Yep, that image pretty much sums it up! Large-scale, hyperreal paintings on custom-cut panel, and a pug named Mochi. I love this episode so much. Barcelona born, New York based artist Gemma Gene is on the podcast today, and she is not only super talented, she’s also hilarious! You can listen right up there under Gemma & Mochi, or download ART FOR YOUR EAR wherever you get your podcasts.

First, a bunch of perfectly painted metallic balloons, Mochi for scale, and a couple of gigantic bows on cut panel:

Gasp! Gorgeous! ps. I threw in that last image as proof that these are actually paintings. 

Next, a few very, very special gems:

Awww, that little gem right in the middle is ‘Yellow Gem’, Gemma’s baby girl! And yes, her name really is Yellow (not Maria) which might be the coolest thing I’ve ever heard. Oh, and that action shot is what Gemma and I were talking about re: dropping off a commission to Voltz Clarke Gallery… as the paint dried!

Okay, now we’re going back in time a bit to where it all began… objects wrapped in aluminum foil, because, who doesn’t love an insane challenge:

… and clearly a painted foil lobster is the gateway to foil lobster sculptures!

Next [drumroll please]… iiiiiiit’s MOCHI!

Gah! Too much cuteness… I can’t handle it! Also, can you see why she must be absolutely exhausted!? Yeah, me too.

Of course, a little plug for both of Mochi’s books is a must:

Hilarious! “Living with Mochi” is available right this second, and “Pugpyhood” can be pre-ordered.

And finally, I obviously had to include this beauty… Gemma, Mochi and the Twinchis in matching iridescent outfits:

Ah-mazing! Also amazing… everything about this conversation! Thank you so much to Gemma for taking the time to share her hilarious stories, and of course, thank YOU for listening. I’ll be back with a brand new episode of ART FOR YOUR EAR  in two weeks.

Other links:

1. Gemma on Instagram
2. Mochi on Instagram
3. “Living with Mochi” Book, Available now!
4. “Pugpyhood” Book, Releasing Sept ’22
5. Tom Cote Book, Illustrated by Gemma
6. Voltz Clarke Gallery : New York
7. Gallery RED : Mallorca, Spain
8. Steven Holl Architects

Oooooh, these sculptures by American artist Christine Aaron take my breath away. Broken glass and chunks of wood coming together in a beautiful, and pretty dangerous, way. For example, the first piece above it titled “No Safety Ne(s)t”. Gorgeous, yes… safe, nope! Here’s a snippet from Christine’s artist statement:

“My work investigates memory, time and the fragility of human connection. Found wood, shattered mirror and hand dyed paper become vehicles for content. The history of these materials, and the traces of process that remain in the completed work speak to the way in which humans hold the physical, mental and emotional marks of personal experience.”

Beautiful… and suddenly those shattered mirrors feel like so much more. Follow her on Instagram at @christineaaronart

Okay, it’s a three-way tie between the scrambled pink phone, the giant yellow fan, and the nose light. So. Good. This is the weird and wonderful ceramic work of Haitian born, Miami based artist Woody De Othello. Here’s a description of his work via Jessica Silverman Gallery:

During his childhood, Othello saw these household objects as intimate presences, used to alter physical states and offer temporary comfort. Moreover, born and raised in Miami to a family of Haitian descent, the artist was enamored by the power of ceramic pots used to contain and overcome negative energy and bad spirits.

Using a hand-building technique called “slab construction,” Othello builds his ceramic sculptures up about six inches at a time. “The clay takes over; it has a mind of its own,” he explains. “It is a conversation and there is always space for me to react.” Othello pushes the forms up to a point where they are near collapse, working the unfired clay to a point of precariousness, giving each piece a psychological weight, a sense of movement and individual emotion. The glazes are then layered with many pieces being fired multiple times to achieve the depth of color and texture that Othello desires.

‘The clay takes over’ … love, love, love!

*Bio photo via Cultured Mag by Aubrey Mayer

Beautifully made work that also makes you laugh? LOVE! This is the gorgeous/cheeky work Barcelona based artist Gerard Mas. After scrolling through his portfolio, it appears that Gerard sculpts in any medium he can get his very talented hands on … from wood and alabaster, to clay and in this case, resin.

Gerard Mas is a Spanish artist (Sant Feliu de Guixols, 1976) who approaches his sculptures with an exceptional sense of humor. The statues resemble busts from the 15th century Florentine period, but in the very contemporary vision of Mas. With his sculptures he creates a dialogue between tradition and modernity. Mas is particularly interested in the visual image and less in its historical meaning, perhaps as a paradigm of our current society in which image increasingly replaces content.

