If these cheerful little fellas don’t scream, HAPPY MONDAY, well, I don’t know what does. These ceramic hounds are the work of Mojave Desert based artist Katie Kimmel. Her current show, titled “Dog Park”, just opened this past weekend at Hashimoto Contemporary in San Francisco. Here’s what it’s all about:

“Inspired by her visits to the park with her dogs, ‘Dog Park’ is filled with the energy and joy of meeting new  friends. Dogs of all shapes and sizes serve as starting points for Kimmel’s cheerfully glazed ceramic works from fluffy white poodles to purple spotted dalmatians and neon mutts. Each of the artist’s ceramic vases and sculptures has a gleeful personality and it is not hard for the viewer to imagine them frolicking with each other, creating a sense of community within the installation. Lovingly hand formed and painted, the artist’s hand and witty sensibility is evident in each piece.”

I’d love to frolic around in this installation! Dog Park will be at Hashimoto until January 26th, 2019.

Gasp! Porcelain over stoneware, found ceramic tchotchkes, glaze, gold luster… he had me at tchotchkes. This is the gorgeous ceramic work of Texas born, Arizona based artist Anthony Sonnenberg. Here are a few of his words about what he does:

… I use time‐intensive construction methods to create totems and environments that reference the cyclical nature of growth and decay, and suggest layers of time that move beyond the art historical and into the geological and emotional …

Sigh… ‘layers of time’. Beautiful.

Gasp! Porcelain piped like cake frosting? Oh my word, YES. Delicate crowns that look good enough to eat… but don’t because this ain’t food. Nope, this is the latest series from Sydney based artist {and current MFA student} Ebony Russell, and ps., I would happily pop any of these pieces on my head for my next birthday party. LOVE.

I don’t know if I should gasp or sigh… maybe a bit of both. These lovely pieces are by UK artist Charlotte Mary Pack. In 2013 she graduated with a first class honors degree in Ceramic Design from Central Saint Martins, and now she makes this wild ‘n whimsical work. Here’s why:

“Growing up on a farm and traveling widely across Africa are fundamental experiences that have instilled her affection for the natural environment. The combination of both Charlotte’s love for all creatures great and small, and clay, steers her work to explore different ways to draw attention to the declining wildlife and natural world.  An artist with integrity, Charlotte donates 15 per cent of profits to support wildlife conservation efforts around the globe.”

Yes! Love, love, love!

Those vases… I mean, COME ON! I’ve written about her ceramic sharks, but today is all about American artist Lorien Stern‘s ghosts! I love everything Lorien makes and, if you happen to be in San Francisco, you can see her newest show / pop-up shop … it opens THIS FRIDAY November 9th at Rare Device. Sharks? Ghosts? Rainbows? Cheetahs? Snakes? I dunno know, but I  know it’s gonna be good!

Join Lorien and the Rare Device staff on Friday evening, November 9th at Rare Device Flagship at 600 Divisadero Street from 6-9 p.m. for the opening reception. The show and pop-up shop will be up from Friday, November 9, 2018 to Monday, January 14, 2019… hello, holiday shopping!

Gasp! This insanely beautiful glazed stoneware / porcelain installation is the work of Los Angeles based artist Courtney Mattison. It’s titled “Confluence (Our Changing Seas V)” and has just become part of the permanent collection of the US Embassy, Jakarta, Indonesia, Art in Embassies, US Department of State. Here is part of Courtney’s powerful artist statement:

“Like cities, coral reefs pulse in a frenzy of activity. Residents of these diverse habitats find food, shelter and mates within their structures. Weary travelers find respite in their outcroppings—oases from the open sea. From the tiniest snapping shrimp to the largest whale shark, coral reefs are sanctuaries for life’s exuberance. In reefs as in cities, each individual plays a role that can affect how the ecosystem functions. The key to success is finding harmony in heterogeneity—unity in diversity. Yet today, reefs face unprecedented threats from human impacts. ‘Confluence (Our Changing Seas V)’ pays homage to Indonesia’s coral reefs and the value they provide to Indonesians and the world while highlighting the threat of climate change and coral bleaching. I hope that the idea of creating such a monumental, intricately hand-detailed ceramic sculptural installation inspires a sense of excitement in viewers about the connections we share to coral reefs while empowering individuals and policymakers to act to conserve.”

Bravo!

{Images by Amanda Brooks for Art in Embassies}

A post shared by Beatriz Pachón (@beatriz.pachon) on Dec 21, 2016 at 2:08pm PST

These fantastical ceramic creatures are from the weird and wonderful world of Spanish artist Beatriz Pachón. Apparently each one has a little story and, according to Beatriz’s dreamy Instagram feed, that spiky Polar Bear is a pretty creative guy:

“Once upon a time a polar bear, who started to feel backache. So he went to the doctor and he told him it could be caused because he was working too hard in his garden and he should take more care of his back. So he decided to grow the garden in his back.”

Obviously.

I have so, so many questions! This is the wonderfully whimsical work of Philadelphia based, Korean artist Ahrong Kim. All of these pieces are from her 2017 series titled “Internal Voice”, and here is part of her artist statement to shed a little more light on these fantastic piles of porcelain:

“My work is based on psychological observations that are representative of voices we all hear inside. I make ceramic figurative sculptures that describe emotions from my life as a diary. By exploring expressive possibilities of my visual language, the figurative form and its multi-colored surfaces reveal the abstracted version of my interiority … Through my works, I aim to express the topic of emotions outwardly by attempting to describe a various range of psychological states existing in our environment with visual formation of colors and figurative form.”

Beautiful.

Whoa. These are so beautiful/bizarre I can barely stand it. These ceramic mouths are the work of Australian artist Fiona Roberts. All of her work features various parts of the body – eyes, fingers, hair – but these absolutely gorgeous {while totally unsettling mouths} called out to me. Get it? Sorry, I couldn’t resist. All of these images were found on Fiona’s equally as beautiful/bizarre Instagram feed.

Alright, we all know I’m a sucker for portraits … but then add these ornate, ceramic / found object covered frames and I’m all in! This is the work of California based artist Richard Holland, and yes, those frames are just as intentional as the portraits themselves:

“I collect objects of interest and build them myself if I cannot find them. My frames are as important to me as my paintings, they are all one, an equal part of each other. The frame is not random, it represents the character of who I paint or has something special that connects and is representative to that person. The portrait and frame exudes character and story with it’s unique look, feel and attention to dimensional detail.”

Lovely. Oh, and, that happens to be a self-portrait of Richard just above these words.