Brent Sumner - Darjit!

Brent Sumner

We were invited out to see Brent's mom yesterday before she boarded a flight back to her home in New Zealand. It just so happened that Brent was holding one of his outdoor Darjit! workshops among the trees near Los Gatos in the Santa Cruz Mountains (where little green men dart about indiscriminately).


Darjit! , by the way, is the sculpturing and plaster finishing compound developed by Brent that is made from about 90% recycled materials. It sticks to just about anything and is very easy to work with. I've written about it (and Brent) on this blog previously, as some of you will recall.

Brent's personal project was this soon-to-be-completed sassy wolf in women's clothing. He smiled when I said it reminded me of someone I know...





As always, we had a delightful time. There is just something about being away from the harshness of the city..the grit and grime...that makes us feel so peaceful when we visit there. The weather couldn't have been more perfect...sunny, breezy, and Brent's students and friends were all occupied with applying Darjit! to their armatures. This is Barbara, who was working on a base for a bird bath.



Brent kept a steady supply of Darjit! mixed.


This student was working on a peace prayer goddess:



...and here, we have a Darjit! turtle in progress.


See how lush and green it is out there?



Brent made this hand-formed leaf to go into the secret garden that is beside the house where he is currently staying.



Rob and Santoshi, good friends of Brent, and owners of the property, were working away on some Darjit! sprinkler covers.



As we were leaving, Santoshi asked us to stop by the secret garden because they had made many changes made to it since our last visit there. As you can see, it is peaceful and serene there also, the perfect get-away!






Brent's Mom and Santoshi had been working on this Darjit! wall and water feature over the last few days. It includes the blue ceramic fish that you see here that came over from New Zealand.





We couldn't have asked for a better day! Thanks, Brent, Rob and Santoshi, for sharing your little slice of heaven with us.

If you are interested in learning more about Darjit!, please take a look at the information HERE.

Cecilia Farrell - Trajectory

Mosaic portrait artist, Cecilia Farrell was born in Buenos Aires in 1967. She has shown a special passion for artistic expression since she was a small child.



Serena

Her educational endeavors include a twelve year intensive in drawing with Professor Alberto Cienfuegos Centurion in the School of Fine Arts Institute of Santa Ana.

Inés


She simultaneously attended various workshops in sculpture and painting, classes that continued to develop until her admission to the Faculty of Architecture at the University of Buenos Aires in 1986.

Maternidad V

During her years of study, she began to experiment with different techniques and materials, with particular emphasis on the use of the mosaic as a means of expression.


Maternidad II

Once she graduated from architecture school, she developed a prolific body of work in mixed techniques and mosaic murals.

Maternidad I

Cecilia has participated in a number of exhibitions at the Ministry of Economy of the Nation and numerous cultural centers and art spaces where she has displayed her abstract pieces.

Last Stage

Pasión Emergente - Vidrio sobre madera

Visit her web site HERE.

Keisuke Saka - Paper Sculptures

Cheers for Denmark
I'm a paper freak who is always on the prowl for new and exciting art work made from or on paper. I was pleased to hear back from Chinese artist, Keisuke Saka, this morning because he creates some of the most incredible paper sculptures I've seen.

About the beautiful piece shown above, the artist states, "Four characters on the background mean "Cheers for Denmark". I tried to incarnate the typical Oriental image in the Western head and I seemed to succeeded. In reality, this is very Chinese style .... this is the way commercial artist goes."


FIRE!
The piece above is on display in the Praesto Fire Engine Museum.

This lobster sculpture was created from metallic paper.


This bento box is also 100% paper as is the spinning wheel below it.




These paper beetles are called, "maimai".



The dragonfly is called "Tonbo".


Keisuke has also created a number of paper animations that are hilarious. In particular a penguin that flaps its wings and moves about. You can see this and similar creations from other artists here.

Some 3D Fun with Stereograms

Stereograms are some of the coolest optical illusions around, however you have to stare at them a certain way before you will see the 3-D effect. Once it happens, you won't be able to take your eyes away! It involves trying to unfocus your eyes. So hard to explain, but once it happens, everything will be so clear.

A stereogram is an optical illusion of depth created from flat, two-dimensional image or images. Originally, stereogram referred to a pair of stereo images which could be viewed using stereoscope.


They were re-popularized by the creation of autostereogram on computers, where a 3D image is hidden in a single 2D image, until the viewer focuses the eyes correctly.

Autostereograms produce an illusion of depth using only a single image. The image is usually generated by computer by repeating a narrow pattern from left to right. By decoupling eye convergence from focusing operations, a viewer is able to trick the brain into seeing a 3D scene.

If a stereogram is viewed with the wrong method, the depth information is seen ‘backwards’; points intended to be in the background appear in the foreground and vice versa.

For some non-fail techniques on how to look at stereograms and some very interesting information about them, please click here.

Michele Price - Priceless Pieces

When I asked South African mosaic artist, Michele Price to describe herself, she wrote, “42 single and loving it”.

She lives in a small seaside resort called "Gonubie" on the East Coast of South Africa Michele studied fashion design, traveled overseas for 4 years and returned to South Africa to end up in the corporate world behind a desk and computer which she reports nearly killed her working as an HR Officer. She left that job and decided to followher dream of of teaching what she does best. Her class began with eight women
and now she has a full time business running with morning, afternoon and evening classes .(Fabric Painting, Mixed Media and mosaic) . Mosic, of course, is her favorite.





Self-taught, Michele’s mosaics take on a painterly quality that demonstrates controlled chaos and a mind-boggling attention to every small detail. She said she really loves what she does, and it shows! The work is graceful, yet bursting at the seams with intense strength, energy and happiness.









It takes real talent to create the bold, energetic work that Michele creates using the soft earth tones that are so brilliantly utilized here. This exterior wall application was created by Michele in browns and blacks with mirror accents. Shown here still under construction, it is called, "Leather and Love".




