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I am always on the lookout for glass jewelry that stands out and Mirella Foffano’s 2012 collection fits that description. Foffano combines pyrex and Murano glass with rubber and fabric to create bold statement necklaces. I couldn’t find much information about her or her process, but I thought you would enjoy seeing how nicely she gets glass to play with rubber.
Mirella Foffano’s website Klamir
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Trained as a jewelry designer, with undergraduate and graduate degrees in jewelry from the Royal Academy of Fine Art in Antwerp and the Royal College of Art in London, Tine De Ruysser is also an inventor and innovator. Take a look.
Bracelet turning into bag, copper and polyester
While working on her MA she invented a material using a combination of metal and textiles. De Ruysser furthered her research and development of this material, making it the subject of her PhD program at the Royal College of Art, creating fashions and jewelry in addition to sculptural objects.
Double Walled Bowl, plywood and polyester
Metamorphosis I, plywood and polyester
Cone, plywood and polyester
Anemone V, plywood and cotton
Shoulder Cape, copper and polyester
Shoulder Cape, detail
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I enjoy sharing the work of artists who rise above the chatter often heard about using materials deemed ‘credible’ by the masses.
Jenine Shereos, a sculptor and installation artist in Boston, does just that with these intricate leaves. Shereos mimics the beautiful veining that often shows itself best in decaying leaves by wrapping, stitching and knotting strands of human hair. Yes, these leaves are made from human hair.
The artist uses water soluble material as the foundation of each piece, first stitching the individual strands of hair (by hand) onto the material, then tying a minuscule knot at every intersecting point. Every.Intersecting.Point. When she dissolves the water soluble backing material, the knots allow the leaf to hold its shape. A fascinating process.
“The complex network of lines present in this work mimics the organic patterns found in nature and speaks to the natural systems of transformation, growth and decay. Allusions to the vascular tissue of plants, as well as the vascular system of the human body, exist simultaneously; the delicate trace of a hair falling silently, imperceptibly, from one’s head becoming the veins of a leaf as it falls from a tree leaving its indelible imprint on the ground below.” Jenine Shereos
More images on Jenine Shereos’ website
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Some people just know what to do with the seemingly disconnected objects that they collect – I envy them.
Exposed
Exposed, detail
Contemporary basket maker Joanne Russo collects a variety of materials, “from acorns to zippers” and expertly combining traditional techniques with modern sensibilities, weaves them into decorative baskets that offer a subtle narrative:
“A view of human nature expressed through a plaited form. The story is the same – we have a tentative hold on life, wanting to appear all together but always aware there’s a thread ready to unravel.”
Frond
Russo’s new work, materials woven into a collection of fronds, pods, flowers and buds, is more sculpture than basket – but equally engaging and appealing.
Bell Flower and Buds
Blue Bud
Blue Bud, detail
Red Bell Flower Frond
“In this new series, each one-of-a-kind piece is woven tightly and precisely, with added elements thoughtfully chosen to display order and harmony. For one, I may use rows of hooks and eyes to imply that the basket’s construction is carefully held together, while on another, a zipper adds an illusion of function. For the finishing touch, spiraled, thread-wrapped rows define the basket’s top. On some baskets I’ve left the last few rows twisting out into space, reaching, as a tendril, for a safehold.”
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How can you not love someone who says this about herself: “This year I have realized I am just one little person who has a million strings attached to her imagination often all being pulled or activated at once … o u c h … it can get pretty noisy in that mind of mine.”
All Sorts and Cupcake
I shared Kate Church’s work back in 2007 – oh, so long ago – and was delighted to see her continued success with the sculptural puppetry she is known for globally. Church’s figures are poetic, whimsical, dreamy, and utterly charming. They begin their lives as pieces of wire, chunks of polymer clay, bits of fabric and lost objects found and now loved. Poetic indeed.
Dreamland
Asleep At The Wheel
Tea and Doormouse
Little Birds
“Sculptural Puppetry: Combining the line and form of sculpture with the playful anima of puppetry. People were always asking me what to call my work. Trying to figure this out … this was what I came up with. It fits quite beautifully. The bodies are built over a wire armature using polymer clay and fibre construction. This is designed to allow motion during and to some degree after the figure is created. It is an inventive process that is both delicate and strong.”
Maybe Kate Church needs an apprentice up there in Nova Scotia? I just happen to know of one. . .
Kate Church’s website
