Monthly Archives: August 2011

naomi mcintosh’s wearable spaces

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A fascination with rock formations, interest in the contours of the body and a background in architecture come together seamlessly in Wearable Spaces, a collection of wood and precious metal jewelry by London’s Naomi McIntosh. The jewelry offers a strong yet graceful statement – I love the sense of movement and fluidity.

 

 

 

“I think of the body as a landscape and use cross sections to suggest spaces on the surface of the skin. When worn these fluid works act in synchronicity with the body.”

Naomi McIntosh website

Artist Online Class: Still Time To Register

There is still time to sign up for the Artist Online program, which begins on August 15th.  Designed to assist artists with their web presence, the class is chock full of practical help and resources – I will walk you through the confusing maze of choices, teach you how to create a website without hiring a web designer, answer your most pressing questions and hold your hand through the process.  For more information and to register CLICK HERE.

get your art online

cynthia minden blurs the boundaries between human and other life forms

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A basket maker since 1987, Cynthia Minden’s more recent shift to androgynous human forms puts her skills to good use.

Tango Five

Swing Figure

Working with materials she gathers herself, Minden creates hollow tubular figures referencing the familiar shape of our bodies but also, as she explains, “reminiscent both of natural and human-made architecture, clusters of underwater sea flora, the columnar forms of forests and towers, the remnants of a clear-cut landscape.”

Witness

“I try to blur the boundaries between human form and other life forms. Sometimes, pod becomes vessel becomes chrysalis becomes human or something else, as yet unidentified…. nature in transition.” Cynthia Minden

Cynthia Minden website

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wanaree tanner’s winning entry

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A recent shout out on Facebook by Tonya Davidson, congratulating Wanaree Tanner on winning First Prize in Art Clay World’s North American Design Competition, sent me on a hunt for more from this self-taught artist.

Anam Cara, art clay copper soldered on to silver clay

Anam Cara means spiritual friend. A true spiritual friend will guide us past all the beauty and distraction of our many layers to the truth that resides within. Wanaree Tanner

 

Anam Cara on display

Tanner’s winning entry, Anam Cara, isn’t just a metal clay vessel holding a necklace, it is a story about the journey inward. She begins to unravel the story for us by explaining “Generally I believe everybody is at least three people, the person the world sees, the person our loved ones see, and our true self. Sometimes I think we tend to close ourselves off from the outside world, work very hard to decorate our outer selves, and hope that that’s all people will see us for and yet hate it when they do. To me it’s the deepest conflict of self, this desire to have the world embrace who we truly are, yet afraid of the vulnerability this position puts us in.” On her blog, Tanner addresses how each original illustration and component of Anam Cara represents her belief. Read the whole story here.

Tanner’s vessels appeal to my love of the container as art – perhaps I’ve been searching for a container to hold and protect my inner self? Something for me to think about today.

When Apart, Always Together

When Apart, Always Together – open

Book of Kells, Tree of Life

Wanaree Tanner’s website
Blog
Crafthaus
Etsy shop
Flicker stream

get your art online

maskull lasserre: anatomical sculpture in surprising places

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Maskull Lasserre carves thought-provoking anatomical skeletons and animals into well-worn wood objects. The video below (and this one as well) show a gentle, soft spoken artist passionate about his work. Nothing ghoulish or dark about the young Canadian – his approach to life, work and play is inspirational. Lasserre’s primary material is wood, but he also carves compressed layers of newspaper and stacked books.

Secret Carpentry, carved axe, 27″ x 6″ x 2″

Secret Carpentry, Work In Progress

Self Doubt (Macaque), carved plywood plinth, bell jar, 13″ x 13″ x 58″


Self Doubt, detail

Mammoth and Bird, carved cutting-board and cleaver, 14″ x 23″ x 3″

Mammoth and Bird, detail
Warbler carved into a cutting-board and cleaver with mammoth insignia

Migration, carved wood hangers

Migration, detail

Lexicon, carved newspapers, mechanical press
Human spine and ribcage carved into a compressed stack of daily newspapers

from Groundbloom on Vimeo.

Lasserre’s drawings and sculptures explore the unexpected potential of the everyday through allegories of value, expectation, and utility. Elements of nostalgia, accident, humor, and the macabre are incorporated into works that induce strangeness in the familiar, and provoke uncertainty in the expected. From the artist’s website

Maskull Lasserre’s website

Registration Now Open For Artist Online

If you are struggling with a website that isn’t working or still struggling to get a website up and running then Artist Online is for you. I will lead you through the maze of choices and teach you the basics. Get your website ready for the busy holiday season!

I’m on a mission to make sure that every artist has access to professional, affordable options to get their work online. The program begins on August 15th. Finally, someone to hold your hand and help you get the job done!

For more information and to register visit Artist Online.

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lesley frew transforms landfill material

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Using discarded plastic bags, Ireland’s Lesley Frew transforms a material that threatens to clog our landfills by layering, heat bonding, cutting, folding and stitching the bags into a material she can manipulate. The first necklace pictured here is my favorite.  If she continues with the idea and color palette in that necklace her work will shift from fun and funky to sophisticated.  I look forward to seeing more from this young designer/maker.

 

Knot Necklace

Honeycomb Knot Necklace

Sculptural Brooch

Ring

Necklace

Lesley Frew’s website

get your art online