Atelier Stella Ceramics
English artist Stella Baggott creates hand-built pots and vases that are full of personality. Inspired by Cornish, Italian, and Swedish potters from the 50’s and 60’s, she mixes the “rustic use of patterns with the frivolity of character.” Each piece features adorable little faces that are sure to make you smile.
Jin Eui Kim
London-based ceramic artist Jin Eui Kim creates hypnotic optical illusionary vessels. With stripes of seemingly endless curved lines, Kim describes his process as “Creating illusory spatial phenomena which can influence the three-dimensional form.” He recently graduated with a Ph.D. in ceramics from Cardiff School of Art and Design, and exhibits his work all over Europe.
Textile Art
Photo: Terri Bleeker
During the 19th century, the textile industry boomed in mill towns where fast-flowing streams drove machinery such as power looms. The artisans of the Arts and Crafts movement rejected these inventions, in favor of traditional methods such as embroidery, hand weaving, and printing—all of which are being revived by today’s innovative textile artists.
Genevieve Griffiths
While weaving is an ancient cloth-making technique that is believed to have first been invented around 6000 BC in West Asia, contemporary artists such as Genevieve Griffiths continue to innovate the craft. The New Zealand-based artist creates architecture-inspired wall hangings that feature textured geometric shapes in bright colors.
Lisa Smirnova
The origin of embroidery dates back to 30,000 BC, and was originally used as a way to mend clothing. However, as techniques developed, so did possibilities for decorative stitching. Today, contemporary embroidery artists such as Russian-based Lisa Smirnova combine their impeccable stitching skills with a modern aesthetic. Rather than settle for mundane clothing, Smirnova updates jackets, blouses, and denim with her incredible, illustrative embroidery designs.
Caroline Cecil
While traditional textile printers such as William Morris used wooden printing blocks to apply colorful patterns to fabric, screen printing is another ancient technique that appeared more than 1,000 years ago in China during the Song Dynasty, and continues to be used by artists today.
One of those artists is California-based Caroline Cecil whose design studio’s main focus is on preserving traditional craft methods. Each design begins as an india ink painting, which is then translated onto cloth by hand-screen printing. Cecil explains, “We enjoy having a close relationship with the people who weave our ground cloths, and who hand screen print our designs. It truly is a team effort with a common end goal—to produce small batches of gorgeous quality fabrics in a way that enriches modern interiors and supports artisan lifestyle.”
Furniture design
Image: Clem Onojeghuo
In the United States, several furniture manufacturers became famous for work in the Arts and Crafts style. Believing mass-produced furniture was poorly constructed, designers such as Gustav Stickley created minimal pieces from quality materials, allowing crafted details to shine. Many of today’s contemporary furniture makers still hold these design ethics, and focus on providing high quality pieces that will last a lifetime.
Darrell W Peart
Precision woodworker Darrell W Peart believes that “Quality is an attitude.” His chairs, tables, and cabinets are inspired by the traditional designs of architects Charles and Henry Greene (founded 1894), as well as Asian forms. Considered one of the top furniture designers in America, Peart shares his skills with regular woodworking workshops in locations across the country.
Base 10 Furniture
Base 10 Furniture is a small furniture manufacturing company based in Los Angeles. Founded by woodworker and sculptor Joshua Friedman, and Lindsey Muscat, the duo create “timeless and graceful” pieces inspired by Japanese woodworking techniques. Each piece is “made with deliberate simplicity and exacting detail, respectful of the inherent grace in the traditions [they] engage and the materials [they] work with.”
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