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.

shedding light on things

"In our contemporary lifestyle where mass consumerism plays a central role, packaging plays an inseparable role with the product it packages, both aesthetically and commercially. Cardboard is an everyday material that symbolizes transition, mobility, transience, fragility, instability and obsoleteness. Cardboard boxes are usually used more than once and one can follow their various uses by their labels. My cardboard boxes have gone through one more stage to a final and permanent stage and now the only thing they "hold" is light. The light is meant to emphasize their emptiness and the material they are currently made from." Einat Cohen

when ceramic artist einat cohen puts porcelain paper clay and slip through its paces the resulting slab construction artwork is transformed into social commentary. necessary observations about the excessive consumerism that continues to permeate every facet of our society. cohen's humble still life II series is breathtaking in its simplicity and the monochromatic color scheme adds drama...the ultimate punctuation mark.

more than meets the eye

can you tell that this chair is only four inches high? four inches! and it is chock full of surprises. to see what i mean, click here and scroll down the page. although best known for her anodized titanium still-life and landscape pins, noel yovovich jumped outside of her comfort zone to create this box. it took her more than a year to complete. ingenious.

an element of surprise

"Boxes have always intrigued me, the idea of interacting with an object, lifting a lid and perhaps discovering something inside. I enjoy seeing peoples faces as they tentatively lift the wings of one of my birds and smile when they find a fish or a shell neatly tucked underneath." Nicola Henshaw

a new kind of heirloom is peeking out of garden gates and gazing up at us from the corner of living room floors. nicola henshaw's carved animal boxes, tables and benches come complete with stories worthy of passing down through the generations. henshaw happily provides us with the first sparks of storytelling conversation with descriptions taken straight from age-old fables, like the one below that accompanies her blue crane table

“The crane, resolved to mortify his insolence, took occasion to say, that peacocks were very fine birds indeed, but that he thought it a much nobler thing to be able to rise above the clouds, than to strut about the ground, and be gazed at by children”.
Aesops Fables

henshaw spends hours at the london zoo studying the habits and movement of animals, sketching and pondering before she begins a piece. once carved, she applies color using water based stains and then seals the wood with shellac and bee's wax. her woodcarvings are sculptural and functional, contemporary and folksy, light hearted and seriously beautiful.

like butta'

"I sometimes think of my botanical work in stoneware as preserving a type of fossil record of biological diversity. My functional pieces are rooted in the rituals of human culture and are reminders of our absolute dependence on the natural world." Suzanne Crane

suzanne crane gathers wild plant specimens and presses them into the still-wet clay as she forms each piece of functional stoneware in her virginia studio. all of her wheel thrown pots, baskets, vases, ceremonial cups, pitchers and bowls bear the fossil-like textures of plants from creek beds and blue ridge mountain slopes and a familiar earthy color palette that complements. the butter and cheese domes above feel like a walk in the forest...

branching out

"My love of nature, trees, and quiet is perhaps most evident in my pieces incorporating branches. I start my process of creation with an inspirational walk in the woods. I gather fallen branches in just the right stage of dryness. After lugging them back to my studio, I study them for the form that they speak of." Jan Jaque

after forming the basic clay shape, new york potter jan jaque adds an element of surprise by incorporating the fallen branch that inspired the vessel. the slab and coil construction process utilized to create 'teapotnot' is slow and deliberate and includes paddling, scraping, shaping, sanding, coloring and pit-firing the clay along with sanding, carving, staining, fitting and sealing the wood. her patience for the process allows almost total control over the materials. teapotnot is appropriately named - instead of a teapot, i see the graceful curves of an other-worldly dancer practicing at the quintessential ballet bar. sweet.

bygone era

"I create forms with many components, often recreating objects and placing them out of context. For example, I frequently use a tap as a mug handle or a teapot lid. Their surfaces make reference to utilitarian wares from industrial ceramic history, including mocha ware, Cornish ware and blue and white porcelain." Virginia Graham

quirky, familiar, comfortable, precious, ordinary. all words that come to mind when i look at virginia graham's sweet, ceramic vessels. comfy, yes. nostalgic too. i'll take six please.

