artsy forager

Tag: ceramics

  • Showing. A Look at LATITUDE.

    Showing. A Look at LATITUDE.

    Ya’ll it has been a whirlwind few months.  Followed by a whirlwind five days in Greenville, SC for the opening of my LATITUDE show at Art & Light Gallery!  Greenville welcomed me with warmth and sunshine and made this Northwestern girl feel right at home.

    Lesley Frenz, LATITUDE solo show at Art & Light Gallery #art #artgalleries #artshows #greenville

    Teresa Roche, the owner and curator of Art & Light has created such a beautiful space!  From the moment you step on the front porch and open the screen door ( so Southern, ya’ll! ), the space feels like stepping into sunshine.  The house turned gallery/ art studios exudes old Southern charm, yet its clean white walls and sparse rustic furnishings feel completely modern.  The mix of contemporary and organic is perfect for my work!  Want to take a peek inside?  Come on in!

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    Because A&L is housed in an old Greenville home, the galleries are small rooms perfect for wandering.  Candidly, I was a bit worried that my work was too Northwestern in feel to fit in with Greenville’s historic, Old South vibe.

    I was so surprised not only with how beautifully it fit, but with how many Gville folks either had NW connections or found their own LATITUDE moments in mine.

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    Ceramic artist Dee Sullivan created custom pottery pieces to go with the LATITUDE paintings, such a treat and they were just perfect!  If I had a home to put them in I would have gladly purchased several, one wall pocket especially caught my eye ( and everyone else’s I might add! ).

    My family came in from Florida and North Carolina to be with me and see the show but I also have a new Greenville family! Thank you to Teresa, Kiah, Everett and all the Greenville folks who have made this show such a success! There’s still time to see LATITUDE, the work will be up at Art & Light through the end of March. And if you’re not in Greenville, you can peruse all the paintings on my website.

    Most images by me.  Family group photo and panoramic gallery photo by my sister-in-law.  Greenville family photo by Everett Waldrep.

  • Design Foraging. Studio Arhoj

    Design Foraging. Studio Arhoj

    If you’re a painter in the studio, you know what a challenge it can be to avoid getting paint splattered all over yourself!  When I came across the wonderfully whimsical work of Studio Arhoj, I loved the glazes melting over the tops of ceramic shapes, reminding me of various objects that tend to get covered in paint in a studio.  Plus, who couldn’t love those expressive little eyes?!

    Design Foraging | artsy forager #art #artists #design Design Foraging | artsy forager #art #artists #design Design Foraging | artsy forager #art #artists #design Design Foraging | artsy forager #art #artists #design Design Foraging | artsy forager #art #artists #design

     

    To see more offerings by Studio Arhoj, please visit their website.  You can find a list of retailers all over the world there, as well!

    All images are via the Studio Arhoj website.

  • Design Foraging: Studio Joo

    Design Foraging: Studio Joo

    My favorite aesthetic is work that feels both organic and modern.  Maybe it’s my competing loves of cities and the woods.  The work of Brooklyn artist Elaine Tian in her Studio Joo ceramics embodies that juxtaposition in the most elegant way.

    Studio Joo | artsy forager #art #artists #ceramics Studio Joo | artsy forager #art #artists #ceramics Studio Joo | artsy forager #art #artists #ceramics Studio Joo | artsy forager #art #artists #ceramics Studio Joo | artsy forager #art #artists #ceramics

     

    Light washes of color remind me of wispy landscapes seen through squinted eyes, her translucent glazes making each piece seem as polished as a river rock.  The shapes and palettes feel organic in nature, but there is a restraint and simplicity to the forms that create a collection that is thoroughly modern.  I’ll take one of each, please!

    To see more work from Studio Joo, please visit the website.  Pieces can be purchased through the Studio Joo Big Cartel site.

    All images via Studio Joo on Big Cartel.

  • Design Foraging: Elke Sada Ceramics

    Design Foraging: Elke Sada Ceramics

    Mr. F & I were chatting the other day about the long list of things we’d both like to try our hands at– high on my list?  Pottery and/or ceramics.  It’s always been one of my favorite mediums and I would love to see what I could do with it.  This week I came across the work of  German artist Elke Sada and was so inspired by her form and process!

