Group of Story Poles, recycled materials
Small 32”-45” Medium 42”-52” Large 50”-60”

“I thought of the splintered cypress staves as a metaphor for the destruction and chaos caused by natural disaster. I was at once consumed with the idea of transforming the metaphor from one of sadness to one of rebirth and resurrection. The weathered pieces of wood have now grown into kinetically alive figures that tell their story of renewal.”

Heart of Gold, from the Staves series
cypress, bronze, stone, steel, brass, 28″ x 8″ x 8″

The Stave sculptures pictured here were created from 72 wooden staves that were once the barrel of a water tower on her property, destroyed by Hurricane Frances.  Willcox describes them as “kinetically alive figures that tell their story of renewal”.

Hello Girl, from the Staves series
cypress, bronze, steel, 22” X  32” X 8”

Ironically, Willcox now shares a common history with her figures. Last month the artist’s studio sustained massive damage in an electrical fire.  I read about the fire and through a Facebook contact I was able to get in touch with Kimberly to see if there was a way we could help. Speaking to her it became clear that she has a strong will, the spirit of a warrior and a powerful drive to make art. Please visit her website to see more of the Staves sculptures and many other portfolios.

Kimberly Willcox in her booth at Ann Arbor, Michigan, before news of the fire

When we spoke, she shared the upside of this latest challenge: her sculptures were spared because she was at a show in Ann Arbor when the fire tore through the Florida studio – she had most of her inventory with her. She also told me that no matter what happens, her creativity can never be taken from her -  not by a hurricane, not by the hand of unscrupulous business people and not by a fire. Strong woman. Wonderful artist.  Powerful spirit.

daMuse Giveaway

I’m giving away $150.00 worth of books to one person. Keep reading to find out how to enter this giveaway…

Insurance will only cover a fraction of the cost to replace the machines and tools Willcox and partner (in life and art) Kevin Nordhausen lost in the fire.

You can help.  Make a donation (click here) to help Kimberly replace some of her machines and tools so that she can get back to work.

In July, an electrical fire destroyed Willcox’s Florida studio

After you make a donation toward Kimberly’s machines and tools (right here), come back and leave a comment on this post to let me know that you made a donation. That’s all you have to do to enter this giveaway.

You can find a list of the books in the giveaway package here.

The comments on this post will remain open until Sunday, August 22, 2010 at Midnight (EST). I will use a random number generator to pick a winner and I will announce the winner on Monday, August 23, 2010.

Give $5 if that’s all you have.  Give more if you can.  Every little bit helps.  Spread the word.  Share this post on your Facebook page, add a link to it on your blog, email the post to your friends.  Together we can help get Kimberly back to work making art.

Beep, Beep, cypress, bronze, steel, 31″ X 23″ X  8”

Donate HERE
List of books in giveaway package HERE

Moon Flowers, 925 silver, vintage fondue stick tips

“I appreciate the Japanese aesthetic of Wabi and Sabi that is centered on the acceptance of transience. It implies that beauty is imperfect, impermanent and incomplete. This tenant is never far from mind when making and viewing art.”

Moon Flowers, 925 silver, empty whipped cream bulb canisters

Turkana Reappraisal, neck book 999 & 925 silver, photo book of Africa,
powder-coated brass, magnet

Matus created Turkana Reappraisal by layering pages from a book of photographs of Africa. The neck book references an African style neckpiece historically made with layers of leather and strands of beads. The images used in Matus’ neck book “directly reference the people, the land and the colour that the traditional piece is from.”

She hand cuts each layer slightly smaller than the preceding layer, holding them together with a fine silver clasp at the back which she has soldered and capped onto the pages of the book.  This holds them in place, not only to secure the jewelry, but to allow for the ‘pages’ to be opened to view the images of Africa. More images and information about this neck book here.

Work in progress pictures – circles of different sizes cut from maps and then strung together will create an undulating, wavelike necklace

“Much of my work is experimental in terms of materials and techniques used, scale and concepts applied. It is this constant experimentation that opens up doors for new possibilities of making. I admire jewellery that causes a reaction. Not only with the work that I create but also with the jewellery that I wear, view and collect.”

Matus has a new Etsy shop – a version of the Moon Flower brooch is available there.

Perspex and silver bracelets here – I like her layered interpretation of the bracelet form.

Wild At Heart, sterling silver, limited print from Leonie Oaks 2010

Lockets, vintage tin, sterling, pearls

Bright Eyes, black oxidized sterling silver, limited print from Leonie Oaks 2010

Lockets, vintage tin, sterling, pearls

Crimson Blush, sterling silver, limited print from Leonie Oaks 2010

Turn the sound up on your computer to hear Mayben speak about our fascination with small boxes.

“I have a love and a fascination with the pre loved. Objects tell a story. They capture a sliver of the past; they transport a moment in time. These objects have all been pre loved, and lost along the way. I make room for them to sit inside my jewellery, waiting to be found again. I am fascinated with making containers to house these objects in the form of lockets, book lockets and frames.”

Schroon Lake Melody, 36″ x 7″ x 6″
Mulberry papers cast on basket, removed and reformed into instrument shape.
Painted, printed, and collaged with prints.
Cane, screws, waxed linen attached.

Song of Flight, 19″ x 5″ x 4″,
mulberry papers, Japanese clippers, waxed linen

Mio’s Song, 43″ x 7″ x 3 ”
cast mulberry papers on bamboo basket, plastic gas funnel, and coiled basket, metal clippers, tool, screws, waxed linen

Images from Jane Sauer Gallery.  See more of Bodine’s baskets there.