pandora's box

"It is that serendipitous coming together of the unexpected . . . a tiny orange mushroom on the forest floor, a flash of silk caught by a branch . . . I believe in Enchantment in her highest form. Not as an escape from reality, but as a window into what is possible in that fertile and complex world of imagination." Marilyn Radzat

the rich, sumptuous colors and textures of marily radzat's assemblage dolls invite you into a world of fantasy and surprise. antique beaded fabric, tiny mirrored tiles and shells adorn this unique doll, but wait! pandora is a vessel. yes, a vessel formed from a gourd, and what is that hiding inside? the seven deadly sins. good way to check in with our temptations at the start of a new week.

judy, judy, judy

"My inspirations for a piece may be a pattern or design that sticks in my mind, or something blooming in my garden, or the symbolism of a crane or koi. As the piece unfolds, there is an element of surprise for me, and many choices to make along the way....from pallette, to backing for a piece of jewelry, to what will layer over my drawings. I find that the piece guides me." Judy Dunn

form and function

"My passion for enamelling is the result of a journey of exploration with various media. The materials and processes involved in this magical art allow me to express and reflect my personal experience and concerns with growth, balance and cohesion. Making individual, complex pieces, sometimes with a combined function, allows me to fully explore the medium." Annie Appleyard

i like functional art. just makes sense to me. annie appleyard gets it. the sterling silver box pictured above has a removable lid that is both lid and enamel brooch. beautiful. and it makes sense, doesn't it? check out this ring - it holds perfume. like i was saying...

autumn automata

"Some of the tableaux are automated with the movement hidden inside the piece and some are static. I like the element of surprise that happens when you discover a small handle, that when turned brings the piece to life. Many of the tableaux sit on top of a box which has a printed interior. The boxes are not obvious at first, but when discovered, can become secret hiding places for personal artefacts." Melanie Tomlinson

an automaton is a mechanical toy or sculpture. undoubtedly, mechanics meets art in melanie tomlinson's animated printed-tin scenes, but she takes her automata one step further with a curious twist: the autumnal scene pictured above is actually a box with a secret hiding place. inspired by human life and nature, the folklore characters that feed her imagination seem to be suitable muses. a-musing.

hot stuff

“Applying the hair has to be done bare-handed because we wouldn’t have enough dexterity with gloves on. It’s hot work. The hair is applied by grasping a couple strands of hair with one hand and, with the other hand and a twig, we lead the hair first to the bottom of the piece and then lead the burning hair up or across the surface. The whole process is usually done in than three minutes or less.” Ken Larson

ken and pat larson pull pots like this one from their 1500 degree kiln and drag strands of hair (yup, i said hair) across it, burning it onto the surface. the hair burns into ash, leaving tiny deposits of carbon and smoke that are absorbed into the porous clay, creating a permanent design on the pot.

the larsons use both horse and human hair to create what they call 'horse hair raku'. the end result is more delicate than true horse hair pottery and their twist on this ancient technique is breathtaking - some of the loveliest i've seen. hot stuff.

pinch pot peekaboo

"Long before there was a potter's wheel, a person manipulated clay by pinching it to form a simple bowl. Today, this technique is called Pinch-Pot. To me, the fascinating aspect of working in this way, is the dance; the relationship between the clay and the maker. Without the tool of the potter's wheel, the dance becomes simply about what the clay wants and what the maker wants." Kristin Doner

i'm a curious person. can't help it. and besides, lidded vessels beg to be opened, revealed, exposed. yet ceramic artist kristin doner's massive pinch pots don carefully bound lids, making them just a little bit out of our reach. they bring to mind the mystery of ancient culture and ritual. what lies just beneath that lid? don't you want to peek? i know i do.