She uploads pictures of her work to flicker where she likes to look to other artists’s work for inspiration. She says this keeps her going as she also teaches her skills to others. If you would like to see more of Michele’s work, please click here:






Michele's email address is: pricelesspieces@vodamail.com

Subway Art

At Toronto's Bayview subway station, shadows of common objects such as apples and ladders silk screened to the linoleum and walls framed by patches of colored tile gives the place a surreal look. Panya Clark Espinal is the artist who designed the art in the Bayview Station.




In this installation created for the Toronto Transit Commission, twenty-four hand-drawn images have been ‘projected’ onto the architecture of the station so that when seen from the original location of projection, the images are crystalized and realistic, but when seen from other locations they appear to be abstractions.





These images act as beacons, drawing the viewers along various paths of movement. Depicting everyday objects and simple geometric shapes, the images are rendered in an uncommonly large scale and in unusual orientations, allowing one to interact playfully with them as one moves through the space.

Robin Indar Mosaics

A week or so ago, I wrote about a community that came together to create a playground space for children in memory of a little boy who had died. I mentioned at that time that I would be featuring the artist who created the incredible Caper Acres Sea Serpent that is installed at the playground, so today, I am pleased to present this entry about California mosaic artist, Robin Indar.





As is the nature of mosaic, Robin uses a variety of materials, including handmade tiles, found items and assorted other breakables to create beautiful and durable art pieces suitable for both interior and exterior applications. The Jackson Pollock Luminary Art Bench is part of a series of 8'X 2' benches commissioned by the City of Chico honoring luminaries who once lived in the area. This bench is located at 2nd and Broadway in downtown Chico, California.




Pictured below are two of four gates representing the cultural diversity of the neighborhood in which they were constructed. The first gate shown above honors the Hmong community. Layed out in a north, south, east, and west directory, the gates honor cultures from these regions. Native Americans in the north, Africans in the east, the Hmong in the west, and the Aztecs in the south. The sculptures were fabricated by local artist David Barta and Stan McKetchen under the direction of lead artist Jenny Hale. Robin Indar supervised the mosaic portions of the project, teaching participants how to mosaic, then grouting and finishing their work.




Robin Indar was born in Fairfax, California in 1973, the youngest daughter of a free-spirit mom and an underground cartoonist father.



She began making art at an early age, working in every imaginable media until settling (mostly) into creating original, often functional works in mosaic and ceramic sculpture.



Robin studied art at CCAC in Oakland California, but left prematurely to pursue other interests.




For several years she fronted the band Black Fork, which kept her busy touring, recording, and designing albums and promotional materials. She is currently taking time off from her studies at California State University, Chico, to finish a series of important commissions.



Her list of completed projects includes public art, residential remodeling, mosaic portraiture, teaching mosaic classes and gallery showings.



She currently lives in Chico with her writer/musician husband and their two brilliant young boys.




See more about Robin Indar on HER WEBSITE :

Louise Robinson - Art & Ghosts

Louise Robinson of Art&Ghosts creates stunning digital paintings/illustration. She uses a photoshop /wacom combo to meticulously hand color each image. Her works are informed by a plethora of sources, including fairytales, mythology, dolls, spectres, dreams and nature.

Louise' inspiration takes wing in her designs that center around the worlds of children.

Whimsical, imaginative, and delightful, Louise’s designs add a touch of serendipity to art.



" My images usually begin with a photograph, a painting or a doll portrait. I buy many dolls then sell them on for this reason alone (so fickle!), although i do possess a somewhat overbearing collection of plastic animals, dolls house furniture and vintage frocks. My backgrounds are generally my own paintings or textures that i have created or photographed. Although most of my ‘completed’ work is digital, my sources are rather ecclectic at best. – louise"



Louise Robinson limited prints can be purchased through HER ETSY SHOP online.

Pierre Matter - Steampunk Hybrids between Machine and Animal

Today’s entry features the steampunk sculptures of French artist Pierre Matter . His work explores Gothic themes while mixing up man and machine in a postmodern maelstrom.

He's been creating these awesome steampunk sculptures for the past couple of decades using copper, aluminum, resin and other metals. Some weigh in excess of 1.5 tons!



Born April 4th, 1964 in the Haut-Rhin, in the valley of Munster, Matter describes his childhood as “mystical”. He studied watercolor early in his career, graduating to stonework and eventually to metal.


Matter describes his work as hybrids of man and machine. He says, “Even the cows of the mountains are nothing any more but machines with milk.”


Combining nature and technical civilization, Matter’s metal-animals translate the overlap between nature and the man.


They reflect the concern of the always possible monstrosity while releasing the feeling of power which modern technology seems to offer.


His work was most recently on display at MOCA Shanghai - Museum of Contemporary Art – Shanghai, China.

Montrose Vortex

In my old Houston neighborhood, known as the "Montrose", there existed a curious sight until last June when the houses were demolished: two houses being sucked into a wormhole on the corner of Montrose Blvd. and Willard. This was the handiwork of two artists, Dan Havel and Dean Ruck. The project was named, "Inversion".


Havel and Ruck created a large funnel-like vortex beginning from the west wall adjacent to Montrose Blvd.


The exterior skin of the houses was peeled off and used to create the narrowing spiral as it progressed eastward through the small central hallway connecting the two buildings and exiting through a small hole into an adjacent courtyard.






Ten years ago, Dan Havel and Dean Ruck were part of a trio of artists, including sculptor Kate Petley, that collaborated on "O House," a large scale installation that transformed a small bungalow in Houston's Westend neighborhood into a magical space for two months. I recall that one entire room of the place was mosaic'd in pennies. Through the use of an interior circular room, earth floors, and pinhole projections displayed surrounding trees and sky for lighting, "O House" created an environment with a fluid barrier between inside and outside, psyche and experience, spirituality and consciousness. For many, the memory of the installation after its demolition served to strengthen their personal associations of the experience.

