Monthly Archives: April 2011
gustavo paradiso shares all and an update from damuse
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Just one image this morning – but it is an image that is so rich you will click on the link to see more. In a brilliant move, Argentinian jewelry artist Gustavo Paradiso shares his inspiration, process and final product with one composite image of each piece in his 2009 collection. What is it that they say? A picture is worth 1,000 words. Click on the image to see this large – it is a VERY large image so please be patient.
Beautifully done. I wish more artists would include images of their inspiration and/or sketches/photos that give a glimpse of their process. It helps to understand the amount of work that goes into each piece.
damuse update
I hit the ground running when I returned home Saturday night, re-settling in the tiny space high above the ocean that will remain home base while I work on the apprenticeship project, preparing for my first group Streamline call (tonight), getting back to work on the damuse gallery concept and so much more. This weekend I will start to edit the photos/audio from my experience in DC and slowly bring you slideshows and commentary. Next weekend I will be in NYC to attend SOFA NY. Will you be there? Let me know – I’d love to say hello. Busy, busy, busy. See you tomorrow!
sabrina knowles & jenny pohlman explore our common humanity
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For more than a decade Sabrina Knowles and Jenny Pohlman have traveled extensively through Africa and Southeast Asia meeting people, learning about their histories, spiritual beliefs and cultures.
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In this way they explore our common humanity, examining and shaping their own life philosophy which is inevitably expressed through the collaborative sculptural forms they create.
The two women, who have collaborated for almost twenty years, weave narrative sculptures by incorporating blown and sculpted glass, metals, beads and natural materials. The work is thoughtful, sensual, colorful, and gives us a glimpse of the culture and history of these foreign lands.
“We found that the core of our philosophies about life and humanity and people just run totally parallel, so our work sort of brings our different aesthetics, but the vibration, kind of the soul of the work is unified,” Sabrina Knowles
dc area artists: artisan blacksmith chris shea
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Chris Shea is one of the artists I met while I was in DC. An artisan blacksmith, the Cornell graduate designs and creates hand-forged furniture, sculpture and architectural metalwork. And he’s a heck of a nice guy too.
Cafe Chair
36″ x 17″ x 17″
forged steel, cast glass
I love the cast glass and steel cafe chair above. Shea shows us how he did it in this comprehensive slide show. Wow.
Chris Shea’s sketch of the Cafe Chair
And take a look at a Tim Tate/Chris Shea collaboration - hot stuff.
kay khan’s narrative fiber sculpture and vessels
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Using deconstructed garments as the canvas, Kay Khan quilts, stitches, appliques and pieces together her narrative. Naked and Shield, pictured below, are part of the Armor and Facade series, a collection of artworks that illustrate how we protect and present ourselves.
Shield
23″ x 27″ x 9″
silk, cotton, deconstructed turtleneck “armored” with imagery and stitching
Naked
64″ x 35″ x 9″
air force flight coveralls, deconstructed, quilted, pieced, appliqued, stitched, reconstructed
“I began with simple ordinary ready-made garments that I deconstructed; armored with quilting, imagery, and text; and then rebuilt. Garments have their mundane yet necessary purpose to protect us from the elements. But they are obviously more than that in every society. They are our “decoration”; they express and reflect who we are as individuals and as a culture.” Kay Khan
Kahn’s narrative fiber vessels are equally compelling – don’t miss them.
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Core
22″ x 28″ x 7″
silk, cotton, felt, wire
“My artworks are often labyrinths of intricate wordplay. I want the words to be read as fleeting and visual impressions that interact with the other stitched images. The figures in my work in combination with the words form a running commentary. Kay Khan”
detail of Khan’s stitching
