND OPENING

Virginia Clay Festival 2015!

It is the eve of the last day of summer--chillier temperatures and turning leaves tell us that Fall is here! To celebrate, come join me (and many other artists) at the Virginia Clay Festival in beautiful Stanardsville, Virginia.

For a full list of artists and a schedule of events, visit the festival's website: Virginia Clay Festival 2015. Also, I will be demonstrating how I make my jewelry LIVE from 12:30 to 1:30pm on Saturday.

I can't wait to see you there!

"Vintage flair and summer fun!"

Today I took some new photos to promote my opening next weekend at C'ville Arts!

For more details and to RSVP, click this link: "A Vintage Picnic" Facebook Event

Upcoming Show at C'ville AND My Process - Part 2

Summer has arrived, bringing out all the tiny, busy bees! The bees, to me, are kindred spirits, buzzing busily and hastily throughout the day. Summer brings about a busy time of year for me, especially since I am working hard to prepare for my opening at C'ville Arts! 

Bee there or bee square!

My earthenware clay jewelry, will be featured at C-ville Arts Cooperative Gallery during the month of July. I will be present at the gallery on July 3rd, from 6pm to 8pm during the Historic Downtown Mall's First Friday event. In the words of artist and friend Judith Ligon, "Jennifer Paxton's ceramic jewelry never fails to delight and titillate the viewer who cannot resist having a piece of her work to wear for their very own." My July show, titled "A Vintage Picnic", promises to be a wonderful, wearable, art clay collection in designs and colors with a vintage flair as well as summer fun. Bet you can't get just one!

My Process - Part 2

My second intention for this post is to pick up where I left off in my last post. This series of posts, My Process, is meant to give my fans a peek into how I make my jewelry step by step.

The photo below is of what the pieces look like in the second stage---after the first firing---the pieces are called bisque-ware and you can see that the earthenware clay turns whiter. In the first stage the pieces are called green-ware, and dry a gray color.

Second Stage

Third Stage

Final Product!

After the pieces are glazed, they are fired again, and then of course I put the jewelry together to create the final product as seen above.

My Process - Part 1

For the next couple posts I'll be showing you exactly how I make my jewelry, step by step! By doing this you can see what my pieces look like from beginning to end. 

Seen in the picture below are my newest pieces, which are in the first stage of the ceramic process. After rolling thin slabs of clay, I cut out various shapes, pick a design/texture for each, smooth the edges and then set them aside to dry. This is what they look like before the first kiln firing.  

After I fire them, I'll post another a picture of what they look like and then continue with the process.

Stay tuned for updates!

And don't forget to like me on Facebook.

New year brings new styles and a Facebook Page!

My business is bringing in the New Year by revamping its online presence! I'm very excited to announce that Jennifer Paxton Jewelry now has an Official Facebook Page. By clicking the link you can see my new page. Please LIKE it to get updates from me through Facebook.

The New Year also brings new jewelry designs and new inspirations. My newest pieces have larger, textured ceramic pieces with metallic links. The piece featured in this post displays this style well. Also, the piece incorporates a bird texture, which as you may know is a creature the Spears Family holds close to its heart.

Don't worry, though, I'm still having fun creating jewelry in the classic Jennifer Paxton style.

As a reminder, my jewelry can be found in Charlottesville at C'ville Arts, in Richmond at Crossroads Art Center, in Stanardsville at Noon Whistle Pottery, in Scottsville at The Riverbend Day Spa, and right here in Dillwyn at The Spa!

There may be more revamping to come (....possibly Etsy, hint hint), but don't forget to Like and Share my new Facebook Page!

Winter is coming--or, rather, it's already here!

Despite this year's fickle weather patterns in Virginia winter is here, and along with it Winter-themed jewelry. Jennifer Paxton makes hand-crafted ceramic jewelry for almost all seasons and holidays, and currently the most relevant of those are Winter and Christmas!

Jennifer's affordable, earthenware clay pieces make perfect gifts. For more information you can call the number at the bottom of this post OR send an e-mail to the Artist at the address found in the sidebar.

Additionally, please note that you can purchase Jennifer's jewelry at the locations listed in the sidebar.

We are looking forward to Christmastime and Winter weather, and we hope you are too!

Jennifer Paxton: (434)-983-1817

Happy Thanksgiving!

"As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them."

-John F. Kennedy

'Tis the season for setting goals! Black Friday will soon be upon us, and Jennifer Paxton Jewelry plans to be ready. Just as Kennedy said, on Thanksgiving we should not only be thankful, but we should live by our words of thanks. Living by our words also applies sticking to our goals in order to reach them, and we have been working to do just that.

 

"Glazed Over" - Ceramic Jewelry for the Senses

Welcome and hello to all ye Artists and Art Lovers!

For the month of November I, Jennifer Paxton, am the featured Artist at C'ville Arts, located in downtown Charlottesville, VA. I will be at the shop from 11:00am to 4:00pm the day after Thanksgiving--better known as Black Friday, OR should I say THE biggest shopping day of the year! Any and All are welcome to come say hello, see my new jewelry, and of course do their holiday shopping! C'ville Arts is a great place to find skillfully crafted and reasonably priced gifts--including holiday-themed jewelry.

I would love to see you there! You can find more information here: “Glazed Over”- Ceramic Jewelry for the Senses

-Jennifer

Remembering Mothers

It's a wonderful Mothers' Day morning! There are birds singing and flowers abloom! Flowers remind us of nature's fragile beauty and inspire us to create beauty with our own hands. Today, flowers are especially beautiful because they help us remind our mothers' how much we love them.

Feeding Time!

As I am sure many of you have noticed, the weather has been extremely fickle lately. It seems as though the birds are the only ones who remember that spring is here! Even this morning--in all its slushiness--I could hear chirping. These are some recent photos from the feeder outside the Spears Family dining room window followed by a Jennifer Paxton bird-inspired necklace.

A Downy Woodpecker peering inside

A Chickadee shops for seeds 

Birds inspire!

"In the middle of winter I at last discovered that there was in me an invincible summer." -Albert Camus

Today started out dreary and rainy, and now the rain has turned into snow. As we grow and learn about ourselves and the world it becomes more and more important to maintain a sense of wonder about our surroundings. The world is full of beauty, and with such a large magnitude of inspiration available it is an artist's responsibility to create.

Winter Flower Set

Birds

Birds are a pretty big deal in the Paxton/Spears family.

Chickadee Set; Earrings $12, Necklace $26 (C'ville Arts) 

"A man finds room in the few square inches of his face for the traits of all his ancestors; for the expression of all his history, and his wants."

-Ralph Waldo Emerson

The human face is a bountiful source of inspiration, and as Emerson points out it is a beautiful expression of history and ancestry. The beauty of faces is found in many types of art--even, if not especially, advertisements. Art Nouveau was a popular style of art often used in advertising around 1890 to 1910 which is characterized by its flowing, rhythmic curves. Alphonse Mucha, an artist associated with the Art Nouveau style, was known for featuring beautiful women in his ads, and the depth of expression in these women's faces is captivating.

Art Nouveau Set (C'ville Arts); Necklace $26, Earrings $20

"All true artists, whether they know it or not, create from a place of no-mind, from inner stillness." 

-Eckhart Tolle

Today was anything but still. The warm weather brought out many bustling birds and animals, and the trees were swaying to the rhythm of 30 mph gusts! On days like these nature, in its way, seems to bring out the inner stillness in artists. When everything seems to be full of life an artist sees beauty and creates from his or her "place of no-mind". With Valentine's day approaching inspiration comes from nature and love.

Nature Heart Pendants - $22