installation

(street view)
Photos of a wallpaper piece I just installed at High Street, Cincinnati. Recession style art - this is actually a combination of two earlier works (see here and here) and they look surprisingly good together for being so different in color and line. And, I love the black wall - really makes the colors pop.

Sevre

I found this dog mold over the summer - cast and glazed a few, and then forgot all about it.
Last week while cleaning up the studio, I decided to china paint one - following some notes on Sevre patterning that I took at the Taft Museum. There is something very attractive about applying pattern to something so small.

License to Illuminate

A few pictures from "License to Illuminate" a collaborative installation between Guy (Mike) and myself. Above, our found figurine that has gone through a few changes...
The wolf chandelier alongside Mike's sculptures on an amazing Eero Saarinen table. Aaron Morse's work on the back wall (love it!)
A collection of 3-d scanned and enlarged wolf and pug heads, alongside Aaron Morse paintings.
Finally, a collection of 18 limited edition illuminated cups featuring scenes from taxidermy how-to manuals. The show is on view at Country Club until Dec. 19th. Click here for a lot more.

massive

3-d scan of a tiny, tiny flower from Dresden Germany. I have several of these small handmade flowers, and for over a year I have been debating on what to do with them. So, with grant money I recently received, I had one three dimensionally scanned and enlarged to almost 12" across. Here are the printouts - the ridges that move around the petals are actually the fingerprints of the woman who made the piece. Crazy. The flower on the right is a smaller printout, about 4" across. Time to start making molds.

in the studio

Guy (Mike) and I have been gearing up for a big installation at Country Club Projects. We have combined our skills to create one of kind pieces, mixing taxidermy with some intensive china painting. The work is inspired by French Palissy Ware, English Majolica, and Kaendler's work at Meissen. The installing begins early next week, so more photos to come.

industrial tile

I have been china painting this tile (on and off) for the last couple of months. It looks like the bottom to some sort of scientific scale, and is a beautiful piece of porcelain. I have been firing it over and over, adding a little more information every time, and making my lines nice and thick. I have a few more blanks to work with - these should be a nice addition to the cut paper pieces.
14" x 8" x 1", porcelain with china paint.

sewn curtains

I have been working on a new cut paper series - wall panel/scrims that are completely sewn together. This way the piece can be hung in multiple ways and places very easily. Some of the earlier cut paper works were double stick taped to the wall - and as a result were only installed one time. Plus, the sewn lines look so beautiful - with out a doubt worth all the hassle. Each panel will be at least 4x 8' - not quite sure if anything will go in front of them. This is the first segment I have finished - shown on the wall and in a window.

done and done

The two pieces I have been working on over the last couple of weeks. I love them - especially the blue and white version. Nice and crisp, but definitely different from what I set out thinking. The illuminated forms responds with what we have been doing over at Future Retrieval, and will ultimately be shown with that work.

one more time

Okay, so I have taken this idea a little bit further... I could be crazy, but it looks like it could turn out beautifully - yellow china paint with gold patterning. Mike and I have been on an illuminated kick - working together on pieces that reference medieval hunting scenes. Take a look here to see more. I decided to try my skills on a larger form - and this faceted wolf head is perfect. Stay tuned. (the post below seems so simple now)

part two

Finally, some progress. (see here) Now for step two - china painting. I have outlined a pattern of cut silhouettes across the face that seem to be flowing from the inside of the mouth. This is just one version in the works, but I really enjoy the way the thin lines of the marker look...

letterpress

I just bought a 10 x 12 Chandler and Price letterpress - and I am so excited! I have been working on a proofing press for a few years, but this is the REAL deal. I just want to thank Ralph for posting this on craigslist and for all the help getting it into the Uhaul. Turns out that 900 lbs of cast iron vs. 6 people is a tough battle to fight. I still cannot believe that this is in my studio, ready to go.

studio shot

Yesterday Guy and I started working on "Wolf Pack" - an idea we have for an overhead lighting fixture. So far so good - the only problem is that it is slipcast porcelain and almost 3 feet across. (Crazy!) Somehow we will get this into the kiln, glazed, and wired up, one step at a time.

big ideas

Guy and I have been tossing around some ideas the last month or so that we are pretty excited about. We have been sketching up some mockups that are combinations of our best work - strange ornamentation with exacting moldmaking, found objects, and animals. We scored this broken German figurine last week in Burlington, KY and started messing with it. More soon.

in the works

I am starting a huge new project - and have been going through my pattern collections to find just the right shapes. These new paper cuts are a cross between german silhouettes and pop/mod florals - in drab, office like colors. Should be interesting...

