It was in high school when Jenifer first discovered her thrill for pottery. She couldn’t get enough of throwing pots on the wheel and experimenting with glazes in the school’s tiny kiln. She continued with her passion and went on to receive, with honors, her Bachelors of Fine Arts Degree in Ceramics at Georgia Southern University. While a part of the program she was decorated with many of the University’s top awards and honors. She was awarded the Betty Foy Foundation Award for excellence as the top art student in her class and was one of 18 National winners of the NCECA Regional Student Juried Exhibit in New Orleans.

Today Jenifer works out of her 1000 square foot studio where she has a professional electric kiln, a potter’s wheel, a 350-pound pile of scrap metal and more clay than the bottom of the James river. She visits junkyards where people know her by name. And that’s where her hidden “treasures” are found. A piece of rusty scrap metal turned into angel wings — Jenifer’s keen eye for the unobvious becomes obvious as she transforms a junk piece into a masterpiece.

Jenifer’s handmade sculptures are known distinctly for their unique, whimsical faces and masterfully assembled found objects. Jenifer says, “They kind of become alive . . . Each one has their own unique personality and none of them are ever exactly alike. It’s almost as if they become part of my family when I create them and sometimes it’s hard to let them go when they are sold. I often joke that I hope they are going to a good home.”

Jenifer’s sculptures can be found in homes and galleries all across the United States, and even internationally. She has been highly recognized at many fine arts shows across the country — Kentuck, Magic City, and Fairhope to name a few. She has won numerous awards and has even been featured in the magazine “Clay Times—The Journal of Ceramic Trends and Techniques.”

Jenifer has two criteria for her sculptures. They should engage the viewer and evoke an emotion. And she strongly believes that emotion should be a smile. “So many people take art way too seriously — I am not one of those people,” she says. “I am very care free and whimsical. I always try to find the good in life and put that first. And hopefully it comes out in my work.” Jenifer’s whimsical and masterful sculptures engage people in ways that make them feel great about life. If you are ever in search of Jenifer’s work, just listen for the laughter and follow the smiling crowds.