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victoria moore’s damascus steel jewelry

Susan Lomuto — Thu, 24 May 2012 18:13:29 +0000

Using pattern welding to create the wavy patterns that appear in her billets of Damascus steel, Victoria Moore achieves a bold graphic statement by adding simple lines of gold and diamonds to the steel that highlight the movement of the line.

The images practically jump off the page – I imagine in person the jewelry appears to jump right off the body and into your line of vision.

“Pattern welding is a mechanical process wherein strips of metal are laid up together, heated, forged together, folded, then reheated, forged, folded, and so on, again and again. Patterns appear in the metal and vary according to what the smith does to the layered metal. Patterning techniques include carving, drilling, twisting and then flattening of the layered bar.”

Victoria Moore’s website

mauro bonaventura’s glass spheres and cages

Susan Lomuto — Wed, 23 May 2012 20:39:14 +0000

Italy’s Mauro Bonaventura uses the Murano glass of his homeland to create intricate spheres and cages with glass figures trapped inside. Threads of glass twisted and rolled, joined with a torch. Be sure to watch the two videos at the end of this post to see the artist at work.

{Click images to get a closer look}

The Human Condition

Sphere

Medusa’s Head

His Lunettes are pretty awesome too – check out the artist wearing a pair of the decorative lenses.

Mauro Bonaventura wearing Lunettes

Lunettes

The artist at work

vincent pianina and lorenzo papace’s paper animation

Susan Lomuto — Tue, 22 May 2012 14:41:10 +0000

It’s no secret that I have an ongoing fascination with beautiful animations and with paper art. The two come together in Vincent Pianina & Lorenzo Papace’s music video for Ostersoen Odland. While all three minutes and twelve seconds are wonderful, the real fun begins at the 1:55 minute mark. It’s a rollercoaster. Really.

{click the image above to watch the video}

The artists used paper to craft a mesmerizing array of props – from ships and sealife to trains and rollercoaster. Quite a feat in and of itself, but then to animate the props? Impressive. A true display of talent and skill.

Pianina & Papace’s website

More ‘making of’ photos here

sean hennessy: tattered, stained, covered and encrusted

Susan Lomuto — Fri, 18 May 2012 14:22:17 +0000

He’s a quiet man. Thinks before he speaks. Ponders the questions you ask before he responds. I like this about him. Sean Hennessy creates thought provoking sculptures in glass and concrete, casting narrative glass panels that he paints and trowels with concrete, then stains with pigment before framing the glass in steel.

The Difference Between Us, glass, concrete, steel

“Tattered and stained. Covered and encrusted. Yet the glass, our humanity, and the narratives of our lives still shines through.”

This piece is backlit by LEDs that will last at least 25 years!

During my apprenticeship in DC last year I had the opportunity to see Hennessy’s work and I can easily say that pictures don’t do the work justice (as lovely as the photos are. . .).

Afterlife

“I liken the presence of glass in my art to the ethereal aspects of our lives, our spirit, and our hopes and dreams. I equate the concrete with the realities of earth, and life, and the shell that we use to protect ourselves from exposing our soul to the world.”

It Requires More Than Yourself

“My pieces are interpretations and psychological landscapes of the unseen forces in our lives—being judged by others and ourselves, finding inspiration and will, and dealing with obstacles that may hold us back.”

Sean Hennessy is participating in the much awaited Artomatic festival/show/event along with many of my friends including Michael Janis, Erwin Timmers and Tim Tate. From May 18th (yes, that’s today!) through June 23rd, more than 1,100 artists and 5,000 pieces of art take over an 11 story building in Crystal City, Virginia. If you are in the area, be sure to check it out.

Sean Hennessy’s webite

Read more about the artist and see work in progress photos here and here.

Hennessy is also known in DC for his faux and decorative painting talents. Check it out here.

nisa smiley: inspired by nature, created by hand

Susan Lomuto — Wed, 16 May 2012 20:42:57 +0000

Nisa Smiley lives and works on the coast of Maine, immersing herself in nature and incorporating her experiences into the jewelry she has been making for more than a decade.

Physalis (Chinese Lantern Plant)
fine silver (PMC), custom hand-blown hollow glass interior beads

Spiral Seashell Ring

I’m partial to the Seashell Spiral Rings she creates with fragments of shells – you know the type of shell fragment I’m talking about – pieces of the interior spiral part of a shell that you find while walking on the beach, soaking in the scent, the sound, the sheer bliss of being oceanside. She sets them into hand crafted silver rings that are truly wonderful to look at – and remember time spent near the ocean. I don’t wear jewelry much, but I would wear that ring. Speaks to me.

Antique Shell Button Earrings

Bronze Lantern Bells

Skeleton Leaf Lentil Earrings, silver

Often I am moved to create jewelry that “tastes” of my experiences in Nature, be it the discovery of a blush-pink snail shell on the gray beach, the nubby green texture of a sun-bleached urchin shell, or the intricate pattern of feathers adorning a heron’s wing.

Nisa Smiley’s website