Louise Hill Designs Blog

Exploring Domestic Chores with Ceramic Realism

2008-08-01T11:08:00.009-04:00

Emma Luna is a native of the Dominican Republic and studied art education at the University of Minnesota. A local ceramic artist influenced her in traditional pottery and she continued to create this style of clay vessel after moving to Boston where she received a BFA in painting from Massachusetts College of Art. About three years later she moved again and then her work evolved in a more experimental direction away from vessels and towards sculpture.

Luna's work suggests the heavy burden of domestic chores. The stacking of a pile of laundry reflects issues of being a woman and finding the delicate balance between hard work and household tranquility.

"I want to give importance to things that aren't generally considered important, kind of like the Pop Artists of the 1960's" says Luna of her realistic towels, socks, and napkins.

Jennifer Whitten- Bead Embroidery/ Houses

2008-07-04T16:05:00.006-04:00

Snake House- September

Wonder House- October

Fall House- Novermber

Jennifer belongs to the Bead Journal Project which is being hosted by Robin Atkins. For Jennifer's monthly challenge she picked a very reconizable shape from my childhood to bead embroider. She created one house design for each month starting in June 2007 through May 2008.

Jennifer Whitten

Laura Shea

2008-06-29T15:18:00.010-04:00

"Rainbow Lei" 2002

"Heart to Heart bracelet"

The first time I noticed Laura's work was from the book by Valerie Hector called "The Art of Beadwork". Laura designed a beautiful necklace called "Rainbow Lei" made from 25 of her signature "Eureka Beads". I found this necklace to be such an inspiration. In 1997 Laura started exploring with three-dimensional geometric polyhedrons and soon designed a bead called the "Plato" bead named after the ancient Platonic symbol for the universe.

The ancient Chinese had used this same technique called "Plum Blossoms" in many of their beaded works but Laura was never aware of this until seeing the plum blossom design for the first time at a gem show. Laura works by using the principles of geometry in her work. Laura has been teaching her designs at the Bead & Button show.

Laura Shea's website and class Schedule:

A Dancing Rainbow

Glass Beads- by Laura Sparling

2008-06-10T12:35:00.009-04:00

Laura Sparling is from Southampton, UK and has been making beads since 2004, not a long time, but from an early age she has always been drawn to anything that shines, sparkles and glimmers. As a child she was a collector of tiny objects such as bits of beach glass, shells and stones. Now she creates beads everyday using Morretti/Effetre glass. She is one hundred percent self-taught, never taking a glass bead making class but only learning from books, websites and trial and error.

In Loving Memory of Liat Lichtmann

2008-05-24T00:38:00.021-04:00

Liat Lichtmann

1966-2008

I had the honor of being friends with the most amazing woman from Israel named Liat Lichtmann. She was intelligent, creative, beautiful and humorous. She had many talents and one of these was beading. Liat passed away leaving behind memories of beaded treasures. I hope you will take as much pleasure in viewing her work (below) as I have in knowing her. I find it difficult to express my sadness in words but I know that she will live on in the minds and hearts of those who share the beauty of her wonderful works. I love you Liat! Your words were as colorful as your art. Thank you my friend, for your art will live on forever.

Necklace made of Pearls and Kala Flowers carved in rose quartz,

concealed magnetic clasp with an antique wooden seal, hand painted shades of silver and abstract forms.

Necklace worn assymmetrically.

Dedicated to her grandfather- 2006

These old wooden stamps ( shown above ) were brought by her grandfather from Odessa Ukaine to Israel.

This necklace is in shades of honey, gold, gray, light blue and orange.

Gold plated seal clasp and orginal drawing.

"AfterGlow" 2007

This was her last design which was a dedication to her one true love

who passed away from a sudden heart attack at age 40.

She wanted to express the growth of her life in the "After" of his once glowing life.

Art Deco Homage- Finalist in Bead Dreams 2006

(Click to enlarge image)

Bird Scroll- Finalist in Bead Dreams 2006

(Click to enlarge photo)

Collar in Forest Shades- Finalist in Bead Dreams 2006

(Click to enlarge photo)

The Dragon- Finalist in Bead Dreams 2006

(Click to enlarge photo)

Perles & Rock

2008-05-18T11:27:00.006-04:00

This was the first time I viewed this blog and I discovered some interesting beaded designs and music. I hope you enjoy this Italian lady's blog. Perles & Rock blog.

