isabelle abramson ceramics
White Porcelain Berry Bowl by Isabelle Abramson.
Isabelle Abramson’s ceramics are predominently white. Love the texture of that bowl.
porcelain milk cartons by ricochet studio
Best Before by Ricochet Studio.
I don’t drink milk anymore, but I love the beautiful simplicity of the shape of milk cartons emphasized here by the passage to white porcelain. The interiors are glazed for functional use. The three sizes (small, medium & large) are sold separately and range from $45.00 to $110.00.
Ricochet Studio is a very young company initiated by Vancouver artist Jeremy Hatch. It
focuses on collaborating with artists from various disciplines to realize limited edition ceramic objects.
You may want to check another of their creations : the porcelain Tooth Jar, a candy box sculpted by artist David Khang. It is available in three colors/lids : gold, silver & white. They will be produced in a Limited Edition of 50 pieces for each color with 2 artist proofs of each.
pounce #5 : fred parker pottery
Porcelain Teabowl by Fred Parker Pottery @ Etsy.
There is always a great sensuality in a perfect bowl. It has to do with the roundness no doubt. This here is a perfect bowl to me.
In his Shop Announcement, Fred Parker professes his love for detail :
Detail is important to me. Because of this you will generally see equal attention given all parts of an item — bottoms should be as exciting and interesting as the rest of a pot.
And they definitely are !
This is no doubt a shop to follow, for there are already some very interesting objects like those black stoneware teabowls (here and here for instance) even though they are not exactly my thing. And you can see a lot more on Fred Parker’s website Baitpond Pottery.
orange bowl by lynn cardwell pottery
Orange and Textured Iron Bowl by Lynn Cardwell Pottery @ Etsy.
I do not fall for all of Lynn Cardwell’s pottery works, but I really really love her bowls. The contrast between the bright and glossy colors on the insides and the rough aspect of the outsides is very interesting, plus the shapes of her bowls are extremely beautiful. That orange one is a favorite of mine, I always come back to it, but then I love orange so much…
Her Ikebana vases are amazing too, they have the same kind of strength and simplicity.
She is a member of the Etsy Mud Team.
a pair of blue cups by kristin pavelka pottery
Pair of cups – light blue and white by Kristin Pavelka Pottery @ Etsy.
I absolutely love those two cups by Kristin Pavelka. Here’s the description in her own words :
Darling pair of earthenware teabowls with blue and white arc pattern and reddish orange dots. Inside is glazed pale lime green. Trimmed footring with personal stamp.
ettore sottsass (1917-2007)
Carlton designed by Ettore Sottsass in 1981 for Memphis Milano.
I found this great article called “Memphis design style is back” while doing some research about Ettore Sottsass in early January when I learned he had died. I’m not in a writing mood these days so I guess I’ll just add a selection of photos and links here.
Tahiti lamp by Ettore Sottsass for Memphis Milano, 1981.
Vase (502) – Black & White Collection by Ettore Sottsass for Bitossi of Italy.
Sottsass Associates – The Wolf House in Ridgway, Colorado, USA, 1987-89.
Articles on Sottsass :
Ettore Sottsass @ Design Museum + Memphis @ Design Museum
Ettore Sottsass – 20 ans de design pour Olivetti @ Centre Pompidou
Ettore Sottsass @ LACMA
Ettore Sottsass : “Tout est design, c’est une fatalité” Le Monde, 29/08/2005, interview by Michèle Champenois.
Shopping :
Alessi
Memphis Milano
Ettore Sottsass @ Unica Home
designdesign.it
brendan monroe bacterium mug
Ceramic coffee mug by Brendan Monroe on Park Life, go to Homewares.
New in 2007. Very limited Edition of 150 pcs.
Brendan Monroe is an amazingly great artist. I discovered his work at the same time I discovered art toys since his Sour figures were then being released amidst quite a bit of turmoil as I seem to recall. The toys had been shown back in 2005 at SDCC and were first scheduled for October/November of the same year, but as is often the case with vinyl figures the production experienced some delays so that even though they were at some point announced for late January 2006 they were not actually released until April 2006. The release itself was a bit chaotic since it was mostly done through pre-orders and it seemed Glen Liberman from Android 8 was doing pretty much everything by himself. You could find the Green and Brown versions in a couple of shops though, but the Red Sour was a Munky King exclusive and the Orange one which was an Android 8 exclusive was sold solely at SDCC.
