“What is this space?” Sedona-based sculptor Jill Trenholm said. “Oh, this is my dream come true. When I was working with John [Soderberg] in his studio … he had a lot of stuff in there, and it was his space. I always thought it would be so great to have a space where students can come.”

The Trenholm Sculpture Studio has been open at 45 Finley Drive Unit B since Jan. 1. “Look for the biggest tree on the right,” Trenholm said.

Part of the space will be dedicated to legendary Sedona sculptor John Soderberg, who died May 13 and was one of Trenholm’s teachers. She also served as his caretaker during the last few years of his life.

“[Soderberg was] very generous with his time, and he was always there to answer questions,” Trenholm said. “Even after I’d stopped taking classes from him, he would allow me to come and just sculpt in his studio, and then I became his apprentice. And he called me his protege, which I was honored to be called. He was just very kind … to me and students particularly.” 

Following Soderberg’s death Trenholm ended up getting the space at Finley Drive, “and now I have students, I’m helping some of the students … to complete their pieces that they started with [Soderberg], and then I have new students and there’s some advanced students of [Soderberg that are still finishing up their pieces as well.”

The vision for the Trenholm Sculpture Studio is to teach, create and provide a community space for other events from intimate musical concerts to potlucks.

When asked to summarize Soderberg’s legacy Trenholm said, “All of us that are sculpting, and I’m part of that and I’m proud of it, and to be able to continue to teach his methods to other people, because I believe there’s more great artists that are coming up … I think we have to create community, so this is my effort to do it.”

Born in Sheridan, Wyo., Trenholm was a giftware designer in her earlier years when she lived in Los Angeles and worked for the flower company Teleflora, where she designed everything from teapots to Christmas ornaments.

Trenholm’s talent caught the attention of the giftware company Maruri, for whom Trenholm “created and sculpted the collectible figurine series ‘In A Nutshell,’ a 27-piece series of small hinged nuts which open to reveal a world of tiny animals in everyday situations from selling lemonade to throwing a Halloween party,” her website states. “The ‘In A Nutshell’ series led Jill to appear as a guest artist at many national and international giftware shows as well as being a featured artist on the Q.V.C. home shopping network. Her sculpture work has expanded into a collectible series of sculptures and children’s books called ‘Jirina’s Journey.’ Her ‘Sea Spirits’ and ‘Forest Spirits’ can be found in coastal galleries in the Pacific Northwest.”

Since relocating to Sedona, Trenholm’s artistic pursuits have expanded beyond bronze to include music after she earned a vocal scholarship to Utah State University and went on to be an opening act for Michael McDonald, as well as making more ephemeral sculptures in the form of cakes. Trenholm refers to cakes as “edible sculpture,” noting that a recent wedding cake she made posed the same challenges as a sculpture since she had to account for weight, and that cakes engage the same creative parts of her personality.

“Here’s this wedding cake made up of [cakes in the form of] two suitcases,” Trenholm pointed out in a photo. “The top one is a carrot cake but the bottom one is Rice Krispie treats,” which she said solved the issue of the cake’s structural integrity.

“Sitting in this studio and having these students all around me, sometimes it just hits me like, ‘Wow, this is it, this is what I envisioned,’” Trenholm said. “It makes me want to cry just thinking about it right now. I’m getting teared up. It’s a vision that’s come to life. Then when I host this upcoming house concert, I’m sure I’m going to feel the same way.”

For more information about the Trenholm Sculpture Studio, visit jilltrenholm.com