Archive for 2009
livio de marchi’s world of wood
I’m nursing a moving related injury – that’s why I wasn’t around yesterday. Muscles and nerves and all of the other things that get tweaked when you move…in stages…for weeks. I’m off to have it looked at – while I’m gone enjoy Livio De Marchi’s world.
Painter’s Bag, Walnut wood, 14 x 21 x 13″
Raincoat With Magazine, Walnut wood, 69″ x 22″
The Venetian artist began sculpting as a child, eventually studying at an art school in his hometown of Venice, first with marble, then bronze and finally wood, a medium that has allowed De Marchi to show his sense of humor and creativity with a degree of warmth and accessibility that was missing from the other materials he worked with.
Gloves
De Marchi in one of the rooms in the House of Books sculpted by the artist
Venice is a city that does not allow cars. However, the master craftsman found a way around this when he sculpted a Ferrari car/boat to carry him across the canals. The Ferrari is one of several full sized vehicles that De Marchi has sculpted and each one is an exact replica of the real thing down to the most minute detail. Watch De Marchi drive his carboat in the video below.
Mostly Glass has several images of De Marchi’s House of Books. Click on each thumbnail for a larger picture.
Watch DeMarchi at work in his studio in this video. Make sure you set the video to HQ for this one.
Another short clip of the artist at work.
Mostly Glass has a comprehensive listing of his work. Scroll down towards the bottom of the page for links to several pages of images.
Even more here.
joey richardson lets wood speak for itself
Joey Richardson has been turning wood for almost two decades, studying under Chris Stott, Stuart Mortimer, Trent Bosch, David Nittman and Binh Pho along the way, honing her skills and developing a style of her own. Richardson is a fine example of an artist who has found a strong voice, even as traces of the teacher’s influence remains evident.
Seed of Love, 6″, Sycamore, pierced, airbrushed, acrylic paint
The turned and pierced sculptures are bursting with color, pattern and texture – a joy to look at from any angle – front, back, above, inside and out – with graceful curves and layered elements that draw you close and surprising details that pull you further into her hybrid-organic world of wood.
Romeo, sycamore, acrylic, 7″x6″
Mad
“Professionally I feel very fortunate to be a female in what is essentially a man’s world of wood turning. My style incorporates both the more feminine – the delicate and beautiful – and the more masculine – the big and bold. Combined, these two aspects fully encapsulate and make the most striking use of wood’s tactile beauty.” Joey Richardson
Olli
“For too long wood has played a supportive role to art in the form of canvas, paper and frames. Let wood now speak for itself.” Joey Richardson
Kismet
Read an article about the artist in the Chicago Fine Arts Examiner
More detailed images of Richardson’s most recent work at delMano Gallery
More wood art here
francesca vitali: when paper meets metal
Francesca Vitali spent several years living abroad working on her PhD before settling in the United States to follow her dream. A biochemist with an eye for design, Frucci found her way to Penland School of Crafts and the Revere Academy to study jewelry, eventually relocating to Rochester, New York where she splits her time between careers in science and art. We took a quick look at Frucci’s work on Daily Art Muse back in 2007. In her most recent collection, Frucci uses rivets to connect the folded and woven recycled paper with metals.
Sheller Bracelets, copper, paper
Click on the image of the Rosario necklace detail (above) to see several images of this piece, including an image of multiple Rosario necklaces worn at the same time. Nice.
Bacello Pendant, copper, paper, pearl
Annabella Ring, paper, copper
“Paper crosses our everyday life continuously and in multiple forms: magazines, maps, shopping bags… I enjoy the idea that fragments of our lives will remain trapped in my paper jewelry.” Francesca Vitali
Find more photos like this on crafthaus
Frucci was a Featured Seller on Etsy. Read her interview here.
More Frucci jewelry on her Flickr site.
tis’ the season
today’s flickr find:
The greatest gift we can give one another is rapt attention to one another’s existence. Sue Atchley Ebaugh
I think the quote above is a good reminder for this season of giving. I’m taking a couple of days off to get ready for a visit with Jess and Andrejs [and their two cats]. Hope your holidays are filled with love, laughter, food and safe shelter…do we really need anything more?
gesine hackenberg: table talk
Over the weekend I started setting up our new kitchen, unpacking cooking and eating essentials along with special pieces that have sentimental value, like my grandmother’s carnival glass fruit bowl.