These “toys” are truly fantastic figures. They are a bit scary at first sight but they are so unlike anything else and so “strange” and sculptural that for many people – including myself – they ranked among the best and most beautiful toys produced in 2006. I love them. I love their strangeness and mystery. (And, Oh joy, I even managed to buy the Green one a couple of months later from Giant Robot – the Brown one was unfortunately “sold out”).
Indeed they have all long been “Sold Out” and the only way to get one – you guessed right – is eBay. Of course the prices today for those figures are quite insane – not to say totally insane if you are aiming for a complete set (the last complete set of four on eBay sold for a little more than $800 about 2 weeks ago) – so if you really love Brendan Monroe’s work for that price you could as well get an original painting or one of his Microbes. Or for less money than you would pay for one Green or Brown Sour you can also buy one of his Potato Heads at HarnerHouse. And truly it is a mystery to me that these sculptures be still available… (Edit : A friend of mine tried to order these and they are in fact sold out. I am sorry since it was not clear at all on the site. 21 September 2007)
Potato head (large) + Potato Head (small) by Brendan Monroe (2005, resin & wood, signed)
Also from HarnerHouse : In Case of Paper Face, a small interactive book.
Other books and zines :
Sour Leaves available at NOWhere Limited and Rotofugi.
Organelles available directly from Brendan Monroe.
Brendan Monroe
Brendan Monroe’s Studio PROJECT S2DIO #049 by www.glltn.com.
Upcoming exhibition “Insides” at Richard Heller Gallery from October 13 to November 11, 2007.
The Sours by Brendan Monroe :
Sculpted by Dave Pressler
Produced by UNKL for Android 8.
According to Squidoo numbers were as followed :
1. Brendan Monroe Sour Brown 400 Produced
2. Brendan Monroe Sour Green 400 Produced
3. Brendan Monroe Sour Red (Munkey King Exclusive) 100 Produced *At Last Report 50 Actually Sold To The Public*
4. Brendan Monroe Sour Orange (Android 8 Exclusive) 100 Produced *SDCC Exclusive Now* *At Last Report Only 50 Will Actually Be Sold To The Public*
kim westad ceramics
Large Whirl #1 + Pebble Cup in Orange + Pebble Pendant in Aqua + Small Whirl #4
When it comes to objects, there’s really Shape & Material. Well I grant you there is also this great dynamic duo called “Form & Function” but let’s just stick to the “Shape & Material” thing. Indeed, you can have the most wonderful color, if the shapes and materials are not right, then it’s just useless, it will never be right.
Kim Westad, since she expresses her art with clay, should know about materials. She used to be a graphic designer but she says her life changed when she decided to take a pottery class. And anyone over the age of 5 having one day put their hands into clay will understand exactly what she means. Because with these arts that require some technique either it’s like some Big Revelation, or more often than not, you just suck at it and you know it will take quite some time before you make anything more than heart-shaped ashtrays – if you ever do. (And although I have had some urges to try myself at the stuff, as you may have guessed to my great dismay I somehow am stuck in the latter category.)
So Kim Westad has this thing with clay, and she also has this great sense of “shape”. To be honest I am not fond of all her creations (some of them are a bit too classical for my taste) but the ones I like I really love. I find her Whirls Collection, and most of all her “Large whirl #1″ – the white ones being my favorites anyway – amazing. Those pieces have a powerful architectural quality (she herself acknowledges to the architectural influences, and they definitely arouse images of the Guggenheim in New York or of some of Niemeyer’s works) and an impressive simplicity about them that make them look more like sculptures than mere decorating objects.
Her Pebbles Cups in Orange or in Chocolate, her Pebble Bowls, Sweet Peas and Votive Holders are also very nice.
She is currently living and working in New York but she ships internationally.
She has been an Etsy Featured Seller in June 2007.
You might also want to read her interview on Crafty Synergy (a great blog I discovered writing this article).