Quirky Hand-Sculpted Characters By Alan James

 

 

Alan James is originally from England and currently living in Reykjavik, Iceland. Working as a postman full-time, Alan sculpts whimsical characters in his spare time. He shares on his Etsy profile that he finds "peace and tranquility to sculpt, paint and collect rocks and stones."

In 1997, he gained formal education to be a painter at the school of fine art and design at the northern town of Akureryi, and earned a graduate degree. He realized his true passion was sculpting when he created a x-mas gift for a friend's daughter. He hand-makes one-of-a-kind quirky creatures and imaginative characters. He makes owls, frogs, birds, cats, and people in clay and craft wire. To finish each piece is hand-painted with acrylic paints and a protective coat. His sculpture can be as big as only 1.5 cm in length. You can find the entire collection in his online store.

Artist Makes Sculptures With Wire And Tulle That Look Like Pencil Sketches

David Oliveria also known as "The Lisbon Wire Man" is a sculpture artist who creates amazing sculpture using metal wire and tulle. His work is so delicate that the sculptures look like hand drawn ink sketches, you would think they are two dimensional.

He uses variety of wires from galvanized to silver, to iron. The gauge of the wire is carefully selected to represent the density of the lines in his subject. He uses wire, and cuts it and twists it in ways to create life-size animals, birds and human figures. Once the form is ready it's painted black for durability and the sculptures are then "colored" with tulle. You can follow him and learn about his new work by following him on Instagram.

Quirky and Functional "Pieces De Resistance" by Britt Appleton

Britt Appleton is a potter from Portland, Oregon. She makes quirky and functional pieces including mugs, bowls, vases, and planters, and decorates them with hand-painted animal motifs, female figures, faces and abstract designs.

She started the brand Pieces De Resistance in 2016 as a protest against the Trump Administration. But instead of resisting injustice by going through the negative emotions, she turned it into something positive and started making what makes her happy - pottery. She donates 10% of the profits from the sale of her pieces to different organizations each month such as ACLU - The American Civil Liberties Union.

The wheel-thrown pieces are made with laguna speckled buff clay which gives her pottery such rich texture and glazes that range from bright to pastel underglaze colors. Her one-of-a-kind pieces are available through her web store. To view what is she working on currently, visit her on Instagram.

Recycled Materials Welded Into Life-Size Amazing Sculptures

Brian Mock is a metal sculptor who spent most of his childhood years in Oregon, now he lives in Aloha, Oregon. He drew, painted and experimented with wood carving most of his young life. In 1997, he started to create sculptures using recycled materials and self-taught welding skills. With his creativity and imagination, he turns metal scraps into most amazing life-size sculptures of owl, horse, lion, cat, rabbit, bear and more. He carefully selects each piece of metal to fit the form of his subject which gives his work incredible fluidity. The delicate feathers of a bird or free-flowing hair of a mane make his sculptures almost real.

"Giving old, everyday objects a new life as one sculpture is an artistically demanding, yet gratifying, process. My work is designed to emphasize resourcefulness and encourage viewer engagement. Audience reactions fuel my creativity and help me bring my visions to life."

 

Brian's work is part of many galleries, featured in several publications and art books. He has created sculptures for country's renowned hotels, restaurants, cafes and for Ripley's Believe It or Not museum.

Japanese Artist Itsuko Naka's Delicate Paper Cuts Turned Into Paper Goods

 

 

Japanese artist Itsuko Naka enjoyed drawing from a very early age. She lives and works in Tokyo, the immediate cultural richness of the city influences her methods and techniques of block-printing, silk printing and stencil art. She creates lovely illustrations with paper birds, cats, flowers, ducks, swans and other nature inspired designs. She cuts them on paper and sticks them carefully, turning them into beautiful landscapes and scenery. Her work is primarily inspired by the nature surrounding her, wild birds and scenery of seasons.

Her original designs are hand-printed of fabric using traditional dying, and can also be found on greeting cards, calendars, tea towels, washi tapes, blankets and totes. You can find her products on her online store here.