Zen Parry

Parry's work is based off her signature triangular shape which resembles the dark corners of the human psyche, aka the thought you would rather not confront. She does not use the wheel or a kiln, and all components are hand made. I find her pieces to be very interesting to look at because they are a very uncommon way to create art. I honestly would have never even known that she was a ceramicist. Each piece is to resemble the place of where she was inspired to create it.

Halima Cassell

 

 

 

Halima Cassell's work is primarily geometric patterns influenced by African and Islamic art. They are all unglazed clay, which definitely gives them a naturalistic look. She carves out the patterns into the clay and then fires them. They are definitely eye catching because the patterns are detailed. 

Beate Kuhn

Beate Kuhn is known mostly for her sculptures made from her wheel thrown multiples. Her work is very original, and organic.  She stays with mostly neutral colors and some soft blues. Her pieces are very modern, yet intricate. Visually, they are interesting to look at, because they are so unique.

Ian Garrett

Ian Garrett is a potter from South Africa. I think that these pots/bowls are beautiful. The forms of the pieces are rather simple and allow the interesting textures to have prominence. The juxtaposition between the shiny and textured surface makes them quite eye catching and captivating. To me, these don’t even really look like clay; there must be such time-consuming and unique finishing techniques involved. I read that the artist builds his pieces with coils, and that burnishing with pebbles creates the shiny parts. 

Rachel Suzanne Smith

Smith uses mediums and ideas from nature. She literally puts grass into her pieces to emphasize the nature aspect of the pieces. Smith doesn't use bright colors or crazy patterns to catch the attention of her viewers. Smith raises her metals to make the bumps  and texture. She uses organic shapes rather than something traditional which goes along with the nature aspect of her work.

Ben Dory

Dory loves patterns. In his artist statement he says that he "is fascinated by the ability to transform a surface through pattern." His work caught my eye because of the colors and patterns. His pieces all have a uniform, symmetric look to them that is very pleasing to the eye. I am also a fan of Dory because he is from a small area of Illinois that I have been too before.

Tanel Veenre

Veenre is from Tallin, Estonia which is a small place in Northern Europe. His work is definitely something unique. The main medium that Veenre uses is wood to create this big statement pieces. The pieces seem to have a bump like texture on them. The colors are dark and more subtle pieces but the design of the shapes is what gives these pieces the statement aspect. Veenre has gotten a lot of his influence from Estonia.


Here is the link: http://klimt02.net/jewellers/tanel-veenre

Manuela Sousa

Sousa is from Portugal and her heritage shows through immensely in her work. She uses all forms to create her jewelry. She uses silver, cotton, and steel for some and then for a couple of brooches she used matches. Another couple sets of brooches were crafted using elastic bands that resemble hair ties that people use to hold their hair back. Her pieces are familiar shapes that most people can identify. She does squares, hearts, and oval for a lot of the main shapes. I was drawn to this work by how simplistic the work seems.

Here is the link to her site :http://klimt02.net/jewellers/manuela-sousa

Tamara Gruner

Her work caught my eye because she has her pieces modeled on dogs. My first thought was that this was animal jewelry and that I have never seen such a thing apart from maybe a dangle on a collar or leash. After further investigation I realized that these were bright, vibrant pieces. The look of the big statement pieces and the bright colors reminds me of a high end type of costume jewelry. Her pieces lack symmetry which adds to the overall flavor of the pieces and most of the work is a earth tone with a pop of color by using a jewel or some other medium.

Here is her website: http://klimt02.net/jewellers/tamara-gruner

Darlene Armstrong


My main focus in art is metal and jewelry. The craft of pieces are so mechanic and take much precision either when cutting out or hot/cold connecting. The simplest looking pieces generally are the most complicated to make. Armstrong is an artist from Denver, Colorado. She uses glass in her pendants and necklaces and advertises that each piece is handmade and unique to the nest. I love the softness of the colors that she uses. These aren't bold, bright statements but rather they are intricate pieces that have their own hold on beauty.