John T. Unger's Bottlecap Mosaic Fish

Thanks goes out to artist John T. Under this morning, for consenting to be featured on this blog. For the purpose of this entry, I've chosen to feature his mosaic bottlecap fish, although John's array of talents goes far beyond this one area.


The creative mandate for Unger is "sustainable design with an edge."



“Just because we're good doesn't mean we have to be boring, right? I think there's a place for rock n' roll to dance with environmental responsibility in a house shakin' way. If green products are to compete in the market, they need to be sexy, sleek and chic— cooler than new.”

I can’t think of anything cooler than John’s bottle cap mosaic fish! You can purchase these babies on John’s Etsy site. and I’ve already started to save my pennies!









John writes:
“Surprise and beauty are a good start, but I expect more and so should you. As an artist and designer, I am intensely committed to sustainable design practices and materials in the following ways:

I work primarily with recycled or re-used materials. This is the best way I know to minimize my impact on natural resources, climate and the environment. In addition, I feel that creative re-use has the potential to spark new ways of looking at the world… if one thing can be turned into another, what else can we change? Successful recycled art and design encourages creativity in others— it's alchemical, magical, subversive, and transformative by nature. I feel that only be a good thing.

I design for permanence. Most of my objects will last generations with little or no maintenance. I try to create objects that will never go out of style by drawing from primal metaphor and classical elements of design that speak to what it means to be human and alive.

I design for functionality. My work is intended to be useful as well as beautiful. I enjoy the practical aspect of art and feel that engineering is as critical as ingenuity in the creation of solid works of art. Where possible, I design for easy disassembly for shipping or later re-use of materials.”




John also creates these more traditionally-set mosaic fish:







If you’d like some good creative inspiration, visit John’s blog. There you will see more examples of his mosaic work and also the awesome welded fire pits that he makes:

The Paintings of Michael Ray Charles

Michael Ray Charles

Michael Ray Charles’ paintings investigate stereotypes drawn from the history of American advertising, product packaging, billboards, and commercials. Charles draws comparisons between Sambo, Mammy, and minstrel images of an earlier era and contemporary portrayals of black youths, celebrities, and athletes- images he sees as a constant in the American subconscious.




Charles was born in 1967 in Lafayette, Louisiana, and graduated from McNeese State University in Lake Charles, Louisiana, in 1985. In college, he studied advertising design and illustration, eventually moving into painting, his preferred medium. He also received an MFA degree from the University of Houston in 1993.




“Stereotypes have evolved,” he notes. “I’m trying to deal with present and past stereotypes in the context of today’s society.” Caricatures of African-American experience, such as Aunt Jemima, are represented in Charles’s work as ordinary depictions of blackness, yet are stripped of the benign aura that lends them an often unquestioned appearance of truth.”




“Aunt Jemima is just an image, but it almost automatically becomes a real person for many people, in their minds. But there’s a difference between these images and real humans.”




In each of his paintings, notions of beauty, ugliness, nostalgia, and violence emerge and converge, reminding us that we cannot divorce ourselves from a past that has led us to where we are, who we have become, and how we are portrayed. Charles lives in Texas and teaches at the University of Texas at Austin.



More information about Michael Ray Charles can be found HERE on Wikipedia.

Brooks Tower

Brooks Tower is a world-class, internationally recognized mosaic artist who resides in my native Oklahoma. My first awareness of his mosaics was when this piece, called, “Market Day II” won Best of Show in Mosaic Arts International 2007, the juried mosaic exhibition of the Society of American Mosaic Artists. The exhibit featured 62 pieces by artists from 6 countries and was held at Mesa Contemporary Arts at the Mesa Arts Center during the SAMA convention. (Please click images to enlarge)



Brooks uses a standard tile saw for his own special technique of forming shapes that result in graceful grout lines that virtually “paint” (or instill a painterly quality) and give his subjects complete stories with beginnings and ends. His pieces are fluid and active and address often curious subject matter.



Brooks' color choices are soft and muted, relying more on the composition and application of the tile to lend strength to the pieces.














Brooks also creates tables, doors and accepts commissions for other mosaic work. Here are examples from his web site:







For more information, please see the Brooks Tower Mosaics web site.

Deb Carlson Wight - Texas Mosaic Artist

Deb Carlson Wight
San Antonio mosaic artist, Deb Carlson Wight, began her art career early in life, sketching everything from cartoons to flowers in the backyard. Her parents were supporting influences who encouraged her natural talent as she attended Stephen F. Austin State University. After earning her BFA, Deb began designing logos and exploring different art media. Subsequently, Deb has worn many hats. She has worked as a graphic artist, a ballroom dancer, gallery bookkeeper, massage therapist, payroll clerk, and now as a computer programmer. However the one current that has run though Deb’s life is that of art. Above all, she remains an artist.


“I found mosaics on daytime tv while being bed bound after a fall in 1997. When I was able to get around I made my first pot and the rest, they say, is history. After creating and selling my share of birdhouses and pots, I was ready to move into more personalized mosaics. I wanted to work with my clients on a piece that would enhance their surroundings while heightening their appreciation for the arts. I love working closely with my clients, hearing their ideas about what they want to see in their new art piece and then seeing their faces when I deliver their vision artistically rendered into something they never imagined at all.”


“I am devoted to memories. I believe people should surround themselves with art and the most important art to me is filled with memories. I believe it’s important to scrapbook, display and have photos created into art. I am dedicated to keeping the history of “memoryware” alive by creating original works of art using photographs and mementos.”



Realizing the importance of recycling, Deb re-purposes a lot of materials into her art work. She uses found wood in her latest creations.


“Being a new ranch owner, I began finding sticks and pieces of fallen wood to have such a beautiful artistic quality I could not help but to create a mosaic with them. I feel I have found my own unique way to recycle and bring natures beauty into the home."



