Studio Glass at 50: Breaking Away

December 2011 | BY Lee Lawrence | Issue 78, Winter 2011-2012 | NO COMMENTS

It could have been just nine exhilarating and exhausting days: a dozen artists melting glass and twirling blowpipes with the curiosity of 10-year-olds tinkering with a chemistry set. But through a combination of tenacity and serendipity, what happened at a workshop in a garage on the grounds of the Toledo Museum of Art in March 1962 triggered art’s equivalent of a chemical reaction. Fifty years later, we are still feeling its effects.

All Creatures Great and Small

December 2011 | BY Rosemary Carstens | NO COMMENTS

In a small studio in Santa Fe, N.M., a modern-day alchemist bends over his worktable. Around him lie piles of twisted sticks, bicycle tires, baling wire, rusted screws and washers, torn canvas, medallions and a few tools. Layer by layer, contemporary sculptor Geoffrey Gorman builds charismatic creatures that, with the final touches, suddenly become “real.”

Portfolio: The Beauty of Opposites

December 2011 | BY Kat McKerrow | NO COMMENTS

The jewelry of Sana Doumet is a study in contrasts. Graceful 18-karat gold tendrils entwine around sturdy shapes of sterling silver. Primeval spirals adorn a contemporary form. Warmth and coldness embrace each other.

Editor’s Note: A Closer Look at Gorman’s World

December 2011 | BY Hope Daniels | NO COMMENTS

The first thing you notice about Geoffrey Gorman’s sculptures is their size: they are very big. And mesmerizing. And varied. Some of them carry what look like whole boxes of bolts, hooks, screws, washers, keys, nails and wires on their backs.

Palette: Art Soars on Nature’s Wings

December 2011 | BY Jan Pierson | NO COMMENTS

Pastellist and encaustic artist Judith Gebhard Smith stands in out front of her Nightwing Studio at the edge of Puget Sound, gazing at the gulls and ravens circling overhead. She knows the formula for encaustic: melt beeswax, add pigment, paint, then fuse. She also knows that she alone must pick up the tools to make her art happen.

Online Exclusive: The State of Craft

December 2011 | BY Jean Thompson | NO COMMENTS

Whether you’re coveting a handbag, vase, basket, bowl or brooch, you can appreciate the fine craftsmanship that sets locally handmade items apart from mass-produced merchandise. You’ll see designs ranging in style from traditional folk to contemporary couture. The prices are pleasing, too…

Style Spotlight: Cities Roll Out Some Very Big Outdoor Art

December 2011 | BY Jennifer Clary | NO COMMENTS

Claes Oldenburg’s “Paint Torch” rises at a 60-degree angle. Two cities in different parts of the country have recently gone for art in a big way. In August, the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts’ Lenfest Plaza in Philadelphia unveiled a new sculpture by 82-year-old artist Claes Oldenburg. The pop sculptor has made a career [...]

Style Spotlight: ‘Genius Grant’ Goes to Master Silversmith

December 2011 | BY Karol V. Menzie | NO COMMENTS

Ubaldo Vitali is one of 22 new MacArthur fellows. Credit: John D. & Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Ubaldo Vitali, a fourth-generation silversmith, has won a prestigious MacArthur Foundation award. He is one of 22 new MacArthur Fellows for 2011. Others, from a wide range of disciplines, include an architect, a cellist, a poet, a sports [...]

Style Spotlight: Even at 80, Babar Still Gets Around

December 2011 | BY Karol V. Menzie | NO COMMENTS

Babar, the wise elephant, has become Babar, the ubiquitous elephant, as museums on two continents celebrate the 80th birthday of the beloved children’s book character. On Dec. 8, the Louvre’s Musée des Arts Décoratifs opened a retrospective exhibition fêting Jean and Laurent de Brunhoff’s book series, begun in 1931. Since then, there have been dozens of books…

Style Spotlight: Finds!

December 2011 | BY Karol V. Menzie | NO COMMENTS

Okay, it’s not handcrafted. It’s not one of a kind. It’s not even hard to find. But it was just too striking to pass up: the first release of the Barbie Collector Museum Collection, featuring a gorgeous representation of Gustav Klimt’s “Adele Bloch-Bauer I,” complete with the famous Viennese beauty’s golden dress and upswept hairdo.

Style Spotlight: Artists’ Life

December 2011 | BY Karol V. Menzie | NO COMMENTS

A studio, a gallery, a museum and a theater, and it’s all happening in Oceanville, N.J. It’s ArtC, “the next logical step” for founder and executive director Bill Horin, a commercial photographer whose passion is promoting the arts in southern New Jersey.