Although his work shows a great aesthetic affinity with the traditional – which is also evident in the use of his favorite materials: marble, alabaster, wood and resin – changing the invisible code of ethics is an important key in the artist’s process. The sculptures of the ‘Dama’ series are a good example of absurd and grotesque combinations.

The women’s faces are sweet and charming, soft and delicate, often with a pearly white skin that implies innocence, but at the same time, for example, a cheeky, inflated gum ball breaks through the illusion and idealistic perfection of her beauty, as in the ‘Dama del Chicle’ busts , and a surprising shock effect is created. ~ via Absolute Art Gallery, Belgium

The sunburn is my fave… or the bubblegum… ooh, or the nose-picker. Tough call.

Bits of Mountain Dew bottles take over the landscape in “Invasives”, and hang like a glowing chandelier in “Floating Maize”. Oh my, yes, this is my kind of recycling program! These are just two of many installations by New York based artist Jean Shin. I happen to love these two works, but her materials certainly are not limited to green beverages! …

Jean Shin is nationally recognized for her monumental installations that transform everyday objects into elegant expressions of identity and community. For each project, she amasses vast collections of a particular object—prescription pill bottles, sports trophies, sweaters—which are often sourced through donations from individuals in a participating community. These intimate objects then become the materials for her conceptually rich sculptures, videos and site-specific installations. Distinguished by her meticulous, labor-intensive process, and her engagement of community, Shin’s arresting installations reflect individuals’ personal lives as well as collective issues that we face as a society.

Follow her on Instagram to see what she’s up to, in progress shots, how to make dumplings, etc. Note: Jean’s dog, Trevor, was not officially part of the work… but he is a very cute photo-bomber!

Tiny sculptures… that you can wear! Oh my word, this is the work of UK based artist Faye Hall, and yes, it’s jewelry. Here is Faye’s description of her process and her pieces:

“Originally trained in textiles, and with over thirteen years’ experience designing highly tactile fabrics for fashion and interiors, I now apply my perpetual curiosity for surface and materials to create bold pieces of art jewellery which marry my textiles practice and silversmithing. Influenced by my collage work, I am interested in finding beautiful solutions to combine materials of different weights and origins through embellishment and placement. I am very curious about the use of embroidery as both a decorative and construction tool within my work and I like to challenge that fine line.

Every piece of jewellery is handcrafted in my workshop and created in a very intuitive way; I like to be playful with my material choices and to juxtapose elements that you may not typically put together, such as linoleum and silk, or formica and gold. Working with found colours along the way only adds to the challenge of combining components that are inherently different in weight, structure and surface into an intriguing object which is tactile and harmonious.“

Tactile – check … Harmonious – CHECK! Faye’s work can be found in her online shop. Happy Monday.

This is North Carolina based paper artist Griffin Carrick. Yeah, that’s right. This is PAPER. Giant paper doilies that I desperately want to drape over something in my yard, and delicate vessels expertly quilled. This is PAPER. Here’s part of Griffin’s backstory that I just had to share:

“A maker at an early age, I crafted my way through childhood, quilling for the first time in the third grade, a vase of flowers! But it would be another 20 years before I tried my hand at quilling again. During that extended quilling “hiatus” I pursued my other creative passions, architecture and interior design.  Designing barbie’s dream house and sketching up reimagined floor plans for the homes of friends and family. That passion lead me to the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee where I earned a Bachelor of Science in Architectural studies  and then a Master of Arts in Interior Design from the Savannah College of Art and Design. I followed that up with a career in commercial and residential design while also teaching interior design online to undergraduate students.

In July of 2016, in search of a creative outlet that didn’t require the use of my computer and while on the hunt for sculptural art for the walls of my home, I rediscovered quilling and  this time I was hooked! I put my own spin on this centuries old craft  by ditching the backing traditionally used to display quilled coils and instead glued the coils to each other resulting in textural and semi-transparent paper sculptures.”

Love!

