On Etsy: Kim Westad

the artist... Kim Westad
the artist's shop
the artist's work
the artist's blog

why I like it... Westad makes potting look so easy in this Etsy video, and I love that. To folks who have never set their hands upon a lump of clay on a speedily rotating wheel, the process of a skilled potter seems so effortless. Those of us, however, who have had the experience can appreciate the level of skill Westad has at the wheel for all the time and effort it took to get there. My favorite moment, which can be seen in this short segment, is pulling the rib up and over a piece at the last moment on the wheel... the smooth surface of the clay reveals the true form at that point and is the 'aaahhhhh' moment for me. As for Weston's designs, I enjoy her work mostly because of the texture she uses. She creates not simply a tactile surface, but a tactile surface that reads as illustration much of the time. It's just lovely. And the technique she uses for her texture, a form of slip trailing, is one I have yet to try, but this video inspires me to give it a go this upcoming semester.

perch! design

Darling and clever, perch! design is the work of artist/designer Amy Adams. Simple but interesting shapes combine with gentle but flirtatious color to create unique lighting elements for anyone with a taste for handmade or modern. Adam's other designs include tableware and garden pottery that are just as charming. The artist's Flickr page is also worth peeking at to see other designs that aren't on the website as well as a glimpse into her studio and some cute pet photos. I can't wait to have a studio of my own just so I can have a studio-cat as cute as Gus.

P.S. Many goods are available for purchase online. Yay!

(all images via perch! design)

Adrian Arleo

Adrian Arleo was the first ceramic artist that I discovered on my own who greatly inspired me. I think it's fair to say that finding Arleo pushed my enjoyment of clay into a much deeper relationship. Her work showed me the kind of magic clay could create in the hands of an artist and it was at that point I realized how badly I wanted to feel that magic.

You can hear an interview with the artist here. A rare treat for sure.

(images via Ravens Wing Studio, the Jane Sauer Gallery, the Virginia A Groot Foundation, the Archie Bray Foundation, ArtPark, and Of the West)

Maria White

I totally just stumbled upon this amazing artist the other day while gathering images of another ceramist. I love it when that happens. White is a very young but very talented artist and I'm looking forward to watching her work (though she has already been lauded by many). She is currently developing porcelain lighting and I cannot wait to see the debut of her designs this fall. The final photo is obviously a shot of the artist herself. I love posting this when possible because so often fine artists are presented to the world as faceless celebrities. I feel as though on some level this inhibits our ability to relate with artists and so contributes to the lack of respect and awe we have for fine art today as a society. Yikes, hope that wasn't to bold of a tangent... anyway, enjoy!

(images via artist's own website)

Samantha Robinson

I discovered this potter whilst reading one of my too many domestication blog subscriptions: Bliss. There is very little information about her that I could find, even through her own website, which makes me sad as I have so many questions. I love her use of traditional, mostly Japanese, patterning and her unabashed use of color. And her forms are so wabi-sabi, which adds perfectly to the charming combination of the pattern, material, and color. Her pieces aren't yet available for sale online, but should be soon so keep checking her website if you are interested.

(all images via artists own website)

Paige Wright

Wright is a current resident at the Red Lodge Clay Center. Talk about evocative.

Off Subject: Nicola Bolla

...and who said bedazzling was passé?

(images via ArteLab, and Behance)

Book: The Complete Guide to High-Fire Glazes

I think by purchasing this book, I may have just changed my life.

It's that good.

But, duh, come on... I knew it was going to be that good. It's a Lark Ceramics book, after all, and John Britt is a genius.

Bean Finneran

Bean Finneran's work is vibrant, youthful, and explosive. If you can believe, these bold sculptures are made of small earthenware coils (sometimes gently glazed) that are fired and then stained with an acrylic medium, which the 62 year old artist then assembles without anchor or adhesive into these anamorphic mounds, piles, and rings.

wow.

Her artist's statement on the PDX Contemporary Art Gallery's website is particularly nice to read as it uncovers some of Finneran's creative intentions.

(images via the artist's own website and the PDX Contemporary Art Gallery)

Elizabeth Robinson

No words today, just pictures...

(images via artist's website, Market House Craft Center, More Ways To Waste Time, and MudFire Gallery)

Mug*Shots

a short video from MudFire Gallery of their upcoming show Mug*Shots.



chock full of great work, the show opens tomorrow night and remains open through September 26th. wish I could go.

Off Subject: Zeke Leonard

Wall sconces designed by industrial designer/artist, Zeke Leonard. I just can't seem to get enough objets de lumiére... Thanks for the heads up Design*Sponge.

(image via design*sponge)

Ryan Fletcher

These amazing lights are the work of Ryan Fletcher, a 25 year old BFA student at the Kansas City Art Institute. This sculpture or product or chandelier is freakin' awesome.

(images via The Thought Bank)

Off Subject: Thinking Outside the Box

White Box from makoto yabuki on Vimeo.

Anne Hirondelle

I love how modern Anne Hirondelle's work is. The effect of her textural combination of wire and stoneware is deepened by her use of bright colors against such a stark white. The result is a beautiful ode to minimalism that everyone can appreciate.

(images via Seders Gallery and University of Montana Art Department blog)