hudson beach glassware

look at this beautiful, functional glass collection from hudson beach glass. the four artists who make up this collective — john p. gilvey, wendy gilvey, michael benzer and jennifer smith — use several techniques, including casting the glass by hand and etching it for even more texture and depth. nature and the sea are influences, as you can see from the organic detailing they’ve included on these pieces.

purchase select pieces here and there, and see more of this sculptural collection on the hudson beach glass website.

via the ecosalon

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jennifer maestre sculpture

(ed. note: welcome first-time readers! if you enjoy this article about jennifer, please click on the other categories to the left to enjoy even more posts about other talented artists and designers. better yet, feel free to be impulsive and click on subscribe to the right, and i will bring the good stuff to you instead! thank you for visiting!)

look closely at the fantastic sea creatures created by south african born, massachusetts based sculptor jennifer maestre and you will see that they’re made of pencils. that’s right, you heard me. jen’s current work is skillfully crafted from hundreds and hundreds of colored pencils. they’re cut into one inch pieces, sharpened and then drilled through to become beads, and then sewn together using a peyote stitch. in each of these incredible works you can feel the approach-avoid paradox from her medium - a clear and surprising achievement (and one of her goals). you can also see the genesis and extension of a simply fascinating idea.

all that contrasty tension in the spikey points and smooth, undulating surfaces serve as reminders of all that is dangerously attractive in nature. the textures, at first glance, give way to a certain complex reveal that comes from deep inside a person who is not only a visionary, but also a truly enlightened master of color.

i love to see the progression and throughlines of artist’s work, and jen’s website is a fabulous example of this. knowing that she started out with the idea using nails when she was a student (see the first 3 photos above), and then having it evolve organically into pencils and then being nimble enough with the concept to extend this thought into something wearable and accessible to people who aren’t hardcore collectors is truly extraordinary and seems so purposeful, and successful to me.

and i want to touch everything, even though they’re sharp, and stick my head inside that tall guy with the gaping hole at the top, to see all the spikes in there. to stare. and think and evolve like the piece itself must have done.

see more magnificence on jennifer’s website.

bonus: check out her beautiful pendants, pins and small sculpture in her etsy shop!

via designboom

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heather knight & element clay studio

look here at these striking organic porcelain pieces by north carolina artist heather knight. heather is inspired by the beauty found in nature and seeks to represents its complexity in her work. these pieces are coated with a fine white slip that ensures purity of color and matte finish.

i love her natural themes and smoothness of the porcelain juxtaposed with the jagged and rough shells of the critters and elements she reproduces in her work. i also love the idea of those 9″ square white pieces on a richly painted wall. it would make for a beautiful contrast. actually the more i look at all these pieces the more insane i become.

find beautiful things for sale at her etsy shop, and at her element studio and gallery in asheville. oh! and other happenings on her blog.

via sarerinthal

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