Jennifer Zingg Studio & Gallery

About the Artist

I was raised in the small farming town of Rome, Indiana along the Ohio River. My childhood days were spent climbing trees, playing in the creek and fishing. I have always felt inspired by the natural world. My sister and I would make little clay pots out of clay from the creek and weave baskets from honeysuckle. Throughout my life I have always looked to nature for color, texture and form.

I moved to Kentucky in 1992 to study art at Kentucky Wesleyan College in Owensboro. While there, my grandfather gave me a box of gourds he had grown. He was hoping I would paint and make birdhouses out of them. I considered myself a very serious art student at the time and dismissed them as being no real medium for art. I stored the box of gourds away in the closet, later forgetting about them.

When I left school a few years later, I came across the box while packing. I opened the lid and peered inside at the jumble of gourds. The image that immediately came to mind was a sentimental one of Grandpa in the garden with his straw hat on, tending to his plants. He had since passed away, so I closed the lid deciding that they would make the trip with me to Lexington. Upon arrival to my new home, I again stored the box away, unable to part with the gift I had been given and the memories they conjured of my grandfather.

For the next several years I struggled to find my way as an artist. I painted, I sculpted, yet nothing felt 'right'. I was becoming very discouraged, then I remembered the box of gourds! I grabbed my markers, pulled out a gourd and began doodling. I was immediately 'hooked' and since that day, gourds have become my medium of choice! Sadly, my grandfather never got to see them, but I know he was watching out for me and he would have loved them.

I have learned a lot about gourds since then; how to clean them, how to grow them and how they are indeed a wonderful medium for making art. I am also very intrigued and inspired by the symbolism and reverence held by the gourd in many ancient cultures all over the world. I am especially interested in gourds as they relate to motherhood, fertility and the natural world. For me, gourds are a very versatile and challenging art material. Just as a canvas is only a cloth until it is painted, a stone is only a stone until it is carved, the same holds true for the humble gourd. It is the heart and hand of the creator that can transform any medium into art.

In the fall of 2007, I opened the Jennifer Zingg Studio & Gallery in downtown Frankfort. From there, I create zoological and figurative gourd sculpture and continue to research the cultural significance of gourds. I also teach a variety of art classes to children as well as host special art exhibits and sales featuring the art-work of several Kentucky artists, and I teach art at Good Shepherd School.

2010-Selected by the Governor's office to create the ornaments for Kentucky's tree at the White House
2010-Artwork selected for the opening ceremony of the 2010 World Equestrian Games
2010-Created the RJ Corman Railroad Mural in Frankfort
2010-Featured on "Bernson's Corner" FOX41
2010- Featured in Business Lexington, August Edition
2010-Featured on "Kentucky's Backroads" WTVQ36
2009-Featured on 'Bluegrass & Backroads'
2009-Featured on 'Kentucky Backroads'
2009-Exhibitor's Choice Award- Kentucky Crafted
2008- Creator of the 2009 Kentucky Governor's Awards in the Arts
2008-PBS/WKYU 'Mainstreet'
2008- Fall issue of Arts Across Kentucky
2008-Kentucky Living Magazine Spring
2008-Best of Kentucky Award at Woodland Art Fair in Lexington, Ky.
2008-Juror's Award-Art for the Animals, Louisville,Ky.
2008-Louisville Courier Journal
2008- Featured on FOX41 Bernson's Corner
2008-Francisco's Farm Art Festival-2nd Place
2008-Exhibitor's Choice Award- Kentucky Crafted
2008- Ky Gourd Society- Best in Category & Best Professional Artist
2007- Best of Show Ice House Gallery
2007- Honorable Mention Francisco's Farm Art Festival
2007-Kentucky Gourd Society Best in Category-Adult Professional Division
2007-Ky Crafted: The Market Purchase Award
2006- Artists Choice Award-Plein Aire Event Midway, KY
2006-Keeneland Magazine
2005-Recipient of The Kentucky Foundation for Women Artists Enrichment Grant.

"A Small World" by Brad Herzog,
"Kentucky A State of Mind" by David and Lalie Dick
HGTV 'Country Style' & 'Crafters Coast to Coast'

"Your talent is God's gift to you.
What you do with it is your gift back to God."
Leo Buscaglia

"Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct your paths."
Proverbs 3:5-6