"My passion is and will always be art. I believe everyone should have some form of art in their lives. Whether you create it, collect it or just go out and appreciate it.”



Readers who are interested in learning more about Deb Carlson Wight can visit her web site.

For the Love of a Child

"Healing from grief is not the process of forgetting,it is the process of remembering with less pain and more joy."
Nico Cardoza

We engage the world with our eyes but are unable to close them when the unthinkable occurs. This is a story about how a community came together to help a grieving family. In the near future, I am going to write a story about mosaic artist, Robin Indar, who was involved in this project, but before I do that, I'd like to share the story of the project itself.

In December 2005 tragedy struck a local Chico family. Nico Cardoza, a happy and healthy 16 month old little boy, died suddenly and unexpectedly one night in his crib. His family and friends were blindsided by his passing. The sense of tragedy and loss was felt by everyone there. Out of a desire to “do something” in this time of sadness and grief, friends and family of the Cardoza’s decided to build a memorial play area in a local Chico park.



Organized fundraising efforts raised close to $120,000 in 12 months. In 2007 the Bidwell Park and Playground Commission approved the final design of the Nico Project.
The project, which included a giant mosaic sea serpent, was opened to the public on July 10th 2007, on Nico's birthday.



Robin Indar created dozens and dozens of hand-made tiles to adorn the serpent and his five humps and tail that reach out of the water-like flooring. It was important to Robin that all of the mosaic portions be of whole tile and included no cut pieces or shards to maximize child-friendliness.











Without once turning away from pain, this playground communicates hope for the children who remain. The fullness of life is it's own meaning. As this remarkable community effort conveys, there is hope in that.

Pete Goldlust - Carved Crayons

Syracuse University College of Visual and Performing Arts graduate, Pete Goldlust, delights us with these carved crayon mini-sculptures. Goldlust is a talented multi artist who also makes whimsical sculptures of creatures, relief panels and prints , wall drawings and installations.






Goldlust's other work explores a sculptural landscape where human urges (libidinous, predatory and monstrous) are acted out by half-recognizable, otherworldly surrogate creatures.

Goldlust creates a reflection of his interest in mutated, hybrid forms, and the disjunctive psychological states that they represent. These themes use a variety of media and studio techniques.







Digital imaging, industrial manufacturing processes, and children’s arts-and-crafts materials, are the key to Pete creative strategies. Since 2005, he has worked with painter Julie Hughes to create collaborative mixed media installations.




Goldlust is represented by McClean Fine Art in Pasadena, California.

Sunny Carvalho first came to my awareness when a friend from Live Journal mentioned that she would be taking one of Sunny’s classes at the annual ArtFest in Washington State. I took at look at Sunny’s web site, saw her female-themed paintings and decided to seek her permission to write this entry. My interactions with her, thus far, have proven that her name is well-suited. She has been nothing if not cheerful and encouraging and endearing.....Sunny!


Sunny is a mixed media artist from Pinson, near Birmingham, Alabama. An artist for most of her life, she is the mother of 4 . Her paintings often include fanciful female imagery that emphasizes individuality with a juxtaposition of mood with actual subject matter. Rich in texture, these softly-toned paintings explore a variety of themes.


“I have called myself an artist almost all of my life. One of my earliest memories is at about the age of 4. My mother bought me a brand new beautiful box of 64 (!!!) crayons! The box even had a sharpener on the side! The smell...the sharp newness...the beauty of a lovely line on paper and I was hooked! (All you artists know what I mean!)”


Always exploring, Sunny does not limit herself to any one specific art medium. She said she identified with 87 year old sculptor Ruth Duckworth’s statement on a recent episode of CBS Sunday Morning when she said that when she went to art school she was asked, "Do you want to paint or draw or sculpt?" To which she replied, "YES! I want to paint and draw AND sculpt!".


Sunny has created porcelain dolls for about 12 years and has written articles for Doll Crafter and Costuming magazine. Of late, she has been concentrating more on paintings and drawings.


“In the past I have been fascinated with ACEOs (Art Cards Editions and Originals). I love the challenge of creating a whole painting on a 2 1/2" x 3 1/2" surface. Currently, though, I am painting on plywood (about 22 x 10 mostly) using a combination of acrylic and Genesis Oil. I then print images of my paintings and make them into purses, sketchbook holders, cellphone holders, pendants, etc. I almost exclusively use imported batik fabrics, handmade origami fabric flowers and handmade buttons on my purses. The pendants are handmade by me as well. They begin as liquid porcelain and take many, many hours to create."


If you would like to see more of Sunny’s charming work, please visit her web site.

Elsie Gaertner – The Making of Stella

Not since my entry about mosaic artist, Tammy Sullivan, have I had the opportunity to show you a step=by=step pictorial of mosaic work in progress. Today, I am pleased to present the creation of "Stella" by Elsie Gaertner, a self-taught mosaic artist from Corpus Christi, Texas.



.

When Elsie was given this mannequin, it was covered with the pink, the symbol representing the fight against breast cancer. As she was working on her and getting to know her, it dawned on Elsie that "Stella" was bald, and that there was obviously something missing on her left side. "And there's just something about how she's protecting her other side... She's like a breast cancer survivor, right? There's something in me that thinks she's not through telling her story."




The turning point for me was when I discovered flickr around March. I had been learning mosaic on my own until then, but flickr opened up a whole new world to me. I've met so many incredible mosaicists, and by studying their works in progress, I've learned so much. There's such an incredible sharing of information on that site. I've made it a point to search out as many as I can find, because I draw so much inspiration and information from all of them. Since that point, I've experimented a lot, and have taken on quite a variety of different types of projects in an attempt to learn as much as possible.