{I’ll post pictures of the kitchen when it is finished, but you can see up-to-date pictures of the remodel progress on my Facebook page}
Red Wine/White Wine Rummer Brooch, Finnish table glass, silver, steel needle
The kitchen is often the heart of a home, and most of us have powerful memories that include a dish, pitcher or bowl that held center court in the kitchens of our childhood. My grandmother’s iridescent orange bowl always makes me smile, bringing back memories that span three generations each time I use it.
Grip Brooch, earthenware, silver
Gesine Hackenberg creates jewelry with a focus on the themes of household, kitchen, table and food culture. In the Still Life Collection, Hackenberg takes glass from tableware and turns it into brooches with silhouette shapes of drinking glasses and bowls. The simple shapes and beautiful pairing of colors make for bold statement pieces to wear, but I also like the idea of a grouping of these framed for the wall.
Hackenberg’s earlier work included simple shapes punched from antique ceramics. Wonder if she takes custom orders? The photography is brilliant – really helps to put the work in perspective when you look at it next to the plate or bowl that it came from. Enjoy the images – I have to get back to my unpacking.
Red Ring, earthenware, silver
“I’m fascinated by the aspect of personal preciousness revealed in all kinds of belongings. Especially in objects that seem to find a place close and near to the body. I explore how these pieces can relate to the body and examine this relationship through its connection.” Gesine Hackenberg
Big Makkum Kitchen Necklace, earthenware, thread
Glass Bowls, brooches, finnish table glass, silver, palladium needle
margaux lange re-members barbie
As a child Margaux Lange was obsessed with Barbie, using the doll as a tool for “acting out and exploring the human relationships in my own life, as well as the fantasy lives I imagined.” Now 30 years old, Lange is still obsessed with Barbie and it has served her well. The Brooklyn artist, who has a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the Maryland Institute College of Art, uses Barbie doll parts in her widely collected jewelry line, “Plastic Body Series.”
SMACK! Brooch, doll parts, pigmented resin, sterling silver
The Kiss, doll parts, sterling silver
“Whether revered or despised, there are few who feel neutral about the plastic princess. I am fascinated with who she is as a cultural icon and the vast impact she has had on our society.” Margaux Lange
Goosebumps Hand Brooch, doll parts, sterling silver
Lange takes Barbie’s best bits and combines them with resin and sterling silver, creating whimsical, nostalgic, humorous configurations that offer collectors a unique way to remember their childhoods.
Quote Bubble Brooches, doll parts, pigmented resin, sterling silver
She began using Barbie in her art in high school, but it wasn’t until 2001 that she started to deconstruct (or re-member as she likes to call it) the iconic doll and use the parts in her jewelry.
If The Shoe Fits Bracelet, doll shoes
Senses Bracelet, doll parts, pigmented resin, sterling silver
Fun. Fashionable. And a trip down memory lane. Do go and take a look at her whole portfolio and be sure to visit her blog where you can get a good sense of the work that goes into this jewelry.
Winged Neckpiece, doll arms, sterling silver
Margaux Lange and friends
I also enjoy the funny juxtaposition of wearing the body, on the body. Barbie has become the accessory instead of being accessorized. I take pleasure in the contrast and contradiction of mass-produced materials transformed and revealed as handmade, wearable works of Art.” Margaux Lange
When I was researching Lange I was surprised to see that many people find the jewelry creepy and ‘out of a horror movie’. Really? Lange has a great eye, appealing sense of humor and all of her skills blend beautifully. What’s creepy is how long women have held on to the idea that Barbie had the perfect body. THAT’S creepy. Lange’s jewelry? Smashing and fashionable!
Lange’s Etsy shop here.
Lange’s blog Midge’s Mind where you can see many of her pieces in progress – the resin, the metalsmith details, the bins and bins of Barbie bits and pieces. Wow…
Read an interview with the artist here. Another interview here.
