Jeff Blandford
Jeff Blandford on the Farm
I was born in September of 1984 and raised in Holland, Michigan. Having grown up around the arts was huge for the development of my curiosity with aesthetic. My biggest influence was the furniture of Herman Miller with iconic designs by greats such as George Nelson, Isamu Noguchi, and the Eames. Among his earliest of memories was sleeping under the famed Noguchi coffee table. Whether napping or daydreaming, this table -even then- was the door to another world.
Growing up in Holland, I often rode along with my parents to the nearby town of Saugatuck to admire galleries on Saturday afternoons. At age 10 and under, it was mostly for the snacks being served at the galleries. While munching and walking around the galleries I often was stopped in my tracks by powerful works or art. Color and shape slowly became one of my greater curiosities in life.
Art became a more serious hobby in the 2nd grade, when I only had art class once every two weeks. It was there that the first clues came that I might become an artist. After one class I patiently waited for everyone else to leave so I could ask my teacher a question. “How can I get one of those woodless pencils?” The teacher graciously gave me one at the cost of 25 cents. To this day he wonders whether it was about the tool, or the material that baffled him. The cylindrical chunk of graphic looked like metal but acted like a pencil. It was beautiful, even if it wasn’t used.
After a full childhood of creating and playing, making increasingly larger and larger messes, I finally took an Introduction Art class in high school. Drawing was the basic “art form” that many kids start out with, but it had never come easy (even in college). One of my beloved art teachers recommended I use the pottery wheel. None of the teachers had training at that time, so I was encouraged to stay after school and teach myself.
The journey began.
While receiving my BFA in Studio Art (ceramics) from Michigan State University, I had been throwing pots and opening my own private studio and gallery space in Saugatuck, MI during my summer vacations. Each summer throughout my college career I would leave my studies and communal studio of MSU to re-open my studio/gallery off the Blue Star Highway. Here I would balance my making of work along with the art fairs in the Chicago area that I would do at the same time. I often joked school was play and summer was work.
After finishing my degree in December of 2007, I had already purchased my organic farm and quickly retreated to my first ever private space. It was a home, a studio, and a private place to learn and grow.
Growing up in Holland, I often rode along with my parents to the nearby town of Saugatuck to admire galleries on Saturday afternoons. At age 10 and under, it was mostly for the snacks being served at the galleries. While munching and walking around the galleries I often was stopped in my tracks by powerful works or art. Color and shape slowly became one of my greater curiosities in life.
Art became a more serious hobby in the 2nd grade, when I only had art class once every two weeks. It was there that the first clues came that I might become an artist. After one class I patiently waited for everyone else to leave so I could ask my teacher a question. “How can I get one of those woodless pencils?” The teacher graciously gave me one at the cost of 25 cents. To this day he wonders whether it was about the tool, or the material that baffled him. The cylindrical chunk of graphic looked like metal but acted like a pencil. It was beautiful, even if it wasn’t used.
After a full childhood of creating and playing, making increasingly larger and larger messes, I finally took an Introduction Art class in high school. Drawing was the basic “art form” that many kids start out with, but it had never come easy (even in college). One of my beloved art teachers recommended I use the pottery wheel. None of the teachers had training at that time, so I was encouraged to stay after school and teach myself.
The journey began.
While receiving my BFA in Studio Art (ceramics) from Michigan State University, I had been throwing pots and opening my own private studio and gallery space in Saugatuck, MI during my summer vacations. Each summer throughout my college career I would leave my studies and communal studio of MSU to re-open my studio/gallery off the Blue Star Highway. Here I would balance my making of work along with the art fairs in the Chicago area that I would do at the same time. I often joked school was play and summer was work.
After finishing my degree in December of 2007, I had already purchased my organic farm and quickly retreated to my first ever private space. It was a home, a studio, and a private place to learn and grow.