Stella started out at a garage sale. I saw the mannequin and admired her, but was unwilling to spend the money the lady wanted for her. She asked me why I wanted her, and I told her I'd wanted to try my hand at mosaicing a mannequin. She was so intrigued by the idea that there on the spot she commissioned me to do it for her. Then, she started dragging out all this jewelry that she had for sale and asked me to try to use some of it for her. So, in the end, I walked away with a free mannequin, a box of jewelry and my first commission.



I started at the bottom and worked my way up, literally and figuratively on that one. I worked on the torso, while I tried to figure out how in the world I was going to do her hands and face. But as I worked, and with the encouragement of all my new flickr buds, the magic happened, and Stella was born under my hands. It was an amazing and exciting process. I learned so much, and had so much fun with her. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to hang on to her very long after she was done. The new owner was most anxious to have her back. But I really enjoyed the experience and was glad I got a lot of pictures of her in progress.











You may see other Elsie Gaertner mosaics at her flickr photostream.

Heather Jansch – Driftwood horses

HEATHER JANISCH

Her husband, Scottish folk singer, Bert Jansch, has featured Heather in a number of his songs. She is an artist who make graceful and expressive and powerful sculptures from driftwood that express her lifelong passion for horses.


Trained as a painter and sculptor, she started using driftwood in her sculptures when she ran out of the material that she had been using — wire — and saw a piece of wood in the shape of a horse’s torso.


Heather was born in Essex in 1948. She studdied fine art at Walthamstow and Goldsmiths College in London. An abiding passion for horses and drawing is rooted in childhood when she was fascinated by Da Vincis drawings and her first horse sculpture, a large relief, was made for here art A level after seeing The Elgin Marbles. It was her passion for horses which led her to buy a hill farm in Wales where she spent several years breeding Welsh Cobs and, following in the Stubbs tadition, established herself as a successfull painter, a period she describes as her apprenticeship.


She moved to Devon in 1980 and took a sabbatical from commissioned work; here increasingly vibrant paintings began to include nudes and showed her to be a brilliant colourist. Eventually however, wanting to sculpt again, she returned to her roots the horse.


The earliest pieces of wire and plaster owed something to Giacomette, the following series in Copper wire reminiscent of Da Vinci's drawings and much closer to her heart still did not have the unique quality she was seeking. It took the use of driftwood to finally reveal the explosive power, natural grace and potential violence of her subject in a manner, which gives her work its authenticity, its "horseness". It was time to look for a gallery which could properly present her work.


In 1988 she joined Courcoux and Courcoux then of Salisbury as one of their "Horse Artists". The public response to these pieces was immediate and her first solo show with them quickly established her as one of the most popular new talents to emerge on the British sculpture scene. Heathers work gained mor impetus in 1988 when she produced her first life-sized pieces for her solo show Saltram House a National Trust property in Devon.



In 1999 she was invited to Jion one of the most important exhibitions of British Sculptre ever to be mounted, "The Shape of the Century - One Hundred Year of British Sculpture" as part of the millennium celebration alongside such luminaries as Moore, Hepworth, Frink and Caro at Canery Wharf London which placed her firmly on an international platform.



Jansch's driftwood horses once again proved to be amongst the most popular exhibits. The resultant publicity led to Channel Four featuring her work on Collectors Lot and to The Eden Project inviting her to become one of their Artists in Residence.


She now casts many of her works in bronze.

Blog Award

Thanks to Ms. Northwoods Luna for giving me this nice blog award!

Martin Brown - Fine Art Mosaics for the Modern World

Alas, I am happy to present the work of British artist/deigner, Martin Brown, mosaic art that is truly fresh and different.


Brown, first appeared on the art and design scene working as a textile designer in collaboration with fashion houses as Issey Miyake, Oscar de la Renta and Christian Dior.


After participation in a publicity campaign for Shiseido and the design of the Dragon Café in Tokyo, he moved to Mexico, where he created mural mosaic and tile decorations for fashion stores, restaurants and private residences.


His work is included in a number of impressive art collections such as Collection Azcarraga, the Gelman Collection, the Foundation Miguel Aleman in Mexico and the Collection von Bismarck in Marbella. His creations are a unique hybrid of classical, baroque, neo-Mexican, retro and avant-garde styles, executed with the finest craftsmanship, using Talavera ceramic, Byzantine and cut glass mosaic.



Truly a man of the world, Brown’s stunning mosaics can be found in public spaces in Mexico City, Palm Beach and Denver. He has completed numerous commissions for private residences in Acapulco, Cancun, Cuernavaca, Mexico City and Puerto Vallarta , in Mexico and in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Miami and Austin in the United States. His work can also be seen in Egypt, France, Italy, Great Britain, and Switzerland.


In 1998, he opened the avant-garde home store, HACKING & BROWN, in
Mexico City, with partner Tina Hacking, which features his own line of furniture, ceramics and carpets as well as that of other designers


His work has been exhibited individually ,as well as collectively across the globe.

He has been featured in interior design magazines, such as ELLE DÉCOR, METROPOLITAN HOME, ARCHITECTURAL DIGEST, IDFX, Casa Decor, Nuevo Estilo, Mujer Hoy and Diseño Interior. His work has also been used in Absolut Vodka publicity campaigns.



In 2003, Martin Brown moved to Barcelona, where he has continued to work on private commissions and a series of panels , based on the city and with interior designers such as Pascua Ortega and Maipi Esteban . Project locations include Cordoba, Cadiz and Mallorca . He produces four collections each year of his own line of mosaics.


For more details and information.:

Martin Brown,Valencia 202 2-1, 08011.Spain.

Tel; 0034 93 451 9856.
Email: martinbrownart@gmail.com

To see Martin Brown's Web Site, please click HERE.

The Many Faces of Anne Marie Grgich

California native , Anne Grgich began making Art Brut at age fifteen, when she began painting in her family’s books, or making junk constructions. Most noted for her faces. Described by her as ‘manifestations of conglomerated persona, in a way acting out these characters’.