Her in the link to her pieces. http://www.gallery386.com/large-multi-view/Silver%20and%20Handmade%20Glass/790821-2-61081/Jewelry.html

Barbara Nanning

Barbara Nanning tends to base her pottery off of flowers, plants, microcosm. Her pieces are not identical to the objects she bases her work off of, but you get the sense of what she is creating. Her pieces are bright and vibrant, just like flowers are. They are curvy and abstract, and draw your attention to them. They create many shadows and the light seems to make them more interesting to look at.

Kurt Weiser

I really enjoyed looking at Kurt Weiser's porcelain pieces, not necessarily for the pottery aspect of it, but because his painting on the surfaces is stunning. His color choice is so realistic, yet even though the figures are distorted, they are almost real. His style is really unique, you don't see many ceramic artists using their pieces as a canvas to paint elaborate images.

Minerva Chango

Most of Minerva Chango's work is wood fired, which gives it a rustic texture and color. She does a lot of curvaceous pieces as well as tea pot looking objects. The colors she tends to use throughout her work are naturalistic, calm colors, with a little bit of energy. Her work seems to look almost accidental when it comes to her glazing, but it seems to bring a uniqueness to each piece.

Vivienne Foley

Vivienne Foley is an exceptional ceramicist in London. Her very unique, original, modern pieces are unlike anything I have seen. Every piece is precise. They are very unusual pieces, usually of black or white, made from porcelain. I must say I love the curves and points and individualism of each piece. They are definitely fit into the category of modernism.

Andrea Fabrega

What's not to love about miniature ceramics? Andrea makes these very small ceramic pieces using porcelain. She does throw them on a full sized wheel.

Robert Arneson

Robert Arneson started the Funk Ceramics movement, but I really enjoy his drawings. I love the use of color, as well as the size and close up subject matter. His work was on display at the art museum in the IMU earlier this year.

Eva Hesse

Hesse didn't live very long, nor did she create and enormous body of work, but she pioneered interesting takes on sculpture, using thread and plastics in a lot of her work.

Regina Granne

Granne's drawings frequently address social issues in a subtle but well rendered way, and her concepts are always thought provoking.

Yayoi Kusama

I love the way this artist uses pattern as an illusion and for texture. Plus, her images are an interesting combination of serious and silly.

Fiber Sculpture

This piece of art, called 1.26, was created by Janet Echelman.  It was a temporary sculpture, located in Denver from July 6th through August 6th 2010.  During that time it was suspended from the roof of the seven story Denver Art Museum.  

It was made using a special fiber and illuminated with bright colored lights.  I think the color in the piece is absolutely amazing and I really enjoy its fluid form.  I really wish I could have seen it lit up and moving in the wind in real life.  

Wanda Fiscina

None of the information on this artist was in English, but I still wanted to share her pieces. This one looks like a sea creature.

Alice Ballard

Alice Ballard is a well known ceramicist based in Greenville South Carolina. Her work is inspired by nature and the changing seasons. She has several permanent collections. I especially like her teapots. 

This is a piece from her wall pod collection. 

 

This is her long pod trio.

Betsy Nield

Betsy Nield is a South African Artist, who became a ceramicists because her mother had her own pottery studio. She currently works with porcelain paper clay.

Astrid Dahl

Astrid Dahl uses white clay to create these porcelain looking pieces. They are very delicate and natural. She says that flowers are the “springboard” of her inspiration. Her pieces have been featured in magazines such as Elle, and House and Garden.

Robin Welsch

 

Robin Welch is a ceramicist from Britain. He’s been working since the 80’s. I like the very functional, and earthy feel of his work.

I like how this tumbler has a very aged look, with a gold rim. It also has a unique shape, It looks like it could have been found in an archeological site.

This bowl has the same look. It has beautiful colors, and I’d like to know how he fired these pieces.

I love way he shaped the pitcher in this set. They’re a very elegant set, while still having Welch’s characteristic aged look.

Michel et Nico

I couldn’t find a lot of information on the artist, other than that he was a French artist in the 60s/70’s, but I wanted to share these pieces. They are at the same time absolutely adorable, and a little morbid. They shift between looking like cartoon characters and skulls. I like how the artist took a handful of characteristic traits of an owl, and made a bunch of unique sculptures. They are all drastically different, but obviously owls.