i ain’t your papi

if you have about three minutes today, watch this video to see only one of the myriad reasons why cops is my favorite show.

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target dorm commercial

it’s that time of year when i wax nostalgic about heading off to the hallowed halls and oak lined quads of tulane to get my learning paper, so i am really enjoying this television commercial for target.

i wish this was the kind of roommate experience i had - a dance off! instead i got paired with a long island princess who brought a freezer bag full of weed and a big clear red transparent plastic bong that our resident advisor thought was a vase (not kidding).

ah, youth.

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stephanie simek wearables: let’s chat!

i almost thought these delicate jewelry pieces by stephanie simek were trompe l’oeil when i first saw them. i mean, is that really an eggshell? lined with 23k gold foil? really? and there’s no way someone could possibly piece single eyelashes together so precisely, right? and what about that delicate, glowing sea cookie that looks as if it were found and plucked right from the ocean floor and pinned on a blouse? viewing these surreal pieces truly suspends my disbelief. my mind hurtles toward fantastic places and into stephanie’s world, filled with deft skill, technique and élan. could she be a refined, modern-day willy wonka? let’s have a chat and find out more!

q: where do you live, and where do you create your art?
a: i live in portland, oregon in a former hare krishna temple that my partner adam keller and i turned into an art and music space. we host events about once or twice a week. my favorite part of the room is the stage area that has a beautiful scalloped cutout and peaks at the top. it is painted gold, which was like that when we moved in. actually every room in the house is painted a different, bright color. i work on my own projects in the main room when it isn’t being used for shows.

q: what is your background? did you study art formally?
a: i studied at mason gross school of the arts at rutgers university in new jersey. i got my bfa in visual arts with a concentration in photography.

q: on your website i see you have projects in several other disciplines. did you start out making jewelry? is it your favorite way to express yourself creatively?
a: the jewelry line is actually pretty new. i started it about a year ago and am really enjoying exploring the possibilities. but i am just as excited about some of the other things i am currently working on. right now i’m also working on some videos and sound pieces.

q: what compelled you to use these extremely delicate, organic materials in your collection?
a: i think it makes the person wearing it more aware, to the extent where hopefully they feel like they are the guardian of something precious.

q: what has been your biggest challenge in designing jewelry? and how about your biggest reward in being a gallery owner?
a: i like to use materials that aren’t customarily worn on the body, so it’s often a challenge figuring out how to get them to be accommodating. i have to find ways to prevent problems like breakage and decay while still visually maintaining the delicate nature of the object.

as far as owning a gallery, i think experiencing and exposing other people to all kinds of work is the most rewarding aspect of running a place like ours. also, it’s very gratifying to be able to give artists a place to share what they’ve created with other people.

q: what’s the best piece of advice you have ever received regarding your work?
a: keep at it!

q: what is your inspiration to create these pieces?
a: recently it’s been my dreams and the feelings i’m left with when i wake up.

q: can we go anywhere to see your work in person?
a: currently, i don’t have any work on exhibit, but you can purchase my complete wearable collection through my website, and select pieces around the world at the following shops: in chicago at habit, at catbird in brooklyn and pixie market in new york, in sydney at incu, at umi and co. in london, in san francisco at offbeat on haight and at the square room and foxmaid in seattle.

see more at stephanie’s website, and if you are local be sure to stop by rererato to see the latest and greatest art in all media.

thank you stephanie!

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bent objects food art - behind the scenes

if you enjoy beloved indianapolis talent terry border’s humorous bent object food art like i do and have four minutes today, check out this video interview below that he did with rhett and link. they show us terry’s studio and thoughts behind some of his greatest vignettes. it’s some interesting insight into an agile, creative mind.

terry’s book will be out next year and it is going to be great. say hello and get a taste of what you have to look forward to on his website.

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karen caldicott art and sculpture

do you ever wonder what it would be like if you chucked it all, left the city and moved out to the sticks? would you miss the option of thai food at 2 am? would your lungs expand from all the fresh air, and your mind expand out to the corners, in a more creative way? uk artist karen caldicott, a longtime brooklyn resident, currently makes her home in the beautiful hudson valley - and look at the amazing things she does! (okay, okay, she didn’t do it all out in the country.) you may know karen from her recent weekly contributions to new york magazine, where she created the disarmingly detailed plasticine models of important people and celebrities. these models were borne of an idea she had to bring her two dimensional illustrations to the next level. she would sketch, and create a clay model from it, then photograph the model and present both the two and three dimensional pieces together on display - quite an arduous process, and thorough and fluid too.

karen has explored her talents in a variety of media, with a seemingly effortless élan. she was drawn to the mix of urban and nature that gently used snow fuses into sculpture, and her strangely beautiful snow series of photographs was created.

her illustrations and artwork have piqued the interest of many clients, including the wall street journal, random house, the national law journal and time.

karen is now beginning to dabble in stop motion video and animation, a place where the progression of her clay pieces would naturally go (doesn’t it make sense?). this is a clip of johnny knoxville doing some moves (and i am really feeling a peter gabriel big time/sledgehammer-type vibe from this):

i am looking forward to seeing her refine and command this new medium, as she has consistently demonstrated with all the others she has used. there is also a certain smoothness in all these works that somehow makes their meaning clear, however simple or complex it may be.

karen’s marvelous clay heads will be on display in a show at the cooper union sometime next year. stay tuned for the details, and in the meantime check her website to see many more models, illustrations and photography!

thank you karen for all the info!

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