Andrea Keys Connell

I have admired the work of Andrea Keys Connell for quite a while now. Her ceramic sculptures and large installations are so impressive to me. I would love to have the opportunity to see them in person one day. For now, I will continue to follow her work online...and continue to be constantly amazed.

Andrea is influenced by many things, but she is particularly "interested in intergenerational trauma and how a person’s past, particularly a past that has been interrupted by a traumatic event such as war, can influence patterned behaviors that are passed through the family." Heavy stuff indeed...and it certainly comes across in her work. To see more sculptures, take a look at Andrea's website.

Michaelene Walsh

Micaelene Walsh is a ceramic artist and Associate Professor of Art at Louisiana State University. According to Michaelene, "dolls and animals have always interested me because they seem to possess an inner life." I really hope these little guys don't possess an inner life because they remind me of something that would come to life in the middle of the night and attack you in your sleep. Kind of creepy, I know, but that's one reason I am drawn to them. I like to live dangerously. It's the same reason I like to go on all the rides at a county fair. Who doesn't love the thrill of stepping onto a old, mechanical ride that was put together in a day and could fall apart at any second. It gets the adrenaline pumping. Sorry...my mind tends to stray. Let's get back to Michaelene. If her unique creations weren't enough to interest me (although they totally were) just take a look at her bio and artist statement. I was hooked after I read this:

Bio: This is my story... I was raised by a family of mountain gorillas. This partially explains my love of animals. When I’m not loving on animals, I’m generally eating them.

The end

Artist Statement: If you have eaten ice cream, marveled at a monkey, played with a doll, drawn a heart or written a secret note on blue lined notebook paper, we have something in common, at least on the surface.


So great! Take a look at Michaelene's website to see more of her ceramic scultpures, drawings and installations. Speaking of her installations, I couldn't resist throwing in this photo from one of her installations titled, "Bittersweet."

The Runny Bunny

Robin Van Valkenburgh is one talented lady. I had the pleasure of selling her work several years ago when I owned a craft gallery, Artifex, in Franklin, Tennessee. Although I do not miss the stress, incredibly long hours, and financial strains of owning my own business, I DO miss being surrounded by all the creativity. I miss the buying trips, incredible markets, shows and artist studios I had the pleasure to visit. I miss the excitement of opening up new shipments of artwork. I miss the joy of creating the perfect display to showcase the amazing pieces art I was lucky enough to carry. And I miss Robin. The funny thing is that I have never even met her. I did, however, talk to her on the phone many times...usually because I was having to place more orders for her unique clay sculptures of pears and decorative spheres. I would have a waiting list of anxious customers to notify when new shipments of Robin's work would come in. Artifex closed in January of 2006.

Flash forward three and a half years. One day, while admiring all the incredible artwork and shops on etsy, I ran across a shop called "The Runny Bunny." What I found was a world of surreal and intriguing characters...animals with human heads, humans with animal heads, and so much more. After studying and coveting every single sculpture, I decided to click on the artist's bio, and to my surprise...there she was. Robin Van Valkenburgh WAS The Runny Bunny. The work is totally different than those pieces represented in my gallery years ago, but I love the new work even more. Take a look at The Runny Bunny's etsy shop here. These unique sculptures are priced so well that they go VERY fast, but Robin (being the hard worker that she is) keeps new items added frequently, so check back often! I look forward to having a nice collection of some of these little guys...as soon as I can make up my mind on which ones I like best.

'Tis the Season!

Amazing and intricate snow globe sculptures by Walter Martin and Paloma Munoz. Their work is absolutely amazing! You can see more of their designs here.

Happy Holidays from Art, Design and Home!!

Paper Cut Creations

Artist Peter Callesen creates intricate paper cut sculptures using ordinary white sheets of paper. The negative space that is created by the cut is a nice contrast to the three dimensional reality it creates. See more of Peter's work on his website.

"Snowballs" by Peter Callesen

Bow to the Goddess

A few months ago I had the pleasure of curating a group show at The Arts Company titled, "Wood, Canvas and Clay" which featured the work of four amazingly talented artists. Being a clay artist myself, I am always drawn to ceramics more than anything else. I was thrilled to find the work of Atlanta artist Krista Grecco, and even more thrilled that she agreed to be one of the artists in my show. This new piece, titled "Greek Goddess," was created specifically for the show. According to Krista's artist statement, her new series is "especially personal, busts based closely but loosely on the women who have shared their love, companionship and knowledge with me."

Although I have spoken with Krista on numerous occasions, I haven't yet had the opportunity to meet her. Luckily, that will change next month when I make a trip to Atlanta. I have already made arrangements to meet Krista and take a tour of her studio where she is working on several new sculptures to be featured in a new show at Ferrin Gallery in May. She's been a joy to work with, I adore her sculptures, and I look forward to seeing what amazing things happen to her in the future. She's definitely one to watch!

Stunning. Haunting. Beautiful.

"Creator of the world’s first underwater sculpture park, Jason de Caires Taylor has gained international recognition for his unique work. His sculptures highlight ecological processes whilst exploring the intricate relationships between modern art and the environment. By using sculptures to create artificial reefs, the artist’s interventions promote hope and recovery, and underline our need to understand and protect the natural world.

The sculptures are sited in clear shallow waters to afford easy access by divers, snorkeler and those in glass-bottomed boats. Viewers are invited to discover the beauty of our underwater planet and to appreciate the processes of reef evolution."

From Jason de Caires Taylor's website, www.underwatersculpture.com. His work is absolutely amazing. You MUST check out his website to see more beautiful images.