BEAUTY: Ceramics--Hylton Nel

As South African conceptual artist, sculptor, and ceramicist Hylton Nel says of himself, "Been doing this for 50 years." Over that time, he has created a charming body of work but I am most drawn to his pieces featuring script. I love his sculptures and vases, but the plates are special: lovely works of art, but I would like to use them as functional plates as well...

https://hyltonnel.co.za/HOME

BEAUTY: Ceramic Sculpture--Louise Fulton

I am entranced by the incredible ceramic faces by Australian artist Louise Fulton. The variety of glazes, colors, textures, and shapes she employs makes each face so unique.

You can purchase one of her creations at her site!
https://louisefultonstudio.com/

BEAUTY: Sculpture--Nadia Stieglitz

For her series Symbiotic, ceramic sculptor Nadia Stieglitz looked to the world of trees and fungi to create the wonderful, meandering, incised lines on her creations. She describes it in her artist statement for the series:

"I have been recently fascinated by the research of various scientists on the impacts of climate change on forests and the reliance of these ecosystems on the unseen work of fungus to adapt to it. My most recent work takes inspiration from mycorrhizal fungi – critical members of the plant microbiome that form a symbiosis with the roots of most plants on Earth. In my series 'Symbiotic,' the Sgraffito patterns etched onto the surface of mushroom-like shapes recall these complex networks that feed and support the functions of larger organisms. In their dormancy, these works remind the viewer that, despite appearances, there is always growth and circulation--life, ultimately, in stillness."

To see more of her work or to learn how to buy and commission pieces, visit her website:
https://www.nadiastieglitz.com/

BEAUTY: Cermaics--Döppel Studio

Döppel Studio, the design duo of Lionel Dinis Salazar and Jonathan Omar are showing their "Néophore" project at the Paris art space ToolsGalerie until January 11, 2025.

ToolsGalerie says Döppel Studio "is interested in the shapes of antique jars and amphorae and their reinterpretation as luminous containers through the use of terracotta and a specific enamel. The light source becomes the essence of the reflection: like a material to be transported, it guides the shape of the container, inspires new uses and new objects. This work of contrast between light (here Neon) and terracotta leads Doppel Studio to collaborate with Aliénor Martineau of Alma Mater, a ceramist specializing in the manufacture of enamel based on natural minerals, to design a custom enamel that is sensitive to light. Between amphora, lamp and container, the exhibition invites you to discover a collection of atypical pieces that highlights through the object, as much the use and measurement systems of the first civilizations, as the cult of Prometheus (fire) and obviously, light, crossing or overflowing, as a material in its own right."

https://doppelstudio.fr/
http://www.toolsgalerie.com/

BEAUTY: Ceramics--Kazuhito Kawai

Piles and mounds and scoops of gelato and sorbet and hard candy and cookies and royal icing all topped with sprinkles (and an occasional straw for sipping!) blissfully melt away in the whimsical, unexpected ceramic work of Japanese artist Kazuhito Kawai. Delightful!

https://www.kazuhitokawai.com/

BEAUTY: Ceramics--Brenda Holzke

I am smitten with the marvelous, visceral work of ceramicist Brenda Holzke. Her pieces have a tribal and even Neolithic (and in a modern context, Brutalist) sense about them, with their Cy Twombly-esque graphite doodles and mark-making designs. And I love how she also incorporates materials like fabric, pencil, hemp, paper, plastics, metals, and yarn along with the usual stoneware clay, terra cotta, paperclay, and various glazes and slips.

Top to bottom: Arranged Marriage; Bilingual; Ceramic Bell Installation; Chained Vessel; Chasm; Covet; Faceted Striped Vessel; Generations; Genetic Link; Kenya Striped Foot Stool; Striped Inlay Basket; Wide Banded Vessel

http://www.brendaholzke.com/