They were described by one art critic as a “displacement for action in the world out there; fragments of experience, thought and interaction brought together to produce new possibilities out of contemplation.” As she puts it, ‘bundling images, separating them’, then looking for ‘interrelating pieces to build meaning and feeling’.


Seen separately these faces are individually commanding, but seen together, they form not so much a series of portraits as a group of living presences.

In practice the works operate on a very shallow picture space; everything takes place on or near the picture surface, with any depth produced mostly by a literal layering of materials and the incongruous introduction of perspective in some of the collaged elements.


Collage helps to effect an almost alchemical transformation in the works, through its function as sign, to its active involvement in the dialogue between paint, drawing and resin.



In Anne Grgich’s work collage, when bound together by paint, resin and pen, often provides the equivalent of a city walk; a distillation of the little marginalia of experience, things noticed out of the corner of one’s eye, as well as more expectedly assertive phenomena. This is especially powerful at times in her handmade books, which can look like a little pile of discarded packaging at first glance, but which reveal a rich treasure when opened and pored over.



She says that practicality and simplicity influenced her style, driven by the need for visual clarity and lack of space and materials


Anne frequently travels, teaching inspirational workshops geared toward all levels, all ages in many formats, that together make the bulk of her creativity. As she puts it, “I help open artists up.”




“Recently I lectured and gave slide shows at Eastern Oregon University for an auditorium of 500 people on my work and on the exhibition, Internal Guidance Systems, I created with Professor Colin Rhodes from the UK, AU. The exhibition has over 27 artists including my own work." (The exhibition website)



"For teaching experience, I've traveled to Green Bay University, in Green Bay, Wisconsin, to teach and lecture (thanks Norbert H. Kox), and with Glenny at Art and Soul, Virginia; Art Unraveled in Phoenix Arizona; taught twice in Lake Elsinore, California; and will have been twice in January 2007 in Port Townsend, Washington. I also taught privately to a lovely group of ladies near Chicago and in Baltimore, Maryland at the beautiful art workshops at The American Folk Art Museum."




"I first started teaching in 1983 at The Multnomah Learning Center, in Portland Oregon. Currently I am teaching privately with Art on Taylor in January 2007 and at The Art House in Nashville, Tennessee February 2008 and with Linda Young — Art Unraveled August 2007, and other workshops lining up for 2007-2008. I hope to be traveling abroad by 2008."


Please see more work by this fascinating artist AT HER WEB SITE.

Chigirie - Paper Meets Mosaic

Note: I haven't been announcing the winners of my monthly art giveaways on the blog here, but they are still going on. Last month's winner of a small mosaic box was Ms. Merry Mobiley from Richmond, Va.
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The Japanese art of painting with paper called, "Chigirie", creates soft, delicate mosaic collages, usually of landscapes or flora by applying thin, delicate layers of paper on a thicker paper base until the desired effect is achieved.



Japanese papers such as Chaco Paper, a water erasable transfer paper, and Washi Paper, a hand-dyed, fiber-laden paper are used.



This type of work differs from what Westerners commonly think of as collage as the papers used have much longer fibers that give a more painterly effect.


The pieces are torn by hand, the fibers straightened to flow in one direction, and are pasted on a type of fine Japanese paper called Sjikishi board, which is commonly used for poetry or watercolor painting.



Cutting the paper with instruments such as knives or scissors are strictly forbidden in Chigirie paper painting. Each piece must be torn by hand which gives the art work it’s characteristic soft edges.




Pennsylvania readers can see some beautiful works of the artist who created many of the pieces shown here. Joan Mead-Matsui, became interested in making Chigirie during her visits to Japanese paper shops while traveling with her husband, Kunihiko Matsuia Kyoto native who is also an artist living in Northeastern Pennsylvania. Joan's exhibit at Everything Natural, 426 State Street in Clarks Summit, PA. will be up until Friday, October 24. Phone 570-586-9684 for more information.



Her work is is permanently displayed at Art Gallery 408 and the Hilton Scranton & Conference Center in Scranton, Pennsylvania.



Readers may view more of Joan's work at HER WEB SITE.

Female Identity - Colette Calascione

Colette Calascione



Colette Calascione received a BFA in 1995 at the San Francisco Art Institute, She is now based in New York where she makes paintings that are unified by both a strong flavor of Victorian-style naturalism and the theme of “female identity”.


She paints surreal, exquisitely detailed classical style portraiture, ranging from rich and vibrant pin-up interpretations, to surreal reckonings inspired by books and images of vintage ephemera - particularly from the Victorian era.



Likewise, her painting technique (in part) draws on the past, and the modus operandi of old master painters. It is from this careful execution of technique, Collette beguiles us with her images and her vision…




"I do a coat of Caput Mortem—which is an old-time technique, an earth red—and over that I’ll put three layers of white and a layer of green which neutralizes the red. All that creates an optical gray, a grisaille. Then the color starts happening and that’s the tortuous stuff" - Colette Calascione



Especially prominent in her paintings is her luminescent and gentle handling of detailed fabrics, flesh, faces with piercing “look at me” eyes and enchanting “Mona Lisa” smiles. These prominent elements along with provocative erotic poses and stories aim to seduce the viewer…



Ms. Calascione's web site is located HERE, where you may view other paintings and biographical information.


The artist is represented by The Nancy Hoffman Gallery in New York.

Dream on! The World's 10 Most Costly Paintings

10. $78,100,000. Pierre-August Renoir – Le Moulin de la Galette. At the time of its sale in 1990, it was the second most expensive painting ever sold. This masterpiece even went to the same person that bought number one at the time, Daishowa Paper Manufacturing Co. chairman Ryoei Saito. Again, he wanted this one cremated with him as well, but his companies ran into financial problems and it had to be sold on as collateral.


9. $80,000,000. Jasper Johns – False Start. Another painting formerly owned by Geffen and allegedly sold to CEO of the Citadel Investment Group, Kenneth C. Griffin, making it the most expensive painting to be sold by a living artist, the iconic Jasper Johns.