A Little too Loos

Candlesticks for a show opening tonight at Semantics Gallery in Cincinnati. Slipcast porcelain with hand applied flowers and vintage decals. 7" x 4.5" inches each.

ICFF 2009

A couple weeks ago, Non Fiction Design participated in ICFF in New York. We did it all - the patterned floor (anti-fatigue flooring spray painted with a Morris style pattern) and making of each object, the signage, furniture - to packing up, driving, installing, talking, deinstalling, driving back. It is amazing to think about everyone who displayed and attended the show.
(prop books provided throughout the show by my brother Ben)

Minimal

I am currently in a show - "No Gallery Left Behind" - Reed Gallery, University of Cincinnati, DAAP. This is my take on minimalism - using the floral cutouts I am fond of with different tones of white and cream paper.
Each strand is sewn together with gold thread. Handcut paper, 65" x 48".
Once I installed my piece, Guy reacted to the work with this beautiful line drawing - highlighting the movement of the patterns.

Small Favors IV

My Small Favors piece - year #3. An annual show at The Clay Studio of work sized to fit into a 4" cube. I took the rapid prototyped tiny Wolfie and added floral eyes and base. My realistic china painting skills are improving- I have been secretly practicing in my studio.
"Small time Spring" porcelain, china paint, luster. Smaller than 4".

blue and white - test #1

A new tile series I am working on... The tiles are slipcast porcelain and are 20" long by 9" high. Each tile is around 5 lbs - so they are nice and thick. More to come.

KCAI

This porcelain tile with china paint is off to the Kansas City Art Institute Art and Design Auction. It happens every two years and I am flattered to be asked to donate work again. KCAI is an amazing place where I received the best education possible - and will always support them in any way I can.
"Wander" porcelain tile with china paint and screenprinted enamels, 8" x 10", 2008.

paper curtains

I recently made curtains for the living room using pieces from my cut paper collection. They are lovely in the morning, when the sun comes into the room and casts shadows on the floor.
Hand cut backed paper, staples, strands range from 6-8'.

porcelain forest

Turns out the small wolfie head fits perfectly on this twisted protobird... And, looks even better with a flashy floral ball siting in a porcelain forest.
"Ornamental Masked Wolfie", porcelain and gold luster, 8" x 12", 2009.

duck

I just found this in my photos and realized I have never shown it. From my Dresden residency last summer...
"Floral Growth" porcelain with hand applied flowers, 11" x 7", 2008.

currently working on....

This wolf head. It was a plaster cast from a 3-D printout of a smaller plaster wolf head I found in an antique mall. I have been carving away, changing the angles into hard lines. It will be nice with some sort of floral garland... More to come.

Polka Dot Mops

We have been using this red china paint at Non Fiction - but I am just now realizing how amazing it is... The dog is transformed, seeming like it has been dipped in plastic. I put many, many layers of surface on before trying out the red - and I love it. The added ants and flower eyes seem to help.
Porcelain, china paint, plaster base. 5.75" x 7", 2009.

Dazzle

"Dazzle Pattern" porcelain tile with china paint and luster. 12" x 16", 2008. This is the maximum amount of line work I can do on one piece with a steady hand...

the turkey pigeon

Inspired by the work in Dresden, this is one of my favorite new pieces.
7.5" x 9.75", slipcast porcelain with hand applied flowers, 2008.

Non Fiction Design - new work

We just had our first solo show at The Clay Studio in Philadelphia - "Shakespeare Wooden Minnow". A ton of work went into the show - and I could not be happier with the result. Check out the Non Fiction blog to see more images, before and after.