About The Artists : Branching Out Studios

Jennifer Ferriday & Gabe Nemiroff

Within months of graduating from Rutgers, the state University of New Jersey, Jennifer and Gabe decided to leave the hustle and bustle of the east and head west. Intrigued by the vistas and mysteries of the desert southwest, and in search of new artistic inspiration and opportunities, they landed in Albuquerque, New Mexico in 2002. There they began their journey as working artists, opening Branching Out Studios in 2005. Having each earned a BFA degree from the prestigious Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers, they felt they had a strong background and were ready to launch their own careers as artists. As Gabe pursues his long-time dream of blowing glass, Jennifer continues to create her art. In 2007 Jennifer earned her Master's in Art Education from the University of New Mexico. Jennifer and Gabe currently live high in the Sandia Mountains with their dogs, Guernica and Abbey (after Edward Abbey) and their four cats- Rothko, Calder, Whitney and MoMA. All eight love the magnificent mountain views.

Jennifer Ferriday

Growing up as the daughter of an artist, Jennifer was introduced to the world of art as a toddler when she watched her father project slides of artworks on the kitchen refrigerator. She was surrounded by works of art at home and at the museums and galleries in New York City she visited with her dad. Living just 20 minutes away from New York City's thriving art scene, Jennifer developed a discerning eye. In her work she uses a variety of materials to produce images of decaying houses, crumbling walls, and tattered landscapes to provide windows to the past. Her works include drawings, mixed-media paintings, sculptures, collages, encaustic, and handmade books.
Having lost a dear friend at an early age, Jennifer says, "I feel it is my job to portray what is left behind, what remains. I'm asking the viewer to use his or her imagination to question life and death, what's been and what's to become. I hope to find the answers hidden within the debris of the past."
Most recently, Jennifer is focused on embracing the totality of her imagination to delve deep within her soul, allowing her images to evolve naturally. What has evolved are breathtaking, one-of-a-kind, entirely unique imaginal landscapes and mindscapes.
Working for the program "Arts-in-Medicine", Jennifer works as a visual artist and art educator at the The University of New Mexico Hospitals. There she facilitates art making with patients, family members, medical professionals and the general public. She also educates medical professionals about the therapeutic nature of art at periodic retreats for nurses and medical professionals in Santa Fe.
In addition to working with Arts-in-Medicine, Jennifer teaches art and video production at Moriarty High School in Moriarty, New Mexico.
"Art heals. Too many people think about art as something they can or cannot do. There are no rights or wrongs in art! My goal is to teach my participants, whether patients, family members, medical professionals, the general public, or high school students about themselves and the world around them by creating an artistic environment for the development and expression of acute consciousness through the use of the imagination."

Gabe Nemiroff

Gabe Nemiroff draws inspiration for his colorful borosilicate glassworks from the biological, botanical, and geological structures he encounters in New Mexico and other inspiring landscapes. Born and raised just outside Washington D.C., Gabe was surrounded by art and music while growing up. After high school he enrolled in a glass-blowing course. "From then on- I was hooked! I love the way the liquid glass stops time when it cools. The moment is frozen - forever." Gabe's keen eye allows him to create finely detailed forms in the glass. Since settling in New Mexico Gabe spends most of his time in his glass studio creating one-of-a-kind jewelry, marbles, paperweights, bottle stoppers, and sculptures. "I love the heat of the flame," he says. "But it gets mighty hot by midday here, so that's when I take a siesta and spend some time cherishing the beauty of the New Mexico landscape!"

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