By: Hanna Nakano
Davis knows donuts. Fluffy, Pink, Jeff Nebeker.
Jeff Nebeker is a legend in the art world—and in Yolo County. He was one of the first Funk ceramic artists to perfect the use of pastry tools in clay sculpture. He studied ceramics at UC Davis with Robert Arneson and David Gilhooly; he studied art history with Wayne Thiebaud.
Nebeker’s ceramic art is funky and just the right amount of weird. From ceramic pastries that pay homage to his background as a pastry chef to his iconic figurative works, his pieces acknowledge the fine art involved with being both a professional pastry chef and an artist.
“Jeff’s work is undeniably fun, quirky and approachable, but beyond the “cute” ceramics, there’s Jeff, the artist. He’s passionate, creative, and genuinely loves experimenting with clay,” Michelle O’Brien of the Elliot Fouts Gallery in Sacramento told The Dirt. “I felt like TikTok was the perfect opportunity to showcase Jeff and his work, and the internet immediately embraced him.”
O’Brien, who goes by The Gallery Girl online, spent the last month creating content around Nebeker’s classic donuts and the response was, as you’d imagine, **drooling emoji**.
“Social media is an incredibly powerful tool and one thing I’ve learned in the past month is that consistency really pays off,” O’Brien said. “As a gallerist, it’s important for me to share my passion for the work I show at the gallery and my belief in the artists we represent. I think social media is a great avenue to lead with these values and if the byproduct of such marketing results in sales, that’s the icing on the cake.”
Though sales have never slumped on Nebeker’s work, TikTok brought a new audience. In the month of August, the gallery sold more than 250 orders of donuts, ranging from one per order up to a full dozen. O’Brien even shares a video of Nebeker opening his largest check from the gallery ever—smiles will beam from your face.
“Jeff is incredibly prolific and his productivity, passion, and love for working with clay has never been driven by sales,” O’Brien told The Dirt. I’m not the least bit surprised the internet has embraced Jeff and his work so fervently—he truly is a gem and I’m very grateful to have the opportunity to share his story.”
Find Nebeker’s donuts in stock at the Pence Gallery in Davis.
Follow Michelle O’Brien on TikTok: @thegallerygirl.
The Elliott Fouts Gallery is located at 1831 P St, Sacramento.
