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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.
"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 Zanderfor 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
"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 & Worthingtondenise 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.
"I was fascinated by boxes, and still am. Isn't everyone? ... boxes contain things and, more importantly, HIDE things from view. Human nature being what it is one naturally wants to know what is inside a closed box - so a natural reflex is to open it, and if it's locked you really want to open it. What is it that is being so carefully protected, or hidden - what can it be that justifies this special treatment, particularly if it is an elaborate and valuable box." Andrew Crawfordandrew crawford is an author, musician, teacher and fine box artist. he has spent years following his bliss and it shows. this wall-mounted inlaid wood artist's case is a tryptch style box that holds more than 200 watercolor pigments. constructed of walnut with a burr maple circle that is meant to be representative of a color wheel, the case is an intricate example of his fine woodwork.
"My Appalachian childhood environment was rich with examples of handmade works. My mother and grandmother provided our family with hand constructed garments, quilts, crocheted laces and embroidered linens. There was always work in progress; creativity was an integral part of daily life. This tradition continues in my own adult home. " Linda Fifielda 250 acre backyard full of appalachian hardwood keeps linda fifield supplied with wood and a lifetime of inspiration. a wood turner and bead artist, fifield encases her elegant hollow form vessels with thousands of glass seed beads using nylon thread and an ancient netting stitch. she has spent more than two decades striving to perfect the stitch. i give it a perfect ten. toby goldsmith found this gem.
"I have acquired a habit of thought that conceives of each form as having a biography, revealing stories that are as varied as each view." Michelle Holzapfelachieving acclaim and success as a wood turner is no small feat for a woman. michelle holzapfel spent two decades honing her skills in this traditionally male-dominated medium before the art world took her seriously. with a quiet determination, this self-taught artist expresses the every-day life of women today. the bowl above simulates draped cloth and gives us a hint at holzapfel's skill. but it is her carved wood vessels that scream TALENT AT WORK. they are elaborate and exquisite storytellers. see the artist at work and hear her speak about her philosophy in this video clip
he thinks everyone should be sporting one. "wear wood, it does you good." that's his motto.
vermont woodturner johannes michelsen had an idea, spent years thinking about it and then developed two unique techniques that allowed him to move his idea from concept to reality. armed with these new techniques he set out to craft sleek wood hats. he has been turning them for more than 16 years now. these wooden wonders weigh between 6 and 9 ounces - the same as a fabric hat, and he will custom fit one so that you can wear it comfortably. i'm not kidding. watch his process here. the artist's work is in the permanent collection of amost every major wood collector in this country. talk about turning things around!
"An early addition to my wood pieces was the incorporation of my wife, Kaaren Wiken's finely detailed embroideries. Her colorful works of fiber art brings another level of meaning to my works, a collaborative effort that has taken us in directions we never would have imagined separately." Tom Rauschkehusband and wife team tom rauschke and kaaren wiken have been collaborating for more than 30 years. he turns and hand carves wood, inlaying kaaren's detailed embroidery into the intricate vessels. sky bowl, pictured above, took the pair several years to complete. kaaren's continuous embroidered landscape scene, inlaid all the way around the black walnut bowl, depicts one entire day from sunrise to sunset. this elaborate and subtly colored embellishment is truly a labor of love. collaboration, cohabitation and cooperation at its finest.
"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 Henshawa 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.
"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 Jaqueafter 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.
"Soft Cabinet is about organizing your mind by organizing your things. The drawers are designed according to a matrix system that allows me to make any given piece – desk, side table or cabinet – on request." Kiki van Eijkyoung dutch designer kiki van eijk's playful twist on traditional design caught my eye. the drawers on this impressive cabinet look soft and inviting, like padded, tufted cushions waiting to be poked. yes? no! though the cabinet is wood, the drawers are handmade completely from ceramic. beautifully done and functional too. kiki describes it as a 1001 drawer cupboard to store all of your favorite things. ooohhh, a place to store her furniture-inspired handbags,
yes - that will work!
"Sculpture is made to be touched. These pieces were made with my hands and I want people to feel the weight and the shape of them. That's the point." Alma Alleni have a never-ending hunger for vessels that feed my soul. when i discovered alma allen's work i knew immediately that his wood, stone, bone and shell carved vessels would feed that hunger. the texture of each bowl includes natural fissures that crack the silky smooth surface, inviting the viewer to touch, hold, feel. it is fitting that alma means nourishing. it also means soul. i've been fed, nourished, nurtured. soul-food indeed.
