BEAUTY: Sculpture For Halloween--Tomáš Libertíny

Artist Tomáš Libertíny (previously here) uses bees as collaborators on amazing sculptural projects and this set of skulls was inspired by a painting by Caravaggio. The artist explains:

I have took upon working on a series of heads based on the framework of skulls themed as memento vivere as opposite to memento mori. This work is based on the famous story from the New Testament in which the daughter of Herod requests the head of imprisoned John The Baptist. Inspired by the famous painting of Caravaggio Salome with the Head of John the Baptist (c. 1607), the bronze colored serving tray carries a human skull “made by bees”. The honeycomb head is growing out of the dish as if wanting to become alive again. Left longer in the beehive, the head would have become completely human. The process is the reversal of death. I have experienced personal sacrifices and losses in my life that I did not understand the meaning of. We are given time and place in our universe. We are given gifts and purpose which we need to find like tools in the shed. We have so little time to wonder about the magnificent world around us.

The first skull below with the pinkish hue, attained by adding harmless coloring to the hive, is John the Baptist.

The next one, Feed Your Head, was inspired by a lyric from the Jefferson Airplane song "White Rabbit"
 about Alice In Wonderland.

Finally, Tomáš created Pain Au Amour (Bread of Love), showing a skull mounted a baker's peel.

http://www.tomaslibertiny.com/

BEAUTY: Painting--Andrew Sedgwick Guth

Andrew Sedgwick Guth's style is so open and honest and approachable, from his simply sketched figures to his fun, bright color palette, to his use of mixed materials like found ephemera and beeswax!

Top to bottom: Acadia I (tell me all your stories); after, after (oh, winter); I didn't change, I became (a thousand voices); poets (there's a blue light, there's a feeling); stories of gods and heroes (spring); the things i loved (summer); watching boats, planes, and pretty white clouds (the song begins); watching the stars collide; where we used to go when all was wrong (lilies and jewels); your blue waves in the night (come back, come back)

http://www.andrewsedgwickguth.com/

Secret Wood Rings

I'm enchanted with these miniature snow scenes and tiny blizzards among rocky mountain tops embedded in very special rings by Secret Wood. They are hand made using a variety of fresh woods, jewelry resin, and beeswax. Once you order a ring, it is custom made and since each one is completely unique, they send you a photo of it before it ships to make sure you love it!

http://www.mysecretwood.com/

Cire Trudon

For years, I have been walking by the Paris storefront of Cire Trudon, the oldest wax manufacturer in the world, and admiring their bust candles. Founded in 1643 by wax merchant Claude Trudon, this venerable company made candles for Versailles, Louis XIV, and through the end of the monarchy with Louis XVI. They subsequently provided candles for Napoleon and the Empire. In fact, Napoleon gifted his newborn son a single Cire Trudon pillar candle adorned with three gold pieces featuring the profile of the Emperor. That candle is still available; called The Imperial Pillar Candle, it is in the fourth image down. And their bust candles come in different designs: Marie-Antoinette, Napoleon, Louise, Alexandre, and the figure of a slave. The windows of the Paris store often feature busts burning down, melting into drips and puddles...

Above photos by JEF

Above photos from Cire Trudon

http://www.ciretrudon.com/

BEAUTY: Sculpture--Tomáš Libertíny

Slovakian-born artist Tomáš Libertíny now has a studio in Rotterdam where he works with bees to collaborate on sculptures. His work reminds me of Aganetha Dyck who also uses the handiwork of bees to alter and distort traditional figurative ceramic sculptures.

Libertíny created the agonizing piece entitled The Unbearable Lightness out of resin and beeswax, seen below.

Libertíny also creates other beeswax objects, most made from the honeycomb itself, like these vessels, below.

http://www.tomaslibertiny.com/