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Category Archives: Metal

david kracov’s polymer clay characters and metal sculptures

Written on March 8, 2012 by Susan Lomuto in Featured, Metal, Polymer Clay

If you need a shock of color and a smile today you’ve come to the right place. Let’s talk about the smile first, because starting the day with a smile will change your outlook and attitude. Hang in there – I feel a smile coming on.

Hang In There

With no formal training as a sculptor, animator David Kracov began sculpting the characters in the films he animated as an experiment and found that he had a real passion for sculpting. His medium of choice is a polymer clay specially formulated for him. The results, which he often puts in shadow box settings that enhance the characters, are amusing and endearing. Sure to bring on a smile – maybe even a little chuckle?

Hang In There, detail

Kracov is now the exclusive licensed sculptor for Warner Brothers, Looney Tunes, Hanna-Barbera, Betty Boop, Peanuts and Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride Characters. The artist also creates OOAK sculptures for Disney.

Thinking Outside The Box

Moving on to the promise of color in todays post, Kracov’s hand painted metal sculptures are vibrant, joyful statements of living life out loud. Back in 2008 we visited the story behind the metal sculptures and today we look at Book of Life, one of his most recent.

Book Of Life

Kracov working on Book of Life

The artist shaping and bending the steel butterflies for Book of Life

Do take a peek at the wonderful video clip of Book of Life in it’s raw, steel form before it was painted. Each page was curved by hand, each butterfly hand bent: David Kracov’s studio

Previous post about Kracov on DAM here.

David Kracov’s metal sculptures and shadow boxes with polymer clay figures. Read why he adds one butterfly to each metal sculpture here.

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bongsang cho is one to watch

Written on March 5, 2012 by Susan Lomuto in Featured, Metal

The list of awards Bongsang Cho has won in just a few years is impressive. Most recently Cho was a 2012 Niche Award finalist and an MJSA 2012 Future Of The Industry Award second place winner.

Night Blossom

It’s easy to see why Cho is receiving attention for his jewelry. Though crafted with metal, many of the forms have a delicate appearance, giving one the sense that if you blow on a Cho blossom it will be carried away with the wind like a dandelion seed pod.

Seeds

Winter Night Brooch

The South Korean artist expects to complete his Master of Fine Arts at the Savannah College of Art and Design in Georgia this year. Bongsang Cho is one to watch.

Winter Night Bracelet, 14kt yellow and pink gold, sterling silver

“Technology drives innovation. Freely experimenting with traditional materials allows me to express a new vision. By juxtaposing traditional smithing with advanced laser welding I connect the past and present, build intriguing designs, and exceed the limitations of convention.”

Bongsang Cho’s website

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james chedburn’s delightful kinetic sculptures

Written on March 2, 2012 by Susan Lomuto in Featured, Kinetic Objects, Metal, Recycled

If one can trust Google’s translation tool, James Chedburn is a high school art teacher in Paris. He is also the creator of an animated collection of brass wire sculptures that are often whimsical and always brilliant.

Circus Elephant

Domestic Bliss II

He often mounts the kinetic sculptures on vintage tins – an interesting and effective idea that adds to their charm. In recent work, Chedburn added paper mache to the wire (see Rhino, below – more on his website), which give the sculptures an entirely different feel – this sense of skin; alive at one time.

Rhino

Giraffe Wagon

Aviateur

Mr. Finoccini

Chedburn narrated this 13 minute video that shows him making an elephant from start to finish. Even though I don’t understand French the video was quite enjoyable – especially 10:30 minutes into the video. Don’t miss it.

If you don’t have time to scroll to the 10:30 minute mark on the video above to see how glorious these kinetic sculptures are, the video below gives a tiny, tiny glimpse of a Chedburn piece in action.

James Chedburn’s website

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clara breen: paper and silver jewelry

Written on February 24, 2012 by Susan Lomuto in Featured, Metal, Paper

In this fast moving, disposable world, keeping and collecting fragments from our experiences is important, but how can we do it without clutter, and with style? Clara Breen offers one option with her contemporary paper and sterling silver keepsake jewelry.

Keenly aware that we all have a pile of paper bits stashed somewhere that carry emotional content, Breen “uses fragments of found paper reflecting everyday experiences, combined with silver, to create bold strata-like constructions.”

She uses rivets to combine the materials, often corrugating the metal first.

She has been commissioned to create jewelry using treasured papers, including a paper ring for a couple who were moving to New Zealand. The ring was made using maps of their journey and fragments of love letters – the content was hidden inside the ring and only the couple knew what was inside.

Breen has begun to make framed, recycled paper compositions for the wall – quite lovely – can you imagine one of these made with paper mementos from your life?

Clara Breen’s website

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linda raynsford: scrap metal sculpture

Written on February 21, 2012 by Susan Lomuto in Featured, Metal, Recycled

Metal doors and other scrap metal – cut up and woven together to create forms – are the foundation for Linda Raynsford’s sculptures. Their scale is grand, their colors bright, their forms pleasing and familiar. Raynsford also shows a whimsical side with her much smaller found-object bras, bikinis and shoes. Yes.

“My work is referential, every day objects speak to me. I take these familiar shapes and weave them into conceptual and abstract sculpture. I explore time and space, blending concept with form. Many of my pieces scrutinize society and explore its decay.”

Linda Raynsford’s website

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