Bill F. Durovchic — Yreka, CA | rocketman.info
My current work is comprised of an eclectic collection of functional objects in a variety of materials. The pieces demand interaction. Turning a nob rotates 25 gears or pushes a bearing into a slide. I find the actions of simple machines mesmerizing. Using steel, aluminum, brass, Bakelite, acrylic and other materials with precision machine tools I create desktop machines and accessories that compel one to interact.
Kathleen L. Dustin — Contoocook, NH | kathleendustin.com
These EVENING BAGS made of layered colored polymer clay imitate tiny seed pods and flower buds I find on my walks in the woods. The purpose of a pod is to contain and protect somethng fragile and essential making it an appropriate form for an evening bag. These delicate-looking bags have enough flexibility not to be fragile.
Liz Alpert Fay — Sandy Hook, CT | LizAlpertFay.com
Visitors to my studio often say they feel like they are walking into a museum. It's not what you might think however, with beautiful artworks lining the walls. It's more like a curiosity shop. A wonderful mix of old metal parts, beautiful beach stones, piles of brightly colored wool, branches, seed pods, buttons and trims. Many of these items are bits of history now long forgotten. I am formally trained with a degree in Textile Design and began combining these wonderful found objects with my own textiles a number of years ago. The resulting mixed media sculptures allow me to experiment with unusual combinations of materials, textures and ideas. They also present the opportunity to isolate and showcase objects, so they are more fully appreciated. Most of these sculptures make use of, or reference, textile techniques and materials. My inspiration is drawn both from the beauty of these collected objects as well as the desire to rescue, preserve and give them a new life.
Amy Gillespie — Arlington, MA | amygillespiestudio.com
I create harmony between the two different mediums of fiber and wood. The processes both contrast and complement each other. My background lies in fiber, but I*ve always been fascinated by wood. My creative process often begins at the lumber yard. In order to achieve integration between the materials, I allow the wood to set the tone for the piece. As I use a router to create the channel which houses the felt inlay, my mind is racing with ideas for the color, form and composition the felt will take. My process for wet-felting the wool roving is similar to murrini glass which involves layering and slicing. I further add color and fortify the felt by coating it with acrylic paint and gel medium before cutting it into cross- sections. Each cross-section is sculpted one at a time and adhered to the wood with acrylic gel medium paste. This is a fluid process in which each piece laid in influences the next.
Christina Goodman — Alameda, CA | christinagoodman.com
These hand painted and gilded objects are inspired by Renaissance painting. Each piece is constructed in either wood or resin. It is then gilded in 22k gold leaf, often using the traditional water gilding technique. The miniatures are painted using extremely fine brushes and a magnifier. The imagery is based on elements in Renaissance art, the natural world and more recently, trompe l'oeil painting.
Su Griggs-Allen — Sarasota, FL | sugriggsallen.com
I hand build one of a kind ceramic sculpture, with a slab/coil method of construction. The surface is textured, underglazed, glazed, then fired to a cone 04. The surface then is treated with layers of color washes; oil, acrylic stains, pencils, and pastels to bring life to the clay body. I like to enhance the raw surface of the claybody, but still allow it to speak. Multi-media embellishments of wire, wood, glass, and mixed array of recycled items may also be included to complete the piece. Letting the process flow and unfold, I step out of the way and become the observer as the piece develops. I reach deep within to evoke universal themes.
Christine Kaiser — Butler, PA | christinekaiser.com
My pieces are fairy tales. Like most folktales their story isn't always revealed on first glance. My hope is to make them engaging enough to make you linger over them and bring you back to them again and again. Part of their charm is the tension between sweet and not so sweet. I use element of cartoons, animation stills, dreams , and other references to weave my stories. To root the pieces in the world I use a fairly classical visual aesthetic. They are made of carved and shaped wood (primarily basswood, pine and poplar) and various other materials. The piece is painted with multiple layers of water based paint, graphite and pencil drawing and finished with matte varnish.
Nancy Kubale — Rutherfordton, NC | nancykubale.com
My sculpture addresses our pursuit of Truth (trying to figure out what and how things really are) and the nature of our humanness. I am intrigued by what we think, do, and say, by who we are and how we live - primarily at the soul level. Hand built in stoneware clay, I layer the surface through multiple firings with terra sigillata, oxides, underglaze, glaze, and underglaze pencil. I often make decals and incorporate text. The final figure is then assembled with wood, metal, fiber and/or found objects.
Michael Madzo — Medora, ND
All works are pieced and layered papers, acrylic paint and varnish. Colored thread is applied by sewing machine, matching the thread color to the overpainted surface. Process is somewhat akin to an abstract quilt, overpainted and finished with the cohesive perforation of needle marks and the tactile zig zag stitches.
Joseph Pozycinski — Sparta, MO | pozycinski.com
All of my work is cast glass with bronze detail. I use the lost wax method of casting to create my glass and bronze pieces. The work is an exploration of mans relationship to nature in the past, present, and future, and is constantly evolving.
Leslie S. Rachlin — Elmira, NY
As a knifemaker I must constantly remind myself that form must meet function. Knife making is one of mans earliest crafts. Even in prehistoric times knifemakers worked to make their blades esthetically pleasing, while never sacrificing the working function of the knife. That is still the quest of the modern maker. Using modern materials and tools allows a wide range of beautiful and exotic manifestations of the art. However we must never forget that what we are ultimately making is a tool with a job to do.
Cathy Rose — New Orleans, LA
Figurative sculpture using hand formed porcelain assembled with altered wood, metal, fiber, and found object.
Bill Skrips — Blairstown, NJ | wmskrips.com
The influence of Folk Art, with its spontaneity and rawness, mixed with sarcasm and a nod to cultural trend characterizes my sculptural work, in which I combine modified & found objects.
Paul Sumner — Greensboro, NC
After graduating with a BFA in sculpture concentrating in clay modeling from life, I taught myself woodworking and more recently cold working of sheet metal. The common element in my current work is a hand carved wooden form to which I piece, raise and nail or screw a closely fitted sheet metal skin. I use tin, copper, rusted steel, galvanized steel, and antique painted tins for the surface.
Graceann Warn — Ann Arbor, MI | graceannwarn.com
I paint and I construct. My assemblages use the metaphor of excavation. Inspiration from architecture and archaeology provides structure to artistic flights of fancy that always seem to revolve around some form of revelation. My mixed media assemblages are comprised of beeswax, paper, paint and objects sometimes in found boxes, sometimes on wooden panels.
