Daily Art Muse

Looking for some pattern inspiration?  Squidfingers has a library of 158 patterns for easy download.

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Tags: clip art

According to an article in the current FiberArts magazine, the paper that Yuko Nishimura uses to fold her wall reliefs is so abrasive that it has worn away her finger prints, causing a stir with airport security when she tried to enter the United States earlier this year for her first solo exhibit at the Fuller Craft Museum.  The young artist is receiving worldwide attention for the large artworks (starting at 3 feet high and wide), each a single sheet of folded, white handmade paper.

Japanese people unconsciously experience the action of folding on a daily basis, and therefore encounter various folded forms.I think there must be a special meaning for Japanese people through this everyday practice, folding. A particular charm occurs in the simplicity with which the expression appears having never been touched by any tool.

The photograph below, of a recent exhibition, gives you an idea of the scale.  I find the work soothing, almost meditative.

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Tags: paper, sculpture

Last month accomplished paper artist and CraftStylish contributor Jeffrey Rudell posted a how-to for this cut paper thank you note.  I don’t think I’ll be trying it any time soon, but the process is fascinating, isn’t it?

Rudell’s work is extraordinary.  I was convinced that the portrait below was a drawing. The closeup shots reveal that this finely detailed work is another of Rudell’s cut paper masterpieces. The portrait, 5 feet tall and 4 feet wide, is carved from a single sheet of black paper.  Wow.  Ready to try it yourself?

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Tags: paper

When Hillary Doe commented on a recent post about Angela Gerhard she mentioned Object Fetish, an art jewelry gallery that is carrying Angela’s work (kudos Angela!). I had to take a peek. There is a lot to look at on the website – my first scan of the jewelry uncovered these gems by Caractere duo Gema Barrera & Pascal Cretin. The creative collaborators found an ingenious use for suction cups! Suction cups!

Spoutnik Bangle

Butterfly Earrings

Elastica Double Suction Cup Bracelet

Create a poetic and emotional jewel from a banal functional object as a suction-cup. Define its function and utility to extract it of its reality. Imagine new proposals in order to give it a new life. Move it from the Inexpressive to the Expressive, from the Useful to the Futile, from the Function to the Fiction.

Have fun poking around the website.  Thanks Hillary!

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Tags: jewelry, plastic

today’s flickr find:

Take me to your people…or your sketchbook…or even your jewelry bench.  Love this.

fracass.be on Flickr

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Tags: flickr

The cover of this month’s American Style Magazine jumped out at me as I quickly scanned a row of art magazines yesterday at the bookstore.  The image of botanical sculpture Tea Rose Botanical with Honeybee and Mask, belongs to world renowned glass artist Paul Stankard.  At first glance I was certain that some of the elements encapsulated in the glass block were real.  And that is the magic of Stankard’s work.  His ability to wrestle with realism (and win) distinguish the artist as a contemporary glass master.

Homage to Walt Whitman Cube

The images on Stankard’s website are beautiful, however I found the pictures in the article more compelling, bringing you up close and personal both to the extremely detailed work and to the master himself.

Perhaps best known for his paperweights, Paul Stankard is featured in Corning Glass Museum’s short video about paperweights, where the viewer is treated to a front row seat as the artist creates one of his intricate botanical paperweights.

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Tags: glass, sculpture

Last December I posted a video demonstrating how to make a paper toy by taping together several folded units of paper. Here’s another video of a similar toy but I think this one is more interesting.

Imagine this as a piece of jewelry – paper, polymer, metal, fabric – pick your medium. Why not?

Paper Toy Transformer – Transformer De Papel – More free videos are here

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Tags: paper, video, what-if

Canadian metal artist Melody Armstrong describes her style as Industrial-Organic.  I found myself drawn to the jewel-tone color palette and the interesting way Armstrong layers the silver and anodized titanium shapes with semi-precious stones, allowing the materials to tell the story.

Check out the reversible fold-formed sterling silver leaf and ruby zoisite pendant on her Flickr site. Cool.

Labium, sterling silver, anodized titanium, citrine, patina

Labella, sterling silver, anodized titanium, rodolite garnet, patina

Blue Labia, sterling silver, anodized titanium, london blue topaz, patina

My Design philosophy of organic infused with industrial is demonstrated through a mix of natural shapes and geometric structures, with great attention to detail and quality of workmanship.

Thanks to super-sleuth Toby Goldsmith for the link.

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Tags: jewelry, metal

First things first:  Your heartfelt comments on both of Friday’s posts made me cry, laugh, sing and feel a deep sense of gratitude for humanity during a time of overwhelming tension and uncertainty in the world. Thank you dear readers…

The Blog Birthday giveaway winning number is 77. Congratulations Jan! I’ll be sending you an email later today. I hope the exciting art/craft books in this package provide inspiration as you continue on your artmaking journey.

Keep reading to see how the number was picked!

Thinking that the giveaway might attract 20 or 30 comments, I was prepared to write each participant’s name on a slip of paper and then pull one from a hat.  When the list grew to 92 I knew there had to be a better way (additional comments came in after Sunday, and I am delighted to hear from everyone, but I didn’t include them in this giveaway…however there will be another one soon!).   I went to Random.org and let their random number generator help me out.  Then I counted down the list of comments until I found comment number 77.

Thank you to everyone who participated – and stay tuned for details about the next giveaway!

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Early this morning I posted these images and asked if anyone knew what the people in the pictures were doing.  Jean was right – New York’s Grand Central Terminal has many secrets and the ‘whispering gallery’ is one of its most charming.  NewYorkology describes the magic:

Among the secrets of the Grand Central Terminal is the “whispering gallery” in front of the famous Oyster Bar & Restaurant. There is no sign marking the gallery or how to make it work. But if you wait a few minutes, a couple will undoubtedly walk up and head to separate corners and elicit its magic.

The low ceramic arches, built for the 1913 opening of Grand Central, are designed in such a perfect way that if two people stand at diagonal arches and whisper into a corner, they should be able to hear each other as if they were face to face – not far across the way.

I was there yesterday at dusk and every few minutes the players changed, but the expressions were similar as they walked away.  I squealed with delight when my daughter (whose lovely back you saw in this morning’s post) whispered to me and I watched both children and adults joyfully experience the whisper gallery.  Here are a few of more images from last night.

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