Elsa Jagniecki 2/27/26 Elsa Jagniecki 2/27/26

Maker Spotlight Series

MAKER SPOTLIGHT SERIES

KATHLEEN KEENE JONES

Ceramic Artist

Artist Kathleen Jones at work in Smiley’s Art Room Collective

THE QUICK + FUN LOWDOWN:

Favorite travel destination or past trip? Zanzibar
Favorite book and/or movie? Book: Less; Movie: The Usual Suspects
Favorite artist(s), designer(s), architect(s)? Georgia O'Keefe!
What's always playing in your studio — music, podcast, silence? Music, ideally from the 70s and 80s or pretty much anything that fellow artist Joe Schafer puts on the in the Smiley Art Room!
Finish this sentence: "Making things heals me."

Tell us about yourself — who are you and what do you make/create?

I am a ceramic artist working primarily in hand-built sculpture. My work explores the tension between strength and fragility — how something can feel precarious and grounded at the same time.

I build forms shaped by the landscapes I’ve called home — deserts, mountains, tidal edges, geothermal springs — places where elemental forces are visible and unfiltered. My career in multilateral diplomacy deeply shaped my sculptural language; living in regions marked by both beauty and complexity taught me that resilience is rarely symmetrical or polished.

The pieces I create often lean, tilt, cluster, or hover. They are intentionally imperfect. Rough clay remains exposed. Surfaces shift from matte to reflective. I am interested in the quiet structures that hold things up — in nature and in people — and in the beauty that emerges through imbalance.

How did you first discover your craft — what was the spark or what drew you to it?

I studied ceramics in college, but clay reached me earlier than that. I grew up in the Southwest, spending part of my youth on ranches. That early connection to land — to soil, to heat, to material — stayed with me.

For a long time, my professional life moved in a different direction. It wasn’t until years of living abroad — in Afghanistan, South Sudan, the Dominican Republic, and the Gulf (United Arab Emirates)— that my sculptural voice truly took shape. The elemental landscapes and the resilience of the communities within them gave me something I needed to translate physically.

Clay became the way I processed those experiences. Earth turned by water, hardened by fire, touched by air — the material itself mirrors the forces I’ve witnessed.

Where do you source your inspiration? What sparks a new idea or collection?

Place is always the starting point.

A sandstorm reshaping a horizon. A tide pool holding fragments the sea has left behind. The way geothermal water rises through rock. The submerged stillness beneath clear ocean waters.

Each collection begins with an environment — and with the emotional tension that environment carries. Sandstorms became a study of disruption and renewal. Tideworn grew from the quiet basins left when water retreats. Pagosa was rooted in reverence for land and inherited memory. Submerged explored pressure, suspension, and transformation beneath the surface.

I don’t illustrate landscapes. I try to embody what they do.

Is there a person, place, or experience that has most shaped your creative path?

Living in regions shaped by elemental extremes and geopolitical complexity changed me. Afghanistan’s austere mountains. South Sudan’s White Nile. The Musandam Peninsula where mountains fall directly into the sea.

But equally formative were the quiet inheritances of the American Southwest — the springs of Pagosa, the cairns along a river, the knowledge embedded in land long before I arrived.

I have learned that endurance is never flawless. That lesson runs through everything I build.

What are you currently working on or excited about?

Right now, I’m working on a collection inspired by the geography of the Four Corners, specifically Antelope Canyon and Red Cliffs, called Carved by Light. I also have plans to make a collection inspired by Watersheds.

Is there a dream project or medium you'd love to explore?

I would love to create a site-responsive installation — something that interacts directly with landscape, light, or water. Work that lives outdoors, where weather becomes collaborator rather than threat.

I’m also intrigued by integrating subtle movement — not in a theatrical way, but in a way that deepens the sense of breath or suspended time within a piece.

How do you see your work adding to someone's home and collection?

In a home, I could see the pieces become quiet anchors — forms that invite you to walk around them, to notice shadow, to feel weight and balance. They shift with light throughout the day. They ask for a moment of attention, and in return, they offer steadiness.

I hope they bring a sense of groundedness — a reminder that strength can lean, that beauty can be asymmetrical, and that what endures is rarely polished.

