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?!
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!
Remember candy necklaces? I mean, jewelry you could eat?? Every little girl’s dream! And big girls, too, as it turns out. Scottish jewelry artist Rosie Kimber crafts her own wearable confections from resin, silicone, and sugar crystals creating modern, artistic baubles pretty enough to eat!
These put those candy necklaces to shame. So much prettier and without the yucky slightly sweet chalky taste!
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.
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!
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!
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?
Interior designers have a special place in my heart. Perhaps because I call so many of them friends and because I spent a few years studying to be one. That plan derailed ( a story for another day! ), but I’m still so appreciative of the work that designers do, especially when it comes to incorporating original artwork into the spaces they design. And Seattle’s Brian Paquette of Brian Paquette Interiors, of course, is showing the world how to using original artwork infuses a space with personality and turns the fabulousness up to 11.
The work Paquette chooses add yet another layer of texture to his already gorgeously layered designs. The spaces are elegant, yet warm and friendly, much in thanks to the contemporary art he uses that is anything but stuffy. Named one of The Next Big Names in Design by Lonny Magazine, the future’s looking bright in rainy Seattle for Brian Paquette Interiors.
To see more of the Brian Paquette’s portfolio, please visit the Brian Paquette Interiors website.
I’m a big fan of modern quilts. I love that artists and artisans are continuing a longstanding tradition yet giving it a modern spin. The ladies of Hopewell Workshop, Eliza Kenan and Claire Oswalt came together to continue the tradition of their respective families of creating artisan wares such as these quilts with a modish edge.
Just as our ancestors created quilts based on their traditions and folklore, so are the Hopewell makers creating new traditions on a contemporary foundation. Each piece a work of art. I would love to curl up under one of these or just hang it on my wall and gaze at it!
Maybe because it has been so long since Mr. F and I were able to get out and hike. Or maybe I’ve been cooped up inside too much this winter. Whatever the reason, I can’t get enough of these lovely woodland jewelry creations by Anna Fiala!
So simple, yet so beautiful, they remind me of necklaces made of flowers popular with little girls everywhere or a wide swing covered wrapped in vines. I love how graphic those wire petals and leaves are, especially against the small branches.
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.
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.
Oh how I love some pretty jewelry candy! I asked Mr. Forager Santa to put a pretty little artsy bauble in my Christmas stocking. Think its too late to add one of these to my list? These handmade glass and fiber pieces by Asheville artist Arlie Trowbridge aka Urban Revisions would be sure to add an artsy touch to every day.
Aren’t they lovely? Like wearing beautiful little pieces of rock candy. The top necklace and bottom rings are my fave. Which do you love best?
It’s too late to order from Urban Revisions in time for Christmas, but never too late for an anytime gift for yourself! 😉 See more pretty artsy baubles on the Urban Revisions website here.
I am a long time fan of Seattle artist Liz Tran. Evidenced in posts herehere and here. The color and movement in her work creates such a lovely, happy atmosphere. Obviously, its work that I return to again and again. Following an artist residency in North Iceland this June, Tran created a series of Electric Necklaces out of ceramic pieces found on the beach in Reykjavik. Most of the elements in the necklaces are old electrical components that have been worn by the North Atlantic and then transformed by the painter’s hand.
Aren’t they magical? You can see more work from Liz Tran on her website. And if you really want to stir up your own green eyed monster, follow Liz on Instagram, where she is taking you along on her very artsy tour through Frances. Tres jaloux!