8. $82,500,000. Vincent van Gogh – Portrait of Dr. Gachet. Up for auction in 1990 and purchased by Japanese businessman Ryoei Saito, this was – at the time- the most expensive painting in the world. Saito (then 75) caused controversy at the time, stating that when he died, he’d have the painting cremated along with him. This was later cleared up as he claimed that he was only using the expression to show his intense affection for it.


7. $86,300,000. Francis Bacon – Triptych, 1976. Breaking the previous sale record of his work ($52.68 million), Bacon’s 3-piece masterpiece was sold to Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich, smashing the previous estimate of $70 million.


6. $87,900,000. Gustav Klimt – Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer II. The only model to be painted twice by Klimt and sold a few months after the first version, this portrait of Bloch-Bauer was part of a lot in 2006 of four Klimt paintings that went on to fetch a total of $192 million. Buyer unknown.



5. $95,200,000. Pablo Picasso – Dora Maar au Chat. Another Picasso, the second highest price ever fetched at auction, and another anonymous buyer. Auctioned in 2006, a mysterious Russian bidder took this home (along with a Monet and a Chagall, spending over $100 million) and no one has since found out who he was. The ownership of the painting has still not been made public.



4. $104,200,000. Pablo Picasso – Garçon à la pipe. So far the highest price a painting has ever fetched at auction (as the others were all sold privately), and was the first painting to break the $100 million barrier (it was sold in 2004, whilst 1-3 were all in 2006). The strange thing is that it was never made public as to who expressed such an interest in Picasso’s portrait of a smoking Parisian.



3. $135,000,000. Gustav Klimt – Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I. This was sold by Maria Altmann, who – after a lengthy and complicated court battle – was deemed rightful owner of this Klimt and several others. Altmann was named as an inheritor of the painting in the will of by the widowed husband of the model herself, despite the efforts of the Austrian State, as Adele Bloch-Bauer had originally left the painting to the State Gallery in her own will. The painting was bought by Ronald Lauder for his Neue Galerie in New York, to be the centerpiece of a collection of Jewish-owned art rescued from the Nazi looting that took place in the Second World War.


2. $137,500,000. Willem de Kooning – Woman III. Another painting sold by Geffen in 2006, but this time bought by billionaire Steven A. Cohen. It is part of a series of 6 painted by de Kooning in the period of 1951-53, which revolved around the theme of a woman, and is allegedly the only Woman still in private hands.



1. $140,000,000. Jackson Pollock – No.5, 1948. It is claimed by the New York Times that this painting was sold by David Geffen (of Geffen Records), to David Martinez (managing partner of Fintech Advisory). However, a press release issued on behalf of Martinez states that he didn’t actually purchase the painting. So the truth is shrouded in mystery, and it can only be rumored to have sold for a record-breaking $140 million.

Irina Charny - A Master Mosaic Artist

Irina Charny


Born in former Soviet Union, Irina Charny came to US in 1975. After high school, she attended UC Berkeley, where she studied film and architecture before transferring to UC Irvine, where she graduated with a degree in math. Perhaps this contributed to the mathematical precision of her mosaic art.



After graduation, Irina worked as a computer programmer for 7 years and hated every day of it! She then decided to attend UCLA where she graduated with a masters in Library Science. She then worked as a research librarian in a corporation for 3 years.



Since childhood, Irina has felt a need for artistic expression.



She studied ceramics in high school for four years and undertook various artistic hobbies ranging from large scale soft sculpture to polymer clay, to flameworked glass.



Irina discovered mosaics by accident while trying to "beautify" a fireplace damaged during earthquake.



She saw pictures in a magazine of a fireplace covered with broken tile and thought "I could do that". That was 15 years ago. Fortunately for us mosaic lovers, she has been working in mosaics since and has spent the last 8 years creating mosaic art professionally.



"As a child growing up in Russia, even before I knew they were called mosaics, I created collages from pieces of broken glass found in the street, rocks, paper, seashells, and bits of crockery. Through the years I tried various media for artistic expression but have now returned to my origin... mosaics. This medium gives me a chance to explore color, shape, and texture, to experiment with different materials, and satisfy the passion to integrate unrelated small bits into a single work of art."



Irina is a self-taught mosaicist who is inspired by the rich history of the medium. She strives to build a unique and personal art form on the base of classical mosaic.



"In addition to traditional mosaic tesserae, I incorporate unusual materials in my work � mirror, pebbles, found objects, beads, buttons, wire, handmade ceramic pieces, and broken plates. I never return home empty handed from a walk on the beach or a trip. Beach glass, pebbles from a path on Hampstead Heath, broken glass from a studio in Seattle, a bit of bone found on the shore are special little bits that are inserted into each mosaic to give it a special, personal meaning."



Ms. Charny creates mosaic panels, mirrors, decorative objects, and murals. Please visit her web site by clicking here, to see more of her intricate and beautiful work.

Jennifer Khoshbin Revisited

This morning, I received an email from Jennifer Khoshbin, who wanted me to see her new book project of photo sculptures. As soon as I saw them, I knew I had to share them with my readers here!



Jennifer states: "In this series of familiar, often iconic images, I combine photographs with intricately carved text.

This combination creates a series of conceptual pieces that address memory and nostalgia - Asking: what have we missed or misunderstood?"

Jennifer Khoshbin: Missed or Misunderstood
August 28th - October 18th 2008
Ursuline Hall Gallery | Ursuline Campus
Koshbin, from San Antonio, combines photographs with intricately carved texts in a series of familiar, often iconic, images that address memory and nostalgia.

View more of Jennifer's incredible, unique and awesome work HERE.