Okay, hold the phone… a ceramic mural?! YEP! The hands, the fruit, the color palette… all of it!!! This beauty is the work of Seattle based artist Emily Counts, and is installed at Facebook HQ in Redmond, Washington. I seriously could have posted everything in her entire portfolio… like this piece, or this one, or even this one. Here is part of Emily’s artist statement, explaining why she does what she does:

“My ceramic and mixed media sculptures begin with an interest in connectivity, whether physical, social, or conceptual. Many pieces are comprised of objects attached to one another via tethers or chains while other works connect vertically, consisting of shapes stacked high on top of each other. Each element is paired, sequenced, grouped or assembled. With all of these physical couplings I am considering how associations are formed in our minds, and also how similar connections occur within our bodies, in nature, and through technology. Chain reactions, associative memories, and social networks are all examples of the types of connections that influence my work. I especially look for pathways and relationships between things that may seem unrelated on the surface.”

Beautiful. Emily is currently part of a two-person show, with Ko Kirk Yamahira, at Studio e in Seattle. The show runs until Sept 12, 2020. ps. I’ll be writing about Kirk tomorrow, because his work is gorgeous too!

Gasp! Okay, Italian squares are already magical, but just imagine turning a corner – gelato in hand – and seeing THIS? These pieces are the work of Italian artist Fabio Viale. I had so many questions, especially about how he applies those gorgeous tattoos?! Luckily, I found an interview Fabio did with designboom earlier this year. Here are a couple of Qs, and the corresponding A’s:

designboom (DB): why don’t you create your own busts, your own figures, and instead prefer to take classic iconic references?

fabio viale (FV): the images that come to us from the past do not belong to simple sculptures: they are icons, they are symbols, which have been able to resist in time. I don’t think it’s a matter of aesthetics or content, but rather of survival during the historical periods. I’ve always been attracted to mysteries, such as the mona lisa (leonardo) or the pietà (michelangelo), and their study has led me, during their reproduction, to understand the artist’s personality more analytically which these works generated.

DB: which technique did you use to tattoo your marble work?

FV: when I decided to tattoo the marble, I realized that it was very important not to paint it, but being able to make the color penetrate into the porosity that is proper to this material. only in this way I could reach the effect of the tattoo on human skin in the most realistic way. experimenting with colors and surfaces: this was the beginning that then led me to a wise mix of texture and color chemistry.

Ah-mazing. Happy Monday. {thanks to @underthehickory for sending me a link to Fabio’s work.}

Oh, HELL yes! The power of vulnerability displayed as brass knuckles topped with some very beautiful / badass quartz. Do you remember this “ring”? I wrote about it waaaaay back in 2011… and now it’s in the Smithsonian! Yep, American sculptor Debra Baxter is my guest today. I’ve been following her ever since that first post, so it’s about time I had her on the podcast. You can listen up there under that stunning piece of wearable art, or subscribe right here.

Ok, let’s start off with a quick reference. For some of you, this will be a trip down memory lane… and for you youngins, an education. I give you Superman’s Fortress of Solitude, 1978:

Sigh. I was in love with him. Anyway, yes… those crystals! Clearly this would have an impact. How, after seeing this as a kid, could Debra not start making art that looks like this:

Oh, boy. The crystal brass knuckle collection… and this isn’t all of them! I know this is older work for Debra, but damn, it’s just too good not to show! It’s like having the Fortress of Solitude on your frickin’ hand!

But wait, there’s more. Here are the absolutely stunning pieces you can find in Debra’s jewelry collection:

Gasp! Absolutely stunning… and the reason for the rustling sound at the beginning of the episode. Hey, totally worth it!

Next up, the #30DayArtQuarantine. Oh my word, these are just a few of the pieces Debra made every day for 30 days:

See? How on earth could I ever pick a favorite? It’s impossible. A few of these pieces are being released TODAY via Form & Concept Gallery in Santa Fe…  Here’s an interview she did with them about this series, and a link to the 5 available pieces.

Next, a little look at the two-person show Debra did last year, with Vancouver based artist Rebecca Chaperon, at Roc La Rue Gallery in Seattle. This is the post I did for that show:

Aren’t they perfect together? Dreamy, mystical, all of it.

And finally, THE PAPER BAG. I have to put it in all caps because I cannot even begin to imagine carving something like this:

… and it’s not even finished yet! Keep an eye on Debra’s Instagram feed for #WIPs of this beauty. Thank you so much to my fellow sculptor {I’m manifesting this} for chatting with me, and thanks to YOU for listening to us. See you next week for a new episode of ART FOR YOUR EAR.

Other links:

1. Debra on Instagram
2. Debra’s jewelry: DB/CB
3. Upcoming jewelry collab. partner: Susanna of Mineralogy Project 
4. Roq La Rue Gallery, Seattle
5. Form & Concept Gallery, Santa Fe / 30day sculptures in their shop