Today we’d like to introduce you to Jodi Walsh.
Hi Jodi, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I recently realized that I’ve been in the creative business, one way or another, for 50 years. As Director of Marketing Communications in the software industry in the 1990s and then a studio artists for the last 40 years.
How I got to where I am today is years and years of doing the same thing day after day. Honing my craft and trying to keep up with the business side of creating.
Working in the studio has always been a challenge, hard work, a definite strain on my body and rewarding at the end of every day. It takes discipline to work at your craft everyday. In the last 40 years I’ve had very few bad days. I’ve always had a clear vision of my own style. Having and understanding your own vision of where to want to go and your own style is an important part of becoming a successful artist.
This doesn’t mean you can’t change materials or the look of your work as you move thru your career. It does mean you are working/creating to please yourself, no one else and not the general public.
There was a goal that was always in front of me, pulling me along. I wanted to have the work recognized by the public and reputable organizations. First was to be accepted into the Smithsonian Craft Show in Washington DC. I was juried in on my first try which I’ve been told almost never happens. It was a great show and that line in my resume, Smithsonian Craft, opened doors for me and still does.
Second was an international arts organization that represented the best of the best in the craft world. The MichaelAngelo Organization in Switzerland, Homo Faber contacted me this year and I was curated in. My goal for 2028 is to have two or three gallery shows and a craft museum or center exhibit at the same time.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
My main struggle is and has always has been the paperwork and finding a photographer to work with. I don’t have flat work that sits on a wall so it is a challenge.
My photographer of 20 years on the east coast was Greg Staley. Because of the quality of his work my career moved ahead. I moved to the Houston TX area in 2015 and I have yet to find a photographer that will work with my kind of artwork and is in my area. I’ve been lucky enough to have exhibits in the Silos, Arts District in Houston near a great photographer named Ashkan Roayaee. Once again because of the quality of his work I moved ahead. I’ts not just your work but how you present it that is responsible for being accepted.
My biggest obstacle in the art world is submitting images. There are no standards for size or format. In one day I was asked to send images to 3 different organizations and each had a different criteria.
I must say since the very beginning of being a full time artist my work has been accepted. However – in the beginning I did work with entrance level people and organizations. As the work progressed so did I.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
From the very beginning I have surrounded myself with good people. I followed artists that had the quality of work that I admired and hope to accomplish one day. Because artists have mentored and helped me out in the past I now try to do the same.
Oritatami Nendo: folding clay
I stopped working to take a look at the art market and what was being created then tried to create something that was visually different. I switched mediums and developed a process of folding imprinted clay. I’m sure it had been done before but not in my style. In the 70s I spent several years in the Far and Middle East. This influences my life and artwork to this day. Simple, calm, visually pleasing work focusing on texture and patterns. The process is uncomplicated. I paint and mark with white slip on large slabs of wet clay, cut with a chop stick and fold. One firing using black and earth tone clays.
Since the work is in individual pieces I can produce large installations or hang one single piece for a more intimate feel. There are no limits to the size of installations. My current commission is 4 feet X 10 feet. I enjoy commissions and fine toning the installation until everyone is happy. Yes I said it “I love commissions” and working with clients, interior designers, galleries and art consultants. I think the artist can have a lot of control over the process and make it exciting for everyone involved.
Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting out?
I wish I had followed accomplished artists and attended galleries opening much sooner. Starting out now I would do this for a year.
Discipline – I would work daily and create a working studio first. To this day I still “manage” with my studio space.
Develop good business practices. Set up your business first.
Don’t be afraid to ask for help in every area.
Stay open minded. The art world is drowning in gossip – stay clear of it all and don’t do it yourself. Respect your fellow creatives. Respect the people you chose to work with, galleries, art consultants, designers, agents and collaborate with other artists. If you do not care to work with them move on.
I gave a talk in Pasadena CA on a Sunday, caught the red eye to DC and something I said on the west coast was repeated to me the next day on the east coast. Thank goodness it was kind.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.jodiart.artspan.com
- Instagram: jodiartmaker
- Facebook: Jodi Walsh