Couldn’t resist including Lange’s Barbie coat hanger ornament. Click on the thumbnail below to see more ornaments.
bruce mau’s incomplete manifesto for growth
I’m switching it up a bit today. Take a break from the visual feast you usually find here and read Bruce Mau’s Incomplete Manifesto For Growth. In 1998 Mau, a design visionary and global innovator, wrote a document that consolidated his beliefs, strategies and motivations - 43 ideas and suggestions that he and his design team use as they approach every project. I’m sure you’ve heard some of them before, but they are so good that they are worth repeating often.
Here are three that resonated with me today:
#9. Begin anywhere. John Cage tells us that not knowing where to begin is a common form of paralysis. His advice: begin anywhere.
#28. Make new words. Expand the lexicon. The new conditions demand a new way of thinking. The thinking demands new forms of expression. The expression generates new conditions.
#39. Coffee breaks, cab rides, green rooms. Real growth often happens outside of where we intend it to, in the interstitial spaces – what Dr. Seuss calls “the waiting place.”
Read the rest of them here. Which ones got your attention today?
via Tejae’s Art
bud latven: beauty in form
Bud Latven has been working with wood since 1972, when he first learned how to make cabinets and furniture. In the early 1980’s he made the shift from furniture maker to lathe-turned artist, and when work by this self-taught artist landed on the cover of Fine Woodworking magazine in 1985 his career was catapulted to a national level. Today Latven continues to push the envelope with his evolving interpretation of the turned vessel.
Bocote Torsion, Bocote, 18 1/2″ x 13 1/2″ x 18 1/2″
Dancing Impact 3, Cocobolo, Tiger Maple, 21″ x 26″
Hyperboloid 3, Canary Wood, Massacar Ebony, 24″ x 19″
Hyperboloid 3, alternate view
While the full portfolio is on his website, the images are almost too small and don’t do the work justice. A better way to view Latven’s work is at delMano Gallery.
lisa m. wilson: 2009 niche award finalist
Last week we took a look at 2009 Niche Award Finalist Vincent Pontillo’s hand cut filigree work. Today’s feature artist is another Niche Finalist in the Student category. I couldn’t find much about Lisa M. Wilson, but be sure to bookmark this young award winning artist – I think we will be seeing a lot of her in the future (link below).
Diffusion Study 2
Spines
With dual Bachelor degrees from Indiana University (Fine Arts, metalsmithing and jewelry design and Arts, Theater and Drama, Wilson is scheduled to receive her Master of Fine Arts degree in 2010 from Miami University (located in Oxford Ohio). Her metal work is full of movement…alive…lively…bursting forth…yes?
Particle Wave 2
The piece above, shown open and closed, is a collaboration with artist Geoff Riggle. Love pieces that unfold…
Skin Bubble Ring
Wilson on Etsy
guan donghai: opening the gates
China’s Guan Donghai creates cast glass sculptures that capture his interpretation of the gate form as a symbol of power, not welcome. The artist, who immersed himself in weaving and watercolor painting before he found glass, has exhibited worldwide, but as far as I can tell, not in the United States.
City Gates Series, Cast Glass
The sculptures have been described as having a primal feel similar to the work of William Morris, but representing decidedly Chinese objects and history.
City Gate Series
Donghai earned a Masters in Art from the Academy of Arts & Design, Tsinghua University and in 2000 was tapped to become the director of the newly established glass art studio at the school. This program was the first glass art program in a Chinese university – an ambitious and successful undertaking. Indeed, he is helping to open the gates of opportunity for many artists in his country.
City Gate Series No.1, Sand Cast Glass
City Gate Series No.7, Kiln Cast Glass
From the form we are given the information that it was not built for welcome people to get in, but show the power for defend, show the dignity that cannot offend. I don’t know when it became a symbol that represents an area. We use ‘into the gate’ or ‘cross the threshold’ to describe people starting a new area study or using ‘attack the gate’ to describe tackle key problems. We use the term ‘country gate’ to describe a country ‘Gateway Opens’ or ‘Live In Seclusion’. Behind a gate always hides the mysterious that made people to guess, to imagine ‘What is inside?’ Is treasure or monster?
Seven Swords, Kiln Cast Glass
To see Donghai’s Weapons Series, click on the image of the Seven Swords above and scroll down the page.
Read more about China’s new wave of contemporary glass art here.