Martin Waugh - Liquid Sculpture

Before I show you more work from Martin Waugh, an artist I've written about previously, I want to share this awesome video with you about a fountain in Japan that makes art with the water:


Please click HERE if you can't see it.
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Martin Waugh, creates art out of drops of water ("liquid sculptures")through the use of high-speed photography. By varying the size, speed and position of drops, as well as the color, viscosity, and surface tension, a panorama of color, movement and intrigue is created.






Martin juxtaposes colored liquid with vivid backgrounds to create emotional impact and dramatic flair to his work:



Martin says, "I orchestrate these sculptures by accurately aiming the drops and releasing them with precise timing. As nature takes its course, I photograph the unfolding forms using a digital camera and electronic flash. I instigate the myriad of shapes by varying the drops' trajectories and manipulating their physical properties. Color, viscosity, and surface tension are controlled with dye, glycerin, and soap."











Click HERE to read an interview with Martin that goes into detail about the process he uses to create these photographs and click HERE to visit Martin's liquid sculpture web site where your eyes will be treated to some serious art candy!

Arlene Elizabeth - New Work

My good friend, Arlene Elizabeth, shown here (L) with her partner, Ruth, and their son, Ian, has been featured on this blog previously. If you recall, she creates mosaics from folded paper cranes that result in the most incredible, thought-provoking works I've ever seen! Justice is a common theme in Arlene's work and her meaningful political statements are made with amazing visual impact.

Last week, I received an an email from Arlene with an attached photo of her latest piece, one I felt was so important, that I felt it warranted a blog entry all its own.

Memories of hurricane Katrina still weigh heavily on our minds as the partially rebuilt levees in New Orleans managed to hold against hurricane Gustav. However, authorities today warned of more storms to come after the weather system weakened and veered to the west of the city where my best friend and her two little girls sleep at night. Arlene's piece addresses Katrina and it's aftermath. May we never see another tragedy like that again!



This is the statement Arlene sent about her new work, unveiled to coincide with the third anniversary of Katrina. The current working title is "K-K-Katrina: Whitening Strikes Twice".

"Standing near a bloated body ten days after the levees broke in New Orleans, BBC reporter Matt Frei asked a question aloud that had been brewing in many peoples’ minds: “America is a country that will venture to the ends of the earth to recover the remains of the fallen. So, why won’t you just come here to pick him up?” Pointing to the body, floating face down in a shallow puddle, he then asked several different uniformed officials when the person would be removed, and exactly who was in charge of such procedures. He never got a satisfactory answer.
A few days later, I found a tiny figurine from 1939 in an antique store with the phrase “Educational Souvenir-New Orleans” on its’ pedestal. A caricature was sitting on a pin cushion eating watermelon. Researching its’ origin was a dead-end, and I was left to assume that the object was intended as a stark reminder of dehumanized portrayals of African-Americans in this country. Finding this object on that day cautioned me to consider what has changed.
At the end of Frei’s report he speculates; If 9/11 changed America’s view of the world, perhaps Katrina has changed America’s view of itself."

New Orleans 2005

Here is a picture of Arlene and my husband, John, standing by the piece before it was completed. I'm posting this one to give an idea of the scale and process.

Karen Ami - The Real Deal

Karen Ami – Accept no Substitutes

Karen Ami is an award winning, classically trained sculptor and mosaic artist who is also founder and executive director of the first mosaic school in the United States, The Chicago Mosaic School.


Adhering to the highest standards, Karen has made sure that the faculty of The Chicago Mosaic School are all professional, exhibiting mosaic artists with degrees in fine arts educated in all areas of mosaics, from mosaic design to architectural installation. Hers is the only premier, not-for-profit Mosaic Art School in North America. The school does much to fill the void in mosaic arts education in this country and serves professional artists, designers, architects, as well as beginners and enthusiasts alike.

With impeccable credentials herself, Karen received her diploma and BFA from The Boston Museum School and Tufts University, and a MFA from the Art Institute of Chicago. She has exhibited nationally and has won numerous grants and awards for her clay sculptures which appear in many prominent collections throughout the United States and Europe.



Please click here if you are unable to see the above-video on your computer screen.

Karen’s art encourages others to think “green”. She has twice been commissioned to create globes for the Coolglobes project, an arts project that helps bring awareness to global warming and its solutions. The globe, titled "Windy City Andamento" went on to represent the project at Bill Clintons Foundation in New York and onto San Francisco to launch Coolglobes there.


This globe represents wind movement and flow over the earth's surface, designed by Karen Ami to show how readily accessible wind power really is. By using ceramic and vitreous glass tiles, Ami contrasts land and water through a variety of textual patterns. The mosaic creates a visually unified whole that serves as a metaphor for the unity necessary in the fight to stop global warming.


For more information about Coolglobes, please click HERE.

This fireplace installation called, “Garden of Temptation” is a perfect example of Karen’s imaginative expertise as a mosaic artist.


The surround depicts Adam and Eve, the garden serpent …and at the center of it all, the irresistible apple! The figures and the serpent were built in sections in terra cotta clay, then fired and refired with low fire glazes. The mosaic is made of smalti glass, and Italian glass tile, and handmade clay tiles. The apple is made out of terra cotta and covered with an opaque art glass.



This graceful bowl is called, “Figureparty”. The bowl below features one of her signature spirals, iconography for hopes, dreams and aspirations,


Icons including hearts, eyes and swirls are symbols that can be seen in Karen’s work.
“Spiked Heart” was created with handmade clay tile, rocks, wire,
Venetian gemme tile.


Likewise, “Sewn Heart”, is another piece made with Karen’s hand made ceramic tile, but this one includes Venetian glass and hand-cut art glass on wood.



“Butterface” is a fabulous mosaic torso created by Karen in 2004.




Karen’s graceful creation entitled, “One” is created with smalti, 24 carat gold, piastrini, smalto



"Abbaccio" is one of Karen’s ceramic sculptures that twists and turns to show off the filati, glass and smalti.


Karen admitted to me that her Mudhouse Studio web site is currently being revamped, so be sure to check back soon to see newer work.