collections

"I like to work with items that society deems 'useless'. I take these pieces of ephemera and redefine them as sculpture. Each material I use has a history attached. This history speaks to the viewer on many different levels." Elizabeth Lundberg Morisette

elizabeth lundberg morisette purchases people's collections and spins them into art. she spent a year acquiring items on ebay that she later used to explore the human need to collect and what our collections say about us. what did she make? well, her own collection of vessels of course.

morisette brings new meaning to the old saying "one (wo)man's trash is another (wo)man's treasure." safety pins, keys, paper clips, hairpins, plastic curlers, swizzle sticks, twist ties. it's all fair game for this innovative artist.

though crafted from a variety of materials, many of the vessels maintain an organic feel. the basket pictured here? old zippers. the work is quirky, and offers plenty of room for reflection and observation. quirky i tell you - just like us.

face it

"My work is primarily figurative. I like story and detail." Page Candler

in her south kentucky studio, page candler takes slabs of clay, cuts shapes freehand and builds a variety of functional and decorative art. she then pinches the facial features into the vase, each one with a unique personality. grouped together, the vases make a rather interesting statement.

link via ample sanity

microscopic organisms

when fine wood artist louise hibbert and jeweler sarah parker-eaton realized that their individual inspiration had a common theme, they combined their respective talents and a shared fascination for microscopic plankton to create an original series of vessels that is both technically excellent and visually exciting.

the plankton series showcases an impressive attention to detail. the pair worked together to discuss, sketch, and fully realize each design in its three dimensional form, guided by a month-long study of the minuscule plankton under a microscope.

you can read more about hibbert and parker-eaton's collaborative efforts on polymer clay notes.

many thanks to catherine verdiere for passing along the link.

mypod

fletcher and myburgh draw on inspiration from the rolling hills and curving lanes of their childhood terrains in south africa and surrey to create the ultimate personal vessel: cocoon-like swings. the copper swings boast names like moon (because it is shaped like one), bubble (because you appear to be sitting inside a stream of bubbles), and my favorite, mypod, pictured above.

the artists describe the swings as 'useable art installations' that offer an escape from the norm and challenge people's perceptions of what a swing should be. functional sculpture. i like it.

the clash

"My work is inspired by my love of nature and the outdoors. The quest for each stone is part of the intrigue and the integral piece of the process of transformation that each rock undergoes. I transform each rock into something not intended by the forces of nature, a container of mementos, ceremonial cups, commemorative jewelry and the ritual of tea making. The work references memorial ceremonial rituals in our lives." Julie Jerman-Melka

colorado metalsmith julie jerman-melka carves river rocks, often pairing them with semi-precious or precious stones such as diamonds, pearls, sapphires and garnets to create her jewelry and commemorative vessels . the work has a distinctive, organic feel and she describes this coupling of materials as "a clash between the intrinsic and what is perceived as precious or valuable".

for the locket above, jerman-melka carved a pocket in the stone and added garnet, agate, pearls, fine silver and sterling silver. strong, yet delicate. rough but soft. feminine, with a touch of tomboy.

school of thought

"Critics say that woodturners are wasteful, leaving the bulk of their wood on the floor as shavings or chips. For this piece I started out with a block weighing 900g (2 lb) and finished with a piece weighing 6g, meaning that I turned and carved away 99.3% of the original mass. This has to be the ultimate in wastefulness!" Malcolm Zander

for thirty years malcolm zander was a biochemistry professor at algonquin college in canada. in 2000, shortly after retiring, new zealand born zander started turning wood. two years later he was winning awards and a mere seven years later he is at the top of his game. his bowls and vases range from earthy, rough-edged and organic to precisely cut, lacey, delicate, intricate vessels. make sure to spend some time looking at his most recent work, where you will find some real gems. looks like the biochemistry world's loss is the artworld's gain.

via k style

message in a bottle

"My 'Poet's Bottles' poke fun at marketing and warning labels, but their whimsy also resonates with core truths." Jeff Crandall

with short & sweet snippets like HOPE - warning: do not abandon and one of my favorites,MOAN - a varietal alternative to wine. this product sold by volume, not by weight. please keep it down, jeff crandall has sandbasted and etched a niche for himself in the artworld. sounds like he took the advice on one of his bottles seriously - DREAMS - drink deeply and believe. you can find crandall's poet's bottles at vetri glass.

the whole is greater

"I try to make my art reflect the peace and harmony off the beautiful environment of the Teton Mountain Range. I choose to live in the midst of beauty, and try to create lyric vessel forms which reflect the sublime quality of this fabulous place." Lauri Thal

the collaborative relationship between lia kass and lauri thal demonstrates that the whole is greater than sum of its parts. kass and thal, already talented and acclaimed artists in their respective media (fine art painting and hot glass), have created a captivating body of work that combines lia's beautiful drawings with lauri's sandblasted sculptural bowls and vases. simply stunning. graceful. textural.

carving a niche

"We first worked as jewelers, carving in wax and precious metals with flexible shaft power tools. We realized with some modifications that we could carve larger sculptural wood pieces using the same technique. We wanted to carve something different, changing an every day item into a work of art. We enjoyed carving pieces that looked like fabric." Nielsen & Worthington

denise nielsen and george worthington have been working together for more than a quarter of a century. that's carved in stone. and wood. the pair carve hats, shoes, purses and flowers from a variety of wood and alabaster.

both artists began their careers as jewelers and those skills serve them well as they bring minute details to life in their intricate wood and stone sculptures. nielsen and worthington also happen to be married. perhaps that's not carved in stone, but it certainly appears rock steady.

boxed in

"Because pottery itself abstractly expresses—through clay, glaze and shape—nature’s landscape, it can be as spirited as a spring day or as barren as a raw and sullen winter afternoon, barely touched with color. I am aiming for distillations from nature, historically alive and poetically inspired. Clay processes are intertwined with extensive drawing, painting and collaging on paper." Catherine White

potter catherine white has other not-so-hidden talents. white's cup box series offers a glimpse of her softly sketched illustrations. her website offers a more extensive catalog of both 3d and 2d art. i was drawn to white's work for obvious reasons - both the cup and the box are art vessels. love it.