Robot Animals

Andrew Chase, Cheetah, (electrical conduit, auto transmission parts, 20-gauge steel and random parts found in an industrial salvage yard, weighs 50 lbs. The cheetah measures 24" high (61cm) and 50" nose to tail (127cm))

I am tempted to make no comment, and leave the robot cheetah running - it is a statement in and of itself. I don't believe the cheetah sculpture really runs, but it is fully articulated and this is a clever use of stop-motion. It is made by Andrew Chase, a "self-employed commercial photographer, furniture maker, welder as well as a highly talented assemblage artist" who likes to make robot animals with bits of cars and plumbing. I think this quixotic activity is genius.

The elephant weighs about 110 lb and took about 100 hours to build. It is made out of auto transmission parts, electrical conduit, plumbing pipe and 20 gauge cold rolled steel. All the joints move and lock in place. Turning a gear on the elephant's side winds a cable around a shaft which raises and lowers the fully articulated trunk. The ears also move back and forth and and fan out.

Giraffe (transmission parts, electrical conduit, plumbing pipe, and sheet steel. A removable crank raises and lowers its neck. 6 ft high)



Apparently, these will be part of a book called the Trionic Morphatractable Engineer.

{via bioephemera and io9}

Two Great Things...

which go great together.

I'm loving Kate McCagg's The Shallow End dress & a gig poster series! Dresses and printmaking - yes. {via PRINTERESTING}


dress & gig poster


dress & gig poster


dress & gig poster


dress & gig poster


dress & gig poster

There's more where these came from.

Meanwhile, Apartment Therapy has paired Lady Gaga outfits with interior design of rooms and Oh Joy! has an entire series called 'this & that', often pairing fashion with decor or other covetable items.

Ceramic Stream-of-Conciousness

This post is about contemporary ceramic art. We have flowered heads, experimental, rococo and occasionally lit anatomy, and gas masks as recurring themes. Honestly.

Peruvian-born sculptor Emil Alzamora works in NY state. On his site you'll find sculptures in other media as well. I love the play between the traditional motifs or methods and the contemporary subjects. Embonpoint in particular reminds me of Julie Moon (who we'll get to). See more in his portfolio.


Mother & Child 5 ceramic 18" x 20" x 12", 2009


Embonpoint ceramic 9" x 7.5" x 7.5" 2007


Toxiconomist ceramic 11"x8"x5", 2008

The gas-mask leads us to American artist Kate MacDowell, whose rococo sculptures with elements from anatomy and natural (or unnatural?) history, combined in unexpected and surreal ways, like this mama bunny in a gas mask:


First and Last Breadth


Solastalgia

According to wikipedia, Solastalgia is a neologism coined by the Australian philosopher Glenn Albrecht in 2003 with the first article published on this concept in 2005. It describes a form of psychic or existential distress caused by environmental change, such as mining or climate change.


Venus

I also enjoy the multi-media, light coming from the (ceramic) heart (with exra venus flytraps) in Venus. Follow the link to her portfolio.

Local Toronto artist Julie Moon (now also re-located to NY) is one of my favorites. I have not one, but two brooches she created and met her once at one of the MADE shows at the Gladstone. One of the brooches is an antomically correct white ceramic heart with a floral pattern, like the one illustrated; I love the contrast of the internal organ with the feminine flowers, like those you might expect on fine china. A colleague once said he thought it was pretty but actually it's gross. I think he's wrong, and it's beautiful, but that tension between dainty and blattant is part of the appeal.

She also has the mixed-media, including ceramics with lights, the surreal anatomy and flowered heads like those we see above. Check out her extensive portfolio.

wunderkammer hat

Over a year ago magpie & whiskeyjack commented on the animal-as-headgear trend. Where do you go from there? What's next after wearing animals as hats? Well, you need contemporary-psychedelic fungi-jellyfish-sea anemone ladybugs-cabinets of curiousity on your head. I'm telling you, expect it on the catwalks next.

Check out the portfolio of Chinese artists Zhou Fan.










{via but it does float}

Black & White & Colour All Over

Today, I'm seeing mixed media art combining (mostly) black and white photography (or printmaking) with the ubiquitous bright splashes of multicoloured geometrics. As the Prosperous Fox might say, "Hey, check it check it."

Sofie Kern is a British illustrator and designer. Her blog is here. {via Cabinet of Curiosities}









Jesse Draxler is an artist / illustrator working out of the Twin Cities in Minnesota.


"But Besides Barely Breathing Beneath" // 16" x 22.5"


"LTTL_SPCH" // For ELLE Korea's Special Edition Cover Series // 11.25" x 16"


11.25" x 15.25"

Hollie Chastain is a Chattanooga based artist. She has an etsy shop called Dr Kennedy Jones.


Adalyn's Party Trick 4





Her work encorporates a lot of woodland creatures, ephemera and has a real magical feel.
{both via The Jealous Curator}