Mid-Week Masters: Paul Stankard

Another incredible show now on view at the Museum of Glass in Tacoma called Beauty Beyond Nature, featuring work by Paul Stankard. While Glimmering Gone envelopes you in an environment of ice and glass, Paul Stankard's work sucks you into a tiny world of intricate and infinitesimal detail. Stakard has taken the mundane (and, let's just admit it, schlocky) glass paperweight and created incredible miniature worlds that feel as if they are their own self-supporting ecosystems. Stankard began his career in glass by blowing glass beakers and such for scientific labs which, I assume is where he developed his perfectionism and eye for detail. Like with Glimmering Gone, the photos here don't do the work justice and if you have the chance to see it in person I highly recommend it.

All photos from Paul Stankard's website. Photography was not allowed in the museum.

Alma

Alma

Have you seen this short film written and directed by former Pixar animator Rodrigo Blass? It's kind of gone viral lately and even though it was released in 2009 I didn't see it until recently. Rumor has it it's soon to be made into a feature length film. It used to be when a brilliant short film was made only the privileged few at film festivals got to see them, but lucky for us the internet has changed that. 

The film has the familiar whimsy of a Pixar movie, but is a little more likely to give you nightmares. Fair warning. 

PS: If you look closely at the dolls on the couch you might notice a nod to Diane Arbus

Mid-Week Masters

If you're any where around Tacoma, I highly recommend Glimmering Gone at the Museum of Glass. When I walked into the gallery with Landscape in it I literally gasped and said "oh my god" out loud which was kind of embarrassing because the only other person in the gallery at that point was the security guard. This collaboration between Beth Lipman and Ingalena Klenall is a combination of fused and blown glass hung to form an icy, glittering landscape. Fragmented trees stretch up towards the ceiling and mirrored shards suggest a mountain stream. Truly one of the most beautiful works of art I've seen in a long time. The photos don't do it justice.


The photos above are from Beth Lipman's website. Photography wasn't allowed in the museum.

Playing Elusive

30 years ago, the mountain hiding in all this mist exploded causing the earth to shudder, massive landslides, the midday sky to go dark, and ash to touch ground as far west as North Dakota. They predicted it would take decades for the landscape to recover, that the slopes would be as barren as the surface of the moon for 30 years or more. With a little help from scientists and Weyerhaeuser in her recovery, the slopes of Mount St Helens have bloomed back to life and are far from barren today. New ecosystems have formed in lakes formed by landslides. An awareness, and even awe, of the power under your feet can be felt.

Buy Handmade

A couple of weeks ago, I went to the Pratt Holiday art sale, an annual collections of talented artists and craftsmen selling their work. This year for holiday shopping I'm trying to avoid big box stores and support local businesses and artists. The sale at Pratt was only two days long, but you can still take a look at their websites and shops if you're still looking for the perfect something for someone. Here's a small collection of artists from the sale that caught my eye.

Catherine Grisez Jewelry

Gorgeous, feminine jewelry that has the tiniest bit of whimsy too.

Carrie Grula Glass

I really loved these retro inspired glass works

(SF)2: Design

The team of a glass blowing boy and a metals girl. I particularly liked the drop pendants.

Sarah Loertscher Jewelry

Lovely structured and minimalist jewelry

Pages of Eden

While my bibliophile soul mourns the loss of any bookstore, I was thrilled to get this book for only $6 due to the demise of Borders.

Garden of Eden is filled with the gorgeous botanical illustrations of several artists/scientists. I wish botanical illustrator was still a viable career choice. I can imagine myself trekking through jungles and plains with my sketchbook and watercolors, scouring the area for all kinds of interesting flora. Don't tell anyone this, but for a while in high school I dreamed of becoming a botanist. I was inspired by the work of Margaret Lowman, an amazing rainforest canopy biologist. Tragically, now I barely have enough time to devote to keeping my potted houseplants alive.