About
Bio
Jen Otey
MOONbow ARTworks was established in 2002 in Girdwood, Alaska. Since that time my studio has moved and traveled where my Spirit guides me to go...Cripple Creek, Alaska, The Big Island of Hawaii, and a few points in between. In 2010 I returned to the Appalachian Mountains of Southwest Virginia, where I grew up, with my husband and son. In 2017 we opened Rose Cottage School of Art, in Wytheville, Virginia, where I teach a variety of art classes along with several other wonderful regional artists.
I am Inspired by the environment of the place where I live, what I see, feel, and experience with the land and the indigenous flora and fauna, are reflected in clay and paint. The body of paintings I have created include oil, acrylic, and pen and ink/watercolors drawings. These pieces reflect the time I spend out in the mountains of Southwest Virginia. The subjects in these paintings are often the physical and sometimes the spiritual reflections recalled from those moments. The pottery I make is primarily hand-built from slabs of stoneware clay. The whimsical nature of the work added to the imperfect slab forms, make each functional piece unique. Animals are carved into the surface of the clay, then painted with underglaze, followed by a clear glaze to provide a smooth, food safe surface, for eating & drinking. These ceramic pieces are a joy to use when serving meals or for just a quiet moment for tea.
