Meet Jen Kuroki of Jen E Ceramics in East Hollywood

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jen Kuroki.

Jen, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I was born in East Los Angeles to two creatively inclined but very regimented type-A parents. They fostered my artistic endeavors, like when they enrolled me in after-school oil painting classes in 5th grade, but also demanded that I got straight A’s. I think it’s that cultivation of hard work that ironically led me to ceramics.

I used to work long grueling hours as a designer and eventually the pain in my neck and back progressed so that I couldn’t comfortably roll out of bed. I started physical therapy and signed up for ceramics classes as an extension of that self-care to get away from my computer. 20 years later, I’m still playing with clay and painting!

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
With all things considered, I think that it has. But with that said, I don’t think the trajectory of a maker or a ceramic artist is an easy one. Ceramics is labor intensive. You are constantly dueling with time as well as chemistry and space is definitely an issue.

I was fortunate that for my first professional job I was hired by a high profile client, the Andaz Hotel on Sunset Blvd. I worked closely with the Executive Chef to produce various ceramic pieces for the restaurant, for the room service trays and for the suites. I had no idea what I was doing, in terms of running a small business, and naively said yes to everything. I worked on that project for three years straight. The learning curve was morbidly steep and it became an instrumental learning experience.

Another time in the earlier days, I had an established retailer hire me to handmake a large number of pieces in two different designs. I was one of the first makers to partner with this company and the collaboration became another invaluable lesson. When I sent over the first 60 pieces, they were surprised that the pieces didn’t look identical. That definitely became a bump in my road, trying to educate them on the irregularities and variations of handmade, high-fired ceramics. I ended up redoing more than I want to say.

Please tell us about Jen E Ceramics.
I make handmade ceramics from my little backyard studio in East Hollywood. I think most people know me for my color work and humanoid Beasties. Ironically, when I first started, I didn’t work with color and my palette was very monotone. I still make earth-toned work, known as my Cork series, but tend to get more interest in my candy-colored pieces. Growing up in Southern California and then living in Japan for three years as an adult inspired the more whimsical work I am more known for today.

One of the things that I try to do as a small business is give back when I can. A successful event I do annually is a more modern Japanese tradition called fukubukuro. I sell blind bags filled with ceramic seconds and thirds for a super low discounted price and then donate 10% of the sales to different environmental non-profit companies. I also try and incorporate small tweaks into my routine and practice by recycling, reducing waste and reusing when I can. Soon I’m planning on starting a new program where customers can send back their older jen e pieces to me for a discount on a future purchase. I will then resell the older pieces for a substantial discount. I’m hoping to start it this summer!

Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
I have a pretty large family–my Mom has seven brothers and sisters and my Dad has three. Together I have a small herd of cousins and family time has always been chaotic, fun and unpredictable. We used to have sleepovers where my Dad would assemble all the couches into one big bed. My cousins and I would act like we were deserted on an island and my Dad would “swim” around acting like a great white shark. Ha! I would also spend a lot of time with my maternal Grandmother during the summers and she would always give me a “summer project.” She was a professional seamstress and taught me how to sew. I made quilts, overalls, purses and dresses during those summers. I would also help her prepare meals and she taught me a lot about Japanese cuisine. I picked up a lot of her little idiosyncrasies and consider those quirks to be treasures.

Contact Info:

• Website: jenkuroki.com
• Email: hello@jenkuroki.com
• Instagram: @jeneok
• Other: https://www.etsy.com/shop/lovebugkiko

Image Credit:
Jody Asano, Ashley Richards, Jen Kuroki

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