Sigh. This is the dreamy mixed media sculpture of Swiss artist Juliette Sallin. Her work – the colors, those textures, the delicate elegance of it all – are absolutely poetic on their own, but then you add her artist statement:

“I am a visual artist who has always been fascinated by the way we perceive and remember the landscape through our senses. I translate this interest into sculptures made of paper, but also of silk, brass and other materials. I select them for their ability to transcribe the beauty of the elements with their shapes and colors of course, but also for their tactile qualities, and sometimes even how they sound when you touch them.

Enlightened by my own experiences of Nature, by the non-dualistic oriental philosophies (Shivaism, Taoism), the phenomenological philosophy of Merleau-Ponty, and the environmental writings of David Abram, I perceive our inner plenitude as a communion with Nature and the elements. This feeling could be reached when we open ourselves to our sensations, and let our perceptions wrap us.

During the process, I borrow various crafts’ techniques, such as embroidery, silk dyeing, paper decoupage and metal forming. By assimilating these gestures in my artistic practice, I get closer to a form of humbleness and sincerity, where patience and mastery of the mind help me to get closer to my subject and to recreate, in a subjective way, the sensations I experienced in a brief moment of fullness.

My work can be considered as part of the Slow Art movement, and offers a reflection about Time; a very fleeting one, perceived while being in communion with Nature, and another one, longer and precise, during the creation of the artwork.”

Aaaaaaand exhale. Happy Friday.

{via Create Magazine}

“Let’s Play War!” … big crocheted army men with a message. LOVE! This is the work of Los Angeles based artist Nathan Vincent. I wrote about Nathan’s manly doily series in 2013, and I’m happy to report that his already fantastic work has evolved into this! Here’s a little more about this project:

Commissioned by the Bellevue Arts Museum in 2015, “Let’s Play War!” is a dynamic installation-based exhibition springing from the “Boy Toy” series.  The installation includes sixteen individual child sized sculptures that change position each day and “play”- echoing the activities of our youth and referencing the ways in which we teach children to associate violence and aggression with play and fun. 

Brilliant.

Are you thinking, “Hold on – is this BUBBLEGUM?!”… yes, yes it is. These sculptures – from high heels to crocs {the animal, not the shoe} – are the work of Italian artist Maurizio Savini. Here’s a bit of info, found via Fremin Gallery in New York, answering a few questions I’m guessing you might have … 1. Does he chew all of this gum? 2. Um, is bubblegum archival?  3. Why so much pink?:

No.1 : With a process as unique as his aesthetic, Maurizio and his two assistants unwrap then apply heat to thousands of half white, half bright pink bubble gum squares without chewing a single piece, so they can easily be manipulated, cut with a knife, and applied to plaster mold like traditional clay. Maurizio notes, “The mold is crucial” – without it, his tacky sculptures would be far too unstable. After molding the chewing gum into his desired shapes, Maurizio fixes and preserves his sculptures with a mixture of formaldehyde and antibiotics, so his works will be in tact for generations of Romans to come. This labor-intensive process at times calls for nearly 3,000 individual pieces of bubble gum per sculpture.

No. 2: Telling the story of his very first show, Maurizio admits, “The first exhibition I had went really well, there was only one problem which was actually quite funny. The works I sold completely fell apart after three months as the high sugar content in the bubble gum had destroyed the foundation beneath – they were all sent back to the galleries! I had to give the money back, but I had already spent it!” At the age of 44, Maurizio now has nearly fifteen years of experience with the sticky substance, and has appeared in over 100 group and 50 solo exhibitions all over the word

No. 3: Maurizio’s fascination with the ultra pink chromatic began long before his chewy sculptures came to play; to him, “pink represents artificiality – when you see it, you associate it with a fake world.” 

Happy Monday.

What on earth are these gorgeous circles that seem to emit some kind of magic? I’m not sure to be totally honest, but the person responsible, French artist Lyès, refers to his work as “celestial wall sculpture”. LOVE! Speaking of love, the message behind his work is a fine blend of “The Energy of Life is in You / Love Will Conquer”. Beautiful! Now, as far as materials go? I believe we’re looking at C-Prints, plexi face-mounted on aluminum panels… with a dash of light-filled magic. Obviously.

Whimsical lamps and colorful geometric shapes floating just off the wall… I was happy with that, and then one of them started lighting up and playing music too!? Seriously, I would love to spend the day inside the mind of Oklahoma based artist, animator, and musician Andy Arkley… I bet it’s really fun in there. Happy Thursday.

“presence of absence” and “where two worlds touch ii”… the titles of these two earthly bodies of work by Oregon based artist Mary Baum.

Her work deals with themes of belief and mysticism; the connection between the natural and spiritual worlds; and the relationship between magic and miracle. 

Any magic involving shattered glass, soil, sand, and stone is okay by me … sigh. Beautiful.

Gasp! This is the strange and stunning work of American sculptor Christina Bothwell. She studied painting at art school, but ultimately found herself drawn to glass and clay… so she taught herself how to do it. So inspiring! Here is part of her artist statement:

“Since I was very young, I have been fascinated with the concept of the Soul… the idea that the physical body represents only a small part of our beingness. I am always interested in trying to express the that we are more than just our bodies, and my ongoing spiritual interests and pursuits have run parallel to the narrative in my pieces … I am drawn to the processes of birth, death, and renewal. What lies below the surface fascinates me and I try to capture the qualities of the “unseen” that express the sense of wonder that I feel in my daily existence. I am attracted to glass because it can do everything that other sculptural media can; in addition, it offers an inner space and transmits light.”

It certainly does! And speaking of renewal, almost exactly one year ago, Christina’s studio burned to the ground. She lost everything… not only all of her equipment and supplies, but a huge amount of the work she’d created over the past twenty years. Devastating. That said, I’m happy to report that she and her husband Robert D. Bender (also a fabulous glass artist who she often collaborates with), have picked up the pieces and are forging ahead. Again, so inspiring. ps. Don’t be distracted by sweet Gosle in the video… she’s just there to give feedback if Christina needs it.

I don’t usually suffer from FOMO, but I definitely wish I could see this show in New York! Summer Mixer, at Joshua Liner Gallery, features the work of some of my favorite artists… from Arno Beck‘s typewriter landscapes, Jen Stark‘s dizzying pieces, the gorgeous abstracts of Kathryn Macnaughton, and Mark Wagner‘s cut up cash to the colorful sculptures of Stephen Ormandy, Terri Loewenthal‘s vibrant photographs, and – of course – brand new funny and fantastic text paintings by Wayne White. WHAT? How can I possibly be missing this!? If you, however, happen to be in New York, you don’t have to miss it. Summer Mixer runs until August 23, 2019.

Can. Not. Breathe.  This stunning piece, titled “Artificial Forest”, is the work of Taiwanese artist Ching-Chih Wu. From what I can tell, his work began with smaller-scale metal and enamel pieces {jewelry and smaller works}, but in recent years his work has evolved into large-scale spatial sculpture … and it is absolutely magical.

These are not your older sister’s hand-me-downs, but they aren’t new. This ongoing series, titled “Second Hand”,  is the work of Ukrainian artist Zhanna Kadyrova. Here is the description from her site:

“… the concept of ‘second hand’, we are talking about buildings that have passed from one owner to another. Objects that formally resemble clothing are lined with original tiles from the walls of a building or enterprise. Tiled ornaments transferred identical to their placement on the walls.”

Beautiful! psst… the top most image (taken by Paolo Ferrarini for Cool Hunting), made with repurposed tiles from a Venetian hotel, is currently showing at the Venice Biennale in the Central Pavilion until November 2019.