About Jon

Jonathan Woodard is a painter, ceramic artist, and teacher whose work begins with a simple but powerful practice: paying attention.

Whether I’m holding a brush or shaping clay, I’m drawn to the quiet moments, the hidden places, and the deeper stories that live beneath the surface.

As a painter, I aim to share not only the beauty of physical landscapes, but also the emotional and spiritual “places” I encounter within myself. Place, to me, is more than geography—it’s memory, feeling, and energy. Through my paintings, I invite viewers to enter their own inner landscapes of reflection and discovery, to see the world—and themselves—with new eyes.

As a ceramic artist, I find the process deeply spiritual. Creating with clay is a kind of dance, a conversation between the material and the maker. It demands presence—body, mind, and soul. I often tell my students, “The clay will tell you how you are.” Each piece I make is a reflection of that moment, shaped by hand to become something lasting, meant to be held and cherished.

As a teacher, I believe that everyone has the capacity to be creative. Art is not just a skill—it’s a way of seeing, a way of becoming more fully ourselves. My hope is that through my work, others might also pause, notice, and begin to see beauty—within and without—that they hadn’t known before.