Crocheted Art Jewelry- Veerle Maes

2008-05-02T17:59:00.015-04:00

Crocheted afghans and crocheted clothing have been around forever but have you ever thought about crocheting jewelry? I think more and more people are taking an interest in this direction and one person that I happened to find online that has made this an art form, is Veerle. Her work is bright and full of shapes and movements. From viewing her designs I picked up on the spontaneous nature of her jewelry. I wonder how she dreams up these designs?

I learned to crochet as a child but only recently did I start to wire crochet and after my first few pieces I became addicted to using wire. There are many other materials that can be used like yarn, ribbon, beads and even polymer clay for jewelry. Don't let yourself be limited, try exploring new materials.

So, it isn't only the grannies that are doing crocheting now. Please take a look at Veerle's lovely website and her blog.

Trompe l'Oeil painter- Ron Isaacs

2008-05-02T01:26:00.001-04:00

Come and See- 2007
34 x 24.25 x 2.25"
acrylic on birch plywood construction

Into the Garden- 2005

What I love about Trompe l'Oeil paintings are the 3-D effects that makes it seem as if you can touch the layers. When I saw this painting of "Into the Garden" on birch plywood I couldn't believe that it was not made out of cloth and real plants. Ron Isaacs is an artist with great success, showing his work in many galleries. He taught painting and drawing at Eastern Kentucky University from 1969- 2001 and currently is Professor Emeritus, Art.

To view his work click here.

Beaded Sculpture- A. Kimberlin Blackburn

2008-04-28T01:03:00.001-04:00

Sitting Pretty
Glass beads, acrylic, wire on wood
12" x 9" x 48"

Farmer's Sanctum
Glass beads, acrylic, wire on wood
13" x 13" x 8"

Luna At The Water's Edge
Glass beads, acrylic, wire and wood
9" x 9.6" x 7"

I remember seeing her sculptures in the "500 Beaded Objects" book and admiring her designs. I have always wanted to understand the structure underneath the beads as well. A.Kimberlin Blackburn's works are depicting the culture of her home, the Hawaiian Islands. She lives on the island of Kaua'i on a farm up in the mountains, her studio is surrounded by tropical flowers, fruit trees and a stream. This sounds like a dream!

Polymer Clay Artist- Julie Picarello

2008-04-25T20:03:00.012-04:00

Navaho

Lazy River Carnival- Pendant

Portal

When I discovered the great designs by Julie Picarello I had to post about her website called Yellow House Designs. The name, which was inspired from her yellow house that she lives in. She says that her focus is on symmetry and clean lines which is very clear when you view her elegant simple designs. I love the addition of metal tubing, hardware and gemstones that she has added to her designs to give them a bit of whimsy.

Last year if you remember julie came in second at Bead Dreams for lovely designed beads called "Tulip Field".

To view her jewelry designs click here.
To view beads click here.

Polymer Clay- Sandra McCaw

2008-04-19T13:23:00.012-04:00

Cover Design by Sandra McCaw- Flower Brooch

Book by Katherine Duncan Aimone, Larks Books

Bouquet- 1999

Taking Flight- 2007

Falling Leaves- 2007

When I saw the cover of " The art of Jewelry, Polymer Clay" by Katherine Duncan Aimone. I knew I had to buy the book if only for the cover photo. I am very serious, the work is so gorgeous I wanted to see more. The cover design was created by Sandra McCaw. She is known for the process called the "McCaw Cane". You can learn more about this process by buying her DVD, which is available on her site.

Knitted Metal- Carla Reiter

2008-04-17T15:07:00.007-04:00

Some of you might know that I have been working with knitting and crocheting wire lately and I love it. I was thrilled to have heard that Carla Reiter was awarded with the "First-Time Exhibitor Award" by the 2008 Smithsonian Craft Show Awards.

Glass Artist- Dora Schubert

2008-04-14T11:58:00.003-04:00

Neckpiece #8

18" Sterling Silver Finish

Collaborative Work 2007

Metalwork by Elizabeth Prior

Ring #18 in Sterling Silver Finish

Collaborative Work 2007

Metalwork by Elizabeth Prior

Neckpiece #10

18" Sterling Silver Finish

Collaborative Wrok 2007

Metalwork by Elizabeth Prior

Every once in a while I have a loss of words to discribe exstremely talented artist's work like Dora. She gathers her inpirations from nature's colors and textiles, Morrish designs and architecture as well as the microscopic world of cells and bacterium.

She will be at the Bead & Button 2008 Show in Milwaukee Wisconsin June 5- 8 booth #812. I hope you get the change to see her designs in person.

