Artist statement

Hi, I’m Jenny.

I'm a metalsmith and ceramicist working in San Rafael, California. Under the name Agate & Ember, I make one-of-a-kind jewelry and functional ceramics from stone, metal, clay, and objects gathered from beaches and forests. Drawing upon my background in graphic and product design, everything is considered — form, texture, what makes a pebble worth keeping. Each piece is a small, quiet pleasure made to be lived with.

My metalsmithing practice began in the 1990s, when a single workshop with a master jeweler changed everything. I was immediately drawn to the sculptural possibilities — the ability to build images from my imagination in materials made to last. The path to ceramics came through enameling and precious metal clay, materials that bridged the two worlds through the kiln and eventually led to hand-building clay. Both practices share the same underlying logic: start loose, prototype, and stay open to something better coming out the other side.

Materials are everything. I'm drawn to the extraordinary variety of color and pattern found in jasper and agate — the intricate swirls of lace agate, the layered depth of moss agate, stones that look like landscapes in miniature. I can sometimes find both beachcombing in Northern California, where the right stone announces itself at my feet: the form, the pattern, the smoothness left by years of tide. I'm equally fascinated by the schiller effect in sunstone, moonstone, and quartz — the inner glow caused by copper, iron, and mineral inclusions that catch light from within. Found objects make their way in too: fallen leaves collected on hikes, pressed into clay and painted for a graphic, hand-printed quality that connects the studio to the trail.

My work can be found in person at the Ceramic Art Center of Marin's gallery at Art Works Downtown in San Rafael, and an online shop is coming soon.

Both practices ask the same question of different materials: what makes a piece, found or made, worth holding onto? If you've ever picked up a stone and put it in your pocket — you already understand.