Art Kaleidoscope

Between art and craft

Category Archive: Sculpture

Olga Zadushnova ceramic designer toy

Olga Zadushnova ceramic designer toy

Stunning art composition with a cow and a bookshelf with books and various details made of clay, ceramic, wood, acrylic. Olga Zadushnova ceramic designer toy

Olga Zadushnova ceramic designer toy
St. Petersburg based self-taught artist Olga Zadushnova is specializing in ceramic author’s toys. For 35 years of her creative work, Olga has created a large gallery of ceramic toys under the general name “Pottery with a smile”. Indeed, it is impossible not to smile when looking at these funny cartoon animals.
Librarian by education, Olga Zadushnova graduated from the St. Petersburg State Institute of Culture. According to Olga, she started modeling by accident. As a student, she worked as a courier at the Zoological Institute. It was there, in the taxidermy laboratory, where there was a lot of clay, that she began to make the first figurines from blue Cambrian clay. The laboratory staff who helped with the firing appreciated Olga’s talent. Noteworthy, among these employees was Olga’s future husband, who also sculpted from clay and helped her with firing.
The biggest motivation for creativity, improving skills and coming up with new ideas is her customers. “Personal orders increase the degree of responsibility”, and “what if they don’t like it” give impetus to new creative ideas.
Talented by nature, Olga is a wonderful positive person who loves animals, nature, her family, and people in general.
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Yulia Matsigor ceramic art

Yulia Matsigor ceramic art

Whimsical cat figurines. 16-18 cm. Clay, ceramics, firing, acrylics. Yulia Matsigor ceramic art

Yulia Matsigor ceramic art
Astrakhan based artist Yulia Matsigor has been creating unique ceramic products in her workshop “Matsiga Ceramic” for 8 years. These are ceramic fridge magnets, funny animal figurines, mugs, bells and souvenirs filled with the warmth of the master’s hands. Made by hand, each figurine has its own character, but they are all very kind and positive. Of course, each product is unique in its kind and exact repetition is impossible.
Although many know her only as a ceramist, however, painting is an integral part of her life. Before becoming a ceramics artist, Yulia studied painting at an art school for five years.
Julia’s works receive not only rave reviews from buyers and fans of her work, but also awards in various art exhibitions. According to Yulia, it is important for an artist to be developed in all spheres of art. “The level of skill depends on this, so you can’t limit yourself to one direction”.
Noteworthy, Yulia took up ceramics by accident, but she was so fascinated by it that she took courses, and her husband bought a special oven. It was in clay that she discovered many interesting things, and considers it a wonderful way of self-expression. “Working with clay teaches imaginative thinking, and my paintings have only improved from this.”
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Tatyana Levchenkova porcelain ceramic art

Tatyana Levchenkova porcelain ceramic art. Dream white porcelain wall decoration, detail

Dream white porcelain wall decoration, detail. Tatyana Levchenkova porcelain ceramic art

Tatyana Levchenkova porcelain ceramic art
Perm based artist Tatyana Levchenkova is the author of handmade interior ceramics, created in a single copy. Her artworks, in particular, include sculpture, plates, vases, dolls, jewelry and wall decorations. Each item in her collection is a unique piece of art, a collector’s item, and an excellent gift for a birthday, holiday or special occasion.
Having graduated from the Academy of Ceramics, she studied fashion modeling and interior design. Constant participation in applied art exhibitions inspires her to improve her skills and create new works. According to Tatyana, her motto is “Inspired by the Beautiful, create the Beautiful”.
Traditionally, Tatyana works with eco friendly and safe materials. And the special inspiration for her ballerina dolls became real ballet dancers. In addition to exclusive dishes and interior ceramics, she has created a collection of porcelain floristic products – plates, panels, table and floral wall decorations.
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Tatiana Ponomarenko garden sculpture

Tatiana Ponomarenko garden sculpture

Alkonost – a woman-headed mythological bird ceramic figurine for home interior or garden, weather resistant. 20 cm. Tatiana Ponomarenko garden sculpture

Tatiana Ponomarenko garden sculpture

A gifted multimedia artist, Tatiana Ponomarenko has created an extensive gallery of artworks. Among them, in particular, are book illustrations, paintings, plasticine models, bronze and ceramic sculptures and figurines. Moscow based artist, illustrator, and sculptor, Tatiana Ponomarenko is a member of the Creative Union of Artists of Russia.

Featured here ceramic and chamotte sculptures can decorate any garden or home interior, and make it a special place. Made in a single copy, every work is a unique work of art. Noteworthy, many sculptures reflect the artist’s interest in Slavic mythology and Russian folklore. According to the artist, nature is the main inspiration for her art, and lately she has become interested in the neo-pagan theme.
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Beautiful gourd carving art by Jane Mawson

Beautiful light fills the room with magical illumination. Gourd carving art by Jane Mawson

Walls literally come to life thanks to the desk lamp illuminating the room with its magical shadows and intricate speckles. Gourd carving art by Jane Mawson

Gourd carving art by Jane Mawson
Chestnut Hill, Philadelphia based artist of applied art Jane Mawson graduated from Washington College in Chestertown Maryland. A third generation artist, Jane works mostly in interior design, home decor and sculpture art. Inspired by the Bauhaus tradition, her artworks include a whole gallery of beautiful hand carved gourd lamps.
Noteworthy, Jane successfully exhibited her art works in the Abington Art Center and Accent Gallery in Ocean City, New Jersey. Also, the book ‘Creating Gourd Lights’ by Susan Nonn (published in 2017) features some of Jane Mawson’s works.
According to Jane, she considers herself more artisan than artist, using old world manual skills. In particular, wood working and pyrography, carving and sculpting, thus blurring the line between craft and art. Jane sells her wonderful works through her Etsy shop “Unique Handcrafted Gourd Lights”. So, if you want a unique and magical design of your home, visit her Etsy shop (the link below the post).
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Japanese artist Meetissai Internet Meme sculptures

A walking cat photo (left), which has become the Internet meme and sculpture of walking cat (right). Japanese artist Meetissai Internet Meme sculptures

A walking cat photo (left), which has become the Internet meme and sculpture of walking cat (right). Japanese artist Meetissai Internet Meme sculptures

Japanese artist Meetissai Internet Meme sculptures
Undoubtedly, the Internet loves memes, especially when the focus is on funny animals. From time to time, scrolling through the pages of your social networks, you can find a viral image that seems to defy the limits of reality.
Traditionally, made for entertainment purposes, Internet memes spread through social networks, the blogosphere and forums. However, later memes can go beyond the Internet, for example, becoming material and inspiration for artists. One of them is a talented Japanese sculptor known as Meetissai. An enthusiast of sculpting, he decided to implement the popular memes of animals. Cats, dogs, raccoons and hares, photographed in very unusual, but at the same time funny situations, inspired the artist. He began to spend his free time making funny and realistic sculptures that he found in the dark depths of the Internet.
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Unique art of Perm wooden sculpture

Unique art of Perm wooden sculpture

Angel with a trumpet. XIX century. Sherya village. Unique art of Perm wooden sculpture

Unique art of Perm wooden sculpture
The age of a wooden man is a little longer than a human and much shorter than a century of its bronze and stone counterparts. Although equally threatened by fire and dampness, but on the other hand, it travels more easily, transforms, and renews. Besides, it is egalitarian, because wood is inexpensive and affordable, and anyone can learn the skills of a carver.
But Perm wooden sculpture is still a riddle. This unusually expressive art has no youth, neither is it ever old. It appeared at the turn of the 17th-18th centuries as a mature phenomenon. It quickly absorbs a lot of styles, tries a lot of various techniques. Also, it shows itself in all its splendor and bloom and disappears, not having had time to exhaust its possibilities. It has no canons, more precisely, it uses different canons, but as a whim, and not as a dogma.
Noteworthy, Perm wooden sculpture almost did not save the names of their masters, but in every detail bears the imprint of their individuality. Common features can be traced, even with ease – and disappear with the same ease. The only undoubtedly common feature for all works is non comformism. Rules exist to violate them. Aliens from the White Sea, immigrants from Polish churches, monochrome replicates of high classicism are accepted into this silent wooden fraternity without objection. But let’s start from the threshold and further: deep down and up.
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