Coming soon from daMuse

When I write about an artist I try to make sure there is a central location to send readers – a place where you can see the full body of work, learn more about the artist behind the art, discover where the work is being shown, get all the latest news…and more.

I came across an image of Bodine’s sculptural baskets during my daily research for DAM and knew immediately that I wanted to share her work, but I couldn’t find a website for the artist. A little digging came up with individual images on different sites and a few galleries showing small collections of the work, an article about her (beautiful) home and a reference to a workshop she taught.

In the end, the images of Bodine’s work on the Jane Sauer Gallery website were compelling enough for me to share with DAM readers (nice job Jane!), but I still wanted to know more, see more, learn more…and so do customers, collectors, galleries and prospective students.

I am getting ready to launch a new service to help artists develop a better web presence. If you are selling your art or are thinking of selling your art, a solid web identity is an important part of a good marketing strategy. Does this feel like an overwhelming, daunting task? Don’t worry – daMuse is here to help!

Whether you have a website that needs a makeover or are just beginning to think about a website design, watch this space for more information…coming soon.

Urge, mixed media with mallard, magpie and jackdaw feathers

Urge, detail

“As the work takes shape, a new, playful reality emerges, so that the object itself becomes a sort of prism, refracting the layers of meaning and cultural associations buried within, the quantity of materials used sometimes deliberately overwhelming, as if charged with a power and ambition beyond the reach they possess when seen in isolation.” Kate MccGwire

Wrest, mixed media with pigeon feathers

Host II, mixed media with pigeon tail feathers

Gag, mixed media with crow feathers

Kate MccGwire in her studio

MccGwire immerses herself in nature, working out of a studio on a Dutch barge moored on a semi-derelict island in the river Thames. It is here that she collects and sorts thousands of feathers – pigeon, magpie, crow – to use in her sculptures and large scale installations. Crucial to this process is the artist’s relationship with more than 200 pigeon enthusiasts who collect molted feathers for her, regularly mailing envelopes full of feathers that she cleans and adds to her collection. It can take months or years to have enough of one kind for a specific artwork.

In this two minute video MccGwire gives some insight into how and why she works with pigeon feathers.

Read an interview with the artist in Juxtapoz Magazine

Thanks to Nancy Castaldo for letting us know about MccGwire. Castaldo, who has written several children’s books, is teaching a class this summer for children age 11-14 and one of the projects will be sculptures inspired by MccGwire’s feathered forms – how cool is that?

Abstract #4, pennies, 48″ x 48″ x 10″

Chrysanthemum, yellow colored pencils, 48″ diameter

Abstract #10, safety pins, 48″ x 48″ x 10″

Free World, plastic soldiers, 24″ diameter x 12″ deep

Hooker, safety pins, 34″ x 15″ x 14″

The process includes hours of labor intensive repetitive work that borders on compulsive. I could get lost in the Abstract-O series (the first four images in this post are from that series). His portfolio is extensive so be prepared to spend some time there and don’t miss the Installations.

String of Pearls

Armed with a stapler, strips of cardboard, shellac and an exuberance that permeates each piece, she creates organic forms that are familiar yet foreign, graceful yet bull-in-a-china-shop awkward, inviting yet intimidating by their very size.

Tiny Dancer, cardboard, staples, shellac, 108″ x 51″ x 38″

“The sculptures read as metaphors for life experiences such as the balancing acts that define our lives or how far you can go with something before it collapses. They are large primal forms that can represent seed pods, figures, architecture, relationships, pearls.” Ann Weber

Click on Weber’s image above to watch a short film about the artist.  Weber’s enthusiasm for her work is infectious, uplifting, joyous.

Wedding Party, cardboard, staples, shellac

Turvy, Miss Priss, Topsy, cardboard, staples, shellac, 96″ tall

See more of Weber’s sculptures at Donna Seager Gallery

Read an article about Weber in The San Francisco Sentinel

Even more about the artist here and here

Today I’m taking you along on my learning curve as I prepare for new offerings on DAM. I hope you will indulge me from time to time as I play with some of the software tools I’m testing in my effort to move things along on the site – thank you in advance for your patience!

Here’s a brief audio slide show of Rui Kikuchi’s work (5 images, 35 seconds). If you have difficulty with the audio please let me know – I’m still working on the sound quality. Feedback is always welcome.

Rue Kikuchi, Physis Pendant, steel nails, sterling silver

Welded steel nails, John Bisbee

Slack, 12 inch nails

Each sculpture in his “Ton” series was created by welding together one ton of nails

I was immediately pulled in – first by the form, then the material, and finally by the man and his philosophy. When he is not alone in his studio making art, Bisbee teaches sculpture at Bowdoin College where his teaching style is more Pied Piper than academic, which is in my opinion, a concrete way to real learning.

Details of sculpture and a work-in-progress

Perhaps former student Ben Butler says it best when describing Bisbee’s influence on his career, “My being a sculptor came absolutely from working with John. His single biggest influence was in not teaching me how to make art, but in teaching me how to be an artist.” Read more about his teaching style in this article.

Helio, 12 inch nail spikes

“While he provides an environment in his classes in which it seems like anything is possible, he is also, plainly, very demanding. His students’ final projects are evidence of his success as a teacher. Their works push the boundaries of their chosen materials while at the same time maintaining an underlying and disciplined restraint. Clearly, these students have been required to think, and to think hard, while they are creating.” Alison Ferris, curator of the Bowdoin College Museum of Art, speaking about John Bisbee

Rove, Plode and Stick, steel nails, forged

Read how a 5 gallon bucket of rusty nails saved his life in this article and watch him at work in this short video clip.

More about Bisbee here and here.