Monthly Archives: July 2016

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Kiva Ford

July 18, 2016 12:02 AM \

KivaFordThe miniature glass pieces first attracted us to the work of Virginia -based glass artist, Kiva Ford. A scientific glass blower by trade he designs one-of-a-kind glass instruments used for specific laboratories. In his studio he creates sculptures, glass vessels, miniatures and other creations crafted entirely by hand. The influence of mythology, history and science is evident in many of his artistic endeavors. In an interview with The Daily Mini he has this advoce for beginning artists:

“Make exceptional work! Make things that no one has ever seen before. Be innovative. Don’t get discouraged if your work doesn’t sell right away. Think about the long game. Remember, you do this because you love it, not because you are trying to make tons of money. Give yourself permission to be creative and to make what is in your head, even if you think it might not be received well. And also, make exceptional work!!!”

You can see more of his work on his website, Facebook, Instagram and Etsy.

Images: Courtesy of Kiva Ford.

Posted in: Etsy Find, Glass

Jacky Cheng

July 15, 2016 12:02 AM \

JackyChengJacky Cheng is a Malaysian paper artist living and working in Western Australia. Her relief cut paper work is mesmerizing with each layer trimmed and stacked upon each other. The architecture graduate on an interview with Stricly Paper says this about her process:

“It takes up to a few months to create one depending on the size. I often regard the style as a topographic technique, as they really do resemble the natural layers of our environment.”

“The idea of layering became more apparent when I started to draw with my penknife – yes… just cutting and layering one layer after another, no drawn plans, no guide, just the knife, paper and glue. The organic movement began. Surrendering to the moment began. Letting the thought process work simultaneously with the creative journey.”

As for my process, sometimes it starts from a large sheet of paper layering inwards, sometimes from a very tiny piece of paper (most often an off cut piece from previous work) and work my way outwards, or even at other times, a combination of both, inwards and outwards depending on what the design needs – scale, proportion etc.

You can follow the artist on her website and on Facebook.

Images: Courtesy of Jacky Cheng.

Posted in: Sculpture

Jun Kaneko

July 14, 2016 12:02 AM \

JunKanekoJun Kaneko is a Japanese ceramist living in Omaha, Nebraska. His painting background is evident in his work where the three-dimensional piece becomes an inflated canvas. The ceramics shown above are called “dangos”, Japanese for dumplings or closed forms. The pieces look like vases without holes but they are actually enormous in scale and can easily weigh up to 1000 pounds. In an article on Venice Clay Artists he says this about the scale:

“So when I’m making small piece, I don’t want to give a chance to the viewer to step back and then look around and look at my piece. I just want them to just grab right into it. They look at it. They’re drawn to it. Just go straight into the piece. If that was possible, this viewer is not outside the work anymore. They’re feeling inside the work. Therefore, they can’t compare this and that. They are it.”

“So that’s why I think, if I did make a small piece to draw people immediately into the piece, I call that a pretty successful piece for me as a small object. And then, I call that a spiritual scale. So that’s my interest. And it goes same way to the large-scale piece, too, in a lot of ways, because as I said, if you start comparing with nature, then the big piece could be just like a dust. So the point to the scale, to make a sense as a visual artist, is just pull them into it. Then, they just don’t have a chance to compare. They will become the thing itself almost.”

Images: Courtesy of Jun Kaneko.

Posted in: Ceramics
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