Friday, July 17, 2020

Darla Jackson Explores Human Emotions Through Her Bizarre Sculptures



Darla Jackson is a sculptor based in Philadelphia. In 2003, she received a degree in BFA in Sculpture from Moore College of Art. After receiving her degree, she worked at Kitchen Sink Fabrications which gave her an opportunity to learn about clay, and the mold and cast making. She received a John S. and James L. Knight Arts Challenge Grant which led her to start the Philadelphia Sculpture Gym, a community based sculpture studio.
  






Through the familiar form of animals, use of body language and symbolism, she conveys "emotions and ideas in a way that is more approachable for viewers. The end result is familiarity with an oddness that makes it compelling.”

She sculpts her pieces using water-based clay, and afterwards makes a rubber mold of the pieces that are eventually casted in an industrial strength plaster. She paints her sculptures in black with a graphite finish to make them look like more humans than animals. 



“Creating these stand-ins for humans allows viewers to feel empathy for these creatures. It also lets them project their own emotions onto them.”






Death, sadness and grief are a recurring theme of her work. Through her work she wants to "embrace uncertainty, pick it apart to learn and grow and reassure people that they are not the only ones out there that feel this way. It also helps me to know that I am not the only one out there that feels this way. It is kind of a mutual reassurance, this interaction. Most of all, I’m trying to say that these darker sides of ourselves, these worries and things that haunt us, it’s all part of being human.” via



She has shown her work in several exhibitions as well as galleries and museums such as the Philadelphia Art Alliance, Seraphin Gallery, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, the Woodmere Art Museum, and a Wind Challenge exhibition at the Fleisher Art Memorial.

Jackson currently teaches Figure Modeling at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Animal Sculpture at the Fleisher Art Memorial and Mixed Media Sculpture at Stockton University.

Thursday, July 16, 2020

Artist Lena Tom Transforms Driftwood Into a Piece of Art



Lena Tom is a an artist who draws with driftwood and found objects. She creates animals, birds and landscapes using reclaimed wood she found on her walks on the beach. 








It depends on the shape and size of a piece of wood which makes the artist decide what she is going to transform it into - an owl, a bird, or a house. 







Lena starts with a bare wood and adds details like beak, feathers, eyes, feet with found objects such as shells, pebbles and nails. She adds colors to her pieces which brings her work to life. 




The house with clothes on a line is simply genius. You can learn more about her and see more of her work on Instagram.

Wednesday, July 15, 2020

Hand-Carved Wooden Sculptures by a Puppeteer and a Sculptor Arseniy Lapin





Arseniy Lapin also known as ARSELAP is an artist and sculptor from Moscow, Russia. In 1994, he graduated from a higher school of art in film and animation, and later he worked for several years in a puppet theater as a puppeteer and an artist. Arsenyi specializes in creative puppets, especially colorful folk-art inspired wooden sculptures.




He carves imaginative characters out of wood and colors them in oil and acrylics. His pieces have gorgeous texture and lovely patina that gives timeless aged appearance. The colorful palette of bright colors and embellishments that consist of metal wings, and bells make her art stand out. 

 


 


You can find more of his work and learn about his art by following him on facebook. If you have any questions related to his work or would like to buy one of his pieces, please email him at arselap@yandex.ru.

Tuesday, July 14, 2020

Gouache Paintings by Jessica Vaughan


Jessica Vaughan lives and works in the beautiful mountains above Santa Cruz, California. She grew up in a family where she was surrounded by artists and designers.  Jessica graduated with a degree in BFA with High Distinction in textile design and printmaking from the California College of Art. In 2007, she started creating designs for her own line of greeting cards.






Her whimsical work is inspired by nature, folk art, textile design and color. Her artwork depicting animals and plants are painted in gouache an opaque watercolor.






Her work can be found on cards, calendars, houseware, and apparel. Her work is available at many outlets throughout the Northern California. She has also shown her cards, prints and screen printed textiles at several annual showcases of artists and makers. She can be contacted through her website for commissions, licensing, and any project that you may have in mind.

For greeting cards based on her original work, visit her online.

Monday, July 13, 2020

My Owl Barn Is 11 Years Old!


Artwork by Heather Gauthier

I have no idea how did this happen. It all started with me writing a blog to fill up my free hours in a day when I moved to the US from India. Now, when I look back I am grateful for having ever started this blog. 

Those of you who know me personally, already know that my blog has supported me and helped me find my sanity when everything else was going wrong in my life. It was the only thing for a very long time to which I dedicated all my time. As time passed on, my life changed and I became responsible for many more things. But, I could never stop publishing my daily posts here. I am not only a blogger any more, I am a co-founder of an NGO, a product manager and a farmstay manager. Despite the ever increasing list of things that I have to do in my day I have not be able to bring myself to say goodbye to My Owl Barn.

I completely enjoy finding new people and inspiration through the blog. I hope that I can keep writing this blog for many more years to come. Cheers!

Love,
Shivani