Jodi Walsh is a true mixed medium artist, who combines ceramics, stainless steel and wood to create beautiful objects, including folding clay and hand-built ceramics.
“My first introduction into art happened outdoors when I was five or six years old in Canada,” says Jodi. “It was fall and I went outside and designed a complete house out of leaves. It had doors and all the windows were in the correct place. That was my first designing gig.”
From that young age, the world became Jodi’s canvas, whether it was artistically plating food as a teen or experimenting with fashion. But her passion for creativity blew open and began to evolve once she began to travel.
“I left Canada in 1967 and I went overseas to the far east and middle east, and I didn’t arrive in the United States until 1980,” Jodi says. “So a lot of my work has always had a quiet Asian feel to it.”
To this day much of her works call upon the places she’s lived, including Taiwan, Thailand, Japan, Hong Kong, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Europe, Africa, and England, among others.
“My art has evolved over 10- or 20-year segments,” Jodi says. “I was overseas for a very long time. So after traveling – not just visiting places, but living in places – and having to set up a home and do shopping and everything that comes with it, the local culture just naturally seeps in.”
That’s one reason Jodi’s works feel familiar, even in it’s minimalistic.. And because she relies on a neutral palette, and creates pieces ranging from several inches to large wall installations, her creations have the ability to morph into their surroundings.
Luckily visitors of this year’s show will have the opportunity to meet Jodi and learn more about her inspiration and process. And while this is her first year participating, she has already fit right into the Celebration of Fine Art community. In fact, being a part of such a large show and having the opportunity to connect with fellow art lovers is exactly what drew her to join.
“I came last year and went through the whole show,” Jodi says. “It was nothing like I thought it would be. I do art fairs all over the country but this one had a different feel to it from the moment you walk in the front door. I was really impressed with not only the quality of the work but the camaraderie amongst the artists. It really is a creative tribe.”
See more of Jodi’s story below: