It isn’t often that you see cows as the focus of an artist’s work for more than forty years. Stirring both praise and controversy, outspoken and passionate Miina Äkkijyrkkä continues to draw inspiration for her art from the cattle she raises in Finland.

The artist seated beneath one of her larger-than-life cow sculptures

Sculpture made of abandoned car parts and one of the artist’s models

The inspiration

Äkkijyrkkä studied at The School of the Fine Arts of Finland, the Dairy Farming School of North-Savo and the Equine College of Ypäj, and shares her passion for bovines through traditional sculpting, drawings, sculpting with scrap metal and more. The sculptures seen here defy reason – scrap metal that not only depicts a cow, but also suggests movement and an undeniable grace.

 

There is much to repair in the education of artists. If we want to put value in education, we have to do new things and open all the doors of this modern time. Electronic communication and the fast flow of media are tools that artists should be able to use. But always remember the inner fire. That is the most important thing. Without it, you are an amateur. Miina Äkkijyrkkä

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Miina Äkkijyrkkä tends to her cows

 

Miina Äkkijyrkkä’s website
Read a wild interview with the artist on art:21
More here

Yesterday I posted a picture to my personal Facebook profile of a piece of driftwood with worm markings that I found while walking on the beach.  The driftwood was fascinating, however the bed of rocks it was laying on is what ultimately sparked a conversation. It seems many of us are compelled to touch, collect, stack and drill beautiful beach pebbles – or in Andrea Williams’ case – inlay them with recycled silver and gold to create stunning, award-winning jewelry.

Kebyar Grass Necklace
“This necklace finds its inspiration in moonlight shining on the open field. The beachstones are carved and inlaid with reclaimed sterling silver. I then fabricate and rivet links onto the back of each stone.”

Williams’ Kebyar Grass Necklace, first place winner in the Saul Bell Design Awards, Bead Category, is a stunning example of this technique. I’ve long been a fan of her work and wrote about about the jewelry three years ago, and now the artist takes beach-pebble jewelry to another level with her latest collection.

Kebyar Blossom Necklace
“This piece was inspired by Japanese Byobu screens and the minimalist landscapes often portrayed in them. For this piece I inlaid reclaimed/recycled 18k gold and Venetian glass into found beach stones.”

 

Sa Wedding Ring Set
“When placed together these rings reform to make a complete stone. This takes the concept of the unbroken circle that is a wedding band and adds a new symbolism that two joined together make a greater whole. These rings are fabricated from a single found beach stone and lined with reclaimed 18k gold.”

Mizu Necklace
“Mizu is the Japanese word for water. A gentle current flows around this necklace, made of beach stones inlaid with reclaimed sterling, and hand pulled venetian glass.”

Kebyar Growth Necklace

 

celebrating 3,000 posts

This morning’s post marks a milestone on DAM – it is the 3,000th post. The posts represent approximately 8,100 hours of research, writing and editing, cataloging my survey of the best in contemporary fine craft.

I still have so much more to share with you, but first, I want you to taste more of the DAM experience. . .

 

DAM’s dashboard shows 2,999 posts – that number will flip to 3,000 with today’s post!

free trial membership

As you know, on June 1st 2,800 archived posts became part of a new Members-Only area on DAM (read more about that here).

To celebrate today’s milestone, I am giving 15 artists a FREE ONE MONTH TRIAL MEMBERSHIP TO THE ARTIST LOUNGE LEVEL after it launches later this month. Artist Lounge includes a private forum for conversation with other artists, interviews, advice from experts in the business of art, full access to the archives and more.

To enter, leave a comment on this post by midnight EST  - tell me what you think about the pebble jewelry above, or tell me what DAM has meant to you, or tell me what you would like to see more of on DAM, or tell me anything you want me to know – just leave a comment on this post by midnight tonight EST (June 6, 2011) to be entered into the giveaway for a one month Artist Lounge Level trial membership on DAM!

Have a great day – see you back here tomorrow for more inspiring art on Daily Art Muse.