Monthly Archives: March 2021

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John Caple

March 22, 2021 12:03 AM \

Wish we could post all of John Caple’s captivating paintings for though they are somber, they are filled with intense passion. John Caple is a self-taught artist who creates paintings in a folk art tradition. He grew up in a close, rural community in which family stories and folk traditions were passed down through successive generations and which were to become the inspiration for his earliest paintings. He paints entirely for himself, a manner of painting that is straightforward, simple and perfectly suited to the job. On John Martin Gallery he is quoted as follows:

“In a world in which we can feel increasingly disenchanted from the earth, I wanted to think about the search for re-enchantment and a simpler wildness within us. It is perhaps that small wilderness within that shapes our relationship to the macrocosm, and so ultimately shapes the world we live in.”

John Caple is represented by John Martin Gallery.

Images:  Courtesy of John Caple.

Posted in: Fine Art, Folk Art, Painting \ Tagged: , ,

Clementine Bal

March 19, 2021 12:03 AM \

Clementine Bal is a visual artist living in Val-Revermont, France.  The French sculpting artist graduated from the School of Fine Arts in Annecy.  She creates characters that are a mixture of different animal and human forms creating a dreamlike and poetic universe.  Everything is curved, sanded carefully and then painted.  In Create Magazine she says this about her work:

“I create characters by mixing animal and human forms. I work on faces, expressions, and postures to try to give life to these creatures. They reflect my inner world, the state of mind in which I find myself, or what I would like to go towards.”  

“I like to surround myself with sweetness. This is why each little being is cared for tenderly, and sanded for a very long time. By closing their eyes, I wanted them inwardly, as in meditation.”

“My characters speak of tenderness, poetry, and empathy. These little beings communicate to us their serenity, their appeasement. I like to imagine their life, their little secrets, and that we wonder about their strangeness.”

More of her work can be found on her website, Facebook and Instagram.

Images:  Courtesy of Clementine Bal.

Posted in: Sculpture \ Tagged:

Ingthings

March 18, 2021 12:03 AM \

With so much left-over yarn we decided to make the stripe pillows shown on top.  They are the creation of Ingrid van Willenswaard, a knitter, crocheter, artist and blogger.  Over the years she has made many things from wool to paper.  She has also included many patterns and descriptions of her homemade projects on her blog. The author of three craft books also contributes to Dutch and English magazines in the form of DIY projects and/or illustrations.  This Dutch maker is so successful that she has foregone a full-time job and concentrates solely on her creativity.  In an article on Cosy Project she says this about her craft:  

“I knit and crochet because it gives me a feeling of peace; it’s a kind of meditation, the counting of the stitches and the focus on your hands leaving little room for worries. I don’t have a special goal doing it – it’s just the fun of it.”

“Because I can’t choose what I like most, I make a lot of different things,” says Ingrid. “I like to crochet, to knit, embroider, draw, make cards and fold paper. I am not a specialist – I like to keep things simple and easy.”

You can follow the maker on her blog and on Instagram.

Images:  Courtesy of Ingthings.

Posted in: craft, Crochet, Handcrafted, Knitting \ Tagged: , , ,
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