Dora Schubert Blog

Dora Schubert Glass Artist website

Artists Walk for the Soul- Annmarie Garden

2008-04-12T12:44:00.018-04:00

The Gateway- 1995
Ceramic

Located in and owned by Calvert County Maryland is a magical garden filled with fabulous outdoor sculptures named Annmarie Garden. The Garden is located in Solomons Maryland.

The tour begins when you drive thought beautiful gates constructed from Ceramic by Peter King and Marni Jaimie which is part of the Garden's permanent collection.

This YouTube video captures the wonders of the walk that encompasses magnificent artist's work.

Part of the Woman's Walk is "Girl with Braids" by Gerhard Marcks 1889- 1981.

Bronze- 1950

"Seated Woman" and "Squatting Woman with Shawl" created by Franciso Zúñiga from Costa Rica, 1913- 1998.

Bronze- 1981

Bronze- 1971

Pink Artist's Doll: "Love Squared"

2008-04-09T10:51:00.017-04:00

Isn't she beautiful? This is the work of a group of artists calling themselves "The Pink Artists". This group has combined squares from all around the world to join together to design a magnificent doll that stands for Hope and Courage. She will be auctioned off on Ebay and the proceeds will go to benefit the Susan G. Komen for the Cure.

She weights 6 pounds 2 ounces and stands just under 40 inches tall. To read more about "Love Squared" please visit Girl Gone Thread Wild blog. You can view all the beautiful squares at these links Parade of Squares 1, Parade of Squares 2 and Parade of Squares 3. The list of the 184 artists can be viewed here.

Click to give FREE MAMMOGRAMS to woman. Click Here to Give- it's Free.

Nature's Colors

2008-04-03T11:47:00.006-04:00

I love photography but I am very bad at understanding how the camera works. My photos never come out the way I would like them. I guess this is why I am amazed when I see photos like these. The photographer's name is Igor Siwanowicz and you can view his work by clicking here.

His wonderful photographs should give you plenty of color combinations to draw on for your new designs.

Tea Anyone?

2008-03-29T10:56:00.010-04:00

Wedding Couple, 2008
High Fired Ceramic
By Lidija Tkalcevic

My Growing Passion For Green Tea, 2008
Cherry, Ebony, Linen, Aacrylic Paint
By Jacques Vesery

En Garde, 2007
big Leaf Maple Burl, Walnut
by Art Liestman

Orange Zipper Teapot, 2007
Black Ash, Beads, Waxed Linen,
Wire, Fiber Cord, Zipper, Thread
By JoAnne Russo

Dusk Til Dawn, 2008
Ceramic, Glass, Czech Gems, Metal
By Lynn Casinerio

The 17 th Annual Exhibition of Teapots by Contemporary Artists has been showing at the Del Mano Gallery since March 8 and closes April 5 in Los Angeles California. Thirty artists are showing their creations crafted from varied materials such as leather, wood, ceramic, porcelain, polymer clay, metals and mixed media.

Organic- Pods and Seeds

2008-03-19T14:05:00.014-04:00

Boddha Pods
Large-12", Medium- 10", and small-8"

Single Seeds
size-6"W

Open Seeds
Contains brightly colors seeds hidden inside

I was reading on Kathleen Dustin's blog today and she mentioned an artist named Andy Rogers. I checked out Andy's site to view his work and it blew me away. Wow, what wonderful organic shapes, textures and rich colors. Andy is a ceramic artist from Kansas City, Missouri. I couldn't wait to show you his work. I especially like this quote from Andy:

" My intent is not to replicate these objects, but to simply translate what I have seen in unique and interesting ways. I work to embody the subtle delights of these details that can only be seen through intense investigation of the piece. "

Kathleen Dustin
Apple & Granite- purse with shoulder chain

Kathleen Dustin is a polymer clay artist that has used natural shapes and materials for inspiration for years. Viewing her gallery is like taking a walk with nature. I have always loved everything she creates. One of my favorites has been the pieces from her "Stone" series (above) in the gallery of purses. A new addition to her her "Pod" series is a recent design where she is using tall blowing grass as a purse. The combination of purple, green and peach colors makes a beautiful statement. Kathleen says it this way:

"By paying attention and then putting it somehow into my work, I hope then to open other's eyes and perhaps enable them to pay attention: to life, to the world, to people, to whatever they might be missing at the moment."

Beaded and Laced Bracelets by Yelona

2008-03-16T16:01:00.003-04:00

Manchette Lassa

What a great idea to see lacing inside a cuff bracelet. I think the ribbon gives this bracelet a nice feminine quality and the beaded pattern is very nice all by itself. Visit her website to see more of her work.

Steel Washers, Wire Mesh & More- Work by Lindsey Ketterer Gates

2008-03-12T17:37:00.013-04:00

Frog Prince 2007
34" h x 18"w x 7" d
Stainless steel mesh, paint, steel with patina, coated copper looping

Lindsey Ketterer Gates' work combines her love of fashion design with everyday materials. Her work includes weaving wire using a knotless netting method which she combines with pattern, texture and common materials such as metal washers, mesh screening, paperclips, cut nails, pistachio shells and materials you can find in abundance at hardware stores. She has developed a method of working with small parts that are then combined into the larger design. This method of working enables her to work anywhere at anytime.

She might sometimes spend years gathering materials and ideas for a design. Once she has found the method, material and form that works she starts out with a paper pattern of the foreseen finished piece. The paper pattern is fashioned like a garment pattern and is used as a guide to cut material and form the armature. Next she moves on to embellishing and stitching seams together while leaving some areas open for wire netting work.

Lindsey comes from a textile background which is reflected in the seams and stitches in her designs and which become an important design element in her work.

Etsy Artist Janine Golbert

2008-03-04T13:01:00.009-05:00

Tatoo Black Silver Necklace

Combined laser cut leather and sterling silver.

Sculptured Bangle with Metal Embelishment

Expandable Design to stay on the middle of the arm.

Sterling Silver and Leather Bracelet

Laser cut leather with Sterling Silver.

Have you heard about Etsy? What is Etsy? Etsy is an online market for buying and selling of handmade items. Since their launch in June of 2005 Etsy has built a group of over 100,000 artists selling handmade items from around the world.

CEO: Etsy founder Rob Kalin speaks about his company in this interview. Click here to view the video.

In my spare time I like to browse Etsy and it seems that I never fail to find an artists that I admire for their brilliant design. One such person that fills these requirements is Janine Golbert. Her amazing shop is called Eninaj which is her first name spelled backwards. Janine's jewelry and fashionable accessories are a pleasure to view.

Nicole Kidman, Oscars & Diamonds

2008-02-26T13:44:00.010-05:00

Oscar night is a big night for movie enthusiasts viewing their favorite stars on TV in anticipation of what they will be wearing. For me I always notice the jewelry. If you missed the Oscars on TV then you missed this spectacular sautoir necklace designed by L'Wren Scott and worn by Oscar Presenter Nicole Kidman. The sautoir necklace contains 7645 pieces of rough, faceted and polished diamonds totaling to 1399 carats. The design was labor intensive requiring excess of 6200 hours of handcrafted labor produced and manufactured by Uni-Designs Ltd. in Paris and India.

Embroidered Beaded Bags, Boxes, Etc.

2008-02-02T03:14:00.000-05:00

Silver Twist Necklace

Scroll Necklace

Steven and William Ladd are brothers who have been collaborating for over five years on hand-beaded jewelry, handbags, scarves, ties and large-scale installations. William got his start in beading when a friend in high school showed him how to macrame. While moving to New York to pursued a modeling career he took with him one huge duffel with clothes and another filled with thousands of beads. He often practiced beading while waiting in casting lines and on photo shoots.

Steven, having studied textiles, fiber and costume design at Rockhurst University in Kansas City, has experience as a clothing and handbag designer.

To view a video of their work Click here.

Artists from the Netherlands

2008-01-27T01:58:00.000-05:00

Snail-with-Sprouts Train-2006

Obect/Bracelet- textile, plastic, silver and coral

By Felieke van der Leest

Gusz Goosz-2006

Necklace- Gold, textile, glass, plastic and topaz

By Felieke van der Leest

Necklace paper/silicone tube

1995

By Nel Linssen

Necklace paper/ nylon thread

1999

By Nel Linssen

Virny Meijer-Kortekaas from the Netherlands has brought to my attention two wonderful Dutch artist's websites. Felieke van der Leest's work I have known about and absolutely adore but have never posted on. I had never seen the other artist Nel Linssen's work before. The paper jewelry designs are fabulous. Thank you Virny for sending these artists my way so everyone can appreciate their talents.

African Netting Necklace

by Virny Meijer-Kortekaas

This is the first necklace Virny made that inspired her interest in seed beads. Great job Virny!! The pattern came from About Beadwork.

Peyote Spiral Necklace 2

By Virny Meijer-Kortekaas