next in line

I have been sitting on this snarling dog head all summer, putting off the inevitable. It is time to start making molds again. I have a couple ideas for this dog, some referring back to the figurine that it was scanned from - and others that are a little more out there. Must get to work.

topiary

"Table Top Topiary", inspired by a recent trip to Versailles last month. I have been obsessed ever since, trying to figure out ways to make my flower balls larger and give them a little more structure. This piece is for the CS13 fundraiser auction this weekend, click here for more info.

Die cut paper and glue, 33" x 18" x 20"

window

A sneak peek at the window display Mike and I are working on together. We are part of a project that is taking place across the short Vine area of Cincinnati, with groups of artists putting up window displays in vacant buildings. Our building is Sudsy Malones, a rock and roll venue and bar where you could also do laundry while catching a show.
(will post more pictures here once we finish up and add lighting)
12' x 5', porcelain, paper, wood.

flower ball

My first paper flower ball, made from a stockpile of paper scraps. Built just like a rubber band ball - adding paper around and around... with no interior structural support.
die cut paper and glue, 23" x 18".

lion (part 2)

I have been china painting the last few weeks, working on a series of tumblers for Future Retrieval inspired by old illustrations. Using the borders from one of the books, I decided to dress up the lion head by adding a band across the eyes. More to come.
porcelain and china paint.

Dresdener Print Flower

Dresdener Flower Print, 22' x 10' x 8". Porcelain and hand cut paper.

Gallery installation, Prairie.
"PVR's Garden" aka the squirrel chandelier, porcelain, cut paper, neon, yarn, and metal. Made in collaboration with Guy Michael Davis. To see more images from the show, click here.

carnival chalk lions

"mouthful", porcelain, 24" x 14", edition of two.

Carnival Chalk Lions, installation view (see here and here).

"spewing flowers" porcelain, 11" x 23".

silhouette scrim

Images of "silhouette scrim" installation at Prairie. Hand cut scrim pieces derived from morphed German cut paper silhouettes. The white cut paper overlay is pinned into and onto the background. I had no idea how much the white would erase the colors behind it, a very nice effect.
7' x 7' x 3", cut paper, pins, staples.

setting up

a quick shot of the installation going up at Prairie last week. Good pictures of the entire show coming shortly...

Small Favors V

"Boxers Illuminated" porcelain and china paint, 4" x 4" x 4" at Small Favors V. Love this pattern.

show card

The postcard for my upcoming show at Prairie. The show is in collaboration with Guy Michael Davis, and is possible through a City of Cincinnati Arts Grant that we received this September. I will have several new paper and porcelain pieces, and then together Guy and I have something crazy up our sleeves. Stay tuned - it should be grand.

faculty show

UC Faculty Show 2010. A combination of a couple ideas from this year, combining the die cuts I just had made with a wolf head using similar patterning. The gold leaf back plate is from an earlier show this year, but looks really striking combined with the blue and white.
"Wolfie Illuminated" paper, porcelain, china paint, gold leaf, 28" x 30"x 7.5", 2010.

die cut

I finally had some of the images I have been hand cutting turned into dies. And they are amazing. I love how the edges are so round and precise - and the fact that my name is metal etched on each die. Very cool. Starting to feel like everything is coming together for May...

casting (studio shot)

Casting like crazy. I have some ideas for how these will be displayed and hung - and at this point just need to get them all in and out of the kiln in one piece. And now. The individual flowers are slowly turning into swarms with smaller flowers and crystals engulfing them....

massive (part two)

The first round of giant flowers are out of the kiln, and I am super pleased with the results. This is exactly what I needed - to motivate me to start casting like crazy. Right now.

studio work

Studio shot of the lion head in the works... Not sure where this is going, but I think the color palette - which at this point is completely accidental - is really nice. Now, I just need to make the mold of the head and keep casting.

progress

Layer two and layer one respectively, of a hanging scrim paper piece I have been working on. The background has gone through a couple changes, (see here) but after I ruined my sewing machine I decided on stapling the paper together. Actually works very well. Still messing with layer two - I really want it to hover away from the background. More to come...
Hand cut paper pinned and stapled, 6.5' x 7'.

scientific structure

One more porcelain tile that appears to be from the bottom of an old scale. Both tiles are off to State of the Art 2010, a National Biennial Ceramics Invitational in Indiana that opens next month. "Scientific Structure" found porcelain slab, china paint, 13" x 9" x 1.5", 2009

the lion

New three-d printout from a found piece of antique chalkware. I was drawn to this lion head because of the strange, flat but rounded face. With the help of collaborator Guy Davis and a City of Cincinnati Artist Grant, I was able to have the object scanned, enlarged and printed. And, I love how the some of the lines are raised and looked combed through (I hope that shows in the end) Next step - a LOT of mold making.

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)