"The same soft, flowing curves in my earlier sculptures are evident in my handbags. They beg to be touched and have a very sensual nature to them. I also try to incorporate the human form in my handbags whenever possible with a humorous aspect to them." Kimberly Chalosindiana wood sculptor kimberly chalos worked for a furniture company for ten years before becoming a handbag designer. kimberly's obvious skill and mastery of the materials is coupled with a quiet sense of humor. the purse above is part of her 'gabby' series. get it?
"I am an artist who delights in creating forms that celebrate the texture and color dimensions of both traditional and non-traditional materials and techniques." Colin Schleehcuriosity gets the best of canadian artist colin schleeh. curious to see how thin he could make a vessel that would hold water, his impossibly thin wood vases are the result. simple. elegant. unadorned. flexible and paper thin, he waterproofs each piece with clear resin. while you are on his site, don't miss the bowls he fashions from 35 mm film - equally beautiful and unusual.
"My lamps are decorative, mood-enhancing and are perfect as an accent in a dark hallway or neglected part of a room. I prefer lower wattages for a soft ambient light that showcases the details of the distinctive papers." Mark Portermark porter is an art-director-turned-artist. his uplifting, hip, wood and hand-made paper lamps make me smile. scandinavian meets asian meets craftsman, if you know what i mean. porter's business cards read: "cool paper lamps". truth in advertising? i think so.
"My farm house and much of the furniture inside was made entirely from lumber cut from the surrounding woods. During the winter, I was warmed twice. First by the act of cutting and spitting wood, then by burning wood for heat." Tom Harvardtom harvard is a farmer first. though talented artist comes a very, very close second. farming since the 1970's and turning wood since 1997, he carves and paints each piece with the same quiet, patient determination that kept his farm alive for years. the verdigris ikebana vases above are quite clearly a labor of love. beautiful.
"What do I do? I put a soul into every piece I create. I don’t make objects; I create characters. If the viewers can pick up on that soul, I’ve accomplished it. Creating figurative and abstract imagery on delicately pierced wood vessels opens the doors for me to share my life and interests. There was a period of time that I looked through the window and asked myself the question, "What is it like on the other side of that window?" I then just let my imagination go." Binh Phobinh pho tried four times before successfully escaping from vietnam in 1979. he is no stranger to perseverance and persistence - attributes that served him well as he studied woodturning in his adopted country. the painstakingly etched and painted details on these vessels tell the stories of his life. they are an original fusion of traditional asian and contemporary art. intriguing.
"The sculptures are, for me, a way of celebrating life and the secret wonders of burls and roots in the South of France." Alain Maillandalain mailland is a woodturner who specializes in hollowing, sculpting fragile pieces of burls and colorful roots from his beloved french countryside. at one time a carpenter, mason and roofer, several years ago he turned his attention to art and now teaches and exhibits worldwide. indeed, his work is otherworldly. in a good way.
"This bowl shows my recent fascination with extrusions. The first piece in this series sold quickly to a chemical engineer who kindly explained some principles of fluid dynamics to me. Armed with some knowledge of how the polymer clay is traveling down that cylinder, I’m anxious to experiment further." Cynthia Tinapplewell known polymer clay artist cynthia tinapple combines her talents with husband blair davis' to turn out elegant bowls waiting to become the centerpiece of any table. he turns the wood, she inlays the polymer clay. brilliant. the bowl pictured above won best of show last year at ohio's high road gallery fall show. see cynthia at work on a bowl here (scroll down the page a bit).
we are anxious to see more. maybe if we ask nicely? i've got a new word for you today that might help: tinlay: tinapple's delicious inlay. come on cynthia - may we please see more tinlay?
pretty please?
"My spoons are sculptures; my sculptures are spoons, not spoons to stir the soup but spoons to stir the soul." Norm Sartoriusnature is a never ending source of inspiration, yes? i am drawn to the gnarled shapes and craggy textures of roots. i study them. collect them. play with them. my studio is home to roots of all kinds and i often reference them when i'm making a vessel.spoon artist norm sartorius is another source of inspiration. he crafted the handles of these beauties from roots, and the bowl of the spoons from the burled grain that lives just below the ground. sartorius has been creating fine wooden spoons for more than thirty years, using rare and unusual wood to shape the unique sculptures. woodwork magazine has a lovely cover article about this gentle soul and you can peek inside his workshop here. wow, it's no wonder his work is in eleven major museum collections - i'd say the man's got muscle.
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.
you can read more about hibbert and parker-eaton's collaborative efforts on polymer clay notes.