See more about Kathleen

Elsa Jagniecki 8/31/23 Elsa Jagniecki 8/31/23

Art Curation Tips

Simple tips for becoming a curator and collector of art

The importance of original art, where to source and tips on how to become a curator and collector

Boheme Design Durango Interior Designer-00245.jpg

Boheme Design Durango Interior Designer-00113.jpg

Boheme Design Durango Interior Designer-00269.jpg

Boheme Design Durango Interior Designer-00027.jpg

Boheme Design Durango Interior Designer-00225.jpg

The Importance of Art

Art has always been a universal language - transcending time, continents and other socio-cultural and socio-economic concepts. Like how food brings people together at a table, art can ignite and inspire conversation, an exploration of emotion and define space. Having a one of a kind piece, especially if commissioned, can make for an interesting talking point and adds to the overall environment.

“Creativity takes courage. It is not enough to place colors, however beautiful, one beside the other; colors must also react on one another.”

— Henri Matisse

Art is a broad term - art is everything in my book, not just paintings and sculptures, but found in the details, perspective and how one lives. Anyone can live artfully no matter how much you spend on your collection - there are objects of all sorts that possess an artistic potential for personal expression.

As one of our designer icons Kelly Wearstler puts it, mixing interesting art and objects in a space creates - “a tension of opposites, the juxtaposition of seemingly dichotomous things. Always something old with something new, raw and refined, masculine and feminine, classic and contemporary. These combinations are sexy and unexpected.”

Employing art in a space can be seen as the secret ingredient. It is the last accent, addition to a design palette or vignette that can all of sudden elevate it and bring it all together. In our process, art is the ingredient that really allows the space to speak for itself - emotionally, palette-wise, and conceptually. Artful expression / art curation is what helps an individual to really express the emotions that bring them joy or make them feel connected, grounded, alive or simply remember a time and place or some of the best feelings through what it can help channel, invoke and spark.

Approaching Art Curation

Where does one start - anywhere that calls! What type or medium of art calls to you? Maybe it all begins with a framed print and then you build on the feeling, the color palette to begin to achieve a vibe you are after. You can also begin by asking yourself some exploratory questions about the style you want to create within your space. You can start fresh with your own narrative on what type of energy, feeling and overall style you want to reflect in your spaces. Or you can think about where you’ve traveled or visited that you’ve loved or felt a deep connection to - what were the elements in those spaces that made you feel that way… what were the collected objects, art, textiles or materials?

I try to make a point to shop at vintage flea markets, galleries and boutiques whenever I am traveling because there are such different distinctive cultural styles in other cities and regions. I also like to make specific shopping trips to regional hubs like Santa Fe, Denver and some special spots in California on annual trips like Palm Springs, Santa Barbara, LA and Ojai. Bringing something home from these various places and trips are always a fun addition. And because I am such a coastal / beach person living in the mountains, I add to my collection of seashells and stones. I add these elements to nooks and even planters of my fig trees and exotic plants - I think the plants also like all the maritime nutrients as well on top of it looking cool.

Design Tips for Curating Style and the Look of Your Home:

Create an inviting and interesting entry area - feature artwork upon entry, functional and interesting bench area, mirrors are also a good feature as well.
Turn a hallway or stairwell into a gallery with a collection of family heirlooms or interesting found objects and art.
Allocating wall space for hanging art - large format or a collection of smaller pieces together? I love triptychs myself where you can hang a trio together. However, one large painting, photo or a print can be a dramatic touch for an entry point, stairwell or living space.
Shelving - bookshelves, mantels, deep window sills, credenzas are all places to consider when evaluating your space. You will want to look at it like a full picture where you are evenly weighting placement through the space - or inversely, focusing your collectibles to one area on display like a wall shelving unit if your goal is to keep the rest of the space minimal, clean and open.
Don’t forget the textiles - rugs, accent pillows, sheepskins and blanket throws are all easy elements to add some color and maybe a touch of style… whether it is more contemporary, bohemian, eclectic or ethnic worldly undertone. Area rugs always help anchor spaces and runner rugs add a touch of personality, especially to a kitchen or hallway.
Focal furniture pieces - pair of chair in the living space, handcrafted dinning table, an eclectic reading chair, dramatic accent lighting, etc.

Places to Source Collectibles for the Seasoned Hunter

Types of Artwork for Curating Spaces