    Elke Sada | artsy forager #art #artists #design #ceramics Elke Sada | artsy forager #art #artists #design #ceramics Elke Sada | artsy forager #art #artists #design #ceramics Elke Sada | artsy forager #art #artists #design #ceramics Elke Sada | artsy forager #art #artists #design #ceramics

    Sada’s process is a bit of a work in reverse, as she paints on plasterboard, then pouring clay onto the painted play.  The pliable clay is then cut and shaped into form.  You can read more about her process here.  The resulting forms have a wonderful whimsy about them with their shifting compositions and tilted shapes.  I mean, when you’re creating pieces like this, how could it not be fun?

    More of Elke Sada‘s ceramics can be seen on her website.

    All images via the artist’s website.

  • Shannon Sullivan

    Shannon Sullivan

    There are small, recurring moments in our marriage that make my heart swell.  Every night when Mr. F offers me a piece of chocolate after dinner, hidden love notes, and when while we’re in a gallery, Mr. F calls me over and says “Did you see this?!”  Recently while we made a quick unplanned tour of a gallery here in Eureka, we came across this artist’s work and both immediately loved it.  Eureka artist Shannon Sullivan creates these incredible ceramic forms, taking cues from nature yet remaining completely modern and compelling.

    Shannon Sullivan | artsy forager #art #artists #sculpture #ceramics Shannon Sullivan | artsy forager #art #artists #sculpture #ceramics Shannon Sullivan | artsy forager #art #artists #sculpture #ceramics Shannon Sullivan | artsy forager #art #artists #sculpture #ceramics Shannon Sullivan | artsy forager #art #artists #sculpture #ceramics

    The artist’s website is filled with incredible work– I seriously had such a hard time choosing what to feature– but felt the most drawn to her Plots series.  The series is based on ideas of land use and cultivation inspired by a trip to South America.  Soft looking ceramic forms are adorned with acrylic or polymer clay shapes, a nod to the effect of man’s hand on the natural environment.  The result is striking, engaging pieces that are visually intriguing even without knowing their reference.

    To see more work by Shannon Sullivan, please visit her website— there is so much more to see!!  Not just incredible sculptures, but wonderful wall pieces as well.

    All images via the artist’s website.

  • Fantastical Specimens: Susan Beiner

    Fantastical Specimens: Susan Beiner

    Now that Spring is here and we are eager to explore our new spot, Mr. Forager & I have been getting back into a regular hiking routine, weather permitting, we are out on the trails every Saturday.  One of my absolute favorite things about hiking is the chance to marvel at the natural world just outside our back door.  Every hike is filled with wonder and discovery.  Perhaps that’s what has drawn me to the work of today’s artist.  The ceramic sculptures of Susan Beiner are bursting with organic whimsy, making me want to peer closer to take it all in.

    Susan Beiner | artsy forager #art #artists #sculpture #ceramics Susan Beiner | artsy forager #art #artists #sculpture #ceramics Susan Beiner | artsy forager #art #artists #sculpture #ceramics Susan Beiner | artsy forager #art #artists #sculpture #ceramics Susan Beiner | artsy forager #art #artists #sculpture #ceramics

    Clusters and orbs remind me of the mussels and anemones that we delighted in among the tide pools along the beaches in Trinidad this weekend.  Each piece seems teeming with life, ready to explode with movement at any second.  All the nooks and crannies, where there may be hiding a new shape, a new creature to be discovered.  These pieces are like the best of hikes– there is always something new to see and each glance leaves us looking forward to the next discovery.

    To see more of Susan Beiner‘s work, please visit her website.

    All images are via the artist’s website.

  • Design Foraging: Diana Fayt

    Design Foraging: Diana Fayt

    I have such a weakness for ceramics.  Some people are glass lovers and I agree, handblown glass is gorgeous, but I’ve always loved the beautiful imperfection of ceramics.  I think it started when I was young, eating chocolate ice cream from my grandmother’s Frankoma pottery bowls.  The swirling of the spoon made such a distinct sound and the bowls usually had slight imperfections that just added to their charm.  Mr. F and I didn’t register for china when we got married, mostly because we knew we would be traveling for a while and didn’t see the point.  If I had registered, delicate china wouldn’t have been my choice.  Artsy pottery dishes would have been the way to go for me.  The work by ceramic artist Diana Fayt surely would have been ( and still is! ) on my short list.

    Diana Fayt Diana Fayt Diana Fayt Diana Fayt Diana Fayt

    The delicate graphics of her hand drawn “etchings in clay” and the gorgeous array of glaze colors make Diana’s ceramics almost too beautiful to use.  Oh but use them, I would!  How much better would my morning muesli taste out of one of these bowls?  Or just arrange a few leafy branches in one of those vases and let the pottery be the star.  Her work would fit just perfectly in our artsy dream home in the woods.

    To see more of Diana Fayt‘s work, please visit her website.  Some work is available for purchase on her website, or check out the galleries & stockists listed.

    All images via the artist’s website.

  • Design Foraging: Sara Paloma

    Design Foraging: Sara Paloma

    They’re creamy and they’re dreamy.  And I want to make them mine, each and every one!  I’m talking about the ceramic work of California artist Sara Paloma.  Whether it’s the color of the glaze, the texture or the shapes that are just so, there is something about these pieces that grabs my heart.

    Blue Green Stoneware Bottles by Sara Paloma Modern Stoneware Cups by Sara Paloma Nest Bowls by Sara Paloma White Ceramic Votive Vessel by Sara Paloma Paint Sample Glaze Test Cup by Sara Paloma

    Just so subtle and supple.. like a wisp of cloud.  Her work is definitely going on my “coveting” list!  Read more about Sara Paloma on her website and see more work available for purchase in her Etsy shop.  And she’s having a sale!!

    PS– You may have noticed that I’ve stopped doing Design Foraging on Fridays.  There were just too many artists I wanted to share, so I decided to do five artist features each week instead of four!  Design Foraging will now be an occasional posting, at least once a month, probably more. 😉

    All images via Sara Paloma’s Etsy shop.

  • Design Foraging: Shannon Garson

    Design Foraging: Shannon Garson

    The advent of the Fall season always makes my nesting instincts come out!  While we’re living our vagabond life, I’ll have to settle for baking, buying autumnal flowers and trying out new seasonal recipes instead of what I’d really like to do– paint, hang artwork, rearrange furniture and seasonalize ( new word! ) my home.  So dear Artsies, today I’m vicariously living through any Aussie readers who may have the opportunity to buy the lovely porcelain work of Shannon Garson.  Her palette and texture reminds me of bare tree branches and the crunch of fallen leaves underfoot.

    Dry Season Bowl- 11 cms high x 21 cms wide. $550 DF_Garson_Nests DF_Garson_EucalyptusDF_Garson_Bowl
    DF_Garson_Dark Nests

     

    You can check out more work by Shannon Garson on her website.  I’ll be over here, drooling and wishing I could somehow make a few of these mine.  Happy weekend!

    All images are via the artist’s website.

  • Design Foraging: The Object Enthusiast

    Design Foraging: The Object Enthusiast

    In our traveling, some of the things I’ve missed most have been my beautiful functionals.  What’s a beautiful functional, you say?  It’s an object that serves a purpose, while still being a bit of eye candy.  Like my gorgeous carnival blue glass jars that sit in my bathroom, or a pretty little dish at the kitchen sink to corral rings and such.  We’re having our pretties shipped from Florida soon and I can’t wait to see them all again!  Until then, I’m totally drooling over these beautiful functionals by Emily Reinhardt aka The Object Enthusiast.

    Porcelain Ring Dishes
    Porcelain Ring Dishes
    Gray Teardrop Vase with Gold Dots
    Gray Teardrop Vase with Gold Dots
    White and Gold Mini Faceted Vessel
    White and Gold Mini Faceted Vessel
    Spotted Vessel with Gold Brush Strokes
    Spotted Vessel with Gold Brush Strokes
    Mint and Copper Ball Vase
    Mint and Copper Ball Vase

    Emily’s pieces are each handmade and painted, each so pretty and unique.  She’s moving in mid-July, so now is the perfect time to snatch up one of these lovelies at 20% off in her Etsy shop!  Just use the coupon code SUMMER20 when you check out.  I must admit, I am seriously tempted!

    All images via the artist’s Etsy shop.  Artist found via Beautiful Hello.