Jennifer Maestre

Jennifer Maestre was originally inspired by the form of sea urchins. She thought that their spines were so beautiful yet so dangerous and that it created allure to touch them despite possibly painful consequences. She chooses to work with pencils and nails because of the two different sides and textures they provide, one sharp and the other smooth. It mirrors the tension of the desire to touch sea urchins – longing and repulsion.  She considers paradox and surprise to be essential in her choice of medium. To make the pencil sculptures Maestre takes hundreds of pencils, cuts them into one inch sections, then drills holes in them and sews them together like beads. She’s inspired by nature, mythology, and several other artists, but her inspiration comes from many other things too. Sometimes a mistake will even shape the direction of a piece.

Aurora, Colored Pencils, 7X17X17in, date not listed

My favorite of her pieces is Aurora, because it reminds me of the sea anemones that I find in the tide pools where my parents live. I completely understand this desire to touch but with the pang of fear that it might hurt. The way it unfurls is inviting and makes you want to look deeper into the work and examine the blue center. The complimentary colors are gorgeous together. The movement she creates with the spines makes it appear as though they are flowing and because there are so many of them they even look fuzzy from a distance. Her pieces are dynamic, creative, free flowing, and surprising.  

Seethe, Colored Pencils, 9X13X14in, date not listed

Persephone, Nails and Zippers, 5.5X16X11, date not listed

Nathan Sawaya

New York based artist Nathan Sawaya creates awe-inspiring works of art out of some of the most common household toys, Legos. His recent works feature life size and large scale sculptures that are absolutely incredible.  Sawaya finds inspiration everywhere, often his own personal feelings. He’s inspired by his experiences, emotions, and the journeys he’s taking. Also, he says, he likes to surf the internet for ideas. Today he has more than 1.5 million Legos in his New York art studio, all of which he buys just like anyone else would, his local Target store. His work is meticulously crafted, playful, and creative. Sawaya’s ability to turn ordinary Legos into something new and thought provoking through his attention to scale and color is what enables him to elevate it to the status of fine art. Because he has to ship his sculptures to galleries all over the world, he has started gluing all of the bricks together so they are permanent pieces.

Yellow, Legos, 35" x 13" x 28"

Sawaya’s piece titled Yellow is a great example of how his work is able to take on a thought provoking and conceptual meaning even though it’s made with child’s toys. This sculpture, the upper torso of a man who is holding his chest open, manages to achieve an astounding amount of detail in the features and hands. He is letting his insides, more yellow Legos, spill out of him. The monochromatic blocks provide consistency and unity throughout the work.

Skulls, Legos, Each skull: 34" x 24" x 3"

Circle Triangle Square; Legos, 72" x 70" x 16"

Limee Young

South Korean artist Limee Young makes incredibly complex kinetic sculptures out of mechanical components such as steel, central processing units, conductors, and microprocessors. The result is unbelievably beautiful and interesting machinelike sculptures that also serve no real function.  He always names his pieces in a way that helps the viewer understand what the piece might actually be intended to do. For example, he has made a secret keeping machine. You can tell it all of your secrets and it won’t tell a soul. Also, there’s a machine that is supposed to magnify love and help it to mature. How they do it is entirely up to the imagination, which to me is half the fun of his pieces.

The Dark Eating Machine
steel, micro processor, dc motor, servo motor, plywood 150(cm) x 350(cm) x 150(cm) / 2011

After looking at many of Young’s sculptures I’d have to say that one of his most visually compelling pieces is The Dark Eating Machine. With its long curving limbs it’s hard to not wonder “what IS that?” when you first see it. It is also a lot larger than most of his other kinetic works, so that alone makes it more compelling. I watched the video and it really looks like a science fiction creature methodically devouring its power source. By using a lot of organic shapes in the tendrils Young gave the machine a naturalistic edge that is more than a little eerie.

Silence of the wolf - Secret keeping machine

stainless steel, micro processor, dc motor, micro dc motor, mdf, cement, acryl / 65(cm) x 65(cm) x 220(cm) / 2012

"Love Tower" shown below starts at about 1min. 10sec.

love tower - love magnifying & maturing machine
stainless steel, cpu board, dc motor, servo motor, pyrex tube, oil, white birch 40 x 55 x 40 (cm) 2008

Franc Grom

For the last 18 years, 72 year old Slovenian artist Franc Grom has created elaborate, delicate, and incredible works of art from eggshells. Drilling one tiny little hole at a time, this meticulous process usually requires between 3,000-24,000 holes to create a single piece. Grom is inspired by traditional Slovenian designs and his work ranges from asymmetrical botanical motifs to cutouts that glow beautifully when lit up from the inside. In some of his pieces, the span of eggshell that connects one part of the design to another is only around a millimeter wide. His attention to detail emphasizes how delicate the egg really is.

Untitled, Egshell, Date Not Found (sometime within the last 18 years)

Of all the photos I’ve seen of his absolutely gorgeous work, one of my favorites (I couldn’t pick just one!) is the piece with grapes on a vine. The natural form flowing around the egg keeps my eye moving and reflects the natural aspect of the egg itself more so than the geometric designs he also creates. I think all of his pieces are incredible. I love the way that his designs are delicate like lace on an already delicate eggshell canvas. I can’t help but appreciate how sharp his eyes and steady his hands must be even with old age.

Untitled, Egshell, Date Not Found (sometime within the last 18 years)

Untitled, Egshell, Date Not Found (sometime within the last 18 years)

David Mach

A common theme in David Mach’s work is that there is always something very different between each body of work he produces, largely due to the mediums that he chooses to work with. He even calls himself a “medium junkie”, going through everything he can get his hands on to create art.  Mach’s artistic style is based on all of these different objects and varies depending on what he’s working with.  He largely works with objects that have been mass produced such as magazines, newspapers, stuffed animals, tires, match sticks, and coat hangers. Many of his pieces are temporary installations and constructed in public places. One time Mach accidentally set fire to one of his match stick pieces and has since started igniting them on display as a form of performance art.

'Picasso', match sticks, 2007, approx two times scale

My favorite of his pieces is in the “Matcheads” series and is titled “Picasso”.  The artist layers hundreds to thousands of match sticks to produce incredible renditions of famous portraits that fall in line perfectly with Mach’s preference for sculptural realism constructed with unusual mediums. They capture the person’s likeness while maintaining an artistic aesthetic.

'tiger', coat hangers, 2012, approximately to scale

'layed back', playing cards, 2012, 

Voss-Andreae

Julian Voss-Andreae is a Portland, Oregon based sculptor who originally started out as a painter but changed course to study physics which now heavily influences his work to this day. Voss-Andreae’s work has quickly gained attention, based in both science and art it captures the attention of multiple institutions and collectors in both the U.S. and abroad.  His work has been featured in several publications, including Nature and Science, the two world’s leading science journals.

Quantum Man 2, 2007, Stainless steel, 98” x 44” x 20”

Julian Voss-Andreae created Quantum Man and Quantum Man 2 in the image of a walking human as a quantum object. It is made up of thin, vertically oriented steel sheets make up the over eight foot tall sculptures and is meant to be a metaphor for the world of quantum physics. It symbolizes matter not being exactly what it seems. From the front, it looks like a solid object of steel, but from the side it almost entirely disappears. This is an extremely creative and innovative method of sculpture that is powerful in capturing illusion.  

Symmetry Break’, 2009, Steel chain and mixed media, 17” x 20” x 8”

Quantum Field (Profiles), 200p, Wood and nails, framed 25” x 25” x 3”

Xia Xiaowan

Xia Xiaowan is a Chinese artist who uses an interesting and unique technique of layering multiple 2d drawings and paintings to create a three dimensional image. Using this technique Xia Xiaowan is able to create a deep image that appears almost holographic. The artist creates work centered on the human form. Each layer of the glass holds a part of the overall composition. This structured system creates a hologram-like affect showcasing the bold three dimensional subjects.

“My experimental series of glass paintings is an attempt to deconstruct realistic painting and then reconstruct it from its key principles.” – Xia Xiaowan

Human Body # 7, 2011, glass pencil on glass panels, h: 87.5 x w: 60 x d: 38 cm / h: 34.4 x w: 23.6 x d: 15 in 

Human Body #7 is an excellent example of the holographic affect of Xiaowan’s work.

Two Person in Water, 2012, glass and glass color, 

The Body, glass and glass color