Tag: Art

Have you ever regretted bringing home a new piece of original art? I didn’t think so.

Scans show that viewing art triggered a surge of dopamine, the happy chemical, into the brain, which results in feelings of pleasure and satisfaction. It appeared that the reaction was almost immediate, in that when looking at things we consider to be beautiful, activity in the pleasure reward centre of the brain is increased.

Bridget Watson Payne

hint, hint: I just updated a bunch of stuff and there’s some really sweet pieces in there just waiting to make you happy!

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These four pieces have been around the studio for awhile, and were recently featured in my exhibit Bodies of Water, where they hung against this gorgeous blue wall. They are the original versions of the Bone Series where I was focused on the exploration of bone structures and fibrous hole patterns while playing with concepts of fragility, strength and connectivity. These thoughts led to looking at the skeletal structures of radiolarians and the series evolved. Even though these are older pieces, I still love the shadow play and how the steel cables give geometric structure to the organic clay parts.

The rectangles are 48″ x 24″ x 1″ and the squares are 30″ x 30″ x 1″, they can hang flush to the wall or suspended with cables (as seen here) from any direction. All four pieces are available in the online shop.

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I spend a lot of time in the studio with my sculptures and when I see these Medusas in bell jars sitting up on the shelves, they seem more like pets than sculptures to me. The way they wiggle in their little terrariums and seem to come to life makes me feel like they need names and to be fed daily. I love the sense of movement and playfulness in such fragile forms.

Did you know that jellyfish are actually a type of plankton? Anything that drifts in the ocean is considered part of the plankton family and this series was definitely inspired by the wanderings of these marine drifters. You can adopt one of these jellies for your home and bonus – you get to name it!

Want one? ADOPT HERE

After spending some time exploring the tide pools during our recent King Tides, I had to bring these Urchins Hole sculptures back into the spotlight. They were inspired by the sea urchins natural homes of holes in mudstone rocks visible at very low tides. The holes are actually formed by the urchins themselves, who bite away at the rock with their teeth and slowly sculpt their protected home around them. 

The urchins are hand built, with perforated flanges of very thin, nearly translucent porcelain that are fused to a stoneware ring as it’s protector. The stoneware has a red iron oxide wash on it making them appear to be made of metal instead of clay. Each piece balances on rubber bumps to make sure they don’t scratch your surfaces. And they can be easily cleaned by running them under the tap – check out this video about cleaning your art. All of these pieces are available for shipping within the US or chose local pick up at checkout.

Check out the last four available in the online shop!

ONLY 6 LEFT!

This limited series of Trinket Necklaces on Display boards debuted at Open Studios this past fall and the remaining pieces are now available in the shop. These thoughtfully crafted pieces made by sculptor Jamie Abbott and myself each come with their own display board so when you’re not wearing them, they can hang like small wall sculptures. Valentines Day is coming and these make great gifts for your sweetheart!

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