Delicate and Unusual Porcelain Sculptures by Kate MacDowell

 

Kate MacDowell is an internationally known artist based in Portland who crafts delicate porcelain sculptures that are eerie in nature. She builds these unusual sculptures to express her interpretation of conflict between the natural world and our contemporary world's impact on the environment. The artist sculpts each piece by hand, often building a single solid form that's then hollowed from the inside. The owl body nesting a human skull or a human brain that's stuffed with flora and fauna can be disturbing as human form intertwines with animal figures.

"In my work this romantic ideal of union with the natural world conflicts with our contemporary impact on the environment. These pieces are in part responses to environmental stressors including climate change, toxic pollution, and gm crops. They also borrow from myth, art history, figures of speech and other cultural touchstones. In some pieces aspects of the human figure stand-in for ourselves and act out sometimes harrowing, sometimes humorous transformations which illustrate our current relationship with the natural world. In others, animals take on anthropomorphic qualities when they are given safety equipment to attempt to protect them from man-made environmental threats."

You can find information on her upcoming workshops and shows on Facebook. To view more of her work visit portfolio page on her website.

Imaginative Worlds Created by the Artist Lily Moon

   

Cyprus based artist and a freelance illustrator Lily Moon creates gorgeous watercolor illustrations. She paints these imaginary worlds onto paper that are inspired by people, nature and animals. Her artwork adorn handmade postcards, paper dolls, scalloped tags, notebooks and even art prints. To find the entire range of her paper goods visit her online store.

“I’m inspired by human emotions, by books or strange stories, by my travels and by the little things in life that are overlooked… I like holding an imaginary magnifying glass over them and wonder at their beauty!” via.

Meticulous and Detailed Embroidered Artwork by Ekaterina Nikitina

Russian embroidery artist Ekaterina Nikitina creates fabulous artwork using needle and thread. Her embroideries are detailed and often have a story to tell to the viewer. She embroiders animals, men and women figures depicted in their natural environment. The main subject in each of her piece has a breath-taking landscape that sparks life into her work. Lovers kissing under a starry night, a sailor girl gazing at the open sea and a woman taking a swim among other creatures of the water are some of the scenes she creates meticulously one stitch at a time. Her stunning embroideries are available in the form of brooches, it's like wearing an art piece on your jacket.

You can find more of her work on Instagram, she showcases her creations under the name of beskonechnayaistoriya. You can find her contact information on her page in case you are interested in purchasing one of her embroideries or have any question regarding her work.

Beautiful and Earth-Friendly Paper Goods by Prism of Starlings

Kirsty Baynham is an artist, musician and a poet based in Edinburgh. She started Prism of Starlings in 2011 after graduating with a first class degree in Illustration from Edinburgh College of Art.

She explains the meaning behind the brand name on her profile page: "The brand is stylistically defined by a combination of two main elements – ‘prism’, which represents geometry, symmetry and the pattern making process, and ‘starlings’, representing the strong animal theme to my designs and their importance to me both as an artist and as an individual."

Her love for the animals is evident in her artwork. She creates cards, notebooks, wrapping paper, brooches and calendars often featuring woodland creatures and starry skies. She uses recycled paper to print the paper goods and reuses packaging to mail her products. Her products are aimed at animal lovers and environmentally friendly shoppers who appreciate fine art. Find more of her products in her online store.

Whimsical Hand Painted Torn Paper Lampshades by Dawn Maciocia

 

Dawn Maciocia is a Scottish artist who creates collage paintings using hand painted torn papers. She has always loved animals and is the main inspiration behind her work. She is a self-taught artist who enjoys working with hands, she has worked with salt dough, sculpting figurines and moulds for elaborate baking projects. She started her journey as an artist in mixed media and printmaking, and gradually evolved into creating colorful artwork using acrylics, inks and paper collages. 

She constructs whimsical lampshades based on her original illustartions that'll brighten up any corner of your house. The lampshades are designed, printed and handmade with beautiful faux suede in her studio in Fife.

"I find life is so serious most of the time so I deliberately counteract this by creating art that is light-hearted, bright, textured, colorful and often with a little touch of humor to make you smile. My work has been described as whimsical, magical, tactile, funky and unique. The characters I create all have wonderful expressions and the relationships they have with each other create a visual story. Different people see different stories and I like that. My animals have mutual respect for each other so fox and hare live happily side by side."

You can view images behind the process, get update on her new work and announcements on the upcoming events on Instagram.