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.

choreographing a different kind of dance

"I want viewers, when seeing these pieces, to write their own stories; creating metaphor and allegory for and from their own lives." Milon Townsend

self taught glass artist milon townsend studied dancers in new york city for ten years - those intense studies are apparent in the details on the figures that grace the vessel above (click here for more pictures of this vessel).

though not vessels, you won't want to miss townsend's deco series - simply sublime - the sculptures look like ethereal figures dancing to their own private music. oh, to be there among them...

townsend's art glass sculptures, goblets, martini glasses and vessels are clean, crisp, collectible and in addition, this talented artist has written books about flameworking, marketing and philosophy; produced eight technique focused videos; taught at several well respected institutions and continues to write columns for three periodicals. i wonder what's next?

toby scores again! thanks for the juicy link.

into the forest

born and raised in japan and now living in new york, yuken teruya is trying to raise the consciousness of people all over the world with his unusual vessel sculptures. his vessel of choice? the lowly shopping bag. meant to draw attention to the growing problems of excessive consumerism and separation between the haves and the have-nots, teruya carefully carves miniature treescapes on the interior of the discarded paper bags. his bid to make the world a little bit better makes a big impression.

you can see more of yuken teruya's work online at the saatchi gallery and the